Ohiopyle

What is there to do in Ohiopyle State Park?  That’s what we were wondering, so we did what any tourists would do and we asked the park rangers at the campground office.  The ranger was super helpful and provided a map and circled several “must see” locations for us.  The first on our list were the water slides.  This was the one thing my friend had mentioned to me…that there were some natural water slides.  We arrived at an empty parking lot then followed the wooden stairs down to the river.  I’m not sure what the rest of the family had go through their minds but my brain processed something about like this “nu uh, no way….that is a whitewater death trap…nobody in their right mind would get in that raging torrent….no thank you!”  None of the kids seemed too excited to get in the water so maybe I wasn’t alone.  They threw some sticks in intending to watch them float down stream only to have them completely devoured by the frothing white water never to be seen coming out the bottom.  Just about the time we all agreed that we would not be sliding down this river a dude shows up in swim trunks!

A girl shows up just a bit behind him and I can tell she is not sure about getting in.  But the guy heads up to the top of the slides and I get out the camera to get this on film so I can submit it for the 5:00 news…”Colorado tourists witness local man getting bashed to a pulp in the Ohiopyle water slides”.  While he is checking out different options to start his journey to death another guy shows up in swim trunks.  I decide to chat with this fella.

“So, are you going to go down the slide?”

“Probably….I brought my dad, so if he wants to go, I’ll go” he tells me.

“Is this typical water flow through here?”

“Nope….its usually really gentle but we’ve had a lot of rain,” he explains.

Whew, I feel a little bit better that this is considered high water…I wasn’t just being a wimp thinking it was high.  At this point the two guys in trunks start discussing things and I go over to listen in.  They are both considering the fact that the water might be too high for a ride on the slide.  In the end, nobody decides to give it a try so I put my camera away 🙁

With the water slide being a bust we decided to go check out Cucumber falls which turned out to be really spectacular!  We spent a long time checking out the falls from every vantage point.  The kids and I went right up to it…not quite in it but we were in the mist and we were getting soaked.  Its no Niagara, but it was still really impressive.
Going into splash zone

After the falls we headed up to a lookout point called Baughman Rock.  It wasn’t too far up a really steep and twisty road.   Climbing up on the rock helps you get up above the trees so you can see out and down into the valley.  It was lush green (maybe because of all the recent rain) and beautiful.
Baughman Rock

Next we went down to the visitor’s center for a picnic long the river.  We backed the Beast up to the grass by the river and we set up our table, put out a table cloth and chowed down.  It was a really nice picnic spot.  Steph and the kids went into the visitor’s center while I did some work outside and then drove out to get fuel.  We ended up back home where the kids played in the little creeks in the campground and we had a fire after dinner for roasting marshmallows!

The next day we stayed home all day.  It was actually a little chilly out.  The kids played and read while I worked and Steph researched our next few stops.

Our last day at the park we decided to do a hike out to another set of falls called Jonathan Run.  The weather was perfect for hiking and the trail was in the shade the entire time.  I don’t remember how it got started but I taught the kids the Michael Finnagin song…and then they spent most of the hike singing that song.

There was an old man named Michael Finnagin

He had whiskers on his chin again

He pulled them out but they grew in again

Poor old Michael Finnagin….begin again

[Repeat FOREVER]

Near the end I got Brielle to sing Found a Peanut and I was teaching Dacen the lyrics to MC Hammer’s Can’t Touch This thereby giving us a break from Mike’s overactive follicles.  We found the falls which were definitely nice, but they were pretty small compared to Cucumber falls.  But the hike was still great.  It was great to be outside and with the fam!

After dinner we did another fire for more marshmallow roasting and smores!  We did not do a whole lot in Ohiopyle but it was a really nice stop with some great hiking, grand views and nice waterfalls.

Ava and the Beast

Steps to waterslides

Discussing the slides

At the water slides

Photo bomb

The fam

Taking in the view

Caden and Dacen

Sunshine on falls

Cucumber falls

Going into splash zone

Splash zone

Top of Cucumber falls

Steph and kids on top of falls

Checking out the view

The overlook

Baughman Rock

Karate man

Look at that strength

Tailgating

Danger

Ohiopyl Falls

Whitewater

AAAGGGHHHH

My office

Camp fire

Soooo good

Jonathan Run trail

On the trail

Checking the map

Caden and Brielle

Jonathan Run falls

Mossy log

Us at Jonathan Run falls

Jonathan Run falls

Tall tree

Dacen's leaf

Hiking

We should adjust that log

Marshmallow time

 

One thought on “Ohiopyle

  • June 16, 2016 at 1:20 pm
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    Looks like another great time for your memory files. Memories pressed between the pages of your mind. To keep forever.. To get out occasionally and enjoy over and over… Perhaps some cold winter evening in the not too distant future again with grandkids around a campfire eating s’mores!!!!

    Reply

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