{"id":1915,"date":"2016-06-09T22:46:32","date_gmt":"2016-06-09T22:46:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/?p=1915"},"modified":"2016-06-16T11:51:02","modified_gmt":"2016-06-16T11:51:02","slug":"ohiopyle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/2016\/06\/09\/ohiopyle\/","title":{"rendered":"Ohiopyle"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is there to do in Ohiopyle State Park? \u00a0That’s what we were wondering, so we did what any tourists would do and we asked the park rangers\u00a0at the campground office. \u00a0The ranger was super helpful and provided a map and circled several “must see” locations for us. \u00a0The first on our list were the water slides. \u00a0This was the one thing my friend had mentioned to me…that there were some natural water slides. \u00a0We arrived at an empty parking lot then followed the wooden stairs\u00a0down to the river. \u00a0I’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!” \u00a0None of the kids seemed too excited to get in the water so maybe I wasn’t alone. \u00a0They 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. \u00a0Just about the time we all agreed that we would not be sliding down this river a dude shows up in swim trunks!<\/p>\n

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A girl shows up just a bit behind him and I can tell she is not sure about getting in. \u00a0But 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”. \u00a0While he is checking out different options to start his journey to death another guy shows up in swim trunks. \u00a0I decide to chat with this fella.<\/p>\n

“So, are you going to go down the slide?”<\/p>\n

“Probably….I brought my dad, so if he wants to go, I’ll go” he tells me.<\/p>\n

“Is this typical water flow through here?”<\/p>\n

“Nope….its usually really gentle but we’ve had a lot of rain,” he explains.<\/p>\n

Whew, I feel a little bit better that this is considered high water…I wasn’t just being a wimp thinking it was high. \u00a0At this point the two guys in trunks start discussing things and I go over to listen in. \u00a0They are both considering the fact that the water might be too high for a ride on the slide. \u00a0In the end, nobody decides to give it a try so I put my camera away \ud83d\ude41<\/p>\n

With the water slide being a bust we decided to go check out Cucumber falls which turned out to be really spectacular! \u00a0We spent a long time checking out the falls from every vantage point. \u00a0The kids and I went right up to it…not quite in it but we were in the mist and we were getting soaked. \u00a0Its no Niagara, but it was still really impressive.
\n\"Going<\/a><\/p>\n

After the falls we headed up to a lookout point called Baughman Rock. \u00a0It wasn’t too far up a really steep and twisty road. \u00a0 Climbing up on the rock helps you get up above the trees so you can see out and down into the valley. \u00a0It was lush green (maybe because of all the recent rain) and beautiful.
\n\"Baughman<\/a><\/p>\n

Next we went down to the visitor’s center for a picnic long the river. \u00a0We backed the Beast up to the grass by the river and we set up our table, put out a table cloth and chowed down. \u00a0It was a really nice picnic spot. \u00a0Steph and the kids went into the visitor’s center while I did some work outside and then drove out to get fuel. \u00a0We 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!<\/p>\n

The next day we stayed home all day. \u00a0It was actually a little chilly\u00a0out. \u00a0The kids played and read while I worked and Steph researched our next few stops.<\/p>\n

Our last day at the park we decided to do a hike out to another set of falls called Jonathan Run. \u00a0The weather was perfect for hiking and the trail was in the shade the entire time. \u00a0I don’t remember how it got started but I taught the kids the Michael Finnagin song…and then they\u00a0spent most of the hike singing that song.<\/p>\n

There was an old man named Michael Finnagin<\/p>\n

He had whiskers on his chin again<\/p>\n

He pulled them out but they grew in again<\/p>\n

Poor old Michael Finnagin….begin again<\/p>\n[Repeat FOREVER]<\/blockquote>\n

Near the end I got Brielle to sing Found a Peanut<\/em> and I was teaching Dacen the lyrics to MC Hammer’s Can’t Touch This<\/em> thereby giving us a break from Mike’s overactive follicles. \u00a0We found the falls which were definitely nice, but they were pretty small compared to Cucumber falls. \u00a0But the hike was still great. \u00a0It was great to be outside and with the fam!<\/p>\n

After dinner we did another fire for more marshmallow roasting and smores! \u00a0We did not do a whole lot in Ohiopyle but it was a really nice stop with some great hiking, grand views and nice waterfalls.<\/p>\n

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Ava and the Beast<\/p><\/div>

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Steps to waterslides<\/p><\/div>

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Discussing the slides<\/p><\/div>

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At the water slides<\/p><\/div>

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Photo bomb<\/p><\/div>

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The fam<\/p><\/div>

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Taking in the view<\/p><\/div>

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Caden and Dacen<\/p><\/div>

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Sunshine on falls<\/p><\/div>

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Cucumber falls<\/p><\/div>

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Going into splash zone<\/p><\/div>

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Splash zone<\/p><\/div>

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Top of Cucumber falls<\/p><\/div>

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Steph and kids on top of falls<\/p><\/div>

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Checking out the view<\/p><\/div>

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The overlook<\/p><\/div>

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Baughman Rock<\/p><\/div>

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Karate man<\/p><\/div>

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Look at that strength<\/p><\/div>

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Tailgating<\/p><\/div>

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Danger<\/p><\/div>

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Ohiopyl Falls<\/p><\/div>

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Whitewater<\/p><\/div>

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AAAGGGHHHH<\/p><\/div>

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My office<\/p><\/div>

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Camp fire<\/p><\/div>

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Soooo good<\/p><\/div>

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Jonathan Run trail<\/p><\/div>

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On the trail<\/p><\/div>

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Checking the map<\/p><\/div>

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Caden and Brielle<\/p><\/div>

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Jonathan Run falls<\/p><\/div>

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Mossy log<\/p><\/div>

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Us at Jonathan Run falls<\/p><\/div>

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Jonathan Run falls<\/p><\/div>

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Tall tree<\/p><\/div>

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Dacen's leaf<\/p><\/div>

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Hiking<\/p><\/div>

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We should adjust that log<\/p><\/div>

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Marshmallow time<\/p><\/div><\/div>