elkins excursion

Yeah... so I just woke up. Is that a crime? ;)

Yesterday we drove down to Elkins to hang out with Danielle's family in Stuart Park, part of the Monongahela National Forest. As state parks go, I thought it was pretty cool. Very clean, well-taken care of...I would definitely like to go back there sometime. On the way there, I was doing the driving, taking directions from the back seat, with one other vehicle following me. We ended up taking every possible wrong turn we could have taken (including one inside the park itself.) Needless to say we showed up extremely late.

I enjoyed the outing, due to the natural environment, (I've always been a sucker for creeks, woods, and childish explorations) although I spent little time socializing with the family in general. There were some interesting people there, and it would not be far-fetched at all if I found myself hanging out with some of them--what words did pass between us assured me of that. Definitely some common ground there. Unfortunately, I still felt out of place, and thus...not much interaction. I hope things change in the future, because I could learn alot from some of them. (Yes, I know, "alot" isn't a word, but why do I find it so hard to avoid using it?)

Walking along the creek, breathing in the fresh air, turning over stones and examining the microcosms of larvae and aquatic/amphibious life, listening to the sounds of the forest... damn I miss that. I'm going to have to go camping sometime soon. And when I say camping, I mean camping. I'm not talking about motor homes, grills, and electricity. I'm talking about tents, trees, and a campfire. Where you can close your eyes, take a deep breath, and realize there's no sign of civilization for miles-- and that's pretty freakin' cool.

So after the outing, we headed over to her Grandparents' place in Clarksburg. We got lost again. (was there any question?) and ended up at this really old (and historically significant) forge that was vandalized, and rebuilt in 1989. I'll try and find out the name of it sometime--but it was definitely way out of the way. We hung out at the Lynch's for awhile, talked a little bit, her mom showed me the upstairs, where they grew up, and all the antiques and such (which I thought were really cool.) I ended up drinking quite a bit of sloe gin (a first) and root beer (which I don't normally like) and it snuck up on me. We're on the way home, and bam. Suddenly my head is spinning and I'm glad I'm not behind the wheel. Maybe they should change the name to slow gin.

Overall, it was a good experience, and I'm looking forward to next year. I hope we go back there again.