It all started with a plan. A plan to get out more as a family… into nature… away from technology and all the busyness that comes with it. “When we move, I want to camp more,” Henry had said. And by camping he meant staying in a cabin with heat and electricity. I knew what he meant cause I’m his wife and all.
So I planned. And did research. And made lists.
The cabin (we’ll call it a cabin even though it’s a house the state park calls a cabin) comes with electricity, indoor plumbing, and heat, but does not come with bedding…
Or a television (a bag of games, toddler toys, and a bin of crafts)
We knew we were cutting it close for still having good weather. Pittsburgh and the surrounding area isn’t exactly known for mild winters so I packed gloves, hats, scarves and heavy coats. Good thing…. as we drove closer to the park we ran into snow flurries. Nothing sticking, but swirling wind and frigid temps. Now you know why I packed all the ‘fun’ stuff. I wasn’t exactly sure how much hiking we’d be doing with the weather forecast, but I did know we’d be having fun.
Henry asked me about a half-hour into the trip, “Did you grab a pair of shoes for me?” Um, no. Turns out he was packing up the car in his slippers. Guess what he wore all weekend? I have soooo done this. More than once.
When we pulled off to eat, we saw a sign for the Flight 93 Memorial. Being the spontaneous folks we are, we decided to take a detour and remember those who lost their lives in a heroic act 10 years ago. I meant to take a picture of the entrance and forgot. I found this photo on the National Parks’ website.
(photo credit: National Park Service website)
We bundled up in our winter accessories and made the trek to the outside memorial.
The crash site can be seen from a walkway built to the side. (Only family members of those who lost their lives are allowed to access the crash site. All other visitors can view it from the walkway and visit the monument)
At the end of the walkway is a monument listing all those who died.
A close up.
It was really moving to visit the crash site. We explained to the girls that it was like a cemetery built for people who had lost their lives trying to save others. Henry and I both teared up reading the plaques that outlined the events of the day and the actions of the plane passengers. I highly recommend paying your respects if you’re ever in the Shanksville, PA area.
Soon we were on our way to Blue Knob State Park. The girls were ecstatic to be staying in a cabin. They were a little disappointed when we arrived at a brick and mortar house. Henry and I were more disappointed when we realized the ranger locked the door on his way out after leaving our key on the counter. He was supposed to leave the door unlocked! We tried calling the park office and reservation line, but it was 5:09 and both were already closed. Drats. We left messages and then did what any blue-blooded American parents would do. We found the closest hotel we could and checked-in. Then headed out for dinner.
We ate at the Jean Bonnet Tavern in Bedford. Can anyone say YUM? Henry’d done some research prior to our trip and was going to bring us here Saturday as a surprise. With the cabin mix up he decided to bring us here Friday. It was amazing. Amazing atmosphere, amazing food…. just what we needed. Henry had a filet sandwich. I had scallop, asparagus, tomatoes and orzo pasta drizzled with pesto. Both entrees were excellent. Then we took a hiatus from our sugar ban to try the peanut butter pie and chocolate cake. It was worth it. But now we’re back on the wagon.
(sorry for the terrible picture. blame the point-and-shoot camera)
While waiting for their meal, these two colored the kid’s placemat.
This one piled his crayons on his pewter plate and then dumped them out. Over and over and over.
After a blissful dinner, we went back to the hotel, kissed each other good-night and went to bed. All of us. At 8:40. ‘Cause we’re cool like that.
(c) 2016 Leighann Marquiss
Comments (5)
THis is Jenny Horst (Moyer) from HA….you were 10 min from our house when you were at the Jean Bonnet. We live in Bedford County. We live about 20 min from FLight 93 and we have never been there! We really need to go!
I have seen Jean Bonnet from the interstate and always wanted to eat there. Glad you did. Did you ever stay in the cabin?
We literally drove past, (and saw from the Turnpike) JB Tavern over a hundred times when we lived in PGH and were visiting family in Maryland. We were always focused on getting to our destination quickly, but on one trip, we did take the time to take a detour and eat lunch at JB Tavern…we were not disappointed! This was almost 30 years ago and it sounds like they are still getting it right! 🙂
Gail from Annapolis, MD
that’s soo cool, reading this post was like a trip close to home, being from PA myself and my mom was raised in PGH… I’ve never done it but Blue Knob State Park has awesome winter activities, snow tubing! 🙂 Enjoy all the adventures!!
Leighann- I have been scouring the internet for something cabin-like-fun to do for Thanksgiving break! So far, I’ve come up with Massanutten only because it has a water park which isn’t outdoorsy at all, since it is November. I did find Bear Creek, a Groupon for Mountain Creek Cabins in WVA and several in the Poconos. If you ever got into the cabin at Blue Knob let me know how it was. Except, I really want the cabin logs.