Good-bye (for now) Cook Forest
Monday, June 21, 2010
Thursday was our last day in the forest. We had a big pancake breakfast . . . blueberry, banana or plain pancakes were the options. I tried them all and the blueberry were my favorite and the banana my least - too much banana flavor for me. I like to taste the pancake. Also, FYI, maple syrup is really reasonable there (compared to our outrageous prices here in OH). It's also local! I meant to get some for home but of course I forgot.
My parents left after breakfast - and after Caine caught six MORE fish. Geesh. Those too were cleaned and taken home. Seemed excessive. I packed up the cabin and then packed up some lunch. This morning the plan was our big hike in the old growth forest. After my parents left we set out with our map and a general plan - of course we did not stick to the latter.
This was an awesome hike. It was easy to moderate by my standards (though I was not the one with a
toddler in back-carrier). I'd guess we did about 2 miles or more in the forest before stopping for lunch then another mile or more back to the cabin.
Most of Cook Forest and PA in general - heck the entire east coast or US for that matter - was logged in the early 1900s (and earlier). Some stands of virgin or old growth or original forest did remain though. Cook Forest has some large sections of this and let me tell you the trees are amazing. You get so used to trees being huge! On the drive home it looked like we were passing saplings and basically just sorry excuses for 'forests.' Many of these old hemlocks and white pine are over 300 years old - many as high as 150 feet tall, and some as wide as 4 feet! I love hiking for so many reasons but one of them is that it can really be a very spiritual, centering and calming experience. This forest was beautiful and reflecting on the trees and really the whole natural setting can really put just about anything in perspective.
I hope to make stops in Cook Forest annually. I'd really like to try more advanced hikes as J gets older and more capable. He hiked part of the Ancient Forest Trail and he hiked nearly the entire way back so I think we have a good lil hiker in the making.
posted by Shannon @ 21.6.10,
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Cook Forest - Part 3 / Day 2
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Everyone slept great in the little cabin. We did have to leave a flashlight on all night in the front corner where J could see it but we really couldn't. He had kept saying 'too dark' the night before at my mom's. Normally the dark doesn't bother him but maybe in a new place it does. We got up and got started on breakfast right away . . . some gimme lean and bell pepper frittata which turned into scrambled eggs with my egg skills. It was also overcooked by others' standards but not mine. We were all cleaned up and ready to go when my parents finally showed up - without breakfast. They'd been driving around looking for someplace that was open; no McD's out there! We managed to find stuff the kids would eat and we planned our morning. Since it was a bit overcast and drizzly we decided to spend the first half of the day in and out of the car at various stops instead of doing a hike.
We started at Seneca Point & the Fire Tower. THIS is exactly the hike we had in mind when we bought a backpack carrier for J. Oh, and it's not really a hike so I guess it's exactly the SPOT we had in mind. :) It *could* be a hike and a very strenuous/rewarding one at that, which is why we opted out this time. I didn't climb the tower but took lots of pictures while D took all the kids up. Daredevil J wanted out of D's arms the entire time but it's not really a very secure tower so that wasn't happening. While D fought to hold onto the wiggly toddler, Alana kept climbing too far ahead. I don't think D had very much fun up there.
Next we headed over to Seneca Point which is a combination lookout and playground. The playground part is how all the rocks are formed with gaps and tunnels and whatnot that create a very non-kid-friendly playground. We didn't have any adventures this time, much to D's dismay. I'm not sure what he expected hauling a 2-yr old on his back. It was windy and the kids were bored so we didn't stay too long. On the way out we spotted a deer and I managed to get within 10-feet of her, taking photos the whole time.
After a stop at the Museum & Educational center and Memorial Fountain we did some souvenir hunting which was really disappointing. I'm sure the kids enjoyed it. I'm also pretty sure that stuff was crap when I was a kid too but realizing it sort of ruined the memory.
After lunch Caine hit the fishing pond, and this time he quickly caught the daily maximum of six fish. I occasionally eat fish, but I was really tired of seeing dead ones and I didn't even like how they tasted the night before. These were cleaned and frozen to take home. That afternoon it had warmed up so we went back to the swinging bridge (had to check the status of the palomino) and back to the swimming hole. Though the water was just as cold it was hotter out so it was a nice balance . . . for a few minutes versus a few seconds.
J fell in once while bent over splashing. He was shocked and kept saying "too wet; too wet." He bounced back quickly though he stuck to his favorite game of throwing rocks instead of splashing in the water with his hands. We spent quite a bit of time there - right up to dinnertime actually.
Splish-splash!
Oh no, man down!
"too wet; too wet"
My parents decided we should go out to eat that night at the restaurant at their motel. I was dubious at best. My father likes to drag us to places that serve barely edible food. This place was actually pretty good though. It was standard mom-n-pop type food but it was good. For the second time in the past decade I shocked the server when I ordered a reuben . . . without meat. She just stared at me and then asked what I did want . . . cheese? sauerkraut? dressing? Yep, that's what a reuben without cheese IS so yeah that's what I want. I was nice, mainly because I was so amused. The running joke at the table as to why dinner took so long to arrive was that the cook was STILL staring at our ticket because of my sandwich order. It came out right and yummy!
D got to have Yuengling on draft in a Yuengling pint glass too! He planned to pocket it on the way out but my dad said he'd check first to see if we could buy it. First the server reported that no, they were not for sale and D was really disappointed because now they'd notice a missing glass. But she returned about ten minutes later saying that had been a cover so the other patrons didn't hear and that we could indeed purchase the glasses (she was whispering). We bought a pair. Pays to have beers with the owner I guess!
You also get a free toy with all kids meals. I thought about the Orca for J but then decided on the manatee because we see them at the zoo a lot. Of course J hates it. First he mourned the teddy bear he say the owner with, then he lamented over the whale Caine had. He still only likes to throw his manatee and laugh evilly. Sigh. Toy FAIL.
No smores that night. We went to the ice cream shop and though they no longer carry Teaberry flavor or bubble-gum they did have Peanut Butter Cup which is not what you may think. It's not the candy bar but instead it's chocolate ice cream with ribbons of peanut butter. YUM!
posted by Shannon @ 20.6.10,
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Cook Forest - Part 2 / Day 1
I'm not sure when most people plan their summer vacations. I think I started a bit early but by the time I had anything figured out I heard quite a few people had theirs planned as well. After quite a bit of discussion, we decided to stay within driving distance, preferably within 5 hours driving distance, of home. Maybe it's surprising, but this actually gives us quite a huge number of places to choose from here in Ohio. We narrowed it down further to something "outdoorsy" and still had plenty of options. I really wanted a beach trip but thanks to BP that's wasn't a gamble I wanted to take. We decided on Lake Erie (I mean it's 'pret near' St. John in almost - ah - well - zero ways). The lake is relatively shallow but we wanted to give the water time to warm-up a bit and pushed that to August. After plans for a family vacation (on both sides) never materialized, I took advantage of the fact my mom was sitting my niece and nephew somewhat last-minute in June for a week. I suggested Cook Forest and it all came together wonderfully.
We rented a 1-bedroom state cabin in the grouping called the Indian Cabins. These are organized in a circle around the shower facilities. I gotta say my largest concern was the shower because in the 80s those things were grimy spider homes! But they've been completely redone and they were really, really nice! Really! Even with the lil spider living in #3 it was spacious and clean and made the excursion that much easier. My mom even implied she would consider staying there now. This time they got a motel about 10 miles outside the park because my mom said she no longer wanted to "rough it." I'm pretty sure we weren't roughing it. We didn't have running water but it was about 20 yards away. That was as rough as it got.
We planned only to stay 2-nights (3-days) as we thought that would be plenty of time with a toddler in the woods. I regret we could not have planned a longer stay. We jammed a lot into that time though we started off slow. We arrived just before nap time so we unpacked, ate lunch, and put J down. Thankfully he fell asleep quickly. The kids were bored though so Caine headed off to the Children's Fishing pond while my mom & I took Alana on a short hike.
As you enter the Indian Cabins area you cross a bridge where Tom's Run has been dammed and the little pond it creates is the Children's Fishing Pond. It's kept stocked with trout and no one over age 12 is supposed to be fishing there. We saw that was not always followed that well but for the most part the pond was always swarmed with kids. Caine caught a total of 15 fish over three days. His first 3 were during J's nap and ended up accompanying dinner that night.
After J's nap we did the same hike again but with the entire group. This is the BIG hike - big in anticipation and excitement. It was the hike to the swinging bridge, always a crowd-pleaser. If you saw my previous post you saw one of many photos on the swinging bridge when I was a kid. It's a suspension bridge that swings and sways and bounces too depending on how gently (or crazy) you cross it. I didn't like taking J across. Funny that earlier that day the bridge seemed to be in fine shape and completely safe for J. Once he was actually on it though I noticed all sorts of hazards and was totally freaking out. I put D in charge of bridge crossings as he was clearly less obsessive than I.
Earlier that day, we had spotted what looked like a large koi in the stream, under the bridge , and my dad said it was a palomino trout. Very pretty. Caine wanted to catch it but my mother and I simultaneously nixed that idea with "What?!? Why?!?! No!" After splashing in the water, and a rescue mission for a lost sandal in the stream, we continued on the path to a waterfall. The stream makes an S-turn at the waterfall and the water has room to spread out and slow down with the help of a little rock dam. This has always been a favorite place to splash and wade in the water. This year the water was nice and deep but also icy cold. Though we all waded in the water a few seconds, Alana was the only one able to brave the cold for long; she left soaked.
We got back just in time to make dinner - fresh caught trout and veggie dogs over the fire and of course smores. So far that day J was gaining confidence on the trails and in the water - and he was loving having his cousins to play with. We had packed cars and balls and some other toys that seemed to entertain every age group including my husband. An essential that night was an early bedtime due to sheer exhaustion on everyone's part. We had stayed at my mom's the night before and J had a hard time sleeping. Since we were sharing a room with him we probably made it worse and hence lost a lot of sleep ourselves. I don't drink coffee, but even if I did I still would have been draggin' by sunset.
posted by Shannon @ 20.6.10,
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Cook Forest - Part 1
I'm finally using my travel blog! Yeah! It's been a year's hiatus at least. Except for trips to Texas to visit the family, we haven't done a vacation since St. John last May. Cook Forest was similar but different too (in obvious ways).
My family vacationed in Cook Forest (which we always called 'Cooks Forest' but that's apparently wrong) for years. Each year we'd rent one of the state River Cabins which had running water and electricity but only pit toilets and often they were a bit of a hike away. The showers were located in the other state cabin area and we'd drive there. My aunts also rented cabins so there was quite a group of us. I now understand why this works so well.
In planning our summer vacations this year, I wanted to do something with family. I knew J would have an awesome time playing with his cousins. I had first set my sights on the younger cousins but that didn't work out. I didn't expect that the older two would enjoy J's company. I was so wrong. The kids had a great time. And what I learned was how nice it is to have older kids helping keep an eye on the little ones . . . not only that but having kids to entertain each other in general was great. Had D and I gone with just J our short trip would have been far less fun for everyone. J would have been bored and whiny and we would have been exhausted from entertaining him in addition to hauling him around on hikes.
Before I go into the trip in the next blog installments, I wanted to share some older photos of previous trips. Like I said, we vacationed there for many years. I can't recall how many exactly. I know it was in the mid to late 1980s with one final trip in the mid-1990s. Cook Forest is only about an hour and a half from my parents so I did go up on day trips with friends in both high school and college too as well as one day trip with my parents the summer I got married.
I really do love the place. I had not forgotten that, but I had forgotten why and how much I loved it.
Seneca Point, mid-1980s
Fire Tower, mid-1980s
Tom's Run mid-1980s
The water was higher this year & the waterfall in the back was flowing.
Swinging Bridge, mid-1980s
My grandfather, grandmother, self, brother, and father are pictured from left to right.
Tom's Run, under swinging bridge, mid-1990s
back row: my sister, cousing, brother
front row: self, cousin, cousin
posted by Shannon @ 20.6.10,
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time flies. . . .
Sunday, April 11, 2010
. . . even when you're sitting at home.
Spring is here! Though I love the flowers and budding trees, I also love knowing summer is right around the corner. We're beginning to plan our summer vacation. Stay tuned.
posted by Shannon @ 11.4.10,
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. . . is not enough
Sunday, May 31, 2009
By midweek I already new the time was flying by too quickly. We only had a couple days left and I had not gotten to really snorkel at all nor had I made it to Solomon Beach yet.
Days 5 & 6 . . .
Wednesday I had a bright and early 9am meeting at Caneel Bay resort. I'm not sure how that will turn out in the end. They liked my designs but not the shirts - I need to look into more color options. We'll see. I returned to the villa after that and the plan had been for the group to go BACK to Caneel for brunch and hit all the surrounding beaches. Instead, everyone got ready and left for Waterlemon.
Waterlemon is a small cay off Leinster Bay and has excellent snorkeling. You can get there a variety of ways but typically we park near Annaberg and walk back. I'm guessing it's just over a mile (and it's flat - yeah!). The beach is rocky and there isn't any shade so it's not really a place to setup shop and hang out. However, the bay has a grassy bottom and I have never not seen turtles, rays and conch there. One thing I did miss was the field of giant seastars the first year. I have seen them since but just not in the huge numbers that had apparently gathered there the first year we visited. There is quite a current around it so I was unable to snorkel it the first year. Once I got my handy inflatable vest though I've been able to easily snorkel there during our other visits. I missed it on this trip too as I stayed home with J. The group saw turtles and rays of course (a Waterlemon staple). They also saw a tarpon and octopus plus the usual barracuda and array of tropical fish.
Everyone was tired from the long day at Waterlemon so that afternoon included some pool time and dinner in town. We opted for Cafe Roma. Though the location gets wonderful reviews I can't say I loved my meal. There are some really good Italian restaurants back in PA and also at home in C-bus. It takes a lot to impress me with that type of cuisine. It wasn't bad it just wasn't great. We should really have opted for someplace with a more tropical menu. J was not too happy here so D took him home while we got our food boxed up. With the guys gone, the group of us girls decided to wander through the shops at Wharfside before taking a taxi back to the villa. Unfortunately most of the shops were already closed so there was not much purchasing that happened - maybe that's a good thing.
Thursday was our last full day on the island. I had two morning appointments that I turned into three. T and H joined me at both, well they shopped at various stores while I met with vendors at others. First we hit The Marketplace on the south end of Cruz Bay. Next we headed into town to Mongoose Junction where I did my only sort of cold call stop. I had spoken to them but did not have an appointment. Luckily the person I spoke with was there and she loved my shirts. She's placing an order! After work it was time for play, and the three of us headed to Solomon Beach - FINALLY! It's a hike to get to Solomon but it's worth it (and it's not a horrible hike). It's small and secluded but is ridiculously picturesque. The water seems to be even clearer than the other beaches. I love it. We didn't bother to snorkel but just lounged in the sun and floated on the waves.
I returned to the villa to pick up D and J and then we met T and H at Honeymoon beach. Honeymoon is next to Solomon so it's far easier to get to with J. This was our last beach. Sigh. It was an awesome time though. I snorkeled first with T. We saw rays (the hugest ray I have ever seen - at least 4'x6' if not larger). Then we headed over to the reef where it was like being in an aquarium. There were parrotfish, squirrelfish, wrasse, angelfish, grouper, sergeant major, blue tang, butterfly fish, blue chromis and bristle worms just to name a few! We hardly swam around at all as they were all right there in one group of coral.
I went back to shore and D took a turn. Of course as soon as he gets out there the fun starts. T sees an octopus and D gets called back from the opposite end of the bay to see it. It's only about 15' offshore but I couldn't get to it with J of course - very frustrating! Luckily D swam back to let me use his mask and check it out. Then once it was on the move T swam back to let me see it again. It kept changing colors and being quite defensive about being followed (understandably) so they left it alone. It was just as well because the two rays we say earlier headed farther out into the bay to join up with a few more - plus down the bay from that was a spot of coral with another diverse set of fish including a huge tarpon. There was a ton to see. It was a great way to end the day and the trip.
Day 7 - heading home
Friday we got up and packed like crazy people - well maybe that was just D and I since we had our stuff and J's. It was a bit harried. We left promptly at 10am (check out time), dropped off the keys & the rental car then waited for our noon ferry over breakfast at Mojo Cafe.
I got to meet the artist I worked with - Chelsea. She helped us cart our bags over to the ferry and we were on our way. J was a crazy man in the STT airport because it was nap-time. Luckily he fell asleep on the plane - yeah! He didn't wake up until the 16-month old a few rows up started screaming. I wonder if babies are more instinctual than adults, like cats and dogs who are visually upset upon entering the veterinary office and hearing and smelling the other animals. J could not go back to sleep with this baby howling but at least he stayed calm and played and we were preparing to land. We landed at J's usual bedtime and had more than two hours to kill. We let him eat AGAIN while we all had dinner at Chili's. He was so tired by the time we took off that he was unable to fall asleep. It was so sad. He couldn't get comfortable which I can understand. It was a short flight though and soon enough he was in his travel crib at his aunt Jenn's back in Dallas.
posted by Shannon @ 31.5.09,
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a week on the island . . .
Our week in St. John went by too fast. We had 6 days to enjoy the pool and beaches and 7 nights to venture into Love City. Plus I ended up meeting with six different vendors across four days. I got great feedback and look forward to moving forward with the business.
Days 1 & 2 . . . The Swim
Saturday was a beach day of course. We went to Cinnamon since D had never been. Plus it's got super soft sand, food and showers making it family friendly for J's first beach ever. It was a bit overcast but I think that was a good way to get started and not have to worry about being cooked on day one. Cinnamon Bay has a campground, a cay to snorkel around, and you can also snorkel west to Little Cinnamon and even on to Peter Bay which is a private beach. We stayed a few hours then headed back to the villa for J's nap and a dip in the pool. That evening was my first vendor appointment, the Power Swim meeting and dinner out at Morgan's Mango (by far my favorite restaurant on-island). The pan-seared tofu is AMAZING - best tofu I've ever had. I wish I knew how they made it, plus the sauce was deliciously sweet and spicy. Yum.
Sunday was the Power Swim. I volunteered in 2007 and wanted to do so again but opted out since J was with us this time. D and T both won their age/course brackets and got ribbons and a glass art prize. I spent the day with J at the pool. That night we all made dinner in and played Monopoly. I never played that game "correctly" growing up. We just went round and round the board and quickly got bored. It's so much more entertaining to buy property and build houses. I was a mogul and battled D at the end to see which of us won. I won - by a a lot.
Days 3 & 4 . . . Beach Sampling
Monday we got our bag back from US Airways. Yeah! I had D drop J and I off at Hawksnest for a morning swim while he ran back into town to meet the ferry and our bag. Hawksnest is a wide bay that has 4 beaches, from west to east they are: Caneel Hawksnest, Little Hawksnest, Hawksnest, Gibney/Oppenheimer. The first beach is part of the Caneel Bay Resort and we have only visited it once - I loved it and got to see pelicans and turtles! Little Hawksnest is sort of connected to Hawksnest via a path over some rocks. You have snorkel around some reef or walk/drive to Gibney/Oppenheimer. Those beaches are sort of the same though the Gibney portion is privately owned (above the high tide line).
That afternoon we relaxed poolside for J's nap. Our pool was awesome. I have not seen one that large on the island and it was nice and deep too. I had another afternoon appointment with a vendor too; it went well. There was not an order but the manager liked the designs and I'm hopeful.
We returned to Morgan's Mango that night. J was far less messy this time (he made a HUGE mess the first night - it was embarrassing). The fried plantains and tofu were just as yummy as the first night. J enjoyed his tropical fruit punch - fresh punch not the stuff we get at the grocery. It was really yummy too; I shared with him.
Tuesday was overcast again and cooler. It would have been a great day for a hike to Ram's Head (or the Reef Bay hike if the mosquitoes weren't so bad) or even Denis Beach. Instead we hoped the clouds would move on and headed to Francis Bay in hopes of good snorkeling. It was really buggy there and the sand gets rocky in some places. It was also really silty for some reason so the snorkeling while okay was apparently not as good as usual. I didn't go, but this is the report I got back from T and D. I was able to see fish though. I walked the entire length of the bay (holding J) in about hip deep water and we saw an entire school of flat needlefish, a hunting pelican that landed only a couple feet from us, a conch and as always schools of fry and palometa swimming around us. Want to see them for yourself - look here. There were also chickens - two roosters and a flock of hens (maybe 6). We caused a frenzy when J dropped a fig newton in the sand and I disposed of it by throwing it into the brush. One rooster had the newton in it's mouth (after stealing it from another bird) and was running with all the others behind it. It was actually pretty comical.
After J's nap and a dip in the pool we headed to Trunk Bay. It's part of the USVI National Park and is the iconic St. John beach. The cay just offshore has an underwater snorkel trail. It hasn't been very good most years but this year it was much better. There were huge parrotfish as well as juvenile sergeant majors (again - check here for pics).
Come back in a few days for picks. Also, stay tuned for Days 5-7.
posted by Shannon @ 31.5.09,
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