At 7:51 a.m., I posted my sale video for Honest Reflections, then started this post before starting my car and heading towards Canaan Valley Resort to meet my lifelong friend, Lori, to celebrate our 55th birthday together.
“Our moms were pregnant together,” I like to tell people. Born almost 6 months to the day apart, Lori came first on March 10th, 1969, and I followed on Sept. 13th.
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“You’re in cabin four,” the tall, skinny, dark-haired front desk clerk said, showing us the map. “If you ride the chair lift, I suggest riding down and not up. Get to the top any way you can, and then ride down.”
We don’t know why he said that. When we asked the lady at Quencher’s Pub where you bought the tickets, she didn’t know either.
“You can ride up and down, $15 no matter what you do.”
We decided to wait until tomorrow. Splitting a thin-crust pepperoni pizza, we enjoyed lunch at Quencher’s before heading back to the cabin for a bike ride.
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Lori’s sweet ride for the weekend, provided by the insurance company after an unfortunate run-in with a deer, proved easy to spot.
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“Where’s the trail go?” The motorcycle riders in cabin 9 shouted as we rode past on our bikes.
“We don’t know; we’re figuring it out,” I yelled back as I turned onto Black Hollow Trail. When we started out on the ride, we only intended to ride the roads and find the trails, but my adventurous spirit couldn’t resist exploring.
Winding through the woods, when we came to a crossroads, we decided to follow the Promised Land trail long, but it didn’t take long for us to figure out the rocky, single track trail wasn’t for us.
Returning to Black Hollow, we followed it to Almost Heaven for a photo op and saw the beaver dam and bike repair station before heading to the Lodge via the road.
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“There’s a ledge for your phone,” Lori said, reading me the directions for a selfie.
“Almost heaven” must be a thing around here,” I said to Lori.
“It is because of the song.”
“What song?”
“You know, the one you were singing tonight in the restaurant.”
“The John Denver song? I thought that was called Mountain Mama.”
“It is. But it starts out “almost heaven…”
I had no idea. Lori educated me. My friend teaches me the ways of the world. Thank God for her!
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Heart of the Highlands, the bike repair shop sits in the middle of a plethora of trails, perfect for the biker in need, overlooking the Beaver Dam.
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Resort from the back deck of the lodge, overlooking the pool, tennis, and basketball courts, as well as the golf course.
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Andrew Adkins was the entertainment for the Mountainside Music Series, filling the hill with spectators. A professional songwriter, he writes for Blue Steel as well as music scores. His latest album comes out this summer.
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Slept until 7:53, thanks to the awesome window shades. Ron couldn’t believe it when I called home to check on things. Lori, unfortunately did not sleep as well, up at 4:00 passing the time on her phone.
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We decided to visit Blackwater Falls first, discovering Pendleton Point on our way there. God gave us a beautiful day for exploring with temperatures in the low 70’s and a slight breeze to keep us cool. We layered on the clothing and found ourselves shedding layers the longer we hiked.
A family joined us on the overlook as we took in the beauty of God’s creation, scanning miles of forestry that created a blanket of lush greens over the majestic mountains.
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Continuing the loop around Black Water Falls State Park, we quickly found a visitor center and gift shop that led into the trail to the falls. Surprisingly full, we found a parking spot right at the trailhead, on the lower part of the facility. Within minutes we began the descent down the myriad wooden steps, winding their way through the lush woods to a spectacular view of the falls.
Overlooks at different levels give an introduction to Blackwater Falls as every step takes you closer until you come to the final deck that lets you feel the mist from the raging waters. I had no idea the area drew so many visitors, people surrounding us at all times as we descended and ascended the stairs.
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“It means you can still have new life after hard things” Lori, describing tree growing on walk.
On the way back to our car, we passed trees growing on top of the rocks. Passing by them, Lori said those words and touched my heart.
New life does come from hard things when we place our faith in Jesus.
So grateful for my wise friend and the beauty of the West Virginia mountains!
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After Blackwater Falls, we headed the two miles westward to the town of Thomas, known for its eclectic art galleries, quaint shops, and restaurants. On the trail map we received at check-in, it showed Douglas Falls accessible from a trail that started in Thomas. Unfortunately, with no service on our cell phones, we didn’t have GPS, so we winged it.
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When we found the “Welcome to Thomas City Park Trails Sign,” we thought we discovered our destination. Unfortunately, it didn’t take us to the falls, but we did enjoy a 1.3 mile hike along Dales Trail
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Wicked Wilderness Pub proved a wonderful place to enjoy lunch. Located at the start of Davis, WV main street, I just knew they would have great t-shirts. And they did. We rested our tired feet and refueled our bodies for the afternoon.
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After shopping around Davis, we headed back to the Lodge to visit the gift store and check out the Hickory Dining Room as a possible dinner spot. After seeing the $42.95 price for a buffet, we decided on the Laurel Lounge instead for drinks and an appetizer.
But, with a few hours before dinner, we decided to take the scenic chair lift ride to the top of the mountain. Costing $15, and taking 15 minutes, we headed towards our next adventure.
“It’s 15 minute up and about a mile and a half hike to Bald Knob Point. You can either hike back to the chairlift and take it down, or you can hike the rest of the way down the mountain.” The lady who worked at Quenchers and sold the tickets proved our most valuable source of information for things to do around Canaan Valley.
“We’ll decide when we get there,” Lori said, talking about whether to hike back to the chairlift or down the mountain.
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Reaching the top of the mountain, the first thing you see when you get off the lift is the launch area for hang gliding. Walking down the board side walk, you come to a spectacular view of the valley on the other side of the mountain.
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Once we enjoyed the view from the hang gliding launch, we headed to Bald Know Trail for the 2.5 mile hike either way. Entering the dark forest felt a little scary but also exciting as the rocky path started the trek down the mountain to places unknown.
Praying fervently for all the snakes to scatter and the bears to stay away, I tried not to think about those things, focusing instead on the path ahead of me, taking one step at a time. The smells of the forest refreshed the soul.
“I hate not being able to look around. I like looking at the trees,” Lori said.
We had to keep our eyes in front of us, the rocky path making it easy to turn an ankle.
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Just before we reached Bald Knob Overlook, we passed a fellow hiker, alone, on her way back to the chairlift.
“It’s beautiful. You gotta see it,” she said as we stopped to chat for a moment.
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Her words proved true. The breathtaking sight made the trek up the hill worth it. We decided, after taking several pictures, to hike the rest of the way down the mountain. Which proved steeper and more difficult than we anticipated.
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“It’s the first time I hiked an entire mountain!”
“Me too,” Lori said.
We did it!
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Once we reached the parking lot and looked up at the mountain we just traversed, we felt a feeling of accomplishment!
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We took a quick drive through the campground so I could tell Ron about it in case we decide to bring the trailer back here one day.
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Laurel Lounge at hotel gave us a relaxing end to a wonderful day. We listened to John Denver’s Take Me Home Country Roads and other oldies that brought back memories from years gone by. Lorie enjoyed a Crown Blackberry Lemonade while I drank a Malbec, eating delicious garlic Parmesan drizzled wings and soft pretzels sticks with fat tire beer pib cheese.
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Deer running across the yard, while families played by their campfire, blowing bubbles and roasting marshmallows, people swimming entertained us. The clouds glistened with pastel colors as the sun set.
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St. Thomas of Aquinas Catholic Church proved hard to find. The GPS took us to a row of houses, no church in site. Driving down Spruce Street, we couldn’t find 3 Spruce, but almost hidden at the end of it, we found the cross section of Third and Spruce with a small sign reading “St. Thomas Church” and an arrow point up the hill. With only minutes until the service started, Lori quickly looped around Thomas, parking on the hill across from the entrance
“Do you think I should have put the emergency brake on,” Lori said from her kneeling position.
After a short discussion, I went out and put on the break, snapping a few pictures on the way back into service.
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Homily notes:
People don’t believe in demonic possession, calling it mental illness, looking for a natural explanation. Characterizing ancient people as dumb or unsophisticated is dumb. As an ex-engineer, he studies these things. The Mayans’ work, the Egyptian, Pyramids can’t be explained how they made them. They understood mental illness.
Part of the crowd thought Jesus had a mental illness; the rest thought he was demon-possessed. Mark’s gospel wrote for the Romans, very action packer, the shortest, but active. Gospel is well suited to modern times because our attention span is 130 characters or less.
Jesus casts out demons with tremendous power. People couldn’t deny Jesus was healing people and casting out demons. Mental illness couldn’t account for the paralysis of man to walk, so He must be demon possessed.
Jesus’s fundamental message is this: I’m more powerful than the devil. I’ve conquered him. I have put him beneath my feet.
The dark world runs wild in our world. Jesus wrecks all that and reclaims it for God. The Lord never planned for sin to enter the world, but Adam and Eve made poor choices that let in the dark forces. Adam blames Eve. Eve blames the snake. If a snake starts talking to you, don’t talk to it.
We shouldn’t deny the dark world exists. Have a healthy awareness of the spiritual battle around us that is real. The battle is over our souls. And so we should take basic precautions.
Keep a healthy distance from Wiji boards, palm readers, psychics, etc. It’s very dangerous to engage in the dark world.
Father Gabriel North, the chief exorcist of Rome, wrote: “An Exorcist Tells His Story.” Talks about how we should protect ourselves: stay away from mortal sins, and go to confession regularly frequently.
Devotion to Christ’s humility and mimicking Him. And filling our minds with Holy thoughts, the things of God. Demons don’t want anything to do with Holy things.
No cause for fear, we should be cautious, but not fearful. We are wise if we take simple precautions to not come into contact with the dark world.
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“This the view I was telling you about,” Lori said on our way to visit the smallest Church. Located just out of Thomas on 219 North, you can see God’s creation in all its glory.
Lori passed the sign for the smallest Church on her way to the valley, so of course, we had to go see it.
The smallest Church in 48 states has 6 pews that seat 2 people each for a full house of 12 people. No longer offering services, you can stop in during daylight hours and enjoy the peace found within its walls.
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Applewood Transitions, just a few miles from the resort, has a huge sign advertising breakfast, so after we visited the small church, we went there for breakfast and learned something interesting. Operated by Q&A Associates, the small restaurant operates as a transitional facility for young women. In addition to it, two other facilities offer a place for boys, and a long-term facility for others.
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After lunch, we decided to go to Dolly Sods Wilderness (DSW)for a hike. Recommended by our friend at Quencher’s, it seemed the best decision for our last day. We had no idea the adventure that lay before us.
“Now, this road scares me,” Lori said as we wound around s-curves of Laneville Rd, a narrow mountain road with tilted guardrails that didn’t appear sturdy, the only thing keeping cars going over the high cliffs. I’m not used to driving on mountain roads, so I had anxiety. But Lori drives them all the time, so when she said it scared her, I knew to start praying.
Crossing a one-lane bridge, we finally found the entrance to DSW. Not sure where to park, we pulled in behind a Subaru parked on the side of the road and started walking towards the trail. When we saw parking closer, we climbed back in the jeep and moved it to a closer spot, off the road.
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“Where do you want to go?” the older gentleman, with long gray hair in a ponytail and a green vest, identified him as a volunteer, asked as we approached the entrance to the myriad of trails that DSW contains. After talking to him, we dubbed him our angel, who may have saved our lives.
“We don’t know.”
The look on his face spoke volumes. As a local resident, he had a vast knowledge of the trail system and the dangers that awaited people like us. Leading us to the map, we both saw the big brown box with a sign that read, “One person from each party, please register here,” on it in big, bold letters.
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“The trails aren’t marked,” he said, pointing to the map. “No one’s coming to rescue you; it even says it on the government website. If you’re going to hike these trails, if you get lost, you gotta be able to take care of yourself. You’ve got to cross two creeks, and then the path narrows along this ridge. I’d call it a goat path.”
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At this point, I knew I didn’t want to go any further and prayed Lori didn’t either.
“We really don’t want to hike that much; we hiked a lot yesterday,” Lori said.
“In that case, I’d take this fire road up to Blackbird knob. There’s a campground and then parking just past it. If you walk about 100 yards, there’s a beautiful overlook. And right here, you can do little loop that will take you to the cranberry bogs, it’s only about a 1/4 mile long.”
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The short path to Blackbird Overlook took us only minutes to walk. Lined with mountain Laurel, stones lined the path.
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Thank God for our angel who stopped us from traveling into the unknown, unprepared. As we drove up the fire road, we realized the immensity of the wilderness and our lack of knowledge. The more we talked about our encounter with our Angel, the more convinced we became the Lord placed him there to save us from ourselves.
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After visiting the overlook and hiking the small trail, we headed back to the cabin. Passing the entrance, no one stood guarding the opening, our angel gone.
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Once back at the cabin, we caught our breath then road the bikes to the golf course, the one part of resort we hadn’t visited.
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We concluded our day with dinner at Smokehouse Restaurant. Located in Blackwater Falls Lodge, stopping in the way home for another spectacular view.
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Stopping at Laurel Lounge for a nightcap, we watched seven deer play in the yard below. Then we reluctantly headed to the cabin to pack and head home in the morning.
Next trip to Nantucket, God willing. Grateful for another fun girls’ weekend!