Posts Tagged ‘West Virginia Vacations’

How To Go Camping And Make Your Own Berry Cobbler

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

Are you getting ready for a camping trip to West Virginia?  Time to go get that tent out and make sure it’s fully functional.   All the stakes, poles and flys ready to go?  Check.

And what goes well with camping?  Try berries.

How great is that?

How great is that?

West Virginia is well known for blackberry bushes, and here at Songerville’s campground you can find yourself plenty of bushes to pick from.   There’s even a cherry tree by our main building, and that tree just happens to be overloaded with cherries this year.

Decide what kind of cobbler you want to make. If you don’t want to go pick some berries out in the woods (why wouldn’t you?), then go to your store and buy some berry filling.  But, just so you know, it’s not going to be near as good.

Okay, here are the ingredients:

  • 2 cups Bisquick
  • 1 1/3 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • Berries

If you have a dutch oven, great.  And if not, you can use an aluminum square pan.  I’m for the aluminum square pan -no dishwashing- but there’s also the question of recycling.  For easy cleanup with the dutch oven you will want to line it with heavy duty aluminum foil.

Start that campfire!  You will want to put your pan on the bed of coals for approx. 10 to 15 minutes to preheat.

Mix all of your ingredients except for the berries of your choice.  Remove your pan from the coals and be careful not to burn yourself. Pour in your fruit, and remember if your using fresh berries to clean them first.

Next pour your mixed batter over top of your berries. You can add some cinnamon on top of the batter for some extra spice.   Put your pan back on the coals.

Place a piece of aluminum of foil over top of your pan, and if you have a dutch oven put your lid on it.   Bake it until it’s golden brown on top, approx. 45 minutes.   Once brown on top, remove and let cool.

Time to eat. If you like some ice cream on it, come to the outfitter’s store and grab a pint.  And, you know, you could even bring us a piece of your cobbler to try!

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What’s White Water Rafting Like?

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

White water rafting is like a wet roller coaster with no seat belt.

But safer.  And wetter.

You must be this tall to ride this ride

You must be at least this tall to ride this ride

We get asked the “What’s it like?” question a lot.  Even on the river.  “What’s the next rapid like?”

It’s tougher to give an answer than you might think.  The whitewater experience is a little different every time.  That’s part of the reason it makes it so much fun.

But the roller coaster comparison is a pretty good one.  We drift right up to the lip of the rapids, big ones like on the New River, or bigger ones like on the Gauley River.  Then, the waves pick us up and we’re on our way.

Things are pretty fast and furious in the middle of a rapid.  Or at least it seems that way.  The guides are completely (!) aware of what’s going on, even though it seems like the river is crashing all around you (because it is).

And then calm.  The rivers here in West Virginia are what we call drop/pool whitewater.  It just means that the calm pools are broken up by big rapids.  Or that the big rapids are broken up by calm pools.  However you want to look at it.

But where the roller coaster analogy really works best is right before the rapids.  As guides, we’ve pretty much lost the butterflies-in-the-stomach nervousness above the rapids (mostly).  But most guests tell us that it’s just like that moment when the coaster is clicking up the first big incline.

And you hear that chain under you?  That’s like the rapids getting louder.  And the silence there at the top of the hill?  That’s like the moments before you’re paddling, where your guide yells out, “Get ready!  Get ready!” and there’s this long wait (actually about 1/3 of a second) before you dig in.

And then the waves are like, you know, the rest of the coaster (corkscrews?).

This is true even on our family trips.  Meaning, even when the rapids are small, kid-sized ones, the excitement factor is the same.  It all depends of the paddler (that’s you).

And then, of course, when you’re done, you immediately want to do it again.

Yep.  A big, wet roller coaster is about right.

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West Virginia Ski Area Review

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

What, you thought all we did was go rafting?

Nope.  We’re pretty avid snow junkies, too.  The New River Gorge is kinda-sorta central to the ski scene in West Virginia (or at least it is for us), and it’s a good place to lay your head while planning your next day on the slopes.

Spoiler Alert: This Is Not West Virginia

Spoiler Alert: This Is Not West Virginia

So, in light of the fact that we’re involved in all things recreation, here’s our quick rundown of the ski resorts here in the mountain state:

WinterPlace Ski Resort: Close to our homes and close to our hearts, WinterPlace Ski Resort is just down the road from the New River Gorge.  We affectionately refer to it (with a big grin) as “The Walmart Of Skiing”.  That’s because it’s right next to highway access- you can drive right in, get what you need, and drive right back out.

Verdict:  The perfect place if you are a never-ever-before first time skier or rider.  Or if you’re taking one.

Canaan Valley Resort And Conference Center: It’s up in the valley between Davis and Elkins, which means Canaan Valley Resort is one of the prettiest places in the state.  Also, it looks across the valley at Timberline, so there’s a little sibling rivalry thing going on, which is always fun.  Canaan is the only place in West Virginia that you can go Air Boarding, which means you should check it out because… hey… Air Boarding!

Verdict:  Fun in the snow for not much dough + Air Boards = awesome.

Timberline Four Seasons Resort: Here’s the thing about Timberline Four Seasons:  If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear it was a small resort out in California somewhere.  T-line’s got that funky, down home vibe (one of the lifts comes from Colorado’s Crested Butte), and the skiing is better than anything in West Virginia has a right to be.  Long, single fall line runs, great trees, nice steeps, and a top notch, super friendly ski school make Timberline a favorite.

Verdict:  You might see Norman Rockwell ski by.  Or Shawn White.

Snowshoe Mountain: Snowshoe Mountain is the closest West Virginia gets to “out west” skiing.  Maybe it’s because it was owned by a huge ski resort developer for the last 15 years or so.  Or maybe it’s just because it’s great.  Snowshoe is the only resort in the state with high speed lifts, and two mile-long Black Diamond trails.  Locals secret:  When the conditions or crowds get bad on the Snowshoe side of the hill, head to Silver Creek, the resort’s smaller sister hill, on the same ticket.

Verdict:  If you want the resort experience, Snowshoe is for you, hands down.

And don’t dare forget about…

White Grass Cross Country Skiing: They call themselves the most exciting cross country skiing in the east, and it’s no lie.  For starters, White Grass is a whole mountain that features every single ability level from rank beginner to oh-my-lawd expert.  It helps that the folks that run the place have been on the double top secret list of coolest, funnest (?), and all-around-bestest people in West Virginia forever.  Lessons are the most fun you’ll have on XC skis, probably, and the restaurant is worth the trip in and of itself.

Verdict:   Honest-to-goodness winter fun for all ages.  Don’t miss it.

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Top 10 Reasons To Come To The New River Gorge For Thanksgiving

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

This isn’t in any kind of order- they’re all equally good reasons to get up here.

10.  Cabins Does anything say Thanksgiving better than having it at a cabin up in the mountains for family and friends?  The answer is nope.

teddy llovet- wild turkeys

It's Thanksgiving (don't tell these guys)

9.  Turkeys The wild ones are all over.  You’d have better luck catching a fly with chopsticks than putting one on your Thanksgiving table, but still, they’re pretty cool to watch.

8.  Disc Golf The discs fly farther and straighter up here in the mountain air :-)   It could be the perfect after-Thanksgiving dinner activity.

7.  Country Drives When the skies are clear and the air smells like woodsmoke, there’s not much better.

6.  Climbing If you’re a climber, you already know this, but nothing builds up an appetite like rock climbing.

5.  Friendly folks It’s true everywhere in WV, but especially true here in the New River Gorge.

4.  Pie ‘Nuff said.

3.  Shopping Around here, we call this the off season.  It’s the best time of year to get great deals on art and artifacts from around the mountains.

2. Big Views In the summer, this is one green-lookin’ place.  Trees everywhere.  Around Thanksgiving, the trees give way to some long views worth seeing.

1.  Us We get kind of impatient waiting for Spring Rafting Season.  Give us a call- we’re fun all year round.

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The 10 Biggest Waves On The Gauley River

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

Interested in big whitewater?  Us too.

Here’s a rundown of the biggest stuff you’ll see on the Gauley (if you’re looking for family rafting, please please don’t read this list.  We have a whole different river for you here).  Daybreak At Pillow rock

Before we start:

-”Wave” isn’t quite accurate.  We want to include holes and other stuff, too.  Let’s say that we’re actually describing the 10 best “hits” on the Gauley.  We’re talking about when your raft smashes into whitewater.  Ok?  Great.

-These hits are described at Fall Gauley Flow (2800 cubic feet per second).  If I just lost you, all I mean is that this list is for the river at normal, not high, water levels.

-We’re going in order, biggest last.  Got something to say about it? Did we get it wrong?  Add it to the comments, please.

10. Upper Collison Creek- Most guides don’t even bother to name this killer hit, but it’s about the best thing you’ll run into in the very top section of the river.  Early in the morning, this hit’s better than coffee for waking everyone right up.

9. Lower MASH-  Cool because of the little dogleg left directly above it.  Line up and let it fly- if you get it just right, it feels like a college linebacker came across and put the hammer down on the whole boat.

8. Hidden Hit Below Iron Ring-  Aka the hidden hit above Kevin’s Folly.  The best part is, everyone’s still too pumped on Iron Ring to really be ready for it.

7.  Last Wave In Insignificant-  If you’re really thinking about it, you’ll be lining up for this all the way from the top of the rapid.  The first wave slows you down just enough for the second wave to break on you like a house.

6.  Lower Stair Step-  Looks good on video, too.  Lower stair step puts a huge wave right in the middle of a long train of huge waves.  Perfect for out-of-the-raft back flips.

5.  Right Side of Woodstock Hole, Iron Ring-  To get the big hit at Iron Ring, you have to get scary close to going over the top of Woodstock.  It’s like playing chicken with the river.

4.  Iron Curtain- Right at the bottom of the rapid, this hole has a sweet spot as big as Detroit that stands boats straight up.  Smack-tastic-ular.

3.  Hell Hole, Pure Screaming Hell- This hole has sold more video than ll of the others combined. The farther right you are, the steeper it gets, until you end up folding the raft in half (which is when the fun begins).

2.  Hawaii Five-0 Wave, Lost Paddle-  The best thing about this huge hit isn’t the front side, breaking part of the wave.  It’s the backside drop after you hit the wave.  It just keeps dropping away, for ever and ever. Stomach?  Oh yeah, it’s still up there.

1.  The Pillow Ride, Pillow Rock- Pass Inertia Hole to the left and you’ll be getting up close and personal with the world famous Pillow Rock.  A great Pillow Ride is a work of art, combining balance with power and a hint of stupidity to make things fun.  It’s like driving the General Lee on two wheels while shooting flaming arrows at a stack of dynamite- there’s nothing awesomer.

Well, what do you say?  Did we get your favorite?  Miss something?  We would never miss a hit on the river (heh heh), so let us know.

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Why Rock Climbing and Pontoon Boats are Made For Each Other

Friday, May 29th, 2009

Here’s a guest post from Erin Yakim at Hard Rock Climbing, our climbing partners over in Fayetteville:

Can I just tell you how excited I am about the summer?  We’re getting ready to put the pontoon boat on the lake and I can hardly wait. We usually have a fist fight as to who gets to take the first climbing trips out on Summersville Lake.
summersville_lake
That’s right- I said get the boat ready for climbing.  This isn’t your typical climbing trip.

This one is special (well, at least worth getting into a fist fight over). We start out at 9:00 am picking up our guests and making our way north on US-19.  There, we load up the boat with climbing gear, swimming gear, suntan lotion, food, and us. All the makings for a perfect day.

scan00031

The water is beautiful and clear at Summersville Lake (aka The Little Bahamas of the East).  After we boat our way to the first set of cliffs, the guides set the pontoon up so that we are able to climb directly out of the boat on to the rocks.  Cool, huh?

A top rope anchor is used to protect the climber as they ascend the rock.  As they climb, the slack is taken out of the rope, so that if they happen to let go or fall, well, they actually won’t fall at all; they’ll be held up by the rope. The views from up top are incredible!

There is no soloing (climbing without a rope) when climbing above the boat. However, later in the day, there are chances for swimming and water bouldering, and climbing out of the water directly onto the rocks. The Army Corps of Engineers has prohibited diving or jumping from the cliffs into the water, so we advise down climbing.   Oh, and we know some oh-so-scenic spots for lunch, too.

We travel to several different climbing sites through out the day. Some cliffs are 35 ft tall and others maybe as high as 70-80.  The difficulty of the routes varies from place to place, but there is something for everyone.

lakecavern

We take people climbing that are absolute beginners. We take people that had climbed for years and want to expand their knowledge. We take everyone in between, too. We have had families, school groups, boy scouts and team building groups that absolutely love this trip. This is a trip that’s appropriate for kids as young as 6, and people as old as, well, me.

Who doesn’t love being chauffeured around one the state’s most beautiful lakes?  You get to climb up high above the water, knowing that there only a few people who actually get to experience this!  Awesome.

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Southern West Virginia Fun Times

Thursday, May 7th, 2009
Dancers in Honey in the Rock

Dancers in Honey in the Rock

Many people who visit Southern West Virginia wonder, “What is there to do?” The answer, “More than you realize!” While the area is well known for exciting whitewater rafting, there are other great activities to enjoy. Let’s look at one of these.

Do you like the theater? What about an outdoor drama? Southern West Virginia has it with the highly acclaimed dramas, “Honey in the Rock” and “Hatfields & McCoys“. These dramas are staged each June, July and August at Cliffside Amphitheatre-Grandview near Beckley. The productions, dramatize the events of West Virginia becoming a state during the Civil War and the famous feud between families.

Some say it stated with a dispute over the ownership of a hog. Others say the ill-fated love between Roseanne McCoy and Johnse Hatfield caused it. Whatever the reason, there was bad blood between the Hatfields of West Virginia and the McCoys of Kentucky. This historical drama chronicles the battles and bloodshed spurred by pride and politics. The story of the Hatfields and McCoys has been told and retold until the real men and women diffuse into myth, but they did exist. (This production contains some violence  which may frighten very young children.)

To fight for the dominance of the Union or the rights of its states? Such a decision destroyed many lives in the South during the Civil War. But here in Appalachia, it resulted in the creation of a new state–West Virginia, Union loyal, and populated by a hard-nosed new breed of American. Honey in the Rock chronicles the tumultuous birth of the Mountain State through the lives of some of its real and imagined residents. It’s a romping, rollicking, vibrant historical performance filled with drama, intrigue, music, comedy and romance. (This production contains some violence which may frighten very young children.)

Two additional musicals are on tap this summer as well, Disney’s High School Musical and Seussical. Both are high energy musical productions that are sure to please the entire family. Relive high school days as the guys and gals travel the halls at East High. Living and learning along the way. Enter the world of Dr. Seuss, with the eccentric characters known to us all. The plot mirrors the  story of “Horton Hears a Who” as Horton the Elephant endeavors to protect the people of Who-ville. Many of Dr. Seuss’ characters come to life in this fun filled adventure.

These plays are productions of Theatre West Virginia, founded in 1955 and is highly acclaimed for it’s excellence in promoting and preserving the history of our country. Honey in the Rock is recognized as the nation’s oldest Civil War drama.

Southern West Virginia has something to offer that is far removed from the ordinary. Come visit and see for yourself.

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