Way down deep in the moist, cobwebby corner of the supply closet of my brain is a dusty, musty memory. I’m probably only three or four years old, in my grandparents’ coffee- and cedar-scented basement, where the relatives have gathered to view ancient family vacation slides that I am not in and therefore do not care about.
It is a universal truth that no one wants to see slides of someone else’s vacation, even if it’s their dearest friend who happens to be quite witty and the scenery is just breathtaking, despite the pictures being taken on a cell phone. In truth, I’m writing this more for my own memories than anything else. But stick around if you’re interested.
Ah, so you’re staying?
Welcome to my slideshow presentation.
Like everyone else in America and probably the world, the stress of you-know-what (okay, fine, for the sake of posterity, COVID, it’s the COVID, there I said it) was really getting to us. A vacation wasn’t in the plan when the year started, but all the little day trips, to the zoos, museums, amusement parks, had to be canceled. And so, like everyone else, we made a plan to escape civilization.
Hocking Hills is always on those lists. “Only in Your State.” “50 Places to See Before You Die.” “Freaking Huge Flights of Stairs in the Woods.” Hiking enthusiast and lover of waterfalls that I am, I had wanted to go for some time and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I did tons of research, made many spreadsheets, and booked a cabin.
Monday was spent mostly packing, driving, eating in parking lots, checking tires, all that boring but necessary stuff. We arrived at the cabin around 6:00 and made ourselves at home. Two full floors plus a loft! Air hockey! THREE bathrooms! The entire length of our stay, no one ever had to wait for the bathroom. It was miraculous.
Not so miraculous? The sleeping. I am not used to central air, my girls are not used to bunk beds, my family are not used to being so spread out. Here at home, I can hear if someone so much as coughs in the middle of the night. I tried to sleep in the girls’ room in case they woke up and needed me, but I only slept about two and a half hours that first night.
I’ve never been able to sleep well away from home. But in my younger years, I handled a lack of sleep much better than I do now. Thankfully I slept much better the second night, and I heard everyone else did, too.
Pictures! I took way more than this, but since you were so kind to hang around, I’ll stick to the highlights. Honestly, this cabin was so beautiful, if we ever go back, I’d love to stay the same place.
In the next post, we may or may not have broken into a petting zoo, “roughed it” more than we intended, and took a hike! Stay tuned…
The Coffeeless Mom 