Sunday, October 1, 2017

Best Laid Plans

As the poet Robert Burns once wrote, "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry." So it went with this summer's travel plans. To a degree.

This past spring, the Mrs. began a new job. Her busy season runs from mid-May until early August which meant we had to cancel a cruise that we'd been saving and planning for all winter. Luckily we got the bulk of our deposit back and were able to squeeze in a camping vacation, in late August, along the Williams River where we spent our honeymoon three years ago.

The Willams River runs through the Monongahela National Forrest and offers rustic campsites situated along the river. Each campsite features a fire ring, picnic table, and lantern post. There is no running water other than the river and there are vault toilets located various locations along Williams River Road. Last June, devastating floods ravaged the area causing major damage to the roadway and campsites.  The forest service has been working diligently this past year to restore the campsites and roads, which were fully open when we visited.

It was a beautiful week. We only had one day of rain so we were able to spend the week relaxing, reading, fishing, visiting the scenic highway, and perfecting our dutch-oven cooking skills. We had a wonderful time.


























Sunday, June 25, 2017

First Trip of 2017

The Rolling Love Sh@ck made its maiden voyage of the 2017 camping season this past May with another trip to Ryerson State Park near Wind Ridge Pennsylvania. Even with the forecast of rain all weekend we made the decision to go, simply to get away and spend some uninterrupted time together.

Despite a huge thunderstorm that rolled in about 3:00 a.m. on Saturday morning and clouds that constantly threatened rain the remainder of the weekend, we had a relaxing time sitting in front of the fire reading and cooking meals and dessert in our dutch ovens.










Not too sure about this new screen tent yet. Nice idea but not a lot of room.

Monday, April 3, 2017

Spring Tonic

It's that time of year again. Spring has sprung and here in the mountains of West Virginia and across Appalachia ramps are beginning to poke their bright green leaves through the forest floor. Ramps are a type of wild leek that are harvested during a short growing season from late March through May, which is why they're such a sought after delicacy.

If you aren't familiar with this spring tonic take a break and watch the documentary below produced by Steve Provence. You can also find out more about ramps, recipes, and local ramp dinners by visiting the King of Stink website.


If you've never had a ramp, don't listen to the naysayers, but find a local ramp dinner and give them a try for yourself. You'll be glad you did.

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Plenty of great places to eat in the Mountain State. Check out this list of the 101 Unique Places to Dine in WV. Unfortunately, some of our favorites didn't make the list but that just proves that our great state has much to offer hungry travelers and foodies.

Shrimp and Grits at Stella's in Lewisburg.