Some final thoughts on our vacation. We'd made our reservations for this family vacation back in January when it was not yet clear how bad Covid was going to be worldwide. We've stayed at this same cabin twice before (two and four years ago) so there were many things we knew we could do, and some things we weren't sure if we wanted to do again. Covid put the kibosh on horseback riding as the only close place was in Maryland and crossing state lines is a no-no right now even though that part of Maryland would have been very low risk. It also put the kibosh on visiting the caves again as there would be no way to practice social distancing. And the ropes course we loved in Ohiopyle was also closed down which was a big disappointment. And Angie was getting too old for the kid daycare at Seven Springs but not old enough to really do any of the adventure activities they have there.

That said, all of the biking, swimming, hiking, and visiting we did do was wonderful. Despite the nasty sunburn the rafting was great and we definitely want to do it again. And as I've mentioned in some of the other journals we're planning on coming back to Ohiopyle some Autumn weekend just to see how it looks then. This was as stress free as I've been in a very long time. I am not looking forward to going back to work as I've got a ton of stuff I know waiting for me.

Still, I have responsibilities and what I do matters and I could not support my family without it so we go back. I do hope we'll be able to come back to this cabin again. I hope this is not the last time we'll be able to stay here and enjoy time away from all the pressures of the world. There is something so much more enjoyable about biking and rafting and swimming together than there is about any movie or video game. I dread the though of getting home and then finding ourselves slouched on the couch in front of a TV for hours at a time.

I also hope to do other vacations in the future. It is my long-held promise to my wife and now my daughter that I would take them out West to see the Black Hills of SD and the Rocky Mountains and Yellowstone and the like. My daughter is almost old enough for it now. Next Summer we're already planning on coming back to Ohiopyle to camp for a few days since she's ready for that too. She asked me if we could camp in our backyard again and I think that's a great idea. Her school start date got pushed back by a week because of the influx of so many new students (probably because her school is going to be open while the public schools are on some painfully twisted half-in, half-virtual schedule that will do nothing to prevent the spread of the virus because they'll still be mixing every week), so we have some time to do it.

So despite the challenges, we've had a great trip. It will long last in my memory and will call me back in the the years to come. I look forward to reviewing all the pictures after we get home and laughing and pointing saying, "Remember that?" I hope that my daughter will never lose her love of the adventuring and wonder at the beauty of nature. I hope she will see vacation time as the best time of the year. It is for my wife and I.

Still, it'll be good to get back home and see our dogs again. Vacations are always temporary and the time to return home has come. I'm content and grateful for all I've been given. I'm so glad we were able to come here and have this time away!

Dominus vobiscum