But you tell me. It has been over a month since I last posted here (almost sounds like Confession!). During that time, the Girls and Boys Lacrosse Seasons concluded in fine form, with both teams playing their best lacrosse at the end (as it should be). We also hosted a Graduation Party for Elise, Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. Amidst all that, I did a significant amount of work on the Sankofa Lacrosse Clinic Registration Process (many more hours than it should have been) and the selection process for Minority Lacrosse Scholarships, sponsored by the Long Island Metropolitan Lacrosse Foundation. Way back in the early spring, Debi and I Face Timed with Janice and Clint Morano (our former neighbors, and still very dear friends). We agreed to a Western Pennsylvania getaway weekend in June, once I had a break from my weekend commitments.

So, on Wednesday of last week, Debi and I packed up the CRV and headed west. We endured worse than typical traffic exiting the Metropolitan area (almost two hours get to Jersey!), but with no real timetable, we remained in good spirits. With each mile we put behind us, we were able to relax and enjoy the scenic drive, that much more. We reached Carlisle, PA, early enough to embark on our first hike in a long time. The 4.7 mile round trip to the Cumberland Valley Overlook, along the Appalachian Trail was beautiful throughout, though it was increasingly difficult with the final quarter being pretty steep, with not great footing, at times. Thankfully, we were duly rewarded with an amazing view of the Cumberland Valley.

After spending the night in Carlisle (which seems like a very neat town) we decided on Hiking around nearby Opossum Lake, before driving onward to Bedford, PA. It was a shorter and much easier trek, though, no less enjoyable.

After Opossum Lake, we were back in the car for the next leg of our westward journey. In Bedford we had a great dinner at the Route 220 Diner (I apologize for not getting a photo of the mountain of Fried Chicken I had – I am out of blogging shape, too!). We took a drive through town, which was also very interesting and found a “Drive Thru Beer Distributor”. So of course, we had to drive through!

We were anxious to get on the road, Friday morning. We were a bit more than an hour away from the Frank Lloyd Wright House, Fallingwater, where we were meeting the Moranos for a 12:15 Tour. The drive was increasingly beautiful, the further we got off the beaten path. As always, it was great to see the Moranos. Fallingwater was an amazing place, but I think we would have had a great time anywhere.

We continued on to Kentuck Knob, which is another Frank Lloyd Wright House, about twenty minutes away. It is much smaller, but is also quite impressive.

After Kentuck Knob we travelled about a half hour to the 2 bedroom Condo, Janice had booked for us, at the Hidden Valley Ski Resort. It was perfect. Very comfortable in everyway. The common areas were great for hanging out and catching up, which we spent plenty of time doing that evening and then again on Saturday morning.

After our leisurely morning, we drove to Ohiopyle State Park where we hiked the Jonathan Run Trail down to the Youghiogheny River (don’t even try to say it). Again, it was great to be back in the woods. It was not a difficult trail, so very conducive to visiting, while you hike.

A short drive from the Jonathan Run Trailhead is the spectacular Cucumber Falls. So we went there too.

After the falls, we went into Ohiopyle for some Ice Cream to celebrate Clint’s Birthday (how old are you now?).

No trip to Pennsylvania would be complete without a visit to a Civil War Battlefield (at least if you are Clint Morano, Civil War Historian Extraordinaire!). So after Ice Cream, we went to Fort Necessity, where a young George Washington suffered his first loss, in a battle, which marked the beginning of the French and Indian War. I knew nothing of this place or its historic significance, so I learned a lot. I am reasonably certain that Clint learned nothing new.

To cap off Clint’s “greatest birthday ever”, we went to Braddock’s Inn (named for Major General Edward Braddock, who died at Fort Necessity), for an awesome dinner. I had a tough time choosing what to have, before settling on the “Mountain Meatloaf”. I was not disappointed!

With our bellies full and our bodies tired from a long day of activity, we returned to the Condo, where the re-unioning continued, though not for long, before we all succumbed to a well deserved good night’s sleep.

The morning, was a bit less jovial, as I think we all sensed the end being near. It always seems like we are all really getting back that Flagstone Lane familiarity, and boom, now it’s time to hit the road. But we had a great time (thanks to Janice, who planned and booked everything) and we pledged to talk soon and begin working on plans for the next gathering, hopefully, this fall.

As for the drive home.

Well, you know how that goes. The first four hours are great. The rest of the way – not so great!

It still did not diminish a great trip!