Conkles Hollow

Tuesday
Today was my 60th birthday, and Roger and I have come away for a few days to Hocking Hills in south-eastern Ohio. It's a beautiful area, and we visit most years, but almost always in the summer with our pop-up camper. This time, however, we were treating ourselves and are staying at the Inn at Cedar Falls, a Select Registry property, which comprises Inn rooms in a barn-like building, and cottages and cabins across the road, set among the trees. The reception, gift shop and restaurant are housed in original 1840s log cabins. We had been once before, a number of years ago now, and I had been longing to go back ever since. The accommodation is lovely, the staff very friendly and helpful, and the food excellent. To add the final touch, our eldest daughter, son-in-law and our son had joined together to buy us one of the welcome packages, which comprised a beautiful bouquet of flowers in a red glass vase, a bottle of wine, a generous plate of cheese and crackers (which did us easily for two evenings as an appetizer) and a small plate of chocolates! So I felt well and truly pampered! We left home this morning, arriving late morning. We went to the Inn first to check in, though, as we had expected, our cottage wasn't ready yet. So we went for a short walk at Ash Cave, then returned to the Inn for lunch, which we ate outside - the temperature today rising to a high in the upper 70s under blue skies and sunshine! After lunch we took a few photos around the Inn, and by then our cottage was ready, so we unpacked our stuff, then went hiking in Conkles Hollow, where todays blip was taken. We walked the rim trail, affording us several views over the surrounding trees. The colors are certainly well past their best, but beautiful nonetheless. Before returning to the Inn, we drove over to Lake Logan - I was hoping for a beautiful sunset, but although it was indeed a beautiful sky, the sunset itself sort of fizzled out, and was nothing spectacular, so we returned to our cottage and enjoyed our cheese and crackers and some of the wine, before heading over to the dining room for an excellent dinner. A wonderful celebratory day. Special thanks to my wonderful husband and great kids - I love you all!

One year ago: Migrating birds