Working Stiff on Vacation

by Annette Dashofy

Last week, the Dashofy household had the great fun of dealing with a dental exam, a colonoscopy, and a breast biopsy. We’re such party animals. So when the weekend struck, we bolted for quieter digs that didn’t involve medical procedures.

Our most recent trip to our camp in Confluence had been soggy, to say the least. Plus, I decided my priorities had been slightly askew. Last time, we had one day of sun: the first day. But I wanted to get some writing done, so I spent that first day working on my manuscript.

Then it proceeded to rain for the next four days. I don’t mean drizzle. I mean RAIN. And cold. We never made it to the bike trail.

I did, however, surpass my intended word count for the trip.

This time, I rearranged my priorities. Yes, I brought work. But after the harrowing week we’d just survived, I decided I wasn’t going be the all-work-and-no-play gal THIS trip. The forecast was for two days of sun followed by a string of rainy days. Fine. We’d take advantage of the nice weather. Then when the rain hit, I’d settle into writing mode.

Saturday, we rode roughly fifteen miles. Now I realize that for some of you, that may be laughable. For us, this is just short of a marathon. But it was gorgeous. Warm, low humidity and a nice dapple of sunshine filtering through the trees. The air smelled of forest greenery and loam. Mountain streams cascaded over rocks enroute to the river.


We took a break at a favorite picnic spot for the whitewater rafters. This is their “parking lot.”

On our way back to camp, we made a loop through town to do a little grocery shopping. This is the town park.

And this is the Confluence Cyclery where I mooch wi-fi service.

Sidewalk sale!

On Sunday, we ventured south and east on the trail and rode another fifteen miles. The scenery was gorgeous. Along the trail, which is an old railroad bed, we spotted these old electric poles.

We also spotted a mama turkey and her babies crossing the trail in front of us. But they were photo-shy and vanished into the thick undergrowth before we got close enough to snap some pictures.

Once again, Skye the Camping Kitty, had her days and nights confused. She was very vocal and restless after dark. However, she caught up on her beauty sleep during the day.

I decided to grab my own afternoon nap. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

Monday morning dawned foggy, but the sun soon burnt through. Wait a minute. Monday was supposed to be cloudy, rainy, and cold. I was supposed to write. And I did. Sort of. Hubby went fishing for a few hours and I worked on edits for my short story (this one), which is still in the running for publication. But then Hubby returned. We packed a lunch, loaded the bikes on the car and drove to Ohiopyle. Our ride was much shorter this day. Only eight miles round trip. We were lazy. Afterwards, we wandered around the park and I snapped these photos of the incredible whitewater and falls at the park.






Just last week, a man was swept over this waterfall to his death. Tragedies like this happen several times a year here. It’s beautiful, but nothing to be messed with.


I took some odds and ends pictures on the way back to camp. This is the church locals refer to as the Church of Immaculate Reception. It’s where they (and we) drive to when we need to use our cell phones.


Some of the incredible vistas around here.



And here are a few more shots of “my town” Confluence. This is the library, another source of Internet.


And this is a shot of the bustling center of town.


You gotta love it.