WWOOF there it goes
Please excuse our lateness, but once we began experimenting withnovel s’mores combinations last night, we simply couldn’t leave the fire to write a blog post.
That being said, yesterday’s activities were a bit different from those we have been doing. It was our day off, so after our delicious fruit-packed oatmeal we piled into Fran with a list of Kevin-and-Barb-approved caves and coffee shops to explore in nearby Ohio. Though it took about five tries to successfully maneuver Fran out of the driveway and we drove in the wrong direction for a few miles, we eventually got it right! We jammed to throwbacks and enjoyed views of farms on farms before making our fourth (but who was counting?) bathroom break at a local donut shop.
Fifteen minutes later we arrived at our first stop- Old Man’s Cave. It was a steep icy trek down, and some of us didn’t make it down without falling (Moriah). Harsh and Preston found great entertainment in quoting Donkey from Shrek as we explored the “NIIIICE boulders,” ice-covered bridges, stone steps, and breath-taking waterfalls. We were about to head out when we realized Megan was on the lamb, but after some search-and-rescue we found her sun-bathing in the cave’s corner. After exploring the icy landscape, we returned to trusty Fran and headed to Ash Cave. The views were equally as beautiful and we were able to get in some amateur rock climbing in as well (much to the dismay of the park rangers). We eventually ventured down to the stunning waterfall and took some quality group pictures, thanks to some friendly photographers nearby.
By this time in the day however, we realized that Moriah was running on low and was in desperate need of some coffee. We all loaded back into Fran and drove for over an hour to the hip city of Athens, OH. Upon arriving in Athens we headed to the delicious and locally famous Whit’s for some much needed caffeine, and more importantly, custard. We spent the rest of our afternoon leisurely wandering, and eventually settled on dinner at Restaurant Salaam. After getting Moriah more coffee again (she has a serious addiction), we headed home to Kevin and Barb.
As we pulled into the now familiar driveway of Hurricane Run Farm, we were greeted by the warm sight of a massive bonfire. For the entire week, we had compiled any lose sticks or branches from pruning into a gigantic collection. Each day as the pile grew larger, our anticipation grew with it. Thus, we were thrilled to see our pile aflame when we rolled in. For the next hour or so, we fed the fire with sticks and toasted some marshmallows for s’mores. Lauren had the innovative idea to forgo the graham crackers for thin mints. Her reasoning for doing so: “at worst, it will still be pretty good.” After the fire settled down, we came back inside and let Moriah boss us around while we played Taboo. She was sneaky and played on both teams, so she could claim that she won no matter what. Well played Moriah, well played.
Today, we spent our last morning here at Hurricane Run working with Kevin on the farm. He had us prepare some compost, pour soil into the raised beds that we built earlier in the week, pick up sap from the lines in the forest, and Harsh and Preston even got to help use the tractor to begin building a fence around the garden. Sadly, our work day was cut short by rain, so we spent the rest of our day exploring Portsmouth, OH accompanied by our fearless leaders Kevin and Barb. After getting a spectacular tour of the local art museum, record store, coffee shop, and pub, we headed home. We are currently listening to Kevin play his guitar and are enjoying our last moments here on this spectacular farm. Truly, we will be sad to leave tomorrow morning.
