Leave a Comment|
Subscribe
The cabin was so cute. It has no electricity or running water. You’re supposed to commune with nature. You know what I thought was even weirder than the outhouse? The sign at the front of the park that said, “Forest closed from 10 pm to 6 am.”
Okay, seriously, can you close a forest? Isn’t that like closing the sky? The river? The air??? I can just see the squirrels clocking out…. “It’s 10 pm. Time to go home.” 
Seneca State Forest is one of West Virginia’s oldest forests, and it really is beautiful there–everywhere, not just in the state park but in the entire area. The scenery was just gorgeous.
Playing with fire is fun, and it made me wish my kids were there because they love throwing logs on a fire and sitting in front of it. We were lucky this weekend because it wasn’t really that cold. There were no fireplaces in the bedrooms, so if it had been any colder, I’m thinking that would have been hard. There were gas lamps for light, but I still wished I’d brought more candles.
The firewood was chopped and came with the cabin rental, by the way. And, there were coin-operated showers at the park headquarters and regular restrooms, so civilization was within reach.
Cooking on the woodstove was fun!!!
Really!!!
I baked bread twice, regular loaf bread and french bread. I managed to get the bread baked right, but I was surprised by how much more it browned and how quickly it baked. I don’t really time bread-baking, I just do it by feel and how the bread looks in the oven, so this was a different experience. We’ve thought about putting a woodstove in our new house, one we can cook on, so maybe I’ll get a chance to learn more.
The cabin backed up to the beautiful Greenbrier River.
Also in the park is a very pretty, small lake with rowboats and canoes. I really wanted to go out on the lake, but we didn’t have time because instead we took a daytrip on Saturday out to….
Cass Scenic Railroad, an old logging railroad that has been turned into a scenic rail trip where you can ride the steam-driven locomotive up to Bald Knob, the second highest peak in West Virginia.
And for your trouble, you get sprawling views like this one over the autumn mountains of Pocahontas County.
Could you go for a weekend with no electricity? Longer? A week? I kept thinking, I’d just like some running water and the internet. I need one plug, for my computer. But we humans are such gluttons for convenience. Could I really stick to one plug? I have to say that I don’t think so.
:fryingpan:
(Winner from this weekend’s Free Book Friday–Susan, who guessed exactly right on the gumballs–170! Email me!)
Posted by Suzanne McMinn on October 29, 2007
This is the latest one (I embedded the video).... - 
And we readers of your Blog never tire of your wonderful pictures and stories of all your sweet animals! - 
9:35
am
Have a great week!
Cole
9:44
am
I believe I could live without electricity for a short period of time…like a long weekend or maybe a week at the most, (which we had to do when Hurricane Opal blew through several years ago!) But i could not live long periods without internet, DVDs and CDs, at least. However, I have got to have running water, even if it is cold!
And Suzanne, food cooked on a wood stove just tastes different, doesn’t it? My DH had a great-aunt who never did cook on anything but a wood stove until the day she died.
P.S. today is my birthday! I always wanted to use this icon!! :birthday1:
and this one, too!
:birthday2: LOL!!!
9:50
am
I think I would go through serious internet withdrawals without electricity. I could do it for a weekend, up to several days, but that’s it, I think. Frankly, I like my modern conveniences. Yes, we are spoiled here, in our society. At least those of us who are lucky enough to have food, clothing and shelter.
However, it would be advantageous to have a wood stove in your house, in case of power outages. Back in January 1998 we had the ice storm. At the time, my ex and I were lucky that we lost power for only 5 days. Many were out for a couple of weeks or more, in other areas. But we were at a loss as to how to cope in the city and bunked down with a friend’s in-laws outside the city. Old country farmhouse with plenty of heat.
So it demonstrates how reliant we are now on these conveniences and how so many of us don’t have the skills to cope without them.
Bottom line: Install your wood stove! :smile:
-Kim
10:49
am
Leanne :cattail:
11:50
am
We have done without power for 3 days because of a snowstorm, luckily we have a large wood burner and two fireplaces. We cooked all of our meals on the wood burner and it worked out pretty good! :bananadance:
2:26
pm
Congrats Susan!
2:29
pm
But I don’t do roughing it. Gotta have electricity and running water.
:rotfl: re the forest being closed!!!
2:39
pm
4:11
pm
And any longer without the electricity and I would have a fit. I need my internet!!!!! *G*
Have a wonderful day!
6:42
pm
8:36
pm
I could go however long I had to without electricity, but I wouldn’t be happy about it after the first couple of days. I like my internet.
11:30
am
10:48
pm
http://www.exit109.com/~mstevens/Gamecabin/