Mini-vacation One (After ABVD)

Day One

We always have been big believers in mini-vacations. Costs are minimal, but the opportunity for an adventure is always there. Some of our mini-vacations have been eating dessert on the back porch or playing canasta.

It seems that the ABVD treatments may make these short excursions more important in our lives. On Thursday of this past week, Judy had a medical appointment in Charleston. It was our plan to visit a state park near Charleston for a few days. Our friend Dan suggested Twin Falls State Park. Dan is a seasoned traveler, so we take his recommendations for an adventure seriously. He was once again "on the mark."



When Judy made reservations, the nice lady at Twin Falls said that they are undergoing a new lodge renovation project, so we would have to park about a football field's length from the lodge. The park purchased little yellow wagons for guests to use in transporting luggage from the car to the lodge. This is starting to get interesting.



We recently purchased a GPS garmin device. The nice computer lady - (We call her BEA in memory of our friend Bea Brown.) gives directions in an efficient manner. We traveled the WV Turnpike south toward our destination. When we got to Sophia, I made a wrong turn. The computerized BEA indicated that she was recalculating our position and finding the shortest route. PROBLEM! Huge rainstorm hit about that time. We followed "Bea's" voice urging us on only to face a sign: "Road Closed."

It was unbelievably dark with visibility down to 2 centimeters. We stopped the vehicle and waited for a break in the monsoon. Poor ole BEA was trying her best to make us take every left turn possible. For you guys that do not use the GPS systems, you need to know that those devices can sometimes create even more adventures. They calculate the quickest routes. Maybe you are sent on a 4-lane highway or a one- lane country road, whichever is the shortest travel distance! BEA finally settled down, and we arrived at the park safely. The sign above greeted us from the gravel parking lot. For some reason, it reminded me of entering Jurassic Park.

Now for the transport!





We packed our luggage in the little cart as the park registration clerk said. Judy was determined to pull the vehicle since she had not had that opportunity as a child! We were off! By the way, the cart had puddles of water. We were prepared for that travel snag. Our totes were safely sacked in garbage bags.







We passed an amazing array of construction equipment that made the area in front of the present lodge a mud bog.











Finally, we arrived at the lodge and registered for two nights.





Folks, please look carefully at the photo below. See the door to the left of the lodge entrance. That is not our room. We were in the room 313 which is the second door to the left from the lodge entrance. It can not be seen since it is directly behind a big pile of dirt!







We have all the makings of the start to a true adventure. We will love sleeping in a muddy construction lot with mammoth equipment of "mass construction."

What is lying on the walkway in front of our door? The beautiful luna moth was most likely traumatized by a cement mixer.





We took the beast to the back of the lodge so it could make it back to the forest. A few fun facts about this critter:

Luna Moths are nocturnal (active at night).
The larvae love to eat hickory and walnut leaves.
Male and female moths mate at night for about four hours. Talk about a "love in!"
Adult Luna Moths have no mouth. They eat nothing! Jenny Craig will be offering that amazing weight reduction plan soon - "as seen on TV."

Once an adult, the moth only lives one week.

The antennae are amazing structures which help the moths locate a mate. Look for the tan leaf-like appendages which appear to have teeth like a comb.

The purple "eyes" and "antennae" on her wings are not structures at all, but rather her decorative markings.

This beautiful beast proved that natural wonders can be discovered even when habitats are destroyed as during the lodge renovation.

We had a great meal in the restaurant and were ready to retire to our beds. We were eager to see what day two had to offer.