A marathon weekend! My son, Richie, ran his twentieth state marathon this weekend. We traveled down in the mini van. No RV this trip 🙁 It was a nine hour “marathon” drive. It was well worth it. Our room at the Eurosuites Hotel in Morgantown, West Virginia was very nice and comfortable. It was an easy 1.4 mile walk to the Marathon start/finish line and we were able to see Richie run by the Hotel at the 1 1/2 mile and 6 1/2 mile marks. For marathon spectators this was a perk.
We spent Saturday hiking at Coopers Rock State Park in Bruceton Mills, WV, just east of Morgantown. Coopers Rock is one of the most northern state parks in West Virginia. A few years back, David and I camped at Pipestem Resort State Park in Pipestem, WV on of the southern most state parks. It is one of our favorite WV parks with a great campground. I was excited to check out another WV State Park. It did not disappoint. Both parks are gorgeous, well maintained and very visitor friendly.
Our first hike of the day was the Henry Clay Iron Furnace trail. The 1 mile trail takes you back in time to the 1800’s, ending at the huge stone furnace. There was a moment of panic when, 10 year old DJ, disappeared through an opening in the side of the furnace. We all ended up crawling in afterward him. It was amazing getting to see the furnace inside and out. Very cool!
Coopers Rock SP has over 50 miles of hiking trails. We enjoyed hiking four of them, each one different than the other. DJ enjoyed climbing the 30 ft boulders on the Rock City Trail. We all enjoyed exploring the caves, crevices and views at the Overlook Trail. The Rattlesnake trail was the most challenging. It was a combination of twisting, turning, up and down, over and under rocky terrain and rock formations. A great workout, ask my legs 🙂
Coopers Rock has a campground with some full hook up sites. It has been added to my list of places to camp.
The photo opportunities are endless. Enjoy a few 🙂
Back in Morgantown, we stopped at the Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe for a late lunch. The food was delicious. It’s a chain that I hope makes it’s way further east.