Black Cloud continued

In the last post, Black Cloud, we detailed some of the travails of traveling and otherwise.  We had driven from Pittsburgh to Salt Fork State Park in SE Ohio for a week of relaxing.  Over the years of traveling to Ohio, we had never stopped at this park.  After some research, we found it to be a beautiful park and it is reasonably close to an attraction, The Wilds, that Linda wanted to visit.

As the picture depicts above the entrance to the campground area is beautiful.  The park is set in rolling hills.  This area is in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.  The campground has 5 or 6 loops.  Some of the loops have about 20 sites other loops have 50 or more.  Some sites are wide open, other sites have some shade or are almost completely shaded.  Our aversion to trees required an open site.

After arriving late the 1st night and parking behind a tree, which blocked out satellite TV reception, we went to the office to inquire about another site.  The staff gave us a recommendation and we moved.

Salt Fork S. P. site

View down the road of the campground

We got setup on our site, tuned in satellite TV and all was well.  The next day we visited The Wilds.  The Wilds is a private, non-profit safari park and conservation center that combines cutting-edge conservation science and education programs with hands-on experiences and one-of-a-kind adventures that include ziplining, horseback riding, fishing and more. Located in southeast Ohio, the Wilds is home to rare and endangered species from around the globe living in natural, open-range habitats. http://www.thewilds.org/
Linda had a great time taking pictures and the weather was perfect.

One of many zip line towers

Linda looking at zip line tower. Will she do it?

I don't see Linda in this group orientation

Linda boarded the open bus for a tour instead

Wild horses checking out the passengers on the tour bus

Wild dog cooling off in pond

The above pictures show only some of the wildlife we saw.  Everywhere you look brought another animal into view.  The uneven terrain among the rolling hills made for a very enjoyable ride.  It great to see animals in a more natural setting.  The only thing to top off the day would have been an appearance by Jack Hannah!

Rhinos with a calf

We left The Wilds exhilarated from our exposure to wonderful nature.


June 26th is a very special day for us.  We celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary!  It sure doesn't seem that long.  Besides our two wonderful children and their families, we have experienced many terrific events and adventures over the years.  We hope we have another 41 years to go.....wishful thinking.


Being invited by Linda's sister, Karen, and her husband, Kerry, to celebrate is an offer we couldn't pass up.  We drove a little less than a hour north to visit.  We had dinner at a great Italian restaurant and some cake and ice cream afterward.

Anniversary celebration with Kerry, Karen, and Linda & Tim

Tim & Linda showing off 41st anniversary cake

We also made a stop at the New Philadelphia town park, so Linda could get a bag of fresh popcorn.  She just loves popcorn.

Linda enjoying popcorn with her sister, Karen

We headed back to Salt Creek for a few more days of relaxing and enjoying nature (we thought) before moving a hour north to Scenic Hills RV Park near Berlin, Ohio in Amish Holmes County near Karen's house.  We had an adventure though before we left.


See the next post.