Day one of course, was our journey to the cabin we rented in Indian River. A four hour drive sure feels like forever when you are in a hurry to get somewhere! We opted to stop in Hartwick Pines for a break, which is no hardship for us because it is one of our favorite places. The beauty of the Old Growth Forest is majestic, with trees soaring high above, so high you have to lean your head all the way back to get a glimpse of the tops. And the smell! So fresh and evergreen.

Before we stopped here though, we saw a sign for the CCC Museum, and decided to pull in and see what that was all about. We were glad that we did, it was a neat little quick stop, and we learned quite a bit!

This is a self-guided tour of the grounds and buildings, and it was really neat (and wheelchair accessible). This site depicted the work done by the CCC to regrow the forests that were lost due to forest fires. The interior pictures above are from inside the cone building, referring to pinecone, of course! They would roll the seeds out of the pinecones, overwinter them in mold and damp proof containers that looked like those giant milk canisters you see on dairy farms, and then start the seedlings off and turn them into “Happy Little Trees”. Wyatt was excited about the Bob Ross sign, as you can see.

It was a neat little stop before we got to our next one, Hartwick Pines.

When we got there, we headed straight for the visitor’s center first. We weren’t sure where exactly we were going, but I had found a wheelchair accessible trail on my AllTrails app, so I did know I wanted to do that with Wyatt. First though, we poked around the visitor’s center, and even picked up a few souvenirs. T-shirts for Billy and I, and a book for Wyatt – they didn’t have shirts in his size (or any kids size), which was a bummer. The book we got was really cool though, and since he loves books it was fine that he didn’t get a t-shirt. Then we walked back outside onto the boardwalk to look at the big map, and met the cutest little Llewellin Setter! She was so darn sweet! Some of you may have been around long enough that you remember my Penny, an English Setter and this little girl reminded me so much of my Penny, even though Penny was copper colored.

We opted to start out at the lumberjack camp, which was smart since that is where the trail was that we wanted. We were having a tough time with the map for some reason and were pleased to find the trail right where we ended up. LOL.

There was a little chapel tucked back, high on a hill among the trees, that was so serene and peaceful, and so just beautiful in its simplicity. There is a prayer inside that is so perfect for the surroundings, and for the people that visit, called Nature’s Prayer.

Our Heavenly Father, Creator of all that is nature,
We humbly come to you in the midst of nature’s splendor,
To thank you that as Americans we are free
To worship as we please, work as we please,
And move about as we please to enjoy all that is nature:
Its mountains, its hills, its valleys, its lakes,
Its streams, and the living things that dwell therein;
We pray unto You that someday the world may be at peace
And all men be free to enjoy nature’s abundance.
We ask you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
That we be guided to protect this priceless heritage
Which we, in America, are privileged to enjoy. Amen

It was a wonderful walk through the woods and Wyatt was SO happy to be back outside under a canopy of trees. We have been having a hard time lately finding a place to go with him in his chair! The AllTrails app I used is perfect though, you can use a filter for wheelchair friendly trails which is awesome.

After exploring we knew we had to get back in the car. We were so close to the cabin and had one stop left – a store for food supplies for the cabin. We were all bringing stuff and just sort of sharing food around, as we were sharing the cabin with my dad, my brother Devin, SIL Chrissy, and my nieces Mermaid Girl and Tiny Peanut. My stepmom was supposed to be there too but actually had some medical issues of the non-contagious sort and had to stay home, which was a bummer – and we really missed her!

Anyway, we finally got to the cabin. My brother was already there, and my dad got in just behind us. We spent the rest of the evening figuring out who was sleeping where, unloading the cars, and just settling in. Billy worked as a short order cook in the kitchen making either eggs and toast or grilled cheese for dinner since it was late, and a pizza order was going to take 90 minutes! We all hit the hay pretty early that night.

It was a good day!!