An adventure outside the city

For Thursday, we woke up early had breakfast at the hotel and then headed to the countryside.

First up was a stop at Fallingwater, a Frank Lloyd Wright home. It was magical! This house practically floats above a waterfall and it's in the midst of a beautiful forest. I can't imagine what it looks like in the Fall!! We loved it and the tour.

Then, it was a short 10 minute drive to our white water rafting adventure. This was no joke! Michael and I were in a boat w/ a lady and her teenage son. No guide!! We did about a 4 hour trip down the river of class 3 and 4 rapids. They'd pull over and tell us about the rapids before we did them, and then they'd stand on rocks and call out signals, but it was still pretty intense knowing we were in charge. It was fun! We got stuck on rocks a few times, but no flipping. :) Good stuff!!

Here's a link to some pics (look for my bright green shirt): https://wwaraft.smugmug.com/Lower-Yough/AUGUST-2016-LOWER-YOUGH/AUGUST-11-2016-12-PM/i-kcptmPf

After our 1.5 hour drive back to Pittsburgh, we got cleaned up and drove to Butcher and Rye for dinner. It was so yummy and perfect! It was by far the best food we had on the trip. Mac n' cheese, brussel sprouts, and a halibut dish. Very cool! Then, we checked out one more brewery (Hophead) before heading back to the hotel. A busy day, but very fun!!

Four more Pittsburgh adventures Friday morning before we headed back to Columbus.

First up was a brief run around Pittsburgh. Lots of great running trails on the river and over the bridges. It was nice.

Then, we rode the Duquense Incline to get an overhead view of the city. It was gorgeous! And the ride up was also cool. Apparently this is the oldest version of this type of transport in the US. Cool.

Then, we went to this cool contemporary art gallery called The Mattress Factory (it was inside an old mattress store). Artists build their installments directly into the space. Some great stuff by James Turrell.

Then, we headed to Smallman Gallery to have some lunch. It's a cool little place where budding chefs get to try out a restaurant concept. There were 4-5 places to choose from. You ordered your food from the counter/restaurant idea you liked best and then sat somewhere in the big space until they texted you to let you know the food was ready. We did some really nice sandwiches w/ yummy fries. A really cool area to explore and we're glad we stopped there!

Then, we hit the road for Columbus. We even drove through West Virginia on the way back. Boom!

Thanks for following along. Until next time....