Two weeks ago, our daughter and her four children came to visit. We had a total blast with them and did so many fun things and had so many meaningful conversations. Then they left. As usual, by the next day, the mulligrubs set in, and as usual, my sensitive and perceptive husband who knows a formula for a great marriage, asked the magic question: “Do you want to go on an adventure?”
Do You Want to Go on an Adventure?
Men, let me tell you, a good way to get your lady out of the mulligrubs is to offer her an adventure. Of course, that means different things to different women. It really doesn’t need to be complicated. If you know her, you know her taste in “adventures.”
Most of the time our adventures involve an overnight to someplace within a couple hundred miles of home. They involve one small, shared suitcase, a hygiene bag, and last-minute reservations. Last week, our “adventure” took us to Elkins, West Virginia for a train ride and some great hiking.
The first thing we did was find a hotel that offered breakfast. That helps us to get started quickly in the morning. Then we made “parlor car” reservations on the New Tygart Flyer for the next morning at 11:00. Reservations achieved, we packed and hit the road. It was about a two-hour drive which got us to Elkins around 3:00. Neither one of us wanted to waste the evening, so first (on the suggestion of my parents), we went to Blackwater Falls, and then (in honor of my husband’s mountain climbing memories), we found Seneca Rocks.
Adventure at Blackwater Falls
We began by following signs to Blackwater Falls State Park. When we arrived, we parked, then walked a wooded trail through the idyllic landscape. Blackwater Falls State Park is in Davis, WV in the Allegheny Mountains. The feature is the 62-foot waterfall, and let me tell you, it is beautiful! The challenge here, at least for those of us who have passed our most active years, is the 214 steps to get to the bottom and, of course, the 214 steps to get back to the top.
We ventured the steps, then spent some quiet time appreciating the blooming mountain laurel, the rushing water, the birds, and this gem in God’s creation.
Everyone has heard the claim of “almost heaven” connected with the state. Places like Blackwater Falls can make one a believer.
When we got back to the car, we were flushed and panting, but not yet ready for the end of the day, so we headed to Seneca Rocks.
Adventure at Seneca Rocks
Because of a, let me appropriately say, “adventurous” road detour, it was approaching sunset when we got to the Monongahela National Forest and the park below Seneca Rocks. Talk about an awesome sight! This rock formation rises nearly 900 feet above Seneca Creek. It is quietly majestic and attention commanding at the same time.
Marty climbed it “back in the day,” but that day we just stood and stared, and appreciated its magnificence as the sun began to slip toward the horizon. The image will never be erased from my mind! What a perfect way to end Day 1 of our adventure.
Adventure Surprise
Day 2 saw us breakfasted and out of our hotel by 9:15. I would be amiss if I didn’t mention the Laurel Mountain Wind Farm Project. This sight took us completely by surprise! First, one massive turbine rose incongruently out of the rural landscape in front of us. It was followed by an entire “wind farm” of 68 of the giants that march across the undulating Allegheny ridges for miles. We were (forgive the pun) completely blown away by these windmills which are reported to produce 97MW, enough to service power to 14,000 homes!
My first thought: Don Quixote would be in trouble!
The juxtaposition of nature and technology was jarring, but kind of cool.
Adventure on the New Tygart Flyer
From there, we easily located our destination in Elkins: the train depot. The stone on the station displays the year 1908, and the feeling was really like stepping backward in time. We boarded the vintage, diesal-engine train at 11:00 and chugged away on a4-hour, round-trip adventure that went through the Monongahela National Forest into a 1,500-foot deep canyon, through an S-curve tunnel, along the scenic Cheat River, and up to “High Falls.” During our trip to the falls, we were treated to facts about the history of the train and the area, “train music,” a buffet sandwich and salad lunch (with service by the gracious Beth), and lovely views.
At the top of the ride, we disembarked to hike the 63 step scenic descent to High Falls. Standing on the rocks at the base, the landscape was breathtaking! Our visit lasted about 45 minutes, plenty of time to drink in the views from the observation platforms and to explore the rest area at the top which sported a 33 degree curve that the train can not negotiate, sooooo … the engines traded ends of the train and pulled us back the way we came.
As we returned, we were treated to more facts, train music, and pie and wine.
Adventure and the “Formula”
I said at the beginning of this essay that this is a “formula for a great marriage.” Here’s the “formula.” My husband knew I was feeling low. He knows how I enjoy (both of us enjoy) being out in God’s beautiful, green world. He cared enough to remove me from a place that felt sad and deposit me in a place that felt new and beautiful and happy. In other words, he got me focused on something else that was not sad.
SAD + NEW ADVENTURE IN A HAPPY PLACE – SAD = HAPPY PLACE
Well, I’m an English teacher, not a math teacher, but you get it. Right?
It all comes down to knowing your spouse–being sensitive and perceptive–and encouraging new excursions into what the other person loves. It means concentrating outward instead of inward, giving instead of taking, “doing unto another,” as the Golden Rule says. I returned from our adventure with a new, positive energy (and I think he did, too). We didn’t have to spend a bundle. It’s not about money. It’s about renewal, refreshment, re-creation. It’s about investing in each other. And yes, it’s about love.
Isn’t that like God? He saw our pain, and sent us the invitation to take on life as an adventure with His Son, and brought us into a place of happiness!
If you invest in your relationship with your spouse, and you know what s/he likes, there are always little adventures to participate in together. It’s worth scoping out things in advance so you have suggestions to offer when the time comes. It’s worth trying new things: golf, dance, theater, museums, camping, football–your adventures are yours to assemble. And God’s green earth is full of possibilities!
“The man said, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23A). “Husbands, be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and heirs with you of the gracious gift of life …” (1 Peter 3:7).
God bless you, and may your marriage be full of adventures!
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