Rafting down the Youghiogheny River, PA
So, I had a mixed blessing weekend. I left work on Friday at 2pm to drive down to Ohiopyle State Park to go rafting down the Youghiogheny River with some friends from Maryland. I stopped about 20 minutes away from the campsite to pick up some ice. I pulled my key out of the ignition and noticed I left my sunroof open. It's a habit that I have gotten into since living in the DC area to always close everything and lock my car up. Plus, I was in the middle of god knows where. So, I went to put my key back into the ignition to turn it on to close my sunroof. And guess what. The key had broken off in half and other half was still stuck in the ignition. What a way to start a weekend. So, I called my Dad first to let him know what was happening then I called my Road Side Assistance. They informed me they will have the car towed to a dealership close by and that they are open tomorrow so they can get the broken key out and make me a new key. So, I call my friends at the campsite and let them know what was going on, and they said they make there way over here and be there in about an hour. Luckily, I had a book with me to pass the time. When the tow truck guy got there, he informed me the dealerships service department would not be open until Monday. He was from that area and I beleived him over my Roadside. So, I was looking at being stuck in the area until Monday, ugh. But, then he suggested we call a lock smith. My Road side said they would not cover that. Well, damn, hum, pay for the service myself, or miss a days worth of work and Father's Day. Shit, pay for the damn lock smith. Anyway, the locksmith eventually was able to get the broken key out and make me a new one. I was surprised that the cost was only $60. The damn dealerships would have charged me $120 alone for a new key. So, I was happy. I didn't make it to the campsite until 11pm and a bunch of people were heading to bed. There goes my night of chillin' and catching up with my friends. Argh. Oh well, c'est la vie.
To make the whole weekend worth it was our trip down the River. I had only been white water rafting one other time and it was a blast. We started about 10AM and finished about 5PM, stopping for lunch, swimming, horseing around, and rock jumping along the way. It was so much fun and I haven't laughed so much in a long time. Note: I was only tossed out of the raft once and that was because I was laying down at the time taking a break, trusting my Captain to inform me of when I needed to pay attention - I guess he overestimated his ability to make it through a little patchy area. Ah, oh well. But anyway, I was also able to catch up with my best friend from high school, who was recently married and for whom I hadn't talked to since her wedding. By the end of the day I was so exhausted, but it was good exhausted. So, all in all it made the trip worth it. We showered, refueled and then I headed home.
Sunday, I spent the day with my dad. We took his motocycle out and drove around the nearby lake, stopping for rest and snacks. We were able to catch up on things, dream and make plans for the future. It was really nice. So, that was my fun filled, up and down weekend!