Play Fair for No Fare

Hey Wanderers!

The Cully family likes water. We have a lake with a park about 30 minutes away called Cheat Lake Park out Morgan Run Road off of Route 857 near Morgantown, West Virginia.

It is one of those places we can go regularly for no charge in all different seasons for all different things. It has a walking and/or biking trail. The trail extends along the lake’s edge approximately half mile one direction where you can see the dam and then approximately one and a half miles the other direction all along the lake, as well, in the direction where the river would feed into the lake. So if you should go the whole length, you have about 4 miles with which to work.

There is a playground for younger children that is normally open. There are boat launches, docks, and restrooms. There is a roped beach area open from Memorial Day to Labor Day for swimming at your own risk. There is ample parking, but you do have to walk a portion of the trail to access the swim area. This walk is probably as much as an eighth of a mile. As with most parks, they desire you to be out of the park by sundown.

One weekend day in Pennsylvania, when the clouds finally cleared, the sun shone and the temperature was a bit warmer in the 60’s in early May, we were able to venture that way again with the whole family.

The two younger girls, Jennie 12y.o. and Clara 10y.o., had purchased personal hammocks at Five Below with their own money. They bought them last spring and had not had the right opportunity to try them out. (Last summer was weird.) They had seen others use these in the area in the past.

Jennie and Clara were itching to give them a try, especially Clara. They thought they had remembered some trees the right distance apart down by the beach area. So we walked, as if on a mission, a little past the beach area. They seem to find the sweet relaxation point in the landscape, in the hammock, and in there own spirit, even if only for a moment here and there.

We enjoy wildflowers and birds, geese and ducks, motorboats and sailboats and sometimes jet-skis in the water in the summer. There was a time when you could only swim in the lake off of a boat. We were so happy to see the beach area go in a number of years ago. Families can usually find nice local parks to be together for no extra charge except the gas the get there.

Update:

We have enjoyed the beach for swimming a number of times this fine, hot, and unusually dry summer. Our daughters have enjoyed sharing the beach with friends.

In case you were wandering!