Marian and I took our GKs for a 2 day trip to the Austin Lake Park and Campgrounds. Marian had researched this facility some time ago and made a 2 night reservation in one of their tiny house cabins.
On Sunday morning, we loaded up the car, packed all the GKs in, and left around 10:00 am. The campground is located in the eastern part of Ohio, a little NW of Steubenville. It’s 227 miles and about a 3-1/2 hour drive, mostly on 4 lane highway. We made a stop for lunch and arrived by 3:00 pm.
The owner of the establishment, John Cable, greeted us at the gate. His grandfather built the place and it opened in 1946. I think he was trying to find out our life stories as he asked questions and talked to us for a good 15 minutes. His wife was busy checking in someone else during this time frame.
After Marian got us checked in, we headed back to our cabin. It was called the Train Cabin and slept 6. More than adequate for our time there. It had a double bed, bunk beds, and a futon which served the 2 little guys really well.
After everything was unpacked, the 2 older kids changed into their swimsuits and off to the lake we went.
The main attraction at the lake is a set of inflatable rafts from Wibit Sports. The 2 oldest were big enough to play on these. The 2 smaller ones were not tall enough. Didn’t matter, while the big kids played in the water, the other 2 became sand builders. Great time in the late afternoon.
We had a great spaghetti dinner. The kids played on 2 nearby playgrounds the rest of the evening. A good campfire and Smores ended the day. The day finished with a movie before the lights were turned off.
On the 2nd day, we rented a 6-person golf cart. Of course, this meant a complete traverse to every part of the park. During this ride, the kids (including this big one) all crossed the walk only troll bridge. Fun stuff. There was also a crossing with water flowing over it that everyone had fun walking across. We even had a water moccasin pay us a short visit before it headed on its merry way.
After lunch, it was back to the beach. The 2 oldest were back on the inflatables. The 2 youngest did get in the water for a while. They had a kids inflatable that they both enjoyed. The weather eventually became overcast with a few sprinkles. Before we headed back, a round of slushies was enjoyed by the kids.
The rest of the day was spent at the playground or on the golf cart. No downtime for these guys. This time we grilled burgers and dogs, along with another campfire and of course, smores.
Again, the kids played till it was too dark. A movie was started, but soon 2 of them were dozing, so we turned it off for the night.
The next morning we woke up to rain. We got a bit soggy packing up to leave, but all was good. The drive back home was uneventful. I know the kids had a great time, but Marian and I did also. You know it was a good time when the oldest told me he would like to come back.
