Stonewalled in West Virginia

Stonewall Resort and Lodge

These establishments are upscale in all areas. Accommodations are progressively more refined and stylish. The physical attributes reflect an obvious enhanced level of quality throughout. The fundamental hallmarks at this level include an extensive array of amenities combined with a high degree of hospitality, service, and attention to detail.

That's the AAA describing their "4-Diamond" criteria for hotels and resorts, a rating which only 5% of their reviewed properties achieve. When Jake and Stone discovered that a West Virginia state park resort had been so rated, it demanded further investigation. Further investigation revealed many bike and hiking trails, reasonable (at this time of year) 2-3 BR lakeside cottage rentals, a top-flight Arnold Palmer Signature golf course on site, and indeed "an extensive array of amenities." Plus, on the way down there is a nice riverside bike trail in Morgantown, WV.... Road trip!

 Sunday, October 26, 2014 -- It's not a short drive from NJ to this part of West Virginia, but it is a drive that is basically all interstate highways once on I-78 West. And I-68 West out of Hagerstown, MD, is a wonderfully hilly route, with elevations reaching 2,000' as the road snakes its way through this skinny part of Maryland before arriving just outside Morgantown.

Morgantown is the home of West Virginia University, but it wasn't until Jake and Stone had progressed through much of the town that they noticed the environs surrendering their hard scrabble, nearly-hillbilly look to the more upscale tone of the typical, big-time college town to be found along High Street. And while WVU might be a big time university (thanks mostly to its football status), Morgantown is pretty much a small town of about 30,000.

   

The Caperton Bike Trail in Morgantown

Brunch at Table 9 in Morgantown

Running through Morgantown is the Caperton Bike Trail, which is paved all six of its riverside miles. Here Jake and Stone biked a few miles beside the Monongahela River (which actually flows northward, a rarity for American rivers), enjoying the splendid late fall foliage and the surprising emptiness of this quite wonderful trail. As the trail runs through downtown there are several eateries right along the trail. At the new Table 9, our couple enjoyed a relaxing river-view brunch highlighted by biscuits with sausage gravy and short ribs hash with eggs washed down by properly brunch-afied alcoholic libations such as prosecco and pomegranate juice. A delicious way to get one's antioxidants!

From Morgantown to the Stonewall Resort was but an hour's drive down yet another rolling highway, this time I-79 south. The Stonewall is a new resort, finished in 2002. It sits waterside on a large, meandering lake created when the Army Corps of Engineers constructed a floor-control dam. The many resort amenities include two restaurants, a spa, indoor-outdoor pool with Jacuzzis, a fitness room, marina, fire pit, and water-craft rentals. Its Adirondack/Mission-style main hall is at once homey and impressive, highlighted by a castle-size, real wood-burning fireplace.

View from cottage's deck

The fireplace in Jake and Stone's 2BR cottage was (understandably) gas, but the cottage itself was furnished in the same rustic style as the resort. The cottage had a full kitchen, two BRs, both with very comfortable beds, fast and easy Wi-Fi, and a small pine-shaded deck complete with a BBQ and lake view. Perfect for our couple. Dinner this night was tuna pasta and other goodies brought from home. Did someone say "chillax"?

 Monday, October 27, 2014 -- The fine, unexpected summer-like weather continued on this Monday. Breakfast at Stillwaters (the resort's main restaurant) offered lake views, a varied menu, okay service, and good food. Here it is most obvious that Stonewall, though fairly luxurious and physically impressive, is a staunchly middle-class enclave. It's very much a family oriented place with golfers often being the best dressed people in the room. Still, at breakfast Jake and Stone did meet a recently retired cardiac surgeon, so the clientèle is not strictly proletariat. Most importantly, Stonewall is a resort where everyone seems to feel at ease. And isn't that the basic idea of a resort?

After breakfast our duo went for a nice 1-mile+ hike through the woods to Chipmunk Point and saw absolutely no one else on the single-file trail. (Of course, it is pretty much end of the season at this point in October.) After this bit of exercise, Stone went in search of other hikes and  Jake went to the much-ballyhooedArnold Palmer golf course. Jake's game suffered from the slow play (not unusual at resort courses), the cart-paths-only rule of the day, and many simply poor golf swings. But the course proved to be worthy of its consistent praise -- eg, it's usually ranked as the #2 course in WV behind the venerable Greenbriar -- with near-perfect course conditions, dramatic vistas, and elevation changes often 60 feet or higher.

The Palmer Course at Stonewall, WV

This course had more picturesque holes than any course Jake could remember playing, and he deeply rued his camera's lack of a charged battery. Luckily, Stone was on the balcony of Lightburn's restaurant and got a shot of Jake (and partners) as they finished the final hole. These eighteen holes are certainly worth the money, which on this morning -- admittedly, but days before the end of the golf season here -- was only $58 with (mandatory) cart.

After their hikes and golf, our couple had their martinis on the resort's large patio. From their Adirondack chairs they watched some deer far across the water come down to the lake for a drink. Jake and Stone could only hope that the deer enjoyed their water as much as they enjoyed their vodka. Back at the cottage is was prepared salads from Wegman's, steaks on the BBQ grill, some wine, and West Virginia gloaming views.

Feeling recharged after dinner, they walked the mile back to the lodge for a dip in the pool(s) and the hot waters of the jacuzzis. It seemed only proper to patronize the bar again, so they were soon on the patio again, in their Adirondack chairs again, while a group of feeling-no-pain patrons laughed it up at the nearby (real, wood-burning) fire pit.  The deer were now surely sleeping, and soon, after a walk back to the cottage beneath the star-filled sky, our couple did the same, a rest that was more slumber than mere sleep.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014 -- The unusually warm weather turned more autumnal this day, but it was not so cool or so terribly windy as to prohibit another shot at golf. So after breakfast at Stillwaters our couple headed to the nearby town of Buckhannon and the 9-hole  Buckhannon Country Club. They planned to walk the nine holes (Stone along just for the hike), but found that this old, quaint, interesting mom-and-pop establishment didn't rent pull carts, only the ride-in kind. Soon it became clear why. Only the hearty would walk the BCC nine holes. Relentlessly up and down, this sometimes quirky layout, with its old-time small greens, proved to be quite a challenge, and in the end it was more fun for Jake than the famous Palmer course at Stonewall.

Stone shows Jake how to putt at
the hilly Buckhannon County Club

Back at the cottage is was time for lunch from the brought-along provisions, and an apres-food nap. Then another nice walk to the lodge, during which the bluest blue bird they had ever seen enlivened the stroll. At the lodge they joined about 20 other guests in boarding the Little Sorrel excursion boat for an hour-long "cruise" on the lake. Thence it was back to the cottage for dinner. Thinking "why not?" our couple went back to the lodge for a final dip, jacuzz and the requisite drinks on the patio.

Finally back to stay at the cottage, their previous afternoon naps allowed them to stay up late this last night and watch the San Francisco Giants win the World Series. That victory seemed a proper ending to this season's travel, since it was but a few months ago that Jake and Stone were in San Francisco watching the Giants' Tim Lincecum no-hit the San Diego Padres. So, another winning season all around.

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