The white water rafting trip at Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania was fantastic! The Topping Clan was treated to the excitement of some pretty good rafting, the closeness of kin, and absolutely beautiful weather. Ohiopyle is about a 6 hour trip from Rochester and is located about ten miles north of the West Virginia-Pennsylvania border, and was well worth the trip. Here are some photos of us all running the rapids at Dimple Rock on our rafting trip with Laurel Highlands River Tours.

From left to right; Lance, Ian, Ryan, and Suzanne.

Johanna, Karen, Kyle, Kiera, and Gary.

Lance and Ryan. Ian and Suzanne have “hit the deck.”

Cap’n Gary and crew in heavy whitewater, fighting to stay in the raft.

The kids and I (and of course Courage the dog) will be heading north this weekend to Parry Sound to attend to some unfinished business. We will be catching up on water testing this trip, and plan on performing tests this coming weekend and again early in the week after next just after the Canadian long-weekend holiday. The exact name of the holiday (officially known as “The Canadian Civic Holiday”) varies from family to family, with such tags as “The Two-Four Weekend” (for 24 beers in a case) and the “Goddamn Long Weekend” common in the vernacular.

Suzanne, my mother, my sister, and my nephew Elijah will joining us at the cottage mid-week. Our mission is to continue on with the water testing that was so important to our father, and to spread some of his ashes in the place he loved. We plan on scattering some of his cremains in three Georgian Bay places revered by Pop; so called Mineral Island, a small uninhabited island near Sans Souci which Pop named for its wide array of diverse rock and mineral deposits; the South Channel in front of our cottage; and in the special gravesite Pop made for his faithful and beloved dog Shadrach, which Pop mourned over for quite some time after he died. We will then raise the flags at our cottage back to full mast.

The Topping cousins are heading out of town for a three day white-water rafting trip in Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania, about an hour southeast of Pittsburgh. Going on the adventure are my wife Suzanne, daughter Kiera, and son Ian; my sister Johanna and her son Elijah; cousin Gary from Maryland, his wife Eileen, and sons Kyle and Ryan; and my other cousin Karen from Connecticut (Gary’s sister), her husband Alan, and their daughter Leah.

The park’s website describes it as follows:

“A crown jewel of the Pennsylvania park system, Ohiopyle is situated where the slopes of Laurel Ridge clash with the Youghiogheny River. This clash has resulted in waterfalls, whitewater rapids, scenic overlooks, rock outcroppings, and a steep mountainous landscape. Combine that with a maturing forest and wildlife, and you’ve got a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds, for all seasons.” More information can be found on the website by clicking on this link Ohiopyle State Park.

Below is a panaoramic photo of the beautiful Thirty Thousand Island area in the heart of Georgian Bay on Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada. The shot was taken by my daughter Kiera while on her birthday float plane ride.