Scott & Nelly, Eva & Charlie,
Loey and Violet
Markleysburg, Pennsylvania — high in the Laurel Highlands.
Swipe sideways to drift between days.
Marion, Iowa
Scott and Nelly collect the rental at the airport.
Bags, coolers, road snacks and supplies into the van tonight, so nothing is left to the morning.
The alarm goes off at four. Truly.
Marion, Iowa to Markleysburg, PA · thirteen hours
Out of Marion in the dark. Coffee is non‑negotiable.
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, then into Pennsylvania — and the clock jumps ahead an hour somewhere along the way.
Unpack, dinner, and a long overdue catch‑up with everyone.
Camp Sonrise Mountain
Sleep in. Books. A slow morning on the porch. This day is deliberately empty — the swimming comes later on.
A group has the camp for the day, and the pool is theirs until they go. They’re typically gone by five, often sooner — the pool is ours again once they leave.
Dinner, cake, candles, and the whole family around one table.
Markleysburg and thereabouts
Outdoor games, board games, and a whole day of spending time together around camp.
Scotty and Nelly slip out around five for dinner with friends. Everyone else stays at camp for games and an evening in.
Ohiopyle State Park · the Lower Youghiogheny
No meals on the trip and nothing on the water. Breakfast at camp, and everyone in river clothes before we leave.
Markleysburg to Ohiopyle, about 25 minutes. Leave phones, keys and wallets in the van.
Ohiopyle fills up on an August morning. The cushion is for parking and for six people moving as one — there are no refunds for late arrivals.
Fully guided, which means a guide rides in the boat and calls the commands. Two rafts, three of us in each.
Six of us, paid in full, waivers signed. The confirmation email has the booking name and number if the desk asks.
Gear up, then the bus to the put-in below the falls. A drop-and-pool river: every rapid followed by a calm stretch to catch your breath. Take-out at Bruner Run, shuttle back to town.
Synthetic or swimsuit — no cotton. Sunscreen. A dry change of clothes waiting in the van.
Chacos with the heel strap snugged down, or old sneakers. No flip flops or slide-ons.
Falls City Pub has the covered patio and the burgers. Twisted Spoke is the quicker option.
Show them the confirmation email — 10% off food.
Outfitters and artisan shops along the main stretch, then the visitor center for the exhibits and the overlook above Ohiopyle Falls.
Chicken or steak, buttered corn rice, chips and salsa. Earned.
Depart camp 9:00AM · home late
Start at Yinzers on Penn Ave for vintage Pittsburgh gear and photographs, walk Smallman through the old produce terminal, then iced lattes, boba and matcha at Aslin Coffee inside Novo Asian Food Hall.
Park in the Terminal lot on Smallman. An Aslin Coffee purchase validates two free hours.
Coop De Ville, right at opening so there’s no wait for a lane — seven dollars a game in the Tiki Trailer. Nashville hot chicken, tenders, fries and biscuits from the counter, eaten at the lane. Pinball, arcade cabinets and pool tables in the back.
Ride the wooden Duquesne Incline up for the skyline photograph everybody wants, then thrift and browse down East Carson Street.
The Green Mango in Monroeville sits right on the drive east toward camp. Open until nine.
Out at 9:00AM · back up the mountain by evening
Drive them down to pick it up, then Starbucks on the way, which is what everybody actually wants.
Scotty, Nelly, Loey and Violet: downtown High Street for shops and lunch, Suncrest Towne Centre if anyone needs something, or Coopers Rock for the overlook if the day begs to be spent outside.
Back up the mountain for food, games, and the kind of evening that is the whole reason for the trip.
Markleysburg to Marion
One last sweep of the rooms — chargers, towels, the one shoe under the bed.
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa — the hour we lost on the way out comes back somewhere in Indiana.
The driveway in Marion. We unload tomorrow.
Your checks are saved on your own phone.
A full-size bed, with four bunk beds in the same building.
Eva & Charlie, Loey & Violet — wherever you like:
Claim a bunk once we’re up the mountain.
Help yourself — these rotate through the week:
Pittsburgh day. Nothing to cook — we eat in Monroeville on the drive back east toward camp.
Grilled, or cooked over the fire.
Travel days feed themselves — Saturday out and Friday home.
Spot a state, tap its plate. First one to call it out gets the credit.
Tap a state, then tap Saw it to lock it in. There are no take‑backs, so look twice.
Government plates and trailers count. Photos of plates do not.
In Safari, tap Share at the bottom of the screen, scroll to Add to Home Screen, then Add. It opens full screen and keeps working where the signal drops.