Allegheny State Park by Barbara J. Robinson

After so much roller-coasting fun at Cedar Point in Ohio and Hershey Park and Chocolate World, Allegheny State Park was a peaceful, serene, relaxing way to unwind, except when my husband decided he wanted to hike a six-and-a-half mile Beehive Trail up the mountains. I had already had my fill of hiking at amusement parks and was all walked out, so we didn't get very far before I turned back. "If it was Louisiana flat land, I could walk for miles," I told him, "but walking up these hills and mountains tire out my legs." Believe it or not, Hershey Park had hills, and I got plenty of exercise walking the park.

We went far a walk on the bike trail. That was easier, and I could handle that, and we walked around the lake. It was beautiful. The poor bikers were riding around us, because we were in their way on their trail. "Next time, we'll have to bring our bikes with us," my husband said.

"Yes, we can go a lot faster on a bike than we can walking and see a lot more," I agreed. "Then, when we use the biker's trail, we will be using it the way it was meant." I snapped a lot of pictures, and the trail offered a great viewpoint. We also rode around, and I took more pictures. I must say I thought our Louisiana parks were something until I visited New York's. Sorry to say, they can't begin to compare.

If you are looking for a great camping site or place to rent a cabin, Allegheny has it all. It also offers much natural beauty of Mother Nature, and I'm a nature lover. I loved the beautiful lake. It was so picturesque and serene. We only went for one day, because we were fitting the park in as a relaxing way to unwind during our three-week vacation to Cedar Point, Hershey Park and the Chocolate Factory, Stone Mountain, Kinzoo Damn, and Port St. Joe, so we plan to make more time for Allegheny in the future. It offers much more than one can enjoy in only one rushed day. Allegheny is more my vacation style and idea of a vacation. My husband's favorite hobby is roller-coaster riding though. So, every summer we visit different amusement parks for him to try out new coasters, but that is another story

Barbara is the author of Magnolia: A Wilting Flower and The Lord had Something Better in Mind. Member of Florida Writers Association (FWA), Southeastern Louisiana Writing Project (SLWP), and American Christian Romance Writers (ACRW). Books available at favorite online bookstores such as www.amazon.com and www.bn.com. Visit Barbara at http://pages.prodigy.net/bud25/_wsn/page6.html or http://pages.prodigy.net/bud25.