A Night on the Lake

Yesterday we took a day off.

We've not had a vacation this summer; just too many expenses and things to do to take the time and money to get away. So we've decided that we need to take day here and there and do something special. Yesterday's trip took us to Stonewall Resort and State Park in central West Virginia for their "Taco Tuesday" special.

"Taco Tuesday" offers a cruise on Stonewall Lake and tacos. But not just ordinary tacos!

This was a real spread of choices--pulled pork, beef brisket, and tilapia instead of the usual ground beef filling.

There was a plethora of toppings too, and a choice of delicious desserts...and the meal also included a margarita. Happy me!

Since the lake is almost three hours from our home, we chose to get a room in the lodge for the night and just really relax. My phone battery was dead so we were truly away from all concerns for a few hours.

The cruise was a leisurely trip up the lake and back.

There were all sorts of little inlets along the way

and we saw several blue herons on the banks as we passed.

I had hoped to see a bear or an eagle but no such luck. But who cared? It was cool and breezy on the upper deck, the food was awesome, and wonder of all wonders, we ran into friends on board, so we also enjoyed good company.

The sun was setting as we made our way off the boat.

Back at the lodge, we could have picked up supplies to make s'mores at the bonfire that is lit every evening out back of the lodge. Quite a few people were already around the fire, but we decided it was too hot for a fire and made our way into the lounge (TJ Muskie's). We had stopped in earlier for a drink before the cruise--wine for me, ale for him. You know how many places only fill your glass a quarter to a third full when you order a GLASS of wine? Not here! The glass was at least 3/4 full. When we returned for a nightcap, I ordered brandy and again, my serving was generous. It's a small thing, but I appreciated it because I get so annoyed at those restaurants that are so skimpy with their pouring.

In the morning, we debated whether to just check out and go elsewhere for breakfast, or stay and eat in the Stillwaters Restaurant. They offered a buffet so we thought we'd try it out. Oh. My. Again, there was a wide range of choices, from a yogurt bar stocked with all kinds of fruits, granolas and other items, to the standard biscuits and gravy, bacon, sausage, etc. and frittata, cheesy home fried potatoes, pancakes, waffles, muffins and other pastries, toast, bagels...and on and on. I was a good girl and stayed with healthy choices and not too much of any of them, but it sure was tempting to stuff ourselves.

The food was all wonderful but even better than that was the staff. Everyone we met was polite and friendly, making sure that we had everything we needed, staying to chat, and just being the kind of people West Virginia is famous for.

The only hitch was when we learned that we should have had reservations for the cruise. It was fully booked! I had learned about Taco Tuesday from a Facebook posting and never thought about having to get a reservation. But when the staff realized how far we'd come and that we were staying overnight, they promised, "We'll get you on that boat, no worries." And indeed they did. There were several cancellations and they made sure to hold two tickets open for us. Now that's service.

We took the long way home, winding through some places we'd not traveled before. And that will be my next post.


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.