Birthday Trip to Fallingwater

On Tuesday we celebrated Charles' 42nd birthday with a trip to Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater in southwestern PA. Charles has always wanted to visit this famous home situated over a waterfall on Bear Run.

To get there, we drove through northeastern WV and part of Maryland on routes that were brand new to us, including the very nice Corridor H in West Virginia. The scenery was breathtaking.

Being the fans of green energy that we are, Charles and I particularly enjoyed seeing the large windmills lining the mountaintop. I found them to be quite beautiful.

Upon arrival, we checked in and then waited for our tour to begin. The temperature was in the upper 60s, and it felt a little chilly in under all the trees in the area. While we waited, we took numerous photos to document the day.

Either one or the other was cheesing!

Stolen camera selfies

No photos were allowed on the tour, so we snapped a few of the outside of the home before and after. While Fallingwater is an amazing feat of architecture that blends with and pulls from its environment, I couldn't help feeling that the home was hard and cold. It contained a lot of stone and hard surfaces, and even the furniture that Frank Lloyd Wright designed was very angular. I can appreciate it for what it is, but I wouldn't want to live there!

The terraces that cantilever out over the falls

Bear Run flowing toward the house

The architect taking his photo

The money shot

After our tour, we ate a picnic lunch in the parking lot (no picnicking allowed on grounds apparently) and then walked around a little more to see what we could see. Unfortunately, a couple of the trails were closed so we didn't spend as much time at Fallingwater as we thought we might.

Cuckoo!

Bear Run

Family photos - there's a lot of shade here!

Sophie sitting by Bear Run

A little love for the birthday boy

Hannah admiring the mini fountain and soap on a rope by the entrance to the house

Leaving Fallingwater early turned out to be a good thing since it allowed us to discover and explore the nearby town of Ohiopyle. A guide at the house had told me we could see more waterfalls there, so we decided to check it out. We found waterfalls and cool old railroad bridges in a little town situated on the Youghiogheny River (Yawk for short) within the confines of Ohiopyle State Park. Since it had rained quite a bit over the weekend, the waterfalls were really flowing. Within the town were little restaurants, ice cream parlors, and outfitters for river rafting. It is really a neat little place!

Ohiopyle "Great Falls"

Amazing old railroad bridge that is now part of the Great Allegheny Passage, a hiking and biking trail

The top two photos are of the "low bridge" and the bottom two are from the "high bridge." It really is high!

Old railroad depot next to the low bridge, contains visitor information

The beautiful Cucumber Falls at the southern end of town

Southwestern Pennsylvania is a beautiful area, and we had a perfect day for exploring it with temperatures topping out in the mid-70s. If you haven't visited this area of the world, I highly recommend it!

Family selfie on the way home

More gorgeous scenery