July 30-Aug 2, 2024
The Campground
This is a ridiculously, outrageous Campground for my kind of travel. It is really meant for families with kids that need activities. And there are plenty of both kids and activities in the Campground.
Yogi Bear’s Jellystone RV Resort Mill Run:
There are like 500 RV sites plus tents and cabins. I’m in site 430.
I chatted with one of the park workers the next day – I was standing by the pool and he was telling me that it doesn’t open till 9AM. I said, “I’m not swimming in that pool. How much chlorine is in it?” There must have been 500+ people in the pool the day before. I told him I was here to visit the Frank Lloyd Wright houses.
That’s it for the campground. It’s clean. It’s nice. But not my style.
Ohiopyle / Youghiogheny River
On my my way to Yogi Bear’s Jellystone towing the Airstream I drove thought Ohiopyle and crossed the Youghiogheny River but didn’t want to stop with the RV in tow. The Yough is well known for rafting in the spring when the water is high.
On my way to Kentuck Knob I stopped for a couple pics.
Kentuck Knob
I learned about Kentuck Knob from a couple sitting at the bar in the Volstead Bourbon lounge while I was in Bardstown, KY just a week ago. They also reminded me that I needed reservations for Falling Water – something I knew but completely forgot. So, while sitting at the Bourbon Lounge I booked the “in depth” Kentuck Knob house tour and could only get a “grounds” tour at Falling Water, very disappointing. Reservations are a PITA of travel these days.
Kentuck Knob was built in 1956 by the Hagens. They owned an ice cream shop in Uniontown, PA and were friends (or business partners) the the owners of Falling Water (the Kaufmans). After visiting Falling Water often they purchased ~80 acres near Ohiopyle, PA and engaged with Wright to architect the house. Obviously there’s a lot more to it than that – you’ll have to take the tour.
The house was sold to a British Lord in the 1980s for about $600K. It took 2 years to sell it. It is still owned by the British Lord.
Pictures were not allowed inside the house but snuck one or two and got some through the windows. The house is a design of hexagons and parallelograms. Note in the pictures below the hexagons.
Falling Water
I had a 10:30AM reservation for a guided tour of the “grounds” at Falling Water. I arrived at ~10:00AM and was so lucky that they had an opening for a guided house tour at 10AM. I jumped on it.
What follows is pictures. Pictures were only allowed inside on the first floor. There are three floors. The upper floors are bedrooms, guest houses, and dressing rooms. Pictures were also not allowed on the terraces of the upper floors, which is unfortunate as one of the pictures would have been of the infinity pool on the third floor.
The approach to the house form the visitor center. The tour guide pointed out the cantilevered rocks / boulders on the approach.
And then the house appeared…
Inside first floor and terrace:
And one last picture from the outside.
Flight 93 Memorial
This stop was not planned but I saw the pamphlet at the Kentuck Knob Visitor Center and it was only 40 miles away so I planned to visit if I had time. It was very moving. I could not stay in the visitor center. Be prepared to tear.
