By Ron Coffey

"This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks," I recited to myself as we walked along the wooded pathway to Cedar Falls. That’s all I could recall of the Longfellow epic that was hammered into me some 40 years ago in freshman English. According to our friend Phil, who loves outings like this, there really are quite a few hemlocks in the forests of Hocking County, one of Ohio’s most beautiful natural treasures.

Phil showed us some hemlock trees, which might easily have been mistaken for some type of baby oak. It was a cool day in March, but above freezing, and we could sense that winter’s stranglehold on the terrain was weakening. Cascades of ice could be seen among the shaded cliffs, but we could also hear a lot of water flowing from Cedar Falls.

The falls could be seen from the parking lot and our walk was not difficult. It was a rainy weekend and the amount of water cascading down was rather impressive. 

Along the way, we admired the handiwork of the enterprising workers who built bridges over the creek and created all those steps that made the journey so much easier. Someone noted that the beams used to build the footbridges were recycled from a traffic bridge that succumbed during a massive flood. That explains why the beams are bent like that, I guessed.

After hiking to the falls and posing for the obligatory pictures in front of this landmark, we ventured above the falls for a bit, admiring a suspension bridge and noting the presence of a large bird that might have been an eagle. It wasn’t a buzzard, everyone agreed, but we couldn’t get a close enough look to confirm an eagle sighting.

After working up a good appetite, we journeyed to Logan for a tasty, reasonable lunch at the Olde Dutch restaurant, situated in a cozy mall that featured a petting zoo of white deer, an Amish furniture store and several stores dealing in antiques. We tried not to eat too much, for we had dinner reservations at the Inn at Cedar Falls and expectations were high.

The Hocking hills were still clothed in wintry brown shades, but in every season there are attractive reasons to visit this area filled with great natural beauty. I walked with some of the guys from the card club to take a closer look at the canoes and kayaks at the Hocking Hills Canoe Livery located behind the restaurant, and we talked of coming back in the summer to take on the Hocking River.

Our residence during the card club weekend getaway was the Inn at Cedar Falls. Located just a stone’s throw from the state park along State Route 374, this comfortable compound offers neatly appointed rooms, a souvenir shop and some of the best food in the region. We stayed in the bed and breakfast section and had comfortable rooms with antique furnishings; there are also some cottages and six renovated 1840s log cabins in this rustic, beautiful setting.

Visitors at the Inn at Cedar Falls are warned that the inn contains no televisions or radios, and for some that might seem frightful. My advice is: try it, you’ll like it. Without the boob-tube intruding into your life you’ll really get away for a few days. Meet the other guests and engage in some good old-fashioned conversation. There’s a common room just for that purpose. You can always go hiking at Old Man’s Cave, Ash Cave or some other natural wonder. If the weather acts up, you can go shopping in nearby Logan or head south on Route 33 to the Rocky Boot Outlet. Or stay on the grounds of the Inn at Cedar Falls and make friends with Monday, the cat who has free reign over the premises.

Our card club made use of the common room, a shared space for visiting and games. Evenings were spent in cozy fellowship around the wood-burning stove, playing our own customized game called bid euchre and spirited games of Trivial Pursuit. Normally the group meets in one of the couples’ homes and we all pitch in on food and drink, but this time we decided to splurge a bit, hit the road and let someone else do the cooking.

That someone was Chef Moe Michels, a gifted cook who is as funny as she is talented in the culinary arts. And after my gourmet dinner that included tasty beef medallions over mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables, my wife and I were stuffed! (She had the beef bourguignon.) Still, we managed to split a berry cobbler that came with cinnamon ice cream. There was no way we could eat one of Chef Moe’s award-winning chocolate volcano cakes, but we did look it over closely for future consideration.

Chef Moe Michels displays one of her famous chocolate volcano cakes.

Each morning during our visit, we kicked off the day with a wonderful breakfast. On Saturday it was scrambled eggs infused with spinach and feta cheese, along with thick, wonderful toast, fresh fruit, juice and coffee. Sunday was even more awesome with caramelized French toast as the main attraction. Since we were allowed seconds, nearly everyone in the group partook. We had some carb-counters in the group, but they wisely put their diets on hold for a few meals.

If we could have stayed longer, we might have looked for an abandoned iron furnace or investigated tales of a haunted railway. Certainly we could have done more shopping, or even signed up for a massage at the White Oak Wellness Center.

As it was, we only had time for a visit to Ash Cave on the way home. This enormous recess cavern looks like it did during boyhood visits several decades ago, and probably as it has for thousands of years. We struck up a brief conversation with a couple that sounded like they were from Australia, and saw some young lovers embracing in the cave. The rest of the park seemingly belonged to us. I snapped a few pictures of water cascading down from the cave roof, and it was time to resume our leisurely journey home.

It was good to get away for a few days, with no phone calls, no television, no pressure. You may want to take your significant other, or that special group of friends, for a weekend getaway into the hills of Hocking County.

For more information, visit the following:

www.1800hocking.com

www.innatcedarfalls.com