October in Ohiopyle

We packed the dual-cab pickup to the brim with cooking equipment, food, bikes, firewood and of course, clothes. It looked like we were moving out.

In reality, we were just heading four hours west of York to Ohiopyle State Park, where we'd rent a cabin for $30 a night.The cabin had two sets of bunk beds with one double bed on the bottom, a table, four chairs and a heater. There were three windows (no curtains), a covered porch, picnic table, charcoal grill and fire ring with a cooking grate (it was broken) outside.

We spent the first day biking The Youghiogheny River Trail, which is gorgeous in the fall. We saw kayaks and whitewater rafters braving the cold water and rapids.

The second day we went to Fallingwater, which was worth every bit of the $16 admission. Then, we drove back to the campground and hiked the trails.

Cooking was a challenge. After all that packing, I forgot utensils. Fortunately, there was a small store in Ohiopyle. The saving grace was the electric griddle I insisted we bring. Campfires are great to cook on, but they can only do so much. You can cook anything on an electric griddle and it cleans with a paper towel, no water needed. We cooked a half pound of bacon all at once.

Nicki's travel tips:
If you are camping in the fall, bring lots of layers of clothes and a decent amount of reading material.

Bring a bucket. When you have to go and you can't walk a wuarter mile to do so, you'll wish you had one. It also comes in handy for hauling dish water back to the campsite.

Plan your days. It keeps you from returning to the campsite at 4 p.m. with nothing to look forward to but dinner.

Bring a camera. The views and the nature are breathtaking.

Put your food in plastic containers. Mice can, and will, sneak into your cabin and chew through Giant's reusable shoppings bags for M&Ms and peanuts. I know -- it happened.