It was such a beautiful day on Friday and needing to take a day off and refresh the batteries, we hit the highway and headed up to the mountains.

It had been a while since I had toured Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece – considered to be the best work of architecture in America, created for the Kaufmann family in 1935.

I remember that the last time I had toured Fallingwater, maybe 10 years ago; I had the feeling the house and furnishings were a bit austere. But, this time, everything felt fresh and contemporary, a tribute to Wright’s visionary genius and an example of organic architecture.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed Fallingwater at the age of 67, which began the most productive part of his career. He completed 400 commissions after the age of 70 – so there’s hope!

Ohiopyle is just down the road – a popular area for white water rafting, kayaking and biking. If you haven’t had a chance to visit, it’s a great getaway destination for a weekend with motel lodging or camping. There’ s a very cool bed and breakfast in Confluence, a 10 mile ride along the bike trail.

I grew up in Uniontown, so I spent a lot of time in the mountains and at Ohiopyle. One of my favorite spots was a part of the park which we called “the shoot”, an area of rapids that you can ride through on your rear. This time of year, the water is high and it’s too dangerous, even for the dedicated thrill seekers.

Cucumber Falls was the last visit of the day – it’s a beautiful and very rugged area of the park – you can walk behind the falls for some fun or just enjoy the area.

I had the chance to photograph an engagement session with Dina and DJ there a few years ago – it took a few bruises and hacks to get into position.

It was a fantastic day trip – for further information about Fallingwater and the tremendous work of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy along with the history of Ohiopyle, you can check out these sites. Falling Water Ohiopyle