First Full Day: We spent the majority of the next morning just relaxing around the rental unit. Upon arriving the day before, my parents got first choice of bedrooms, selecting the one nearest the center of the building. Peep and I went next, taking the one at the back, and my brother then opted for the front room with his two kids. His was the only one with an included kitchenette. That left the entire upstairs, which included a bedroom, a bathroom and a bunkroom, for my sister, her husband and their four kids. It was also as we were getting settled that we realized the included wifi internet connection was not working. It would be several more days, almost the end of our time there, before it would be restored.
Tennis: It was late in the morning when some of us finally made it outside, walking to the nearby tennis courts. While the indoor courts at the Leisure Center required a fee, the outdoor courts were free. No one was there when we arrived, so we took turns playing on two of the four available courts. Our time consisted of just hitting the balls across the net and chasing down any errant hits. After an hour it was time to head back for lunch at the lodge before heading out for our afternoon adventure.
River Expeditions: After lunch we all packed ourselves into our cars for the ride over to River Expeditions in nearby Oak Hill. River Expeditions offers many activities in addition to their rafting tours and we would make a couple more trips there before our time in West Virginia ended. This time, our choice of activity was paintball. After registering, we drove to the back of the campground to wait for our instructors at the paintball course.
Paintball: We spent some time finding suitable camouflage gear and proper helmets before receiving some instruction on the use of the paintball guns. We were then ready to head down to the battleground.
The oblong course was laid out on a wooded hillside with forts at either end and obstacles placed amongst the trees. We divided into two teams and, at the instructor's signal, started heading toward each other in an effort to totally eliminate the opposing team. Everyone in the group participated in at least one battle. Once the first battle was over, we shuffled the teams and changed the rules for each subsequent contest until we ran out of paintballs. Even though we were protected from the sun by the towering trees, our time on the course was still hot and exhausting, especially while wearing two layers of clothes.
Evening Swim: It was back to Glade Springs for dinner cooked by grandma before heading back to the Leisure Center and the indoor swimming pool. Peep and I had been home for several weeks prior to the start of our time in West Virginia, and I knew with the types of activities we would be participating in that I would want the use of a waterproof camera. After scouring the internet, I found a point-and-shoot that met my requirements, so I made the purchase and brought the camera with me. Our evening in the pool was my first real opportunity to test its underwater capabilities, and my family was only too eager to help me in that task.