2016-05-30

【Aiden in English】

        Ohiopyle State Park is located in Pennsylvania. It sounds weird, doesn’t it? But it should be an interstate park between PA and Ohio since it allows many different kinds of fun to occur. Unfortunately, our time at the park was short, and all we really did was eat lunch. However, the limited schedule did not stop us from viewing its beauty.

        The park visitor center is in a small town with shops and restaurants. Although they are all American styled foods, we dug into piles of fries, cheese, and sandwiches. Obviously not as tasty as Chinese food, but it is a different culture. 

        The Ohiopyle features the best white-water rafting experience in Pennsylvania. With rapids that quickly flow downstream, as well as calm, slow waters, the Youghiogheny River provides a wide variety of fun for families. We, unfortunately, we had neither the time nor the skill to raft down the river. Instead, we walked along the river bank to get better views of the rapids. The two obstacles we encountered were naturistic. The first was the heat. It has been nearly an entire half-year since we have faced any type of UV-ray strong enough to give sunburn. The bright light bounced off of stones and the water, gleaming and lashing, blinding our sight. The next issue was the slippery stones. With water constantly splashing over onto the rocks, the result contained mosses, mud, and smooth areas, each presenting its own challenge. The smooth stones caused many near dips in the river, as well as the mosses, and the mud was quite disgusting. Mom and I walked a good few hundred yards of this terrain, and I really understood its treacherous attributes when my grandma decided to sit back and wait for our return.

        I don’t really think it was worth having to nearly fall in the river to see such a quick view. Our goal was a small building hanging over the river with an indoor viewing balcony. The AC in the place was crazy good, so that made up what it lacked, such as a bathroom. I wasn’t looking, but the urgency was there. The viewing platform descended downwards. This angle caught the Ohiopyle Falls on the Youghiogheny River right in the center, viewing it so the entire width of the river could fit in one picture and still not seem squished. The beauty of the falls was not the height or the amount of water, but the width. With a long body, the water seemed to be rolling over some kind of long, naturistic pipe. Now although the “pipe” had many dents in it, the waterfall/rapid was smoothly falling downwards, not being interrupted. After floating away from the disturbance of the falls, the water seemed to be a lot more still, almost as if resting peacefully after a long day.

       Ohiopyle, in the first few minutes I’ve been there, has set a great first impression. If anyone has a chance to go to Pittsburgh, stop by and try out some fun activities here. In fact, the park is good enough to be the main reason for a trip, so don’t be caught stuck this summer with nowhere to go! By the way, it only takes 10 minutes to arrive at the Fallingwater, the most prominent architects in American modern history.

【红霞译文】

        俄亥俄溪州立公园地处宾州境内，听起来挺奇怪的，对不？但好歹应该算作宾州与俄亥俄州州际公园，因为很多耐玩的娱乐项目不胜枚举。可惜我们时间仓促，到这里来纯属为了吃顿午饭填饱肚子，尽管如此， 五月底的俄亥俄溪州立公园“花发颜为醉，风吹面不寒”，我们情不自禁地爱上了它。

        公园游客中心所在的小镇店铺餐馆铺天盖地，除了炸薯条、奶酪以及三明治清一色美式风味，我们别无选择。美餐当然没有中餐可口，但品尝当地小吃领略背景不同的饮食文化，也是我们出游中难能可贵的收获。

        俄亥俄溪州立公园号称宾州激水漂流最棒的地方，这里既有猛朝下游奔驰的湍瀑，也有流速舒缓的涓浅，约克加尼河成为家人共享各种水上运动的快乐源泉，遗憾的是，我们一没工夫二无经验酷玩一把激水漂流，只能沿着河岸走走瞧瞧，这么一来有两个问题自然而然地摆到我们面前：首先是热浪，时下已近年半，正值形形色色紫外线灼伤皮肤的嚣张时期，岩表河面反射出的道道亮光，刺得我们睁不开眼睛；其次是路滑，河水不停地拍击河岸岩石，结果水边各处尽是苔藓烂泥光溜打滑的东西，每迈出一步都要接受挑战，从鹅卵石上面行走，有几次我险些掉进河里，而踩在苔藓和烂泥上面同样难于掉以轻心。就这样我和妈妈坚持走出好几百码远，而外婆招架不住滑不唧溜的考验，情愿坐下来等我们走完接她回去，对之我深有同感。

        为瞄上一眼公园概貌而不惜冒着掉进河里的危险，我觉得实在不值。我们的目标是前往公园一间小屋，其观测台向外凸出，恰巧凌驾于河面之上，室内装有空调，令人感觉凉爽惬意，可以弥补诸如厕所设施不足的缺憾。我因想去方便，顾不上看这看那。观景台向下延伸，其角度适中，可谓不歪不偏正好欣赏约克加尼河俄亥俄溪瀑布全景，瀑布养眼之处不在于其高度或者流量，而在于它的宽度。河床蜿蜒，河水犹如在天然水管中长征跋涉，现在“水管” 几处出现溢口，瀑布／湍流就势落入低谷，泛起层层波澜，随后河水趋于平静，好像在忙碌一整天之后，也到了歇息收工的时刻。

         乍看上去，俄亥俄溪州立公园已给我留下难以忘怀的印象。假如有人要去匹兹堡，不妨考虑到这里驻足享乐一番。事实上，俄亥俄溪州立公园好到足以值得专访的地步，一旦今夏你无处可去，何不到此一游？！顺便提及一下，从这里前往美国现代史上最具代表性的建筑──落水山莊仅需十分钟的车程。