It was a boring hot Saturday in July. Questioning Ben in the following manner, "What can we do today?" always expect the immediate reply of, "We could fly somewhere." I took to Google and searched for a dog friendly place that we could easily fly to for the evening.
I found Oz's Homestay in Shinglehouse, PA. A fly-in bed and breakfast and skydiving center. Less than an hour's flight due north of our home base on the Pennsylvania-New York border. I reserved the room and handed the phone to Ben to get details on flying in.
I was still new to flying and this was my first grass strip landing as well as my first low pass through a tree lined runway. Ben took a high speed low pass over the runway, frightening any lingering animals, and pulled back quickly to clear the ridge. It was at this moment I decided I like this guy, and man are we going to have fun together!
We landed softly on a wide and lengthy turf runway to an audience of Oz's family and employees excitedly waving and awaiting with cold beers. We were immediately treated like long lost friends of this warm and interesting couple who called Oz's their home.
After getting familiar with our surroundings, they invited us to dine with them for the evening. Oz's owners, Ashley and Celeine, are amazing chefs and entertainers. For an additional fee, you can experience their first rate dinner and breakfast.
This is a skydive center so if you are feeling daring, Ahsley and Celeine can help you make arrangements. Oz's property also has a picturesque stream allowing for great waterside camping sites. These are also available upon request. Don't forget your bathing suits. There is a wonderful hot tub overlooking the runway and red barn as well as a sauna.
We had such a wonderful time eating, drinking and talking with Ashley and Celeine that we did not venture into town so we cannot offer any helpful tips or suggestions. If you know of any for this area, please let us know.
Ben's 2 Cents
1. Either absent that day or simply not paying attention, both highly plausible, I could've sworn we were taught in school the native language in Australia is English. During the phone call with Ash, I was able to discern only a few things. One, he sounded perpetually happy. Two, he mentioned a mountain top, a swampy bit, and animals. The instructions on what to do about said items, got lost in translation but he sounded so happy I didn't interrupt. It was this second part that I found disconcerting. Oz's field is not in the GPS database for airports (at least not on my rarely updated GPS card). So using my superior pilotage skills, I managed to locate the airfield. Its possible too, the group waving enthusiastically in the middle of a runway signified we had reached our destination. Getting handed a beer mid exit of the aircraft is always a good sign. And its not often we get photo ops of the plane in front of a beautiful old red barn.
2. Monday morning quarter backing the stay, the only change I would make, due to the time of year, is changing the reservation from the room in the converted barn to a tent near the stream. The house/barn lacks air conditioning and the dogs along with myself got a little toasty. But then again, we did have our own bathroom and shower. Just something to consider. At any rate, there are two kinds of people. Those that drink coffee, and aliens pretending to be people. I happen to not be an alien. And Oz brews a damn good cup of joe. My attempts to replicate it have failed. Kate on the other hand comes awfully close. Truthfully, everything Oz does in the kitchen is superb. Every meal will be an experience worth waiting for and one you won't soon forget. The property is an aviators, campers, skydivers, and any nature lovers dream come true. Dog friendly to boot. I dream of having one like it someday. Brush up on your lingo from our friends down under and give them a call. If your experience is half as good as mine, you'll have a blast.