Adventures in Shenandoah National Park

Kyle and I spent the weekend camping in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia.  Here are the details:


The Campground: It was a big campground, but did not feel crowded, which was nice.  Most of the sites were shaded and not on top of one another.  The bathrooms were clean with flush toilets, sinks, and electricity! (I will not camp without some kind of bathroom - wimpy, I know).  Also, there were coin showers nearby that were clean with hot water (I could care less about showering while camping, but Kyle disagrees), and two stores that were a bit over priced but had everything you could possibly need.  Our only issues were with the rain.  It rained overnight, which is not normally a big deal, but then stayed cloudy and misty all day Saturday.  It was like we were in a cloud for most of the day - neat looking, but not ideal for camping.

The Trails:  Since we only ended up hiking about 3/4 a mile, I cannot talk too much about the trails.  It was too wet and I got very tired, very fast, so we did not take advantage of all the trails that are available in the park.  We walked a lot around the campground, but put my pregnant self on an uneven path going up and downhill, and I ran out of gas quick.  I was also scared of the bears.

The Park:  We only explored the southern section of the park and we really did not get to see much.  There were lots of overlooks and scenic outlooks, but with all the clouds, there was not a lot to see.  The park is $15 for 7 days and we were both surprised at how good the roads were.

The Wildlife:  Oh, the wildlife.  Usually I cannot wait to see the animals (when in Jackson Hole, WY I made Kyle drive around and around FOREVER so I could see a moose - never saw one), but I feel like our experience with wildlife this time around was enough to last me a while.  First, there were the bees.  There were bumble bees everywhere!  Normally I would not be too worried about bumble bees because I have read that they do not usually sting (?), but we were over taken at our first campsite.  (I found out that my husband has a huge fear of bees!)  We set up our screen room and within seconds there were at least 50 bees inside.  I am guessing we put our screen room over their hive by mistake.  So, we switched campsites.  

Next, there were the bears.  I guess there was a bear rummaging through a campers cooler the night before we got there, so they set up a trap in the middle of the campsite so it could be caught and moved away from the campground.  I have so many questions...  Why did the campers leave food out??  Why did they put the trap in the middle of the campsite?? Who takes care of the bear, the camp hosts or the National Park Service??  Kyle and I were very good about packing everything food related in our car at night, but I still did not sleep since I kept thinking I could hear something outside our tent.  On the way out of the park, we did end up seeing two black bears.  Each time they were crossing the road and each time we were in our car, so I felt nothing but excitement.  They were really cute.  (sidenote:  Kyle has been camping his whole life and this is the first time he has seen a bear!). 

We also saw a lot of deer, which I always enjoy.   

Finally, back to the bees... Saturday afternoon, one ended up getting stuck in my shirt and I got stung twice!  I was not happy.  (sidenote:  several years ago I was stung by a bee (or African Killer Bee that had migrated to Texas, I'm still not sure) and ended up getting really sick.  My ankle swelled up and I felt like I had the flu for days.  I was really nervous after getting stung twice this time, but I seem to be fine.) 

All in all it was a good weekend out of the heat and out of the city.  But with the rain and two sore arms, we packed up early and headed home Saturday night.  We left right before a big storm came through, which made driving home really tough, but would have made for a tougher night in the tent.

I would go back to the park, hopefully on a clear day so I could actually see the park, and hopefully in a camper.

Virginia on Dwellable

Great Falls National Park, Virginia

Kyle and I headed to Great Falls National Park in Virginia.  It is hard to imagine, but this beautiful place is only about 20 minutes outside busy Washington, D.C.  So, you can leave the city, pass through all the mcmansions owned by hockey and football players, and find yourself surrounded by nature and amazing waterfalls.  There are several hiking trails to choose from, none too difficult.  My only complaint is that it can get pretty crowded and since we like bringing Riley, this can be a problem.  (I realize that this is our problem, no one elses.  If we had a normal, well behaved dog, we would not have any issues.)  

Virginia on Dwellable

Hiking in Weston, Missouri

Kyle and I ventured out to Weston, MO, which is about 40 miles north of Kansas City.  We had a really fun day!  We hiked through the state park, sampled and bought vodka from a local distillery, and ate lunch at the local brewery.  It actually felt like we were on vacation, for a few hours anyway, which always puts both of us in a good mood.  Add in a really cute downtown and we are in heaven.

Side note: While hiking we ran into our neighbors!  It was kind of crazy, but we finally introduced ourselves and our dogs.  So now, when we run into each other while out walking the dogs, we can say hello by name.  Well, Riley won’t.  She’ll continue to bark and growl at their dogs as usual.

Missouri on Dwellable

Maui, Hawaii

Day 1:

Today we arrived in Maui without a hitch.  Our planes took off and arrived on time, and the long flight didn’t seem so bad.  Although, I would not recommend the movie Swing Vote, it put me right to sleep.  The Maui airport isn’t the best airport I have ever been to, but we managed to find our baggage and car rental without any trouble.  (Note:  The airports in Hawaii do not sell gum!  I guess they have trouble with tourists spitting it out onto anywhere but the trash cans, so they just stopped selling it.  This was a huge problem for me, since it is part of my plane ritual to chew gum for every take off and landing.)

We did get into trouble once we hit the road however.  Kyle got a nice introduction to the Maui police (I think we he was secretly hoping to be on Cops) when we got pulled over.  This is his third time getting pulled over in the last two months by the way...  It turned out our rented Jeep did not have the correct inspection tags on it!  We did not get a ticket, thank goodness, but had to deal with Hertz in getting our car changed out.  We ended up with a Mustang Convertible and all the correct tags. 

We checked into the Grand Wailea Resort.  It was beautiful and our room was HUGE!  Our room had an ocean view and a deck that was over a pond.  The hotel also had several restaurants, two pools, a rapids slide, and was on the beach.

After settling in, we ate lunch, swam at the pool, got some food from the grocery store (in hopes of saving some money), and ate at a great pizza place in Kihie.  Finally, because of the time change, we crashed about 9:00pm.

Day 2:

Today we woke up early (5:30 Hawaii time, 9:30 Denver time) and drove to Haleakala to see the craters.  We went up a long windy road that took us about an hour and a half to get to the 10,000 foot top.  Living in Colorado, I have been to the tops of many mountains, but this was much different.  Usually in Colorado you slowly make your way to the top and the views at 10,000 feet are of the valleys at 6,000 feet.  At Haleakala, the views at 10,000 feet are of sea-level so it was much more dramatic.  The top looked like what I picture Mars to look like, very black and rocky with large craters.  There is also a “science city” at the top where they have a HUGE telescope.

Next, we took our Safeway-packed lunches and went to Ho’okipa Beach Park to watch the surfers.  Surfing looks scary and very very hard.  I think surfing is another sport that you need to get into when you are younger, so you are not scared of the waves, the undertow, the sharks, the jellyfish, of drowning...

We didn’t stay too long, because we were hot and too scared to get in the rough water.  So, we drove to another coast of Maui and went to the beaches at Ka’anapali.  We did go in the ocean here, but didn’t go above our waists because the waves were strong.  Next we went to Lahaina to do some souvenir shopping and headed back to our hotel where we ate dinner and again crashed around 9. 

Oh, I forgot, when we got back to the hotel we had a visitor in the ponds outside our room....  I would like to think that this is Mr. T reincarnated to a better location.

Day 3:

Today was relaxation day!  Kyle wanted at least one day to “do nothing” so today was it.  We played a little beach volleyball, swam in the ocean, and hung out in the pool.  We also had a couple of fruity drinks!

One thing we did plan, was go out to eat at the fancy restaurant at our hotel.  They gave us a gift card (go me with my Hilton Honors GOLD status!), so we thought we would take advantage.   First thing I need to mention is its name:  c!  It is the also the name for the Hawaiian state fish.  The next thing was the location.  It was set on a lagoon of tropical fish and had great views of the sunset over the ocean.  Finally, the food was great and Kyle got to pick out his dinner (close your eyes Erin):

This was complimentary dessert - chocolate macaroons.

Day 4:

Today was our last day in Hawaii and we went snorkeling!  We decided to take a lesson from the hotel since neither of us had been before and we did not know where to go.  I’m glad we did.  I was very nervous and asked a lot of questions, but our guide was very nice.  He gave us our snorkel gear and gave us boogie boards to hold onto instead of life jackets.  This worried me a little, but it turned out to work very well.  We ended up going into the water right from the beach we had been staying on!  Once we got out into the water, about 15 feet deep, we practiced putting our face in the water.  My first time putting my face in the water and we saw a GIANT sea turtle.  It was the best thing ever (can be added to my list of favorite things along with Ice-ees, chocolate covered strawberries, and hot springs pools)!  Once we got used to snorkeling we went deeper (up to 40 feet deep!) and made our way to the coral reef.  We saw tons of colorful fish, more sea turtles, and, thankfully, no sharks or jellyfish.  I did feel a little queasy partway through, not sure if it was the waves or the depth of the water getting to me, but I got over it and very much enjoyed my first snorkeling experience.  Next time I will bring one of those waterproof cameras!

After, we checked out of the hotel and made our way to Paia, a cute hippy-ish town.  Here, Kyle got his first tattoo!!  He cried like a baby!!  just kidding.  He did not complain once during his two hour sitting and here are the results:  It is a Celtic cross on his right arm.

Next, we drove part of the scenic route to Hana.  I would have loved to drive the entire route, but we did not have time.  Above is a picture of a waterfall we hiked to off the route.  It was a beautiful drive through a tropical rainforest.  When we were done, I got a cane juice to sip on for the ride back to the airport.  It was sooo good - kinda like lemonade, kinda like apple juice, really not as sweet as I would have thought.

We made it to the airport and caught our 6 hour, direct flight back home.  And attempted to sleep.

It was a FABULOUS vacation.  I really felt like I was in the middle of nowhere on a paradise island - where I could still buy things with dollars and not worry about drinking the water.

You can see the rest of the pictures from the trip by clicking here.

Maui on Dwellable

Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Kyle and I decided to have a weekend away (and use up some hotel points) by heading to Glenwood Springs, CO for the weekend.  We left early Saturday morning and drove almost three hours through the mountains.  Our first stop was the Hanging Lake Trail.  It was a very tough but fun hike.  It is basically straight up, climbing on rocks for a little over a mile, but the view at the top is worth it.  The way down isn’t much easier, my legs were shaking by the time we got to the bottom.  Luckily it was only about two miles round trip and the weather was still cool, which made the whole experience much nicer.  

I am always amazed when I see families on a hike.  This was a difficult hike, but we still saw plenty of kids.  I do not know how the kids do it or how the parents do it when I see they have to carry their kids the rest of the way through.  I think this just further proves my theory that it is easier to learn scary things when you are a kid because you just are not as scared as you should be.

After, we went to the hot springs pool.  This was amazing!!  I am definitely adding hot springs to my list of favorite things (a list that right now only includes Ice-ees and chocolate covered strawberries).  The warm mineral water is very relaxing.  There were two pools - one large pool set at 90 degrees and one smaller pool set at over 100 degrees.  There is nothing like a giant hot tub with a diving board.

Next, we went to Aspen for dinner and shopping.  Aspen is very pretty and has some great shopping, but also (in my opinion) just oozes money.  I felt a little out of place at dinner next to the old folks with their sweaters wrapped around their necks, their fancy leather loafers on, and their discussions about how to properly say “thank you” in Italian.  Although, when Kyle left the present we bought for Sean’s birthday at the table when we left, they were nice enough to let us know!

We had a great weekend away and I would love to go back to hot springs in the winter!  I will leave you with this lovely shot from the pool - ‘man with no shorts’.