Wonders of Wildlife

There's nothing quite like the great outdoors. Rebecca and I are working hard at getting to as many National Parks as possible during our travels. This time we were heading into Shenandoah National Park to meet up with our friends Niki and Andy. The drive in was phenomenal! We stopped at just about every view point to take a look at the wonders around us. I spotted a wild turkey and then suddenly noticed her tiny little babies trying to keep up with her. Turkeys are quick little things! Jokingly I turned to Rebecca and said, "and now, bears!" BAM! A baby bear popped its head up over the rock wall on the side of the road. We screeched to a stop, luckily no one was behind us, and rolled down the window. I grabbed my camera in time to catch mama bear poking her head out. Both bears were gone in a flash and lost to the trees. Obviously I'm magical, but have to keep my powers to a minimum. I think I will save this for some puffins in our near future. 

After finally finding Andy and our wonderful spot we set up our tent and waited for Niki to arrive. When she did the three of us went to watch the sunset behind the mountain. Sadly the clouds didn't want us to see much so we just sat and started to catch up. By the time we got back to our site it was dark so we skewered up some hot dogs and sat by the fire. 

We knew we wanted to have a great day of hiking, but didn't quite know what we were getting ourselves into. We chose a hike that would be about six miles and began near our campsite. Starting off on the Appalachian trail we followed our map. Of course we did not follow it correctly and pretty much went on a circular two to three mile hike that ran around the base of our area. While a very pretty hike, it wasn't what we were looking for. The car was about a mile away and Andy being the trooper that he is booked it up the hill to give us a chance to drive to the hike we actually wanted to do. Now we were really ready! 

The beginning of the hike was awful. Bugs were swarming us and I was flailing my hands wildly attempting to swat them away. Then we ran into a family who hadn't left much earlier than us. They had bit of a shocked looked as they whispered to us, "there's a bear up there!" Well, being the geniuses that we are we tiptoed our way to the bear. In the distance we could see bear butt. He didn't want to turn around and couldn't care less that we were there. Sadly I didn't get a great photo, but saw the adorable fuzzy ears sticking up in the distance. 

We seemed to be just heading straight downhill. While yes this is a great way to hike, it also means the way back will be a lot of uphill! Down toward the bottom of the trail bugs were less intense and there were waterfalls everywhere. My favorite part of the hike though was probably when we crossed paths with another group. They had the most beautiful little Italian Greyhound! She was just as prissy as my Penny, and picked her feet up high in the dirt. So darn cute! 

After seeing a the gorgeous trail we decided to keep going and the signs led us to believe that the hike was just a bit further on and then we could get back to the car. Well... Nope! So we trudged on and continued down the path. At this point we were at about ten miles in total. Unfortunately Niki had recently encountered some knee problems and she was at her breaking point. It was Andy to the rescue again! But this time we didn't want to leave anyone on their own so I volunteered as tribute to take on the extra four miles to bring the car back. Andy and I trekked as fast as we could to the trail toward the car. In the beginning it was nice and easy. A great straight stretch of flat land to walk on. Then we returned to the base of the hill we started on. I was at about mile fourteen at this point and running on empty. Straight up we went! With my heart pounding and my legs like jello we finally reached the top and got back to Rebecca and Niki. That night we had a well deserved beer by the fire. 

The store at the campground was very impressive. A random purchase of mystic flames turned out to be the best three bucks ever spent! We figured this tiny package of color changing magic would be gone within minutes. Amazingly enough it lasted forever! We tossed in the pack and after a minute green, blue and purple flames mesmerized us in the fire. What a great end to our camping fun! 

In the morning we packed up and headed out. Instead of exiting the park right away we decided to drive a bit further up. I decided to use my powers again and this time said I just wanted one more picture of a bear's face before we left. BAM! Once again a few yards up the road and my wish came true. Tons of cars on the side of the road were the first sign. Mama and two babies were close by playing in the forest and enjoying a treat. They didn't mind at all that we were there and went about their business. We watched for a while as the babies ran to keep up with mom and took the lookout by the trees. Such an amazing experience to see this little family hanging out. This was a great way to start our camping fun for this road trip. We were so lucky to have Andy and Niki there and be able to join in on their fun!

Next up, Harper's Ferry and Gettysburg! 

Betty's on the Move!

When I was asked how I was getting around the country this summer most people did not expect a response of, a gold mini van, duh! How else should two awesome travelers get around thousands of miles and be able to pack to their hearts content?? So we loaded up the van with our organized totes, tubs, bags, coolers and a handy hanging rod for our clothes. Now, she just needed a name. Gold. Old. Golden Girl? Betty White! Betty for short. Let the fun begin.

Thank goodness Rebecca was driving because after my long stretch of miles from Denver I needed a break. As our friends would attest the sing-alongs had to start early. We found ways to keep awake by rocking though country jams, Glee, Wicked, Mumford, and of course some Disney. We knew this would be one of our longer days of driving so we kept our eyes open for some fun stops along the way. And just when we needed it the most- CHEESE. A simple billboard worth a thousand words. Betty instinctively pulled off the highway and headed to the farm. Sadly, no tours were happening due to construction, but we were able to taste plenty of samples and watch Rebecca's favorite cheese curds in action. I on the other hand chose the spiciest one I could find. Yum!

A couple hundred miles down the road and a few states later (Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee) we were ready for another break. This time we decided to stop for dinner in an adorable town, Roanoke, in Virginia. Jack Brown's Beer and Burger Joint was awesome. The decor was delightful with a disco ball covered in bras and awkward Barbies dangling down. A funky little place with wonderful food. We walked the town a bit before heading to the car to get a bit closer to our next destination.

Motel 6 may not be a fancy one but the room we got in Lexington, Virginia was clean and the air conditioning was perfect! All we needed was a good nights rest and then we could go see what Thomas Jefferson was up to.

Monticello was a gorgeous area to explore. The grounds were beautiful and although it was nice and hot out we walked around and saw how people lived during his time. Now I have to admit I don't know much about this founding father, so it was fascinating to learn more. He was quite the intelligent person. His house was filled with gadgets he had created and items I wish I could recreate to this day. Jefferson also wanted people to have the opportunity to educate themselves and filled his entry room with maps and objects others would not have the chance to see in their daily lives. His bed was in a small alcove with a movable wall if he wanted to just roll out of bed and head to his office to work. My absolute favorite part of his house was the wine dumb waiter in the dining room! A simple ding of a bell and a bottle was on its way up from the cellar. Now of course a lot of this work was done by Jefferson's slaves so not everything was sunshine and roses. Hundreds of slaves worked the grounds and kept the house running. Several were freed upon Jefferson's death and the entire house was sold to try to pay off the debt that was left.

After a good history lesson for the day it was time to move on to our next spot. Camping in Shenandoah National Park! 

Journey with Gerard!

Over ten years now. Gerard and I have been together for a while, and this will be our biggest journey on our own! Over 1300 miles to cover just to really start our adventure. I think that Gerard was trying to save me in a way. First it stared with new brakes. While I knew this was bound to happen I didn't think all the follow up was on its way. New brakes, then a new battery, next my driver side window decided to stop rolling up, so more money was put into his well being. Luckily my dad is a car genius and saved me multiple times. My beautiful Jeep, Gerard, was ready to go!

Thank goodness for rockin' songs and books on tape for a long drive. Kansas is not as thrilling as Dorothy made it seem. I believe she was confused with, "no place like home." The goal here was drive quickly and move on. I have spent enough time in Kansas and felt okay with leaving it behind.

Oklahoma was a new state for my list. I made a few stops to check out the scenery and found a delightful motel to stay in. Not exactly the nicest place I have stayed in, and I did keep my shoes on at all times, but it worked and didn't break the bank.

Day two I added Arkansas and Mississippi to my ever growing list. Arkansas is beautiful and I ate lunch by a lake and enjoyed the drive much more than the previous day. After about twenty hours on the road filled with singing and Clare Danes reading Handmaids Tale to me I arrived in Birmingham! Time to meet up with my always adventurous travel buddy Rebecca.

I got to spend a little time in Birmingham visiting with Rebecca's family and going to her all time favorite store, Publix. I also tried Doodles, a kind of sort of ice cream that I can't describe. That night we went out do a delicious dinner with Rebecca's parents and friends. The perfect night before being on the road for a few weeks. Now the journey is truly about to start!