Val in Real Life LLC

Category: Exploring

Dive in to my adventures and travels of all kinds here. From outdoors to urban and via foor, auto, motorcycle, or as a full-time RVer, I’ve embraced adventures of all kinds.

Paddling…just like riding a bike
As I mentioned last time, we here at Camp Granola have been up to all sorts of adventures the past few months. And way back in November, you know, before all the holiday hubbub, I took Fred and George on an adventure first for them…paddling.
I hadn’t really considered how long it’s been since I’ve done any paddling of note myself but the good news is that it comes back quickly…just like riding a bike. The boys were quite accommodating to their rusty mom who was trying to remember the finer points of canoeing as we slid through the mysterious and captivating Okefenokee Swamp.
Rush hour on the Okefenokee.
Another first…
We at Camp Granola tend to embrace independent travel so to join The Georgia Conservancy for their Okefenokee paddle was a departure for us. It probably wasn’t an adventure I would have thought to undertake on our own but with all the details planned out, right down to the food, it seemed like a no-brainer.
And stepping outside of the Camp Granola norm paid off. It was a great bunch of people to hang out with. From the other participants, to the Georgia Conservancy staff, to the fabulous naturalist, Cathy Sakas, we were nothing short of delighted with our unusual adventure.
Fred refreshing his geocaching skills on Billy’s Island.
Long time, no see…
It’s been years, nay decades, since I’ve been to the Okefenokee and it did made this granola mom’s nougatty center all warm and gooey to take her boys on this adventure. Sure, they’ve seen the edges of swamps and wetlands before but this was their first true immersion. There’s something quite different about exploring in a canoe versus skirting the edge on a hiking a trail or boardwalk. Their imaginations ran wild in a landscape they’ve never quite experienced before, certainly not like this anyway.
And I will say the the timing of the trip was spot on. In early November, the insect population was negligible, making camping at Stephen C. Foster State Park easy as pie. Plus, as Cathy pointed out, the gators were done feeding for the season, putting young paddlers minds at ease. Bonus!
Fun with methane…Cathy showing us the Okefenokee’s deepest secrets.
Little Naturals…
It turns out my little minions were pretty decent at paddling. I was quite pleased with how quickly they go the concept…even with good ol’ mom barking orders at them. I was also very pleasantly surprised with their paddling stamina. And although they did tire out, leaving an aching mom to pull the hard work, it was not a bad first showing overall.
Unfortunately I’ll have to go ahead and admit that we must have looked like something out of the Three Stooges on the final day when they were wiped out and the wind decided to throw down the gauntlet. With little front-end assistance, my ability to keep us straight and steady amidst a true witch of a cross wind was negligible which means we basically zig-zagged our way up and down river, probably doubling the necessary paddling distance. We’ll just chalk that up to a good workout of muscles I haven’t used this millennium.
It’s not all about gators, there are many other surprises in the Okefenokee if you keep your eyes peeled.
Real Learning…
So our guide for this Okefenokee exploration was the fabulous Cathy Sakas. She’s an absolute gem of a naturalist. Deftly weaving history and nature knowledge, she created a marvelous tapestry of the Okefenokee for us newbies. Given my bias towards mountain environments, I have to say I’m impressed with how well Cathy roped me in to appreciating the Okefenokee and it’s wonders. (If you can’t tell, I get off on people who are really good at what they do and Cathy is top-notch.)
For Fred and George (and people in general really), you simply can’t beat hands-on, experiential learning. They take away more from an weekend adventure like this than weeks of detached book learning. Having been there and taken it in with all of their senses, they carry with them a deep and lasting appreciation for all aspects of a place. And when you’re lucky enough to have a leader on the level of Cathy Sakas, well then all the better.
Other goodies…
In between paddling, the good Georgia Conservancy folks had lots of other activities planned for the little ones, including building bug houses, geocaching (yippee!), and Cathy Sakas’ fun with animal skulls. Between those activities and the meals, we were busy enough not to be bored and not so busy we couldn’t relax. Call me Goldilocks, but it seemed just right.
Georgie passing the time until the paddling fun.
Prior proper preparation…
That covers the high points of the trip but I thought I should share one of the lessons I learned. So without further ado we have your feature presentation from the Foibles of Planning Department.
See, one of the little details I’d meant to handle before we departed was getting a dry bag for my camera gear. Well, busy homeschooling mom that I am, I ran out of time to check that off the to-do list. With great folly, I headed off to a swamp with absolutely no protection for my beloved camera and lenses from a watery grave in the tannin-stained depths of the Suwanee River. Yep, I jumped into a canoe with two young, novice paddlers…and lots of expensive, sensitive photography equipment. This is one of those situations where I could be called either incredibly brave or irretrievably stupid.
So setting out on our paddling adventure, I presented Fred and George with a simple logic regarding our time in the boat as follows: 1) They can swim. 2) They have PFDs. 3) They’ll dry out, no worse for wear.
Since none of those things could be said about my pack full of camera gear, I felt quite justified in explaining to them that, barring one of them being injured, I would be saving my gear first should we find ourselves capsized. Of course, my confidence that I would be able to save my gear in the event of a sudden canoe overturn was basically nil so, despite my proclamations of “gear first,” my nerves were still on end resulting in a very edgy mom while we were in the boat.
Fortunately, all worked out with no kinks. My gear was never put in jeopardy, however, my constant concern over the matter certainly overshadowed my enjoyment of the outings. But of course, I was too stubborn just to leave the gear behind and enjoy paddling so I’ll just tuck that lesson away for later use.
Let’s play spot the gator…and be relieved he’s not hungry.
Kudos…
In spite my personal silliness, we had a groovy time paddling the Okefenokee. Many thanks and much appreciation to The Georgia Conservancy for showing Camp Granola a good time. And if you have a chance to take a trip with them, by all means, do so. Whether your a Georgian or just passing through, they make the trip worthwhile.
And now for your moment of green…
Way down upon the Suwanee River…a visit to the land of the trembling earth.

March 19, 2012
Autumn Brilliance at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
So what seems like an eternity ago but what was really only a few months, I got a little uber-mommy time. That’s right, I got to spend a glorious long weekend at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont for the Autumn Brilliance Photography workshop. With the boys shipped off to Gma for safe keeping, I got four days away sans all demands of homeschooling and domestic duties to soak up the awesome that is Will Clay and the Smoky Mountains.
Will’s first test for us…sunrise on Foothills Parkway
First, The Workshop…
As you know, I was already a fan of Will and his work. He’s a rare combination of great talent, teaching ability, personality, and passion. After meeting him in Atlanta for a seminar, I knew it would be worth the time and energy to venture off to Tremont for his workshop. And while Will was the reason I ventured to Tremont for the first time, it turns out he had way more up his considerable sleeve than I imagined, and that was his assemblage of additional instructors.
Watching the sun rise over mountains and through trees is all kinds of granola goodness.
Not only is Will all sorts of groovy, he handed to floor over to some other wonderful photographers to help us photographer wannabes become more “be” than “wanna.” So I have to give a shout out to his other instructors…Tom Vadnais, Steve Zigler, Ken Thompson, and Todd Moore. It’s safe to say I learned a lot from each of them and they were the chocolate sauce, whipped cream, sprinkles, and cherry on top of the Will Clay sundae. And while I realize that’s probably a really odd metaphor for photographers, you get the idea.
At any rate, I won’t go photo-geek on you with all the minutia of the workshop, but I will say that it was very worthwhile. With visits to Foothills Parkway, Elkmont, and the Middle Prong River there was plenty of opportunity to put into practice all of the expertise they shared with us. They deftly handled all ability levels and we, as students, got to benefit from their extensive knowledge of the area. I thoroughly appreciated that Will kept maximizing our shooting opportunities as the top priority even if it meant breakfast in the field. As Will said…”We’re not here to eat.”
Aside from the opportunity to expand my photographic abilities, just having time to hang out in the Smokies with my camera and a bunch of cool, talented people was enough to leave a silly grin on my face for days. Be sure to check it out if you’re looking for a great workshop in a stunning location…
With countless cascades, there’s plenty to keep you busy in the Smokies.
…which brings us to the location.
Tremont is a cozy little retreat that hosts all sorts of events…family weekends, courses, school groups, etc. Of course, I was so wrapped up in shooting the natural landscapes that I didn’t get any shots of the facilities themselves for you. Never fear, I’ll be sure to grab some when I’m there next month, but more on that later.
At any rate, the accommodations are simple and in keeping with the natural setting nestled on the Tennessee side of the Smokies. Obviously this isn’t a luxury resort but that’s ok. It’s what it needs to be and you know I’m not one for frills anyway so this is right up my alley. Having said that, as much as I like the simple life, I will say the that dorm rooms are not for the light sleeper…ahem, that would be me. (And I now know why many of the participants hoteled it in town!) In spite of the limited sleep, I still had a great time exploring Tremont and will be a repeat visitor.
The Middle Prong River has infinite details to capture.
Oh so full calendar…
…but in a good way. So yes, I will be returning for the Spring Photography Workshop…and probably the autumn workshop again in October. And because I can’t seem to get enough, I’ll be pursuing the Southern Appalachian Naturalist Certification in addition to honing my photography skills. So I’ll certainly be posting lots of Tremont fodder this year and next time I’ll be sure to take a few more shots of the place itself.
In the meantime, here are some of the shots I managed during the workshop, plus a few more over on my Flickr page for Tremont. Hopefully you’ll get a feel for the beauty of the Smokies if you’ve never had the opportunity to visit. Trust me, there’s a reason it’s the most visited park in the U.S.
The Smokies are an idyllic place to get lost along dreamy streambanks.
Foothills Parkway is a popular destination…and for good reason..
A study of reflection and shade.
And now for your moment of green…
One of Will’s assignments…our zen word. This is my contribution to Intimacy.

January 26, 2012
Geocaching 101
NOTE: I initially wrote this as a guest post for Our Days Are Just Filled but obviously it fits here quite nicely as well. Plus I left out an important aspect of geocaching in the original so I tacked it onto the end here…enjoy!
Our enthusiastic but freezing little cacher at a guard rail find on a bitter winter day.
Welcome to Geocaching 101…
Some of you out there in cyberland may be very familiar with geocaching, but if you’re one of the folks who aren’t in on the game, here’s a quick primer.
A small cache we found recently near a golf course.
In a nutshell, geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunt played with a GPS. You use coordinates to track down a cache and sign the log. You then post your find to your account online and watch your collection of smiley faces grow.
There are over 1.5 million caches hidden all over the world in an amazing variety of imaginative places, from your local parking lot to the deep wilderness (yes including Antarctica). These “hides” come in all shapes and sizes. From a “nano” the size of a pinto bean on up to creatively disguised large boxes, they can look like just about anything from a bolt to a birdhouse to well…you name it, someone’s probably done it. Sometimes they’re simply camouflaged in duct tape and hidden under branches, other times you’ll discover seriously creative hides like fake tree branches that you can’t tell from real ones.
There are over five million geocachers playing this game/sport. That means the rest of the population are what geocachers call “muggles” or non-players. Therein lies much of the fun because one of the big challenges in geocaching is not drawing attention to yourself by muggles as you’re hunting your quarry. This can prove trickier than it probably sounds. Sure you can find caches deep in the woods without attracting prying eyes but many caches are deftly hidden in urban settings like parking lots where being inconspicuous is no small task. So if you’ve ever noticed someone lifting a lamp post skirt you now know what they’re up to…just turn a blind eye or give them a little wink.
So how does this work?
You can start with a free account at Geocaching.com. That’s where the cache information is and where you’ll log your progress. Each successful find earns you a smiley face where the cache is located. [Note: There’s also a new upstart site called opencaching.com but since I don’t use it I can’t speak to it’s worthiness. Feel free to check it out though. And hopefully some commenters out there will help out and fill in the blanks for me on the matter.]
One of our first-ever finds, you’d be amazed how easy it is to walk right by and not notice it.
Given all of the potential ways, places, and scenarios to hide a cache, each one is rated by its difficulty and terrain by a star system. The rating system is quite handy in helping decide which caches to tackle and when. A park and grab under a lamp skirt at the local store is likely to be a 1 or 1.5 difficulty and a 1 terrain…easy enough for even the little cachers to grab or a quickie on your way home from work. But as the “hiders” up the stakes in terms of how well-camouflaged the cache is and how difficult it is to get to, you’ll see those ratings go higher and higher…which means those caches will take more time, energy, and planning to successfully grab. These “evil” caches can be in some crazy places…cliffs, underwater, up towering trees…you get the idea. Or they can be just so cleverly disguised that their difficulty is 4 or 5 stars but the terrain is only a 1. Like I said, huge variety. But that’s a good thing. It means there’s something for everyone.
And while many caches are one-shot grabs, there are many other kinds of caches as well like multis & puzzle caches (among others). Multis are just what they sound like in that there are multiple stages to the final glorious find. As well, puzzle caches are aptly named. You may have to solve sort of puzzle/mind-game to get the correct coordinates or figure out something once you get there but either way, it’s an added challenge that is always welcome at Camp Granola.
What’s in it?
For the smaller caches you’ll find only a log to sign since there isn’t room for anything else. The larger ones will have everything from little toys and trinkets to trackable coins and tokens. The understanding is that if you take something, you leave something of equal or greater value. The trinkets are how I initially lured my little cachers on the hunt but now that they’re older, it’s things like GeoCoins, Travel Bugs, and Pathtags that put a sparkle in their eyes.
Right smack in the center of this shot is a geocache. Can you spot it?
See it now? That’s a bison tube. You’ll see lots of those in your geocaching adventures.
Who can play?
Geocaching is available to all ages, shapes, and sizes. You can have a fancy GPS or a simple GPS…or even no GPS and you will have all the adventure and fun every other cacher is having. As I mentioned, given the wide range of difficulty and terrain for caches, this is s sport/hobby that accommodates all ability levels.
Why play?
First, it’s just fun. Each find is like scoring a goal or landing a fish, you get a sense of accomplishment. It’s a great challenge that gets you outdoors and it doesn’t get better than that in my book. It also takes you to locations you wouldn’t have gone otherwise and you end up discovering surprising new places and things to do. Sometimes you even find out a little more about your world and how it works. Much like photography, geocaching helps you develop a keen eye and the ability to set assumptions aside so it’s a great mental workout. Plus, when you’re traveling about, there’s never an excuse to be bored when there’s always a hunt to be had.
A bonus for parents of little cachers is that it’s an invigorating family activity. All of the reasons I love caching for myself, I love doubly so for Fred and George. Hand them the GPS, let them lead the way, and you’ll have some sharp kiddos on your hands. Geocaching demands several skills from them simultaneously and it’s a treat to watch them work through the hunt. It’s real-world problem solving at its best because they’re having fun. And it isn’t just for homeschoolers…it’s catching on as a tool in mainstream education.
Here’s a geocoin. It’s the one I set loose on my 40th birthday. You can track their progress online as they travel from cache to cache.
Getting started…
As you can see, there are a lot of facets to this sport. I’ve only scratched the surface. If you’re intrigued by the notion, the best source for getting started is the probably over at Groundspeak’s Geocaching 101 FAQ and/or Geocaching in 2 Minutes at Geocaching.com. You can also check out How Geocaching Works from the folks at How Stuff Works.
The next best step is to go with someone who knows the ropes. If you don’t know an active geocacher, find a local geocaching group. We geocachers are a friendly lot and welcome the chance to show new cachers the ropes. There’s a treasure trove of new friends to be had out there.
The tired but happy cachers after putting in a full day of hunting AND trash collecting.
My personal PSA…
I wouldn’t be the Queen of Camp Granola if I didn’t urge outdoor sensitivity when caching. Be sure to Tread Lightly when caching in the wilderness. I would add that taking care in urban environments is crucial as well. Many a shrub, fence, sprinkler head, etc. have been destroyed by overzealous hunters which isn’t fair to property owners and undermines our group as a whole. Let’s keep a good name for ourselves so people love having us around.
Helping out…
I failed to include this on the post for Our Days are Just Filled but one of the great facets of geocaching is the CITO, or Cache In Trash Out, movement. It’s exactly what it sounds like…you collect bits of trash as you cache and get them into trash cans instead of floating about the landscape. So simple yet so effective!
Cache on friends!
Go geocaching and discover the amazing details around you.

January 16, 2012
Cloudland Canyon
Now that winter is upon us, I’m finally finishing up this post on our fall adventure to Cloudland Canyon. Because you know I like to keep things timely. (Insert heavy sigh here.)
Just one of the views that makes the trek into the canyon worth the climb back out.
At any rate, it seems Camp Granola has gotten in the habit of getting our Georgia autumn fix at Cloudland Canyon State Park. It was never some sort of tradition or mindful plan but for the last several years, we’ve been making the trek to Georgia’s extreme northwest corner during October.
The original attraction, aside from the astounding beauty of the canyon, was the smattering of autumn-themed events hosted there by the state park powers-that-be. Particularly when Fred and George were younger, things like hayrides and hot dog cookouts got their little granola engines revved up. But even as they’ve inched up, both in years and height, and the lure of hayrides has faded, we’re still drawn to the fabulousness of Cloudland.
Memory lane…
I’ve have been exploring Cloudland since my budding geologist days in college a couple of decades ago. The fact that I can say I’ve been doing anything for a couple of decades is more than a little disconcerting mind you, but indeed we’ve been fans of this park for a very long time. Because of this lengthy relationship, we’ve got a whole trove of memories we can thank Cloudland for. I suppose it’s that collection of memories that makes us feel connected and keeps drawing us back for more.
Granted, last year involved Jester’s eye getting into a scuffle with a sharp stick (the stick won) and a seven-year-old George running naked through the middle of the campground (long story). But despite Camp Granola’s penchant for odd excitement, it really is a gem of a park that has proven to be worthy of multiple visits.
Iconic hanging rock on the trail to the falls.
George exploring the boulders.
Lay of the land…
Cloudland is tucked in the northwest corner of the state on the west side of Lookout Mountain and only about a half an hour from Chattanooga. As you may have noticed by the name, it is a canyon which means it’s got a west rim, an east rim, and a lot of down in the middle where the river and waterfalls create a wonderland of breath-taking scenery. Obviously being in the southeast, many of the rock faces are covered by vegetation but she does give you a good tease as to what’s under all of that brush with some dramatic rock exposures.
Aside from scenic overlooks, the trails here are amongst my favorites. I could spend days exploring all of the nuances of Sitton’s Gulch in particular. The rim trails give excellent views of the canyon walls and, in fact, have you treading upon the the very rocks that make up those walls so you get to see them up close and personal. There are exposed boulders rife with crevices and cracks to explore the rocky goodness. (Sorry… a little bit of latent geologist just slipped out.)
Again, make no mistake that this is a canyon. It’s a long way down and an even longer way up. The stairs show no mercy but the views are not to be missed. There are several water falls to visit if the rain has been sufficient. It is a readily doable to hike rim-to-rim and Sitton’s Gulch in one day and have plenty of time to enjoy the canyon.
Fred and George exploring Cloudland’s every nook and cranny.
Fred camouflaged on a rock.
Camping…
While the park has two campground areas, one on the east rim and one on the west rim, we always opt for west rim. In my mind it has the has the best access to trails and, if you know which sites to pick, you can position yourself right next to some small, hidden fields. Many a quidditch match has been played by Fred and George in those fields in the breaks between exploring the canyon.
Sitton’s Gulch Trail…all sorts of groovy granola goodness.
Our adventure…
After our hiccupy trip to Cumberland Gap, it was comforting to take a trip that was mostly a known quantity…we know where everything is, we know what to expect from the campsites, we know what we like to do there, etc. In other words it’s an easy trip for us and was a step towards getting our travel mojo back to say the least…particularly for me since I typically run the show and needed to regain some confidence in my traveling abilities.
And it did bode well for my self-esteem that we managed to arrive, get a fabulous site, and set up camp before the rain set in with time to spare before dinner prep was necessary. It’s nice when a plan comes together. I even managed to knit myself a new, cozy winter hat that afternoon.
With a smooth arrival, we set out exploring the next day with a spring in our collective step. We initially stuck to the rim trails with the fabulous boulders to explore. Fred and George were smitten, and with their active imaginations, were able to spend a ridiculous amount of time exploring and getting lost in their otherworldly fantasies. In fact, with our selection of site, we were just a couple of minutes down the trail to the boulders, which, as you can imagine, meant we payed multiple visits.
Along the west rim trail.
Detox for Mommy…
As homeschoolers, the boys and I spend a lot of time together. On the one hand, it’s wonderful…on the other, did I mention we spend a lot of time together? Oh, and Fred is in full-blown tween mode. Did I mention that?
At any rate, the point is that I took the opportunity to sneak off for a little alone time…just me and my 50D. Leaving all four boys to their own devices, I set off to grab some sunrise shots of the canyon. They were horrible. But I did it and learned that I have a lot more to learn. I was impressed that I got my night-owl self up early enough to do it though. That in itself was a pretty big victory.
Not to be deterred from an unproductive morning, I ventured off to Sitton’s Gulch hoping to capture all of the awesome of Cloudland Canyon on my own terms. My familiarity with Cloudland allowed me to go directly to the spots I wanted to shoot. Along the way I met lots of lovely folks exploring and reveled in the time I had to focus on photography instead of cramming it in between various child-centered activities. It’s my version of blowing off steam.
George in the field, lost in his imagination.
The take away…
The remarkable aspect of repeat visits to any place, is that it takes away the pressure to “do” everything. It let’s you branch out into other activities instead of feeling like you must hit the high points before you have to leave. There’s simply a different rhythm to the familiar. After your first time someplace, the nervous excitement of the unknown gently shifts towards the comfort of knowledge. You can better balance the time you take to relax and read a book (or whatever) with the time of getting out to explore. Plus, knowing what to expect from a destination allows you to mentally plan ahead.
Both experiences, the new and the familiar, are worthwhile in their own rights, just different. It’s important to allow yourself both as a traveler and Cloudland is our repeat indulgence.
What place always draws you back for a repeat visit?
And now for your moment of green…
Beginnings of autumn at Sitton’s Gulch are worth visiting again and again.
December 24, 2011
Forty: Getting Real
After much deliberation, I’ve finally decided to hit the publish button on this post. Given my inclination to over-analyze just about everything in my life, this entry is no exception.
The problem
My indecision lies in that Val in Real Life has morphed into a family-nature-travel kind of blog and I’m hesitant to step outside of that since I’m quite happy rattling on about all of this stuff. So this is a bit outside of that arena and it might just be too much information.
But I’m going to risk it because one of the things I’ve always intended to do here was to be real. I wanted to show that there’s value in pursuing the life you want in spite of the obstacles we all face. I also want to accentuate the positive but if I make it sound like it’s all unicorns and rainbows here then I have no credibility.
The reality
So getting to the point, the reality is that today marks my 40th birthday. It’s one of those artificial milestones we can’t seem to escape in life but there it is. On the one hand it’s just a number, on the other it definitely signifies a certain maturity.
Unfortunately, I’m really feeling the “40” because I’ve been at odds with Petunia. “Who is Petunia?” you ask. Petunia is my pituitary tumor. Yes, that’s right—Petunia the Pituitary Tumor. She’s small and, more importantly, benign so I get to be flippant about it.
To summarize the crap-fest that has been my health and state-of-mind this year, basically I’ve been fatigued, waking up in sudden sweat-soaked jolts, packing on weight, losing my hair, sleepless, and mentally flaky along with a whole host of other vague ailments that have been dragging me down physically and emotionally. In hindsight, the symptoms have been building for a couple of years but reached a noticeable apex this summer when I finally put the pieces together. Granted, I thought it was an entirely different problem but that’s why we have doctors to sort this stuff out for us.
Once you reconcile the notion that you have a lump growing in your head but that it’s not going to kill you, you just have to get on with how to deal with it. In my case I get to embrace better living through chemistry. So with a magic little pill from my fabulous endocrinologist I’m on the mend and getting back to myself. After all of the personal drama surrounding this, it comes down to a simple solution that should mean the demise of Petunia over the next few years.
At any rate, in order to keep moving forward the past year or so amidst feeling like crap and not understanding why, I’ve taken to practicing a little healthy denial about how bad it’s really been. Not to hide it from the people around me but to keep myself from going into an unrecoverable tailspin. With the light at the end of the tunnel growing brighter by the day, I can finally acknowledge the strain it’s been on the crew here. It has definitely not been all fun and games lately.
Small beans
In the big scheme of things, Petunia is small beans in terms of all of the health problems we can potentially face in our lifetimes. In the end, I’ll probably eventually simply consider her a nuisance in spite of the grief she’s caused.
Until now it’s really only been close family that’s been in on the news. Again, not because it’s a big secret but because of mental self-preservation on my part. Not only did I need to keep myself going, but when issues like this crop up, it seems that every conversation and interaction with the people around you revolves around it. And while it is a bit of a big deal, sometimes you just need a break from talking about it every minute of every day with every person you come in contact with.
The take-away
The point of finally publishing this post is to show the very real side of Val in Real Life. I’m pushing forward towards the life I want in spite of the obstacles. Continuing to travel, explore, and homeschool isn’t easy when you feel like crap but we did. Otherwise, Petunia wins. We can’t have that.
In truth, I’m better off for having kept up with the things that bring me happiness even though it would have been easier to stay at home. And certainly, not all of the adventures were fantastic. Petunia made her presence well-known throughout the Cumberland Gap trip but I’m glad we went. (Of course, now you have the behind-the-scenes insight as to why it was riddled with problems.)
We all encounter Petunia-like events in our lives. She’s not the first and certainly won’t be the last. I’ve simply got to keep moving forward and keep it in perspective. There’s nothing particularly special about how I managed to stay true to myself other than simply recognizing that it was a necessity in order to not get lost in the ordeal.
With all of this now said, I promise Val in Real Life won’t become Tumor Watch 2012. In fact, I hope I never have to mention it again. So on my 40th birthday I hope you’ll join me in giving the Petunias in your life an enthusiastic middle finger salute and start planning the next adventure in your life.
Cheers, friends! Adventure on.
Life dishing it out? Keep the things that make you happy very close.
The Birthday Series
Fifty-four: Using My Powers For Good
Fifty-three: Wake Up Call
Fifty-two: Full Circles
Fifty-one: The Messy Middle
Fifty: Leaning Into Life
Forty-Nine: Keep Moving Forward
Forty-Eight: Be Where Your Feet Are
Forty-Seven: The Most Important Question
Forty-Six: Gratitude
Forty-Five: Celebrating with Adventure
Forty-Four: Eat the Cupcake
Forty-Three: The Depth of Life
Forty-Two: Another Year of Perspective
Forty-One: Another Notch on the Birthday Belt
Forty: Getting Real
December 5, 2011
Cumberland Gap: Wilderness Road Campground
With the bulk of the things-to-do-and-see items covered in this series of posts on Cumberland Gap NHP, I thought I’d switch gears into review mode. And so my granola-munching peeps, here are my thoughts on the Wilderness Road Campground at Cumberland Gap.
The obligatory sign photo…that also happened to hold a geocache treasure.
Overview…
This is a cozy little campground nestled amongst a wonderful landscape of tall trees and scenic mountains. It’s just off of Highway 58 in the far-west recesses of Virginia. The closest town is the microscopic-but-charming Cumberland Gap, TN. For stocking up on supplies however, you’re best bet is to visit nearby Middleboro, KY on the other side of the Cumberland Gap Tunnel.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of the highlights of this campground is the easy access to hiking trails as well as some nature trails that had yours truly all aflutter. One of the other features I loved was the ampitheater where Fred played happily for quite awhile, lost in his imagination. There weren’t any programs happening during our visit but I suspect that this is put to good use during heavier visitation times.
The back part of the campsite at Wilderness Road. Somehow I missed taking a shot of the front part with the slope of doom.
The Sites…
There are electric and non-electric sites but no water hookups. There are water sources you can use to fill up but be prepared to portage your containers a little ways, depending upon which site you choose.
One of Fred and George’s highlights was making “geek-henge” out of the fire logs. Yeah, my boys let their geek flags fly.
We opted for a non-electric site because we really don’t need electric to get by with our minimal tent-camping set up. (Except when all six of your camera batteries are dead and your car-adapter fails you. Can you say photographer/blogger minor cardiac event? I knew you could.) The other factor in choosing non-electric is that the electric sites all seemed to have paved parking pads for RVs and pop-ups. Great for them…not so great for us.
So we pitched on a fairly level site that had a good bit of breathing room for the kids to romp without getting tangled in the abundant poison ivy. I say fairly level because we couldn’t find one perfectly level. Unlike our RV/Popup counterparts, tents aren’t equipped with nifty leveling feet to even things out artificially so we have to work with what we’ve got… and if you’ve ever slept in a tent on a slope, you’ll understand why that’s important. Let’s just say it’s not quite the right kind of cozy to have all five tent occupants piled up in heap at the foot of the tent in the middle of the night for three nights running. Yeah, not the most restful of our camping adventures.
At any rate, we ended up pitching on the gravel pad meant for vehicles rather than the lumpy, muddy, poorly drained area in the middle of the site. With the amount of rain forecast for our visit, we were placing our bets on the best drainage…and that’s gravel, even if it’s very large, pointy gravel in this case.
Fred making use of the empty ampitheater.
The sites were equipped with newer six-foot plastic (as opposed to concrete or wood) picnic tables which made for easy drying off in the inclement weather we were in initially. Now, I could probably write an entire post on the virtues of varying table construction at campgrounds, but I won’t belabor the issue lest you begin to think of me as a camping princess.
Anyway…another nice little perk of our particular site was the bear box which is great when you’re camping out of a small car. Not all the sites had them though and it was indeed one of the reasons we picked this site as our home for a few nights.
The facilities…
I have to give the restroom facilities very high marks. They looked relatively new and were clean, standard issue campground lavatories. Where they excelled was in the shower arena though. Instead of shower stalls in the restrooms, they built them as individual stalls (actually mini-rooms) separate from the sinks & toilets. Faboo my friends!
Why is this so revolutionary? Well, typically campgrounds with showers have a couple of stalls in each restroom i.e. the men’s and women’s. But by separating the showers from the potties, they’ve maximized the use those facilities will get since they’ve removed the gender-barrier. Now I don’t know if this is something that’s happening in other parks, but it’s certainly not something I’ve seen before and I hope Georgia State Parks take a few notes before they do any renovations.
Fred and George taking advantage of the lapse in rain to play a card game outside the big tent house.
Plus, these mini-shower-rooms were floored with porous-pebble instead of tile. All sorts of wonderful in terms of drainage and general shower comfort. Throw in the large size (to accommodate the disabled) and it was downright luxurious…for camping that is.
Other bonuses of this set up include being able to send all three of my boys for a shower at once. Also, without gender segregated showers, I could conceivably nag, nay…encourage, my kids to hurry up with out having to shout through the door of the men’s room. It’s been known to happen, trust me. I’ve ruffled a few male campers feathers in my day. Sorry fellas, it’s no picnic on this end either.
In a nutshell…
Overall, there were some highlights at this campground. Loved the shower setup, nature trails, and bear box. And no doubt, it’s a beautiful park.
Dobby took advantage of the break in rain to enjoy his throne by the campfire.
On the downside, this campground is definitely not geared towards tent camping. The sites were just horrendous for pitching. I’m guessing the RV/Popup crowd have a better time of it. Secondly, I have to say the road noise from nearby four-lane Highway 58 was surprisingly loud and not exactly the atmosphere we were hoping to find. Road noise at night may not an issue if you’re an RV camper but in a tent it was a serious bummer. Or maybe I’m just a ridiculously light sleeper.
Ultimately the cons were bigger than the pros and that kept this campground from being a great place for us. And as you know from my report on our adventures at Cumberland Gap NHP, we cut our time short. Now you have a little more insight as to why. Camp Granola just could not get comfortable here and that takes the crunch out of our granola so we kept rolling.
Why all my thoughts may not amount to a hill of beans…
Well, the campground is slated to close and undergo renovations next month. Since I have no idea the extent of those plans, I can’t tell you how much of this will still be relevant. Given that it will be closed for more than six months, I’m guessing this could be fairly extensive. Hopefully some future visitor will give me an update but until then you’ll want to contact the park for more info.
So out of curiosity, what’s the best campground shower you’ve found?
And now for your moment of green…
While not very comfortable, the Wilderness Road campground definitely had lots of pretty to shoot.
October 20, 2011
Cumberland Gap: Rangers in the Making
Obviously one of our priorities as parents here at Camp Granola is fostering a love of the outdoors, adventure, and nature in our littlest granolans. Fred and George are curious about a great variety of things, not all of which are related to these pursuits but it makes for a happy granola mom when they embrace it. Part of fostering that curiosity and connection to the natural world is making it interesting and fun.
That’s where tours and activities come in. Not only do events like this give them exposure to things outside of my range of expertise but it allows them the opportunity to, quite honestly, listen to someone besides me. And that’s why we took part in a couple of offerings at Cumberland Gap National Historic Park.
The Gap Cave tour…Fred and George approved.
Gap Cave Tour…
I’ll preface this by saying that we Camp Granolans haven’t seen a lot of cave action. Most of our experience has been with really cheesy, over-processed, touron locations like Ruby Falls in Chattanooga…but thats a rant for another day. So for the boys to explore a mostly unadultered cave was quite a novelty.
A clue from Bubba the Bear.
Jester was the escort for this tour since one of us had to stay with the pup so I pretty much just have to report second-hand. The consensus amongst my fellas was that the cave was amazing. They reveled in the formations, bats, and mystery of the underground world. Jester was probably the cutest though with his insistence that there was, in fact, an overturned lakebed, complete with fossils and dessication cracks. He rarely gets that excited about anything geologic so I didn’t want to deflate his enthusiasm…but, yes dear, that can happen over the course of geologic time. (Insert head pat here.)
The Camp Granola boys definitely came out of the deep, dark cave with a lot of new information and they were pleasantly surprised at being able to explore at a reasonable pace with a knowledgeable ranger. At any rate, the boys highly recommend the Gap Cave tour, especially if you like your travels to be authentic. For the details, you’ll want to go straight to the source at the NPS Gap Cave page.
The rescue helicopter certainly had everyone’s attention.
Junior Ranger Training…
One of the events I insisted the kids take part in was a Survival Techniques Junior Ranger class. While Jester and I are both former backpackers, we’re admittedly very rusty and we haven’t formally trained the kids either. (I know, I’m a slacker granola mom…I hang my make-up-less face in shame.)
So I thought this program would be a good opportunity to get them a lot of information they might actually listen to since it wouldn’t be coming directly from us. Because, even as granola-happy-family as we are, we still have plenty of Charlie-Brown-adult syndrome going on. And this subject-matter is too crucial for them to tune us out into a series indistinguishable grunts.
The SAR team found Bubba’s SOS and came in for the rescue.
The Rangers took the lot of kids, a good two dozen of them by my estimate, through a faux search-and-rescue of Bubba the Bear, a puppet stand-in for a lost child. They covered the basics of what to do if you get separated or lost and how to stay safe, hydrated, and warm.
They also squeezed in a wow-factor at the end by having a SAR helicopter land in the clearing next to the Visitor Center. That was pretty slick. Aside from the helicopter, I think the aspect that left the biggest impression with my boys was how easily (i.e. in the blink of an eye) people, especially kids, can get lost. The rangers had some pretty astounding tales to share.
The rangers clearly put a lot of work into the program and provided a lot of good information. And while it was worth the time, it was geared a bit towards the younger crowd than my budding teenager would have liked. Even George, three years Fred’s Junior, found it too young for his tastes. Even so, I’m glad they went and upped their trail cred. Hopefully we’ll never have to put any of this into practice.
Hensley Settlement…
Or what I’ll call the missed opportunity.
One of the main attractions at Cumberland Gap NHP is the Hensley settlement, a collection of early 1900s historic buildings. This was the tour I was to take the boys on since history is a little bit more in my area of geekdom than Jester’s. Alas, in spite of my desire to take the tour, we opted out. It’s a long tour, about four hours, two of which are driving from what I understand.
Dobby has a Rudolph complex…always excluded from the fun.
And Fred and George were simply “historied” out. With this trip and recent visits to the Atlanta History Center as well as Fort Yargo State Park, they’ve simply had their fill. One of those little parenting nuggets of wisdom is to know how to quit while you’re ahead.
Yes, I could have gone by myself, but the way the timing was working out with different tours and hikes and whatnot, we would have needed to spend another night and everyone was ready to move on to North Carolina for some fun in Asheville. So yeah, leave it to Camp Granola to visit a place and not see the main attraction.
And the point is?
The point is, these are some of the great things you can do at Cumberland Gap National Historic Park with or without kids. More generally, these are the kinds of activities our national parks have to offer for little or no cost and for a variety of ages, backgrounds, abilities, and interests. Particularly for curious families, there’s nothing like national (or even state) parks for exploring and learning. Call them a granola gold mine if you will.
What are your favorite park features?
And now for your moment of green…
This post has been a service of your automatic granola dispenser. We’re currently out exploring Cloudland Canyon State Park. Hope you’ll be having lots of fabulous outdoor fun this weekend too.

October 14, 2011
Cumberland Gap: Grab Your Walking Stick
Welcome to the next installment of our Cumberland Gap adventures granola friends. I have no idea how many parts this Cumberland Gap series will be but there’s a good bit more ground to cover so I’ve just decided to dole it out in little bits and pieces in order keep the whole tale from being a 10,000 word opus.
If you haven’t figured out from the title, this particular granola morsel is about the trails. Or should I say, some of the trails. With roughly 85 miles of trails, there was certainly more park than we had time. At any rate here’s a glimpse of the kind of exploring you can do at Cumberland Gap National Historic Park.
Jester and Dobby on the foggy trail from Pinnacle Overlook.
So starting with Pinnacle Overlook…
This fabulous vista is easily accessible to all via a drive on the winding Pinnacle Road. Once at the top, you’ll find a paved footpath that takes you across the state line from Kentucky to Virginia and then to the overlook which provides a grand view over the town of Cumberland Gap, TN and beyond.
In between bursts of clouds, we got a glimpse of the ridge and valley topography.
The thing to realize about the overlook is that the view is in constant flux depending upon the weather. During our visit, we’d withstood a mild rainstorm the previous night so by morning, the low-hanging clouds made for an ethereal landscape as they rolled and molded themselves over the peaks. Fred and George had their big blue eyes open to full aperture in amazement as we eased our way through the fog to the top.
You can’t help but be inspired when looking out over this ridge and valley section of the Appalachians. It’s very impressive even if you’re not a geology geek. And it’s downright exciting if you are. Of course on our visit we were simply teased by the possibilities here. One minute we’d have an eye-popping view and the next we’d be engulfed in moody, soggy pillows. I know I probably just made that sound like a bad thing when in fact it was quite dynamic and groovy.
So if you’re just passing through the area and don’t have much time, give this little detour a try. It’s a quick jaunt to the overlook and it’s well worth the visit.
The Wilderness Road choice…easy bridge or slick ford.
A glimpse of the Daniel Boone Visitor Center complete with Jester’s “Do you have to take a picture of everything?” look.
Wilderness Road…
With a little more time, you might want to consider doing at least some of the Wilderness Road Trail. I’m going to admit a very high history dork factor right up front on this one. The Wilderness Road is the reconstruction of the path taken by the pioneers (including Daniel Boone) through Cumberland Gap. This area was also used by soldiers during the Civil War so you get some extra history bang-for-your-buck.
At the very least, it will certainly give you pause to walk the path of eras-gone-by and imagine the people who passed through in search of opportunity. And if you have an active imagination like yours truly, this trail will have it churning with visions of what must have taken place in these mountains.
As you can see by the state of our boots, it was a bit muddy on the trail. But that’s why you wear boots.
Here’s that sun-dappled hillside of ferns I mentioned.
One of the foggy views at Pinnacle.
Tri-State Peak…
We didn’t hike the extent of Wilderness Road but instead peeled of to Tri-State Peak. For the kids, it’s always the carrot-on-the-stick to have a destination to the hike that’s got some wow factor. All we had to do was show Geography George the map with the peak on it and he was ready to get his hike on. Although Fred was is full pre-teen mode that day, I think he secretly enjoyed the novelty of the destination.
Even in the fog, the rich textures of Cumberland Gap are eye-catching.
You can reach the Tri-State peak from either park visitor center but by starting at the Daniel Boone Visitor Center instead of the main park visitor center, you get to experience the oddly appealing tribute to the pioneers that consists of large flat-metal sculptures. From either direction, it’s a reasonable length for an afternoon hike with kidlets. Having arrived in the area at the tail-end of a several-day rainfest, the trail was a bit muddy…not that it bothers us really, just an observation.
As muddy as this section was, it would have been a complete slog in the rain so we were quite relieved just to have overcast skies and not a downpour. Either way we carried half the trail back on our boots. In fact, the only way to preserve Blubaru given the lack of proper adventuring floor mats, was to strip off our boots and throw them into the roof box.
The vista over Cumberland Gap, TN from Pinnacle Overlook.
Fred stepping back in time along the Wilderness Road trail.
Green Leaf Trail…
There are so many trails at Cumberland Gap that even the Wilderness Road Campground has trails running directly from it to various points within the park. Here though, you’ll also find shorter nature trails that wiggle through the lower elevations where you can enjoy the lush, mossy goodness along the creeks.
Groovy light through the trees on the Green Leaf Trail.
I ventured out on the Green Leaf nature trail on a slow afternoon to explore. I certainly dig the large, open landscape views that can be had at places like Pinnacle Overlook but there’s something about the subtleties of these hidden treasures that can keep me occupied for hours. It’s in places like this that you find the surprises…every shape of fungi, amazing dappled sunlight over delicate ferns, a lone miniscule flower amongst towering tress. You get the idea…it’s a nature dork’s paradise.
And so many more…
Again, there’s lots of mileage at Cumberland Gap National Historic Park to get your hike on. We didn’t even put a dent in the possibilities. And since I have more pictures than words for this post, here’s a few more shots to tempt you to visit.
Where in the world is George?
Seeing the Daniel Boone trail monument from every angle.
And now for your moment of green…
I know I’m not alone in my love of ‘shroom-covered logs. Fess up everyone. Who else thinks this is neato?

October 10, 2011
Cumberland Gap: Heart of the Park
So diving a bit more into the details of our recent trip, let’s start with a short introduction to the first stop, Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, shall we?
The heart of Cumberland Gap National Historic Park. Plan on spending some time exploring this visitor center. There’s lots to see and learn.
The big picture…
The timing of our trip put us too early to experience the fall colors but Cumberland Gap did not disappoint in spite of that. We spent three nights at this park and barely scratched the surface of what there is to see and do. This park is huge…24,000 acres huge…and is filled with 85+ miles of trails, limestone caves, and gobs of history. While many of our national treasures have a focus on either history or wilderness, Cumberland Gap has an intriguing mixture of both which is one of the reasons we wanted to explore it.
Rustic goodness to be found right at the visitor center.
The park sits mostly along the state lines of Virginia and Kentucky but also dips a little into Tennessee. The campground is nestled on the Virginia side and the visitor center on the Kentucky side. To get between the two, you have to do the state hokey-pokey through the Cumberland Gap Tunnel in Tennessee…much to George’s delight. So keep in mind that while there are trails between the campground, visitor center, and other points within the park, you’ll need to drive if you don’t want to take the whole day to get there. Like I said, this park is big.
In a nutshell, the Cumberland Gap area is a historical crossroads of sorts…the gateway to the west used by pioneers, Native Americans, and bison. Throw in some Civil War action and you can imagine there’s a lot to be learned there. Even having recently refreshed my own American History knowledge through Fred and George’s homeschooling, I came away with a lot of new and astonishing information about America’s pioneer era…and now I’m actually old enough to appreciate the magnitude of it.
As is the way of the south, you can always sit for a spell and enjoy the view.
Start at the Visitor Center…
It’s a no-brainer that any time you visit a new park, especially one of this size, a stop at the Visitor Center is a good measure to orient yourself. Cumberland Gap’s is of particular importance since that’s where you can make reservations for tours. It also happens to have no shortage of photography subject-matter. I could have spent days just shooting around the Visitor Center itself, much less the remainder of the park. Plus, being a high-traffic park, they seem to always have some sort of event or program going on so there’s no better place to start exploring than at the hub of the action.
I love the nuances maintained by the park, right down to the rustic-looking padlock.
What to do…
I think one of the most appealing traits of this park is that it does have a little bit to offer just about everyone. You can get anything from a quick drive up to Pinnacle Overlook for an easily accessible grand view to a hard-core backcountry wilderness hike. There are also day hikes, history tours, history movies & displays, cave tours, Jr. Ranger programs, and so forth. During our visit, they even had a craftsman building dulcimers.
With that in mind, I’ll leave you with this prologue to our time at Cumberland Gap and a few more shots of the heart of this fabulous park. Stay tuned for more Camp Granola tales from Kentucky/Virginia. And, of course, if you’d like more in-depth information on the park, you’ll want to get it straight from the horse’s mouth here.
I was a total photo-dork for this ensemble of lines, textures, and colors.
And now for your moment of green…
Too late for summer blooms, too early for fall leaves, I still found delight in the textures and variation of the garden in front of the visitor center.

October 7, 2011
Car Camping 101
I’ve been car camping a long time. My setup and who I travel with has changed dramatically over the years but I’ve certainly earned my stripes in the camping-with-kids arena. Here is some fundamental advice I give to aspiring campers, especially those with kids.
Like anything new, a little up-front education greatly improves your experience by simply avoiding some common mistakes or misconceptions about what to expect. This is just a starting point, of course. Use these tips as a primer and do some homework before setting out. There’s lots of great advice out there. Soak it all up and give yourself solid start before your first trip.
Camp life at Mesa Verde National Park.
8 Tips on getting started
Rather than give you an exhaustive guide, I’ll just throw out some general pointers as you plan your first adventure. This is geared towards the aspiring car camping family (as opposed to RVs, teardrops, or backpacking) since that’s what I know best with kids in tow. Other camping styles are very different beasts in terms of getting started and require different advice. So for you car camping wannabes, here goes:
Keep it simple!
Don’t try to bring all the comforts of home, you’ll just be frustrated trying to deal with unnecessary fluff. The point is to get away from all those complications, isn’t it? So don’t overdo it by trying to create a home-away-from-home. Make the most of the change in scenery and let camping be different from your day-to-day life. Not to mention, anything you pack for the trip has to be unpacked when you return. Don’t make more work for yourself, it takes the fun out the whole process.
Make a checklist
You don’t want to forget something crucial. We’ve done it, it stinks. Until you’ve got your camping groove down-pat, your list is the ticket to a smooth journey.
Sometimes you get visitors. Always be aware of how to deal with wildlife in the area.
Stay local
For your first adventure, you’ll be doing enough just to get the whole family out of the house so keep the drive time short. Plan on rolling into your site with plenty of time to set up camp and get dinner completed before dark. Also, I highly recommend state and national parks over commercial campgrounds as a general rule here in the U.S.
There are some very nice private campgrounds but by-and-large I find the state and national parks to be more peaceful, provide easy access to trails and educational programs, and to be less expensive.
Quality gear is key
Do not skimp. This is your home for the duration of your trip! If your gear sucks, so will your trip.
For example, if your sleeping bag doesn’t keep you warm and you spend the night shivering and sleepless, you won’t have fun and you’ll probably never go camping again. But don’t blame a bad experience on the destination if your gear is what fails you.
With that in mind, quality gear can be expensive. If you’re just starting out it makes a lot of sense to rent and borrow whatever you can, not only from an expense standpoint but also to get a feel for the ins-and-outs of different gear before you invest. It’s always better to rent or borrow quality gear than to own inferior products.
Even gimpy moms can go camping and have a good time.
Know your gear
Always test your gear before you’re on your trip. You don’t need the surprises of missing or malfunctioning pieces when you’re miles from anywhere to fix the problem. That can ruin a trip. You also don’t want to be struggling with learning how to use equipment under the pressure of getting camp set up or dinner made.
Don’t be afraid to get dirty
But keep the dirt out of your tent. Getting dirty is one of the joys of camping, especially for the kids. But keep the dirt out of the tent if you want to sleep. Grit in your sleeping bag makes for a very uncomfortable night. Make sure everyone is brushed off or wiped down for a good night’s sleep.
Bring something to use as a doormat as well as teach the kiddos the butt-in-feet-out trick. Just have them sit inside the door of the tent but leave their feet outside while they take off their boots and brush off excess dirt. (But don’t leave boots outside since creepy crawlies often decide to make it their home for the night. Designate a spot inside the tent near the door to stow them, as dusted off as possible.)
Let them help. It’s all sorts of family bonding goodness.
Get the kids involved
In other words, put them to work. Even little campers can have jobs and they typically relish the chance to help. It fosters independence and problem solving. Plus they usually love to be involved. The excitement of camping seems to bring out the best in kids when the parents stay relaxed and flexible.
Go with friends
Not only is camping together a great friendship experience but buddying up on supplies can save space and sharing meal prep duties between families reduces work for everyone.
The wisdom of experience
I wish I could say we had all this figured out from the start but alas, it took us many years to find our camping groove. A lot of this seems like a no-brainer but you’d be surprised by the mistakes even experienced campers make.
This isn’t an exhaustive everything-you-need-to-know list but keeping these things in mind can be the difference between a frustrating, miserable trip and igniting your family’s passion for the outdoors. It’s a short step outside of your comfort zone into a whole new world. Enjoy!
When camping, be sure to know your green and stay away from trip-ruining nasties like poison ivy.
September 19, 2011