It’s a strange feeling to visit somewhere I called home for so long. There’s a freedom, though. I know enough about the places and people to slip in without the uncertainties of traveling to an unfamiliar place.
Playing tourist in Fred’s new college town, Lagrange.
Off to college
As is typical for my time in Georgia, I hit the ground running. The first few days were a gauntlet of jeg-lagged chasing about. Shuttling Fred and George to various appointments and having quick meals with friends that felt like speed dating. Without a moment to spare, I grabbed George and set off to Lagrange to help get Fred set up at school and check out his new stomping grounds .
It may sound like I was on track to match the FrankenTravel experience of this past spring but I was actually quite successful in ramping the chaos down once Fred was ensconced at school. Call it a travel lesson well-learned. My solution to several days of hectic activity? Retreating with George to a secluded cabin getaway.
Fred listens attentively to George’s advice about college.
George tidying up the flags in downtown Lagrange.
A silly farewell to my college kid.
Catching our breath at Chattahoochee Bend
Over the course of the twenty-plus years I lived in Georgia, I spent a lot of time in the state parks. I mean a LOT. Camping, hiking, and geocaching. In cabins, yurts, and tents. We’ve done just about everything, in every park and historic site the state has to offer. So when the plans for this visit began to take form, my first resource was my beloved Georgia State Parks.
Not far from Fred’s college is the nearly 3,000-acre Chattahoochee Bend State Park. The park recently added a few cabins to the amenities and I was all over it as the solution to outdoor fun before the urban adventure of Dragon Con. The brand-spankin’-new cabins are simply marvelous. Our little home-away-from-home was perfect for decompressing and as a base for some light outdoor adventuring.
Catching up in the peace and quiet of Chattahoochee Bend.
Enlisting George’s help with dinner in our cozy cabin.
Our slick loaner for the trip, a convertible Mini Cooper.
Our little home away from home.
Our cabin at Chattahoochee Bend.
The sanctuary of the back porch.
Cozy little cabin.
Paddling the Hooch
One of the draws of a visit to Chattahoochee Bend over other nearby parks is the paddling opportunities, including kayak rentals. I enlisted the help of one of my Georgia besties and her daughter to help shuttle boats between the put in and take out and paddle with us for pure entertainment value. It’s never a boring day with Amy and Piper on board for the adventure.
Paddling the Chattahoochee River is fairly easy going. There are a couple of “rapids” to break up the stretches of smooth, turbid water but it’s largely peaceful. The temperate forest hugs the banks in its lush green arms. Countless turtles bask in the sun on the exposed bits of submerged logs. Birds swoop and hunt overhead.
Sadly, George was not impressed. Compared to paddling the crystal clear blue waters of Lake Tahoe surrounded by jaw-dropping mountain views, and having lived his entire 15 years in Georgia, the subtle beauty of the Chattahoochee River doesn’t light his outdoor fire. He enjoyed the trip, but isn’t exactly excited about a repeat adventure on the Hooch.
Braving the Chattahoochee River rapids.
A friendly race with Piper.
Georgia is really muddy, in case you didn’t know.
Let the paddling begin!
Geocaching
George doesn’t do much geocaching these days but he’s happy to come along and help me. My visit to Chattahoochee Bend was over five years ago and quite a few caches have been added to the park since then. Nabbing some seemed a good reason to get us out of our ever-so-comfortable cabin and stomping about in the woods.
Here’s where the feeling-like-a-tourist part really sets in, though. For crying out loud, y’all, I lived in Georgia for a long time but I am decidedly NOT acclimated to the southeast anymore. First, I forgot how many ticks and spiders there are. I picked up quite a few invertebrate companions in our short time in the woods. For about a week after, I had the ongoing twitchiness of feeling like bugs were crawling on me constantly.
And the humidity? It’s crushing. Apparently you can actually take the southern out of someone because I have can no longer tolerate it.
George on the hunt for geocaches.
Georgia’s lush forests support gorgeous fungi and lots and lots of insects.
The cool tower along the river in the park.
Vandalism in the park is always disheartening.
Off to Dragon Con
Our brief respite at Chattahoochee Bend was the vaccine to manage the coming challenges of Dragon Con. Jumping suddenly from a peaceful park to urban sci-fi/fantasy chaos is like teleporting to another planet . I’m seasoned in travel whiplash so I dance from one to the other reasonably well.
Sunrise in downtown Atlanta before Dragon Con.
For all of the fun, time with great people, and oddities of trips like this one, flying home always puts everything right again.
A few weeks ago, my pal John Cloonan wrote a nice post about travel. It wasn’t about far-flung, exotic adventures but the value of what can be discovered nearer to home. I was shocked to learn his young colleagues didn’t know what lay outside of their small urban-Atlanta bubble.
International travel has its benefits and thrills, no doubt about that. As a blogger in the adventure travel niche I spend a lot of time in contact with travelers who have lived as nomads, overlanded around the world, and have had “epic” adventures by today’s social-media standards. However, what I do is small beans compared to all that. Being a small fish in a big pond doesn’t bother me, though. I do what I can, when I can, and on my terms. That’s all any of us can do, right?
The point is, I’m doing it. And it doesn’t take epic, travel-magazine worthy adventures to bust you out of your silo. Just embracing the unfamiliar is enough. And more diversity exists within a half-day’s drive of wherever you are than you might imagine. If you open your eyes. Leave judgment and expectation at home. Explore.
It’s why I continue to explore the intricacies of the area surrounding my home base. It’s accessible in short stints and on short notice. Oftentimes, I can travel inexpensively. It ties me to this area that is my home in a bigger way because I can dig deeper. I always find something new and surprising in every direction.
Get out there
You know I’m not going to simply wave the travel banner and send you on your way if you’ve followed me for any length of time. I’m going to give you a kick in the ass as I shove you out the door. You live in a world of incredible technology. Use it. If just wandering out of the door with no idea where you’re going isn’t your style, find one of the gazillion apps that can help you pick a destination. If that’s a roadside guide that takes you to the world’s biggest ball of twine and you find other cool stuff along the way, so be it.
Try geocaching, go catch Pokemon, seek out a festival in a small town—whatever it takes to excite you and give you a goal. Just get out the fucking door somewhere beyond your daily bubble. Do something new. Go someplace new. One of my favorite new rules of thumb is the 50 miles rule. It’s brilliant. You’ll be surprised how many times you say to yourself “I had no idea this was here!” once you get out there and open your eyes.
Step out of the pre-conceived notions that broadening your life experience can only happen in seductive far-flung locales. Resist the illusion that you’ve experienced something or know what a place is about because you’ve seen Instagrams about it. Stop making excuses. Pushing the edges of your comfort zone, even little by little, has tremendous value. There are cool places within reach on a weekend. Adventure is out your back door.
Building a better world
Sometimes what you see will be dismaying. Most of the time it’s delightful. It’s always educational. You’ll notice the differences from what you’re familiar with. Above all, you’ll also notice how much is the same about the basic human condition. That’s what creates understanding and kindness in the world. And don’t we need that now more than ever?
So I hope you’ll forgive me for including this overused quote from Mark Twain. It’s typically truncated to the first portion of the first sentence but it’s the second line I find more compelling.
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.
Now get out there and adventure on, friends! I’m waiting to hear what you discover.
Another spring break season is rapidly approaching. Last year Fred and George joined me in Nevada for their break and they are heading back here again this year. They once traveled with me everywhere but now we have punctuated adventures like break weeks. As they approach adulthood, they have their own developing ideas of what is fun so as I explore my new-ish stomping grounds in Nevada, I’m always on the hunt for things that will appeal to them when they’re here.
For their trip last year, my goal was to wow them with the wonders of Lake Tahoe. So after a couple of days at home to recover from the three-hour time change, we set off to a rental condo in Zephyr Cove. I knew they didn’t want their days completely filled. That’s not their style and it’s not mine either. With only a few days at the lake and plenty of downtime built in to play games, explore the beach, and hang out, we had to pick outings that had a lot of value for the time invested. But what to do with kids who aren’t interested in snow sports during the ski season at Tahoe?
Heavenly Gondola
To get the full effect of Lake Tahoe’s grandeur, we picked a ride on the Heavenly Gondola. While most popular with skiers headed up the slopes, the view is spectacular for any visitor. It is a bit pricey if you’re not going to ski or enjoy a hiking trail. If you go, plan to make the most of your ticket price by exploring a bit, preferably at a leisurely pace. Be sure to stop at the mid-station observation deck where you can get shore-to-shore views of Lake Tahoe as well as the surrounding areas. If you’re not planning to invest any more vacation funds in other activities at the top—like skiing or zip-lining—the view from observation deck is the biggest draw for the gondola ride aside from the lovely ride itself.
The Heavenly gondola ride can impress even the most aloof of teens.
The M.S. Dixie II
The M.S. Dixie II is a paddle-wheel boat that runs out of Zephyr Cove and cruises across the lake to Emerald Bay in California. We opted for the daytime cruise which is a stunning 2-1/2 hour ride with a well-crafted narrative about the lake and its history. The recording is broken up into consumable chunks which are best heard on the deck in the brisk spring air. The confined chatter of other passengers made it difficult to hear when inside having lunch.
As for lunch, food and beverages are available on the boat. The food was passable but pricey. It was a necessity under the circumstances and the timing of our trip, though. Food options aside, the ride is very worthwhile. Think of it as the opposite of the gondola—instead of viewing the lake from above, on the boat ride you are traveling on the surface of Lake Tahoe, getting to know it on a more intimate level.
We made a casual visit to Sand Harbor State Park with no big agenda other than to show Fred and George a different area of Lake Tahoe than we’d seen up to that point. Being there in spring, it was still quite chilly and we encountered only a handful of other visitors. That allowed us to enjoy the interpretive trail, geocaches, and Pokémon Go offerings without struggling through crowds that are unavoidable during the summer months.
We didn’t want to be run ragged in the course of exploring activities at the lake so we built in down time to enjoy the property of the condo we stayed in. The attractions are fun but in the end, free-form exploring will always be my favorite.
George was amazed by the size of the pine cones. They grow quite a bit bigger here than in his Georgia stomping grounds.
So with that, here’s a short video slideshow of our 2017 spring break at Lake Tahoe, complete with teenage silliness and time lapses.
I began geocaching on my birthday in 2009. That means in a few short weeks, I’ll celebrate eight years of geocaching. I need to confess, however, that I’m not a rabid geocacher. I go through ups and downs with being engaged. In spite of those waves, I’ve always enjoyed the unexpected places geocaching takes me, the people I meet, and what I discover in the process.
My very first geocache, an easy find at Stone Mountain Park in Georgia—using paper no less, since I didn’t have a GPS yet.
Taking on a challenge
Beyond the intangible aspects of the sport, geocaching is also a numbers game. It comes with a lot of statistics you can obsess about—how many caches you’ve found, when you’ve found them, where you’ve found them, the types, the difficulty, how many miles your trackableshave logged, your streaks, your find rate, your best month, best year, etc. There are a lot of different ways to track your geocaching numbers. Which means there are a variety of ways to challenge yourself ingeocaching. You can fill the calendar grid, fill the difficulty/terraingrid, get caches in all states/provinces/countries, completepower trails,clear various radius distances from home, complete local municipal challenges, find a cache in all counties in a state, getall the different types of caches—the list goes on and on.
As my eighth anniversary approached, I was mulling over my calendar statistics—the grid that shows what days of the year I’ve logged geocache finds. I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was only about 60 finds away from completing my calendar. And thus, a personal challenge was born.
But what’s an adventurer to do when she wants to take on a challenge but isn’t certain she can deliver on it with other demands in life her at the moment? Well, in my case, I didn’t make a big announcement about what I was trying to accomplish! That way if I didn’t make it, no one would be the wiser, right?
So I quietly pecked away at my needed dates. There were many times I thought I wouldn’t make make it and several times I nearly didn’t. The logistics of grabbing smilies during hectic travels, including being in Atlanta forDragon Con, proved supremely challenging on some days. Even from home, sometimes a simple smiley turned into an adventure getting a stalled sidecar rig back home. And sometimes getting out to grab a geocache was a forgotten task in the midst of work and life. That is, until I’d have an “Oh shit” moment late in the day and race out. One of the saving graces in my quest is that my Nevada HQ has a power trail that runs, quite literally, right behind it. Sure, they’re easy and often not terribly interesting, but in this context, they were my best geocaching friends the past few months.
Finally, with a decided lack of fanfare, I filled in my last date in October. On a busy day, it didn’t feel that epic. Looking back at my full grid now though, I get a big smile on my face and a sense of satisfaction. Especially knowing it didn’t come easy but it did come with lots of fond memories of the adventures I had in achieving the goal. From the daunting efforts to the silly ones and everything in between, they’ve all been worth it. Filling the calendar felt contrived at times but it did motivate me to get out and explore, even in micro-increments. And in the course of filling the grid, I did find discover cool places, as is almost always the case in this sport.
It’s so very pretty when it’s all filled in! I don’t know that I can articulate the depth of what this represents in terms of my adventures in the last eight years.One of the challenges in filling my calendar? Being in Atlanta during Dragon Con. Kind of hard to get to the geocache when muggles are doing a photo shoot on top of the container.Geocaching by sidecar with a large dog can be a challenge when your rig stalls and you can’t get it restarted. A quick, easy smiley turned into a not-so-quick one. That’s where the adventure lies though, never knowing what’s ahead.
Memory lane
As I was reviewing images for this post, sifting back through eight years of geocaching adventures left me slightly speechless. Processing everything geocaching has brought to my life in one fell swoop and realizing how much ground I’ve covered in pursuit of geocaches is kind of amazing. In the course of all of this, I’ve gotten geocaches in all of the lower 48 states, nine Canadian provinces, and one little smiley in Baja.
My oldest trackable that visits all my finds, has logged almost 75,000 miles. My best streak (finding a geocache on consecutive days) is 170 days, spurred on by George’s desire to see how long we could go. Sadly, my streak without a geocache is almost as long at 158 days. Oopsie. There’s that lack of engagement rearing its head.
Much of the time these days, I go solo. There are times though that I ask patient friends to wait while I “just grab a quick smiley” which is not always as quick as I plan. (Thanks for bearing with me, peeps!) I go by car, foot, motorcycle, and sidecar. Regardless of the context, geocaching has taken me to a lot of places I wouldn’t have otherwise visited. And it has added depth to places I already planned to be, particularly when you consider earthcaches and historic site geocaches.
Geocaching has helped us get involved in community clean-ups, know as CITO events.Many of our geocaches were tied to experiential education for Fred and George. We learned a lot by including geocaching in our homeschooling!
The Nevada irony
Most of the time, geocachers have the most finds in their home state. Makes sense, right? Closer to home is where we usually have the most frequent and accessible opportunities. When I started geocaching, that meant Georgia for me. But completing the E.T. Highway power trail in 2012 threw my statistics out of whack. Because of the nature of power trails, you amass big numbers quickly. In my case, the E.T. Highway made Nevada the dominant state on my geocache map even though in reality I lived on the other side of the country. That always struck me as amusing until it became ironic when I ended up moving to Nevada last year, something I would have never predicted back in 2012. That’s one way to put your map back in sync, I suppose.
My map was skewed to Nevada for several years until I ended up moving here.I didn’t know when we did the E.T. Highway in 2012 that I’d eventually call Nevada my home state.
The next challenge?
With my renewed enthusiasm for giving myself geocaching challenges, my next efforts will be to use geocaching to become intensely familiar with my new stomping grounds near Carson City by clearing an increasing radius. In tandem, the next obvious challenge to tackle is my difficulty/terrain grid. It’s heavily skewed towards easier finds because of power trail finds. I’d like to expand my geocaching cred by diving into the more difficult geocaches. This sport takes you unexpected places and I know I will discover amazing things by pursuing harder-earned smilies.
It’s been a fabulous eight years of geocaching. I don’t know exactly where the next eight will take me but I do know it will be memorable.
Clearly I have some work ahead of me to get my D/T grid filled!
See you on the hunt, friends! Here are a few more random memories from the geocaching archives.
Oh Peach State, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways—mountains, swamps, beaches, rivers, pinelands, farms, waterfalls, museums, gardens, rich history, beautiful people. The list goes on and on. You hold so many special places and experiences within your boundaries.
I know I left. I’m sorry. It was time. We spent over two decades together—living life and weathering its ups and downs, raising two boys, hiking, exploring, geocaching, adventuring, motorcycling.
The view over Lake Chatuge from Georgia’s highest point, Brasstown Bald.
I was young when I moved there. Fresh out of college. Yet you’ve always known I longed for the solitude and vastness of the West. But you, my dear Georgia, you will always hold a special place in my life and memories. We have a deep and lasting emotional connection. And even now you still hold my best friends and my sons in your bosom.
I hope you know leaving was no easy task. That leaving doesn’t diminish what was. It’s necessary to weave a new tapestry for myself now. And I’m not leaving for good really. You know I return often to your lush landscape to embrace the people I hold dear.
Our years together have been amazing. I’ve criss-crossed you in the name of exploration and experience, most of the time with my beloved Fred, George, and Disapproving Beagle in tow. I’ve spent countless hours reveling in your state and national parks. My sons have blossomed in our time exploring there together, their education enriched by what you offer.
Your geology provides the framework for varying landscapes across the state. From the piedmont that forms the foothills of the Appalachians to the barrier islands on the coast, you offer endless possibilities for vastly different adventures:
Fred and George trying their hands at fencing at the Georgia Renaissance Festival. (Fairburn)Geocaching adventures with Fred and George have taken us all over the state. (Skidaway Island State Park)The Disapproving Beagle has explored almost as much of Georgia as I have. With the Chattahoochee River practically out the back door of my Georgia outpost, adventure is always just around the corner. (Old Roswell Mill/Vickery Creek)Georgia’s state park system includes gems like the waterfalls of Sitton’s Gulch. (Cloudland Canyon)An urban nature oasis… Old Fourth Ward.One of my very favorite Georgia trails is the approach to the Len Foote Hike Inn. (Amicalola Falls)Georgia is home to Going Caching, one of the best geocaching events around.Paddling in the Okefenokee Swamp. (Fargo)Georgia is home to magical gardens like the Atlanta Botanical Garden (Atlanta), Gibbs Gardens (Ball Ground), the State Botanical Garden of Georgia (Athens), and Callaway Gardens (Pine Mountain).Geocaching at Cockspur Island near Tybee Island. (Fort Pulaski National Monument)Nature and history meet at Fort King George Historic Site. (Darien)Georgia’s state parks offer well-appointed developed campsites that make family camping easy and fun.Hands-on experience learning about the history of gold mining in Georgia. (Consolidated Gold Mine, Dahlonega)The Dungeness Ruins of Cumberland Island National Seashore. (St. Marys)I can’t begin to tell you how much time we’ve spent on Atlanta’s pet rock. (Stone Mountain)From mountains to swamps, there’s no shortage of adventures to be had in Georgia. (George L. Smith State Park)Georgia’s opportunities for experiential education are a goldmine for homeschoolers. (Jimmy Carter National Historic Site)Fred and George have hiked more miles in Georgia than they likely remember. Georgia offers trails suitable for all ages and ability levels. (Chattahoochee Nature Center)A hiker and backpacker paradise, the Appalachian Trail begins in the north Georgia mountains.One of my favorite Georgia pasttimes? Riding out in search of fabulous barbecue. (Amos’ BBQ, Ball Ground)
A handful of images to summarize over two decades of adventures. They don’t quite do the Peach State justice but I do feel I’ve done Georgia justice in discovering what it has to offer. I hope you find it as exciting as I have. Happy adventuring!
As you know, we here at Val in Real Life like to learn when we’re traveling. Fred and George don’t travel with me as often these days but when they do, I still like to sneak in some learning that doesn’t feel like education.
So when George asked if we could stop at Meteor Crater on our way through Arizona this summer, of course the answer was yes. We first visited in 2009 and, since he was only six-years-old then, I knew his experience would be much different this time. Fred, being in full-on teenager mode these days, wasn’t interested at all but he humored our stop.
George put in a special request to revisit Meteor Crater. Roadschooling for the win!
Exploring Meteor Crater…
Unlike many “roadside” attractions, especially along Route 66, Meteor Crater offers more than a curious spectacle. For those interested in having a better understanding of the world around them, Meteor Crater is a unique look at some of the incredible forces that have shaped our planet.
The exhibits address the history of the discovery and exploration of the crater as well as the technical aspects of its formation. Displays, interactive stations, and a movie bring the story together in different ways. There are many hands-on activities to keep all ages engaged, from designing your own crater impact to looking at rocks under a magnifying scope. Let’s face it, we adults love to fiddle, touch, and play as much as kids and you’ll get the opportunity at Meteor Crater.
Outside the walls of the visitor center, you’ll find the expanse of the crater. Today it is 550 feet deep and over 4,000 feet wide. As impressive as it is in size, more impressive are the forces that created it. A meteorite 150 feet across, weighing several hundred thousand pounds, and traveling at 26,000 miles per hour hit the earth with the force of more than 20 million tons of TNT. The quietness that surrounds the crater now belies the chaos that took place here of 50,000 years ago.
George checking out the details of Meteor Crater using a spotting scope.
Viewing rocks under a magnifying scope.
A look at various levels of rock metamorphosis as a result of the pressure of impacts.
Design your own meteor impact.
A peek into meteor history in the U.S.
A much littler Fred checking out the crater in 2009.
Spotting scopes dedicated to showing features of Meteor Crater like geologic formations and drilling tools used in the initial explorations of the crater.
More Details…
Meteor Crater is privately owned and hours vary slightly by season.
It is easily accessed off of I-40, just west of Winslow, Arizona.
Allow one to two hours to fully enjoy the exhibits and movie. With an additional hour, you can take part in a guided tour of the rim, weather permitting.
There is a gift shop and Subway restaurant within the visitor center.
For current information, hours, and admission prices, head over to the Meteor Crater site. And they have a great list of online resources in their science section to get you started on discovering more about astronomy.
From the overlook window at the visitor center, you can view the expanse of the Arizona desert that surrounds Meteor Crater.
Spotting scopes help even little visitors get a better look at the crater.
Geocachers can grab smilies at Meteor Crater, including an Earthcache.
And now for your moment of green…
In infrared, Meteor Crater looks like a moonscape. 🙂
I recently wrapped up another western adventure. This road trip chimed in at 31 days, 5,890 miles, and spanned 11 states, making it one of my smaller undertakings. I spent 18 of those days exploring solo before Fred and George joined me. In that time, I ventured to Overland Expo and explored the joys of eastern Nevada. After I picked the boys up in Las Vegas, we headed east to northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.
Blubaru delivered another successful trip. She’s a champ.
In the course of my 31 days on the road I was able to visit places like:
If you’ve been following along here for awhile, you know I like to look back at my trips and assess what went well and what wasn’t so fabulous so I can make adjustments for the next adventure.
In this case, the trip was off from the get-go. It was supposed to be a three-week solo motorcycle adventure for me. But being hit by a car has a tendency to force you to change your plans. After some recovery time, this trip got shifted to another car-based adventure.
Each trip has its own subtext of what I hope to gain from the journey. This one was mainly about regaining myself and rebuilding my confidence. Even though the tone of this adventure was philosophical, there was still plenty to learn in terms of how to manage that type of travel.
Thumbs up…
There was much that worked out well, some of it by design, and some of it by dumb luck.
I took on an inclement weather solo hike in Great Basin National Park. I didn’t make it as far as I wanted and I struggled much of the way, but I count it as a success for the obstacles I overcame to do it.
For once, I paced the trip pretty well. Other than some driving pushes at the very beginning and end, I actually managed to not try to cover too much ground. That changed the entire tone of the trip. It allowed us to enjoy some of the hotel amenities like pools and hot tubs instead of rolling in at midnight and sleeping for a few hours before rolling out again.
I didn’t sweat having reservations for campsites as I have in the past. With one exception, that worked out just fine. And that reduced to pressure of needing to be certain places at certain times which crushes flexibility.
I packed smarter. I made some minor changes to how I store food and gear and was much more stingy with how much clothing came along. Result? Less frustration with feeling like the car was going to explode in a gory mess of camping gear.
It was unplanned, but George happened to bring along his Boggle game. So we ended having a two-week long Boggle tournament. He won, of course… because he’s a total word nerd. But it gave us a fun anchor and helped Fred engage.
I managed to get by with only two rounds of laundry by embracing a multi-day camping strategy on our duds even when we weren’t camping.
I’m smiling because Fred was being funny. But working my way through Bandelier was really tough. And it shouldn’t have been. Keeping frustration at bay became my biggest focus some days on this trip.
Thumbs down…
I’m a fairly seasoned road tripper but I’m still always amazed at how each trip has its own personality and vastly different challenges… and some that persist regardless of the adventure.
Fred and George getting their hoodlum on at Cadillac Ranch in Texas where I redeemed myself from our last visit here.
Fred isn’t a fan of these trips and is at an age when his brother’s mere existence is insulting much of the time. Being confined to a small car doesn’t exactly improve that mood. So there’s that. The upside (if there is one to navigating the teenage years) is that we managed that dynamic much better than on last year’s Pacific Northwest Tour.
On the Overland Expo to TBEX adventure, Blubaru took a rock to the windshield which needed to be replaced. The Pacific Northwest Tour found me replacing the sunroof glass for the same reason. Aaaaand, here we go again. This trip resulted in another cracked windshield. The bright side so far is that it has remained quite small so it didn’t have to be addressed while on the trip.
Peak season travel means crowds. No way around it. Fortunately, most of the places we went were not super-popular but it did impact our time in Great Sand Dunes heavily. For me, that’s really hard given my love for the park. I altered our plans and took a chance on heading there on a Friday. That plan failed and left me deflated.
Both boys had some tummy trouble that resulted in some unpleasant clean-ups and altered plans to accommodate lethargic sickies.
That, along with my diminished state, resulted in more time (and expense) spent in hotels which skewed the camping-to-lodging ratio unfavorably.
Plus, there’s the belligerent 800-pound gorilla that came along… that I’m still recovering from a major trauma. Nothing I could really do about that. My physical limitations impacted every aspect of this trip.
I may have embraced my inner hoodlum as well. 😉
I ran into issues with how long I could sit in the car without having to stop and stretch.
I battled not being able to stay warm at Overland Expo and Great Basin.
I found myself completely exhausted from the effort of setting up camp, even with the boys’ help (which, let’s face it, is often less-than-enthusiastic).
I even struggled to pop a squat in the woods when nature called.
My hikes and outings had to be kept short. I simply can’t do what I used to be able to. My leg tires quickly. Throbs. Aches. Stiffens.
Loading the roof box of the car was a dicey affair since my method involves some semi-gymnastic maneuvers on the car door and my leg is not to be trusted in those duties yet.
I struggled up and down inclines and stairs, concentrating on each step so I wouldn’t fall and damage the camera gear I carry or reinjure myself. Kind of hard to enjoy yourself when your focus is on your feet and the availability of hand rails.
I found myself not taking the shots I would have because the position I would need to get into was too painful or I was just too worn out from hobbling along on Frankeleg. Compelling photography isn’t about standing there with the camera to your face and clicking and I struggled to move beyond that. My work shows it. I’m very disappointed with my images the trip.
I struggled to keep up with my physical therapy. Even though I was creative, it was daunting finding appropriate spots to do my exercises, as well as the energy, given the rigors of travel.
All of this created an emotional battle for me. What can I say? It sucks to have to struggle with things that used to be simple. I would have success followed by struggles and failures then success again. Up and down. High and low. More so than life’s typical roller coaster. More extreme.
There was a good bit of time feeling dismayed that what I used to be was taken from me and that my journey through recovery is far from over. But gratitude for some beautiful moments and places. And there were some I knew were helping me heal, filling in the cracks of my broken spirit.
We kept our geocaching light and easy under the circumstances by mostly sticking with park and grabs. And we still managed to find some fun places.
Big picture…
Overall the trip was good. I love being on the road. But it was also hard. Certainly harder than it should have been for reasons outside of my control. It was also necessary. In the end, I at least proved to myself I could still do it. And with time, the happy moments will outshine the struggles.
So yes, it was worth and I would still encourage anyone to take a chance on travel.
And now for your moment of green…
There is so much emotion in this image. The dunes might as well have been Everest to me, they felt that big and unachievable. But the boys wanted to climb. And telling them “I can’t” left a festering hole in my heart. And so we set out, thinking we probably wouldn’t get very far in. It took a snail’s pace and mining the depths of determination but we made it.
Here in the Peach State, winter is a conundrum. The respite from summer’s brutal heat is welcome yet we don’t often have the benefit of snow to liven up our outdoor adventures. In fact, snow here can be quite catastrophic.
But as hard as cold, rainy, dreary winter weeks like this one has been, I still actually appreciate winter in general, and Georgia winters in particular.
Love note to winter
I like the actual physical landscape changes that happen through Georgia’s winters. It makes me appreciate each season as it comes and goes. There’s an anticipation to each one for its distinct qualities. Growing up in South Florida, we had no seasons. Or rather, the seasons were demarcated differently—hot and less hot, or shitloads of mosquitoes and slightly less shitloads of mosquitoes.
Geocaching is more fun in winter. No battling poison ivy, ticks, and yellow jackets. Plus, less vegetation makes finding the caches easier.
There’s less trail traffic so everything is quieter, even the critters. It’s a more contemplative experience.
The delightfully exposed natural landscape is bare, naked, vulnerable. I love seeing the skeletal outlines of trees. They are graphic and complex and you can’t see that when everything is leafed out.
Which means winter photography provides new opportunities to see and capture the stark contrasts of the seasons.
And then there are the practical considerations. The short, cold, dreary days inspire me to get things done around the house since there are fewer days that are agreeable for outdoor adventures. If you’re going to be stuck inside, you might as well catch up on those pesky house projects, right?
In the doldrums of winter, a “good” weather day feels epic. That’s an amazing feeling, isn’t it?
In Georgia, because our winter weather is so mild and comparatively short, I can motorcycle year-round with little concern about ice and snow complications. That’s all kinds of groovy in my book.
So I leave you with this
He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter. – John Burroughs
Where do you go after you’ve been to hell and back?
My post-Hell Hike and Raft destination of choice? Virginia City, Nevada.
Last month at the end of my epic Hell Hike and Raft adventure, my crew mates headed back home but I grabbed a rental car and pointed myself towards Nevada and the legendary Virginia City. The good folks at the tourism board helped me get set up to explore the city, its history, and people. And I tell you what, it invigorated me in a way few city destinations have.
Equal parts history and legend, Virginia City deftly straddles the divide between its authentic past and it’s future as a tourism destination. Having risen from the wild west as a mining town, the city has reinvented itself with a dignity many other historic places have not.
The basics…
Nevada as a whole has a rugged, unforgiving reputation. Rightly deserved. It is not a welcoming environment for those looking for comfort and convenience. This is largely a place to find out what you’re made of.
There’s a different rhythm in Virginia City… and it’s fantastic.
As for Virginia City itself, there are luxuries to be had but they are not without the limitations of a town perched at 6,200 feet and only accessible by a few winding mountain roads. Because of the nature of the location as well as the independent spirit of its people, the residents of Virginia City don’t get their feathers ruffled if something goes awry and they don’t operate on the time-frame most of us urban-dwellers subject ourselves to.
A power outage? No complaints, just keep going about your business as best you can until it gets fixed. Operating hours? They’re sometimes more like suggestions. They are subject to change if something comes up. It’s nothing personal and not meant to be a slight if you are inconvenienced, just the reality of living in a place where those kind expectations don’t hold up. Please don’t mistake that mindset for standoffishness. The people of Virginia City were nothing but helpful, friendly, and welcoming but there are different rhythms and social conventions here.
A quiet evening in Virginia City.
Virginia City is the county seat for Storey County.
Once a mining boom-town, Virginia City drew pioneers seeking their fortune in the Comstock Lode.
Town pride in action. Virginia City residents are working on a mural that reflects their history.
Discovering Virginia City…
Virginia City is a visual feast of colors and textures. When I drove in at dusk on a Monday night, I was immediately impressed. Even in the failing light of the day I could tell I was going to be a very busy chick soaking it all in… but I couldn’t stop to admire it right away since my hotel hosts were waiting for me to arrive so they could go home for the night. (As you can see, that Nevadan flexibility about time goes both ways…)
The vibrant colors and textures of Virginia City are matched by the personalities of it’s people.
I slipped into town the day after the conclusion of Virginia City’s International Camel Races. I’d only learned about this wonderfully bizarre event a few months earlier, oddly enough, thanks to one of those graphic murals on the side of a U-Haul trailer. I’d known about Virginia City and its connection to the 60s music scene but learning about the races intrigued me enough to bump it to the top of my travel priority list.
Unfortunately, this year’s camel racing festivities conflicted with the Hell Hike and Raft but I knew I had to check out Virginia City in spite of that. The decision paid off. The town was in recovery mode after such a huge event so I’m really quite thrilled with my timing. In the quiet lull of the post-camel-racing tumult, I was able to walk the streets in the early morning and evening hours with few others to encounter.
I loved the feel of this town asleep. I had to chuckle that my evening strolls came complete with the metallic creak of a sign blowing in the wind as my lone footsteps echoed across the boardwalks, something straight out of a western movie before a duel takes place.
And during the busier mid-day hours, there’s still a good vibe here. With a town like this, where tourism has become a thriving industry after a long history of pioneering and mining, there are a few things that lend a slightly tourist-y feel but it’s mixed with the authenticity of a town with a genuinely rich history. In talking with a few of the town’s residents, I got a great sense of pride and ownership. They truly love their Virginia City. By wandering off the main drag and onto the side streets, you can step into their world and get a feel for the place these folks call home.
Regardless of how you choose to explore Virginia City, by sticking to C Street or getting off the beaten path with activities like geocaching, you won’t find the ubiquitous and familiar franchises. The offerings here are as unique as the people.
If you slow down and take a good look, the details throughout town are a delight to the senses.
Virginia City was a glorious muse for shooting in infrared as well as for geocaching. Yep, there’s one somewhere in this shot…
Things to do in Virginia City…
My approach in visiting any new place is hit the common highlights first to get a basic understanding, then dig deeper. That’s why I’m a fan of stopping into visitor centers as a one-stop shop to sort out my plan of attack. They’re a wealth of information and Virginia City has the added bonus of the Ye Olde Virginia City app for your phone to help you as well.
“Diamond Jim” was my buddy at the Visitor Center. He helped me figure out how to spend my short time in Virginia City.
Virginia City has a lot to offer in terms of different museums and tours to explore. Fortunately, it’s fairly small and highly walkable so it was no problem ditch the rental car at the motel and explore on foot.
There is certainly more to do here than my two-ish days allowed for but I did manage to pack in a lot of activity in that time:
Silver City Cemetery: I really enjoy soaking up the history contained in cemeteries. This particular one holds no world-renowned historical figures but it does hold the story of Virginia City. On the hillside below town, beautiful wrought-iron gate surround most of the grave sites. Different sections signify the diversity of the pioneers who made the arduous trek to Nevada, seeking their fortune in the Comstock Lode.
Trust me when I say Virginia City is a friendly place. These two were a hoot and in the time I got to chat with them I discovered that Trolley Tour Bill (left) even graduated from high school not far from where I did in South Florida. How’s that for a small world?
Silver State Peace Officer Museum: This surprise little gem wasn’t initially on my radar. What drew me to it was a geocache. I didn’t need to enter the museum to nab the cache but the host at the desk was so enthusiastic about it, I had to check it out. It proved to be a very interesting and remarkable collection of law enforcement memorobilia and artifacts. They even have a children’s corner where little ones can color and dress up in uniforms.
The Way it Was Museum: Outwardly, this museum appears to be a cheesy tourist-trap but I was surprised to find a very nice collection of Virginia City artifacts ranging from household items to mining equipment. There’s a video to watch if you care to but the items on display alone are worth the small admission. If you want to be blown away, take the time to ponder the scale model of the mining shafts constructed to mine a portion of the Comstock Lode. Mind boggling. Trust me, that’s coming from a geologist who understands what’s involved here.
The Mark Twain Museum holds some unique treasures. This is a sense of humor I appreciate.
Mark Twain Museum: This museum is housed in the basement of the original Territorial Enterprise where Mark Twain got his start. It’s filled with the printing equipment used as well as other furniture and various pieces of the time, including his original desk. And the “Mark Twain sat here” toilet? How can you resist?
Trolley Tour: As an indy traveler, hopping into a tour trolley full of people is usually not my idea of a good time. In this case, however, I got to chat with the hugely entertaining trolley driver, Bill. And the tour was well worth it. I was able to get a quick overview of the history of Virginia City as well as a feel for the lay-of-the-land which was really helpful in figuring out what I wanted to go back to visit on foot.
Road side historic point on Hwy 341: On the outskirts north of town, this is one of the best roadside historical markers I’ve encountered in my travels. This little stop offers some mining history as well as a very pleasant picnic stop overlooking the Silver State Cemetery.
With only a couple of days to explore Virginia City, I left a lot of museums and attractions unvisited but they include the likes of train tours, ghost tours, mine tours, more museums, and even a wild west show. As you can see, there’s plenty to keep you busy here for many days. And if Fred and George were with me for this trip, I would have counted it as a roadschooling feast. There is a good deal of unique shopping as well but since that’s not my cup-o-tea, I’ll leave that to someone else to detail for you.
I’m certainly late to the game in discovering the fun to be had in Virginia City but now I’m hooked.
Intricate wrought iron and tombstones tell the story of pioneers who came seeking their fortune and never left.
The Silver State National Peace Officers Museum holds and impressive and thought-provoking collection of law enforcement artifacts.
Wildflowers and history greet visitors at this roadside stop on the outskirts of town.
The Way It Was Museum holds a wide array of historic artifacts covering everything from mining to medicine and daily living.
Final thoughts…
Like with any place, how deeply you’d like to explore is up to you. For myself, I knew I was interested in more than a casual passing-through or day-trip that would only allow me to skim the surface of what Virginia City has to offer. My surprise was that my three-night stay wasn’t sufficient to sate my Virginia City appetite. This is a town worth repeat visits to experience various seasonal offerings of festivals and events like the International Camel and Ostrich Races, World Championship Outhouse Races, Christmas on Comstock, and wine tours.
Bring it on, indeed!
Beyond the attractions and events within Virginia City itself that I missed on my visit, there are also nearby places I will be sure to check out next time around including outdoor destinations like Washoe and Dayton State Parks as well as the Lake Tahoe area.
If you’ve underestimated Nevada like I have, be sure to take another look and discover the surprises the Silver State and Virginia City have waiting for you. And you don’t have to simply take my word for it, check out these stunning Nevada images.
So count me in to get back soon. This Georgia girl is sold on Virginia City and Nevada. And I still want to see those camels race…
So it’s been a full week since I’ve returned to “normal” life back at Camp Granola HQ after the Pacific Northwest Tour. My glamorous post-trip activities have involved the likes of buying a new refrigerator, tackling the massive computer difficulties that kept me from processing images while on the trip, sorting through stacks of mail and bills, unpacking the car, gear maintenance, and laundry… oh, the laundry. (Can you hear me weeping?)
At any rate, with computer issues resolved, I’m slowly regaining my rhythm and plowing through the 9,000+ images and videos I took while on the road. I’ve got lots of material to share about the fabulous places we visited but before we get to that, let’s do a recap:
By the numbers…
My happy geocacher…
Total days on the road: 48
Miles driven: 9,015
States visited: 22 (GA, AL, MS, TN, AR, OK, TX, NM, AZ, CO, UT, ID, OR, WA, ND, SD, MN, IA, NE, MO, IL, KY)
Canadian Provinces: 4 (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba)
National Parks and Lands visited in U.S. and Canada: 11… along with driving through so many National Forests I lost count.
Some other odd little tidbits from the trip include:
I only did laundry three times on the Pacific Northwest tour. I’ll let you do the olfactory math on what Blubaru smells like right now. Better yet? Do yourself a favor and don’t try to imagine that.
Oil changes for Blubaru: 2
Border crossings: 2 (None with George naked this time, though)
This trip went remarkably well, really. There were no major weather battles, gear failures, car repairs, or injuries… just normal low-level stuff that is to be anticipated on a trip like this. Certainly nothing that caused major changes or hangups.
There were triumphs and struggles, of course. And each trip provides different lessons to consider for the next adventure.
Fred and George in a moment of sweetness at Craters of the Moon.
The ups…
Pace: Compared to previous adventures, I set a more manageable pace for the most part, especially early on. That did slip towards the end when I found myself driving nealry 2,600 miles in less than four days but my average daily mileage was my lowest of the last three major expeditions.
Documentation: I did a much better job of keeping up with photography and even dipped my toe into time-lapse and video.
Geocaches: Before setting out, George and I had notions of getting in way more geocaching on this trip. Even though we got fewer than we set out for, we both agreed the quality of the ones we found was very high so we’re counting this in the win column.
Hotel time: I had my sights on less than 10 nights in hotels. We ended up with 15. The reason I’m counting it as a win is that we made better use of those stops by checking in earlier and enjoying the luxury of beds, hot showers, and wifi instead of just blasting in to sleep for a few hours.
Backroads: One of my major focuses for this expedition was spending more time on backroads instead of highways. There’s still room for improvement but I’m very satisfied with our highway-to-backroads ratio.
Base camp: We did much less camp-hopping averaging 3-4 nights in each stop.
The downs…
My darling Fred: Our biggest struggle this trip was emotional. Dealing with the roller-coaster that is a teenager while living out of a small car… well, it was challenging. He had his very sweet, Fred moments but those were few and far between the episodes of diving into the depths of teenage discontent.
Not only did I have computer power issues, I was operating with only one camera battery.
Power issues: Early on I struggled with staying powered so I could continue to work on the road. A stop through Goal Zero HQ in Salt Lake City greatly improved our situation.
Computer issues: Not long after I solved my power issues, my poor beleaguered MacBook started having a meltdown… out of memory, out of space, and having no part of running beefier programs like Lightroom. It basically gave me a big middle-finger and I was dead in the water for processing and properly backing up images. I opted for damage-control mode in order to just get home and solve the issues from here rather than try to deal with it on the road.
Hand injury: Unfortunately this trip was not injury-free. In Salt Lake City I did a lovely little number on my right hand, hyper-extending digits in ways they really should not be. Aside from blinding pain, there was nothing that sent up red flags for me. With no apparent swelling or bruising, I didn’t think much of it at the time other than “That’s going to hurt for awhile.” Five weeks later… well, it ain’t so great.
Fitness: One of my major failures this go-round was keeping up my fitness level. I did some hiking and managed a handful of yoga sessions, but with so much time in the car, it was no where near my usual activity. My plummeting fitness had a huge impact on my ability to combat road-trip fatigue and towards the end, I began feeling absolutely horrible.
Coming up…
There were some places we blitzed through that deserved so much more time. Olympic National Park was definitely one of them.
There you have it, the Pacific Northwest Tour in a nutshell. The meaty stuff is coming up next so stay tuned as I sift through the detritus from the journey and start telling the stories of the truly fabulous places we got to experience as well as the logistics, tips, and realities of a expedition like this.
For an overview of the locations I’ll be writing about, visit my Pacific Northwest Tour Pinterest Board.
As always, follow along on your favorite social media outlet for more of Camp Granola’s adventures.
It’s now been six weeks on the road in the Pacific Northwest tour and we’ve finally made it to Canada… and started moving back eastward.
What I’ve been up to…
After a little longer in Washington than originally planned, we started easing back eastward.
1 day exploring Seattle: We did a big day in the city and visited the Great Wheel, the Space Needle, the REI flagship store, the Pike Place Market… and the all-important Groundspeak Headquarters. What geocacher could resist?
2 low-key days at Deception Pass: We ramped down for a bit to offset the pace we’d been keeping. We explored the park, got Blubaru a much-needed oil change, and took some down-time around camp.
1 day to move to Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest: It took us the entire day to pack up and move camp only a couple of hours away but it was worth it for a fantastic campsite along Nooksack Creek.
1 day exploring Artist Point: We had the amazing pleasure of spending the day with Lee (AKA @onewhohikes) and Mike of Mike Off the Map.
2 days drive to Banff: We exited Washington after 10 days and finally headed into Canada. We overnighted in Revelstoke then geocached our way to Banff… which is a really good way to take a long time to get somewhere, by the way.
By the numbers…
Total Days on the Road: 7 (42 total)
Miles this Week: 915 (6,420 total)
States this Week: 1 (WA) for 14 total
Canadian Provinces: 2 (British Columbia, Alberta) for 2 total
National Parks & Lands visited this week: 4 (Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Glacier National Park, Yoho National Park, Banff National Park)
I had an entirely different postcard written for today but I’m scrapping that in favor of getting a little bit sentimental because today marks a pretty big milestone for Camp Granola.
Today we find ourselves in Washington on the Pacific Northwest Tour, rounding out the lower 48 for us. We technically arrived in the Evergreen State last night but we didn’t claim our first Washington geocache smiley until today.
Our drive northward on the edge of Olympic National Forest has me feeling nostalgic about my travels, the astounding things I’ve gotten to see and do, the people and places that have touched me deeply, the experiences I’ve had, and how they’ve shaped me.
The combination of challenges, sweet moments, and big milestones that are the hallmarks my personal travel experience have enriched my life and required me to push past my personal boundaries time and time again. It’s been an amazing journey and it’s far from over.
So i Leave you with this thought for the weekend…
A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions. ~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Reflecting on the rewards of an adventurous life today…
Don’t forget to follow along on your favorite social media outlet…
By the time we exited Philadelphia, we’d been on the road for 37 days in the Overland Expo to TBEX expedition. As we slowly moved southward back towards home we could feel the trip winding down even though there were still many more places to visit and two weeks remaining.
Going into Maryland, we had the comfort of knowing we’d be camping for a few nights and not have to do the overnight hotel bounce. This eased my urban worries. Even though visiting Washington, D.C. would be part of the plan, I could rest easy knowing I’d be able to curl up in the tent at night.
Patapsco State Park…
After most of the day in Philadelphia and a short stint in Delaware to claim a quick rest area geocache smiley, we didn’t reach our campsite until late afternoon. The lush Maryland forest was so similar to Georgia that it made us feel quite at home and we were instantly at ease. So we set up camp, went out to resupply, then returned to relax in an environment that felt familiar and comfortable.
Finally, West Virginia…
So way back in our journey (like three weeks earlier…), you’ll recall we had to reroute and ditch our plans to grab our West Virginia geocache on the way to Toronto. Well, now it was time to get it or we’d miss our chance entirely and fail in our no-state-left-behind mission. So for our first day in Maryland… we went to West Virginia.
Clever geocaches are always appreciated. We had a very good laugh over the nano training series we found in West Virginia.
It was a long haul but we made it to Harper’s Ferry National Historical Park, visited the park for a short time, then set about nabbing our geocaches. Truly creative geocaches are fairly rare so we were tickled by a series of “nano” training caches. For those of you out of the geocaching loop, nanos are tiny… seriously tiny geocaches and have a reputation for being a little bit annoying. This series poked great fun at them and was added a lot of fun to our very brief visit to West Virginia.
When we returned to camp that afternoon, we spent the rest of the day relaxing and playing hackey sack, triumphant in our geocaching mission. And that evening, as we were delighted by fireflies dancing about us, I realized it was the summer solstice. You can lose track of these things on the road but that realization brought me back to where we were exactly one year before… at Great Sand Dunes, and me in utter misery.
It took some effort to get back to West Virginia, but George was so excited to put the sticker on the map when we stopped in Harper’s Ferry.
Visiting the District…
Sooo… since apparently our urban adventures in Toronto, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia weren’t enough, we felt the need to do Washington, D.C. Obviously there are countless educational opportunities there and George was so young at his last visit, he doesn’t remember having been there.
And like our other urban adventures, we had to be very selective in what we took the time to visit. It was a bit of a drive from our campsite so I only allowed one day to pack in everything we could manage. With those constraints, the boys top picks were the Air & Space Museum, the National Museum of Natural History, and the Lincoln Memorial. George also wanted to just see the Capital building and the White House… much like his desire to see the Statue of Liberty.
And so we set ourselves loose in D.C…
We started our day off at the Air and Space Museum…
George and a mini Hubble.
The boys loved seeing the donations at the Air and Space Museum. They were impressed people from all over the world come to visit.
We didn’t do the entirety of the National Museum of Natural History but we did spend a good deal of time in the geology section. Believe it or not, I wasn’t the only one who was giddy about the exhibit… although I may have been more excited than most.
Hands-on fun will always win over curious kids…
Like the Statue of Liberty, George simply wanted to see the Capital Building so we walked by to let him get a sense of the scale.
I consider the Lincoln Memorial a place to pause and reflect but amongst the throngs, it wasn’t meant to be. George felt better for having experienced the grandeur of the monument in person.
On a Saturday in June, the Lincoln Memorial was overwhelmingly packed but a visit to D.C. wouldn’t be complete without a visit.
George may have been a little more enthusiastic about the National Mall than my exhausted Fred.
In addition, we managed to work in a walk along the Potomac, getting stuck in D.C. traffic, and some virtual geocaches at places like the Lincoln Memorial, the Botanic Garden, and the Korean War monument. To say we were exhausted would be an understatement.
Unraveling teen…
During our stay at Patapsco, it became clear that Fred was coming unglued. He was sleeping poorly and constantly exhausted. As many of you probably now, growing teenagers require lots of sleep, lots of food, and lots of space. Food was easily remedied but the other two factors were not possible to address. His teenage body was rebelling and trying to manage another growth spurt amidst this kind of travel wasn’t working for him. He’d been a trooper for over five weeks at this point and he needed a break so it was here that I made another fairly major excursion modification and lopped and entire week off of the trip.
That meant leaving without exploring Patapsco and skipping Williamsburg, the Great Dismal Swamp, and the Outer Banks. With some consideration, I realized those destinations were close enough to home that we could take another trip to reach them later on if we decided later on that they were still important to us.
I still owed George a promised trip to a water park, however, and Fred agreed he could manage that since it was on the way home. Just knowing I was responding to his needs and making changes was enough for him be able to hold on a little longer.
And with that, we packed up camp in a drizzle on day 40 and hightailed it to Greensboro, North Carolina for the water park.
And now for your moment of green…
After long, hot, crowded day and walking many miles around the National Mall, to find this little green oasis was refreshing.
Although you may have noticed this already, let me set the record straight before I share the next few adventures on the Overland Expo to TBEX expedition. I’m an outdoor travel chick. End of story. My wheelhouse is camping, day-hikes, geocaching… that sort of thing.
The open air Dragon Lot in Philadelphia saved us from the no-way-to-park fate we suffered in New York.
However, in order to fulfill some of Fred and George’s travel desires, as well as embrace certain historical education elements, this particular trip had a much larger component of urban adventures than I’m used to.
This is not my strength. It’s sort of a chicken-and-egg scenario… I’m not sure if I don’t like urban travel because I’m not good at it or I’m not good at it because I don’t like it.
So with that preface, when I last left you in the tales of our expedition, we exited Rhode Island with our sights on Philadelphia.
Will brake for PEZ…
For a change, we handled our no-state-left-behind geocaching policy with adeptness, nabbing a Connecticut smiley early and without difficulty. With that goal behind us, we pushed towards Philadelphia… but you can only pass so many PEZ factory signs before your adolescent travel-mates insist on a detour. Given their love of PEZ (George even had a PEZ-themed birthday once…), I indulged the request.
Check out these gems from PEZ history.
Unlike the Ben & Jerry’s stop we made in Vermont, there isn’t a tour to be had here. It’s really just a visitor center but you can peek through the windows to see the factory happenings. For the most part, it’s a chance to view vintage PEZ paraphernalia. As much as this is not my scene, I’ll admit it was oddly appealing, but in a “Huh, go figure…” kind of way.
While this stop wasn’t exactly a life-changing experience, the collection of dispensers and the history of the candy is interesting. It’s also a great conversation trigger for discussion of consumerism and manufactured demand via the appeal of limited edition and collector’s items. Yes, we get into discussions about these things. It was also a nice break from the car and we even scored another geocaching smiley from the effort.
If you happen to find yourself in Connecticut and you’re planning on stopping by, here’s some extra tidbits for your visit:
They do charge an small admission fee but it comes with a discount on a purchase… so be prepared for the pressure to buy something.
You don’t need much time here so it can be a fairly quick point-of-interest stop that won’t cramp your travel too much.
They do have indoor and outdoor seating so it’s actually quite a good place to take a road trip lunch-break.
For the love of PEZ… 😛
Seriously… there are Mr. Bean PEZ dispensers out there. Go fig.
Just a few more stops…
Even though our goal for the night was Philadelphia, there were a few other matters to handle along the way. First was an attempt to just see the Statue of Liberty. George had a burning desire to lay eyes on it even if we didn’t go out to the island and the whole bit. I was very up front with him about my limited patience and ability to deal with New York City so he agreed to a drive-by viewing. I wish I could say this went smoothly. It did not.
Fred. Cooked.
I made the fatal error of trying to get him close by going through Battery Park instead of from Liberty State Park on the New Jersey side. Seriously, I don’t know what I was thinking. It was a colossally stupid move.
With her roof box, Blubaru would not fit in most parking decks and the heavy construction in the Battery Park area meant we could barely even see the statue as we drove around in search of a place to stash the car.
After a valiant and time-consuming effort… and maybe more than a few strong words with a parking deck attendant about whether or not my car would make the posted clearance in the parking garage, we gave up. It was getting late and I’d exhausted our options for parking. I was so mentally cooked by this time, I couldn’t fathom trying to salvage the visit by getting over to Liberty State Park for a better view.
Road-weary George.
So we proceeded with the torture of trying to get back onto the interstate to resume our progress towards Philadelphia. We nudged our way out of the city in the throes in rush hour traffic of course, because I couldn’t have timed it better if I’d tried. We did mange to catch a distant view of the statue from one of the bridges as we crawled along. That was enough for George. He understood that navigating New York City by car is not the way to do go but that we gave it a go. In a way, it was a valuable experience because I tried to warn him of the chaos we’d be in for in the attempt. Seeing it in person was an eye-opener for him.
Once we broke free of the traffic, we still had the matter of grabbing a New Jersey geocache on our way to Philadelphia. Not only was I entirely grateful for an easy Rest Area hide, it turned out to be quite interesting and highlighted an adjacent swamp. The opportunity for unexpected discovery is one of the many reasons I love geocaching but when there’s an impromptu educational experience as well, that’s where the rubber hits the road. (You can’t see me but I’m waving my geocaching pom-poms…)
First Impressions…
It was nearing dusk by the time we finally arrived at our hotel in Philadelphia. After a little respite to get checked in and gather our wits, we set out to see the flags lining Benjamin Franklin Parkway. George was beside himself in geography glory, challenging me to identify the flags and me only doing a passable job at it.
Philadelphia was impressively photogenic.
Getting out to walk and explore felt refreshing after a trying day in the car. It was peaceful and invigorating as we marveled at the enormous sycamores that lined the street. With a multitude of points of interest, there was no shortage of sights to take in and I was blown away by the relaxed, park-like feel even as we strolled next to a six-lane road. Well done, Philly.
After our walk, we headed to the Kite & Key, a pub just a short way from our hotel. I fancied a pint, something I’d not had in awhile being the sole responsible adult on our trip. The kids were up for some fish and chips and I was looking forward to a leisurely dinner with them. It was dark by the time we arrived and packed with hipsters.
After our long day, and being quite sensitive about loud, crowded places in general, Fred was immediately on edge. But given the late hour and my lack of familiarity with the area I pushed him to stick it out so we didn’t end up on a wild goose chase just to get dinner. He made it but he was utterly cooked. Our perceptive server made sure we got the check quickly so we could be on our way in short order.
Benjamin Franklin Parkway was inviting and delightful… and even included a geography lesson.
Independence Hall…
After a good night’s sleep we were ready to get a dose of Philadelphia’s history and sights. Like our time in Boston, we had to pick just a few things to see knowing we were missing a lot of good stuff but that’s how it goes. With the constraint of budget, the boys getting overfull from history, and my inability to tolerate urban travel, we had to hit the high points and move on.
Independence Hall on a clear-sky day
Of course we needed to visit Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Those are no-brainers for a first visit to Philadelphia. Yet again, we found ourselves struggling with parking. It’s not like the car is a monstrous vehicle even with her roof box, but these big-city environs are simply not friendly to anything remotely outside of mainstream. After some initial trouble, we found an open-air lot. It was quite a relief since it was beginning to feel like another New York-type fiasco was upon us.
The line for the bell was not horrendous but it did require a little bit of wait. The inviting green next to the building was most fortunate as I sent Fred and George to frolic while I held our place in line to see the famous bell. Not that there isn’t plenty to see in the Liberty Bell exhibit in addition to the bell but Fred, ever the comedian, quipped “All this just to see a broken bell?” Spoken like a true teenager, no?
The boys were able to roam while I stood in line for the Liberty Bell. This was very helpful…
Having secured our tickets for the Independence Hall tour before visiting the bell (which you’ll want to do very early in heavier visitation times, by the way), we made our way to the entrance to navigate security and whatnot. Rather than retread basic tourist info about Independence Hall that can be found in countless other places online, I will simply say I was pleased with making this one of our Philadelphia priorities. It’s a worthwhile and stirring experience to stand in the places where the drama of our country’s genesis unfolded. Yes, I’m a history nerd, what can I say?
With me gushing over how cool it was to visit Independence Hall, Fred and George refused to be impressed until I dealt with the hunger-factor that had reared it’s head. So we popped across the street to the Red Owl Tavern for lunch. About as far as I will go into food review mode is that this place was really yummy, great ambiance, excellent service. If you find yourself in need of an excellent place to eat while visiting, this is it. There, done. 🙂
The “Broken Bell” as Fred puts it.
The Signer
Historic courtroom in Independence Hall
After hitting the wall the night before, George was refreshed and ready to explore.
I’ve used restaurant tic-tac-toe to keep the kids entertained for years. This time George used his nerdiness to add his own twist by creating Probability Tic-tac-toe.
Ben…
The Independence Hall area has a lot to offer within a short walk. After most of our day spent at the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, we opted to fill the remainder of our time by visiting Ben Franklin’s grave. There was a geocache smiley to be had and, let’s face it, Ben’s the dude. You’ve got to take a moment to give a bow to an amazing life.
There are many other notable figures in this cemetery to consider as well. It’s a lovely, peaceful walk through the grounds that will give you a little bit of a nature break within the hustle-and-bustle of the city.
Ben’s grave
Christ Church Burial Ground is full of the historic figures that helped shape our country.
Worn headstones at Christ Church Burial Grounds
Moving on…
And nearly as fast as we came into Philadelphia, we left. It was time to head to Maryland and some actual camping. Something I know how to do well…
And now for your moment of green…
A cool, green respite in the bustle of Philadelphia…
Somehow on our Overland Expo to TBEX expedition, we managed to fritter away six days in Massachusetts, some of them actually successful. It was time to move on, though. Originally we planned to quickly cruise through Rhode Island but the boys were jonesing for some beach time so we set out to spend a couple of days on the coast, Rhode Island-style.
In a rare scenario on this expedition, we found that we didn’t have to race to our next destination. We leisurely packed up camp in Concord, Massachusetts and set out for the short 100-mile trip to Fishermen’s Memorial State Park in Narranganssett, Rhode Island since its location is fantastic for exploring nearby state beaches and Block Island.
Roger Wheeler State Beach…
Those of you who know me realize I’m not really a fan of the beach so this was a stop simply to fulfill Fred and George’s travel whims. They humor me on many things so I do have to throw them a bone from time-to-time. I figured I could get at least a little quality with my camera while they had their salt-water fun.
George’s happy beach frolic made this stop especially fun.
So after setting up our home-sweet-home at Fishermen’s Memorial, we headed out for the beach action the boys were craving. The campground location put us within a few minutes of Roger Wheeler State Beach and being late-afternoon on a random Monday, it was nearly deserted.
They had a pretty slick set-up going on. The generous facilities (think restrooms, showers, rinsing areas, concessions) were quite conveniently located in relation to the parking lot and beach front. Picnic tables allowed me to keep my camera gear out of the sand which was excellent. A lot of times on an outing like this, the setup isn’t terribly well thought-out so it becomes an exercise in frustration, making it not worth the effort.
I didn’t get that at all here. It seems like even during very busy times, the setup probably works very well. In all honesty, I’d probably take the boys to the beach more if we had easier access to a place like this. I’ll never be a beach person but, as beaches go, I have to say it wasn’t half bad. I actually enjoyed it more than any I’ve visited in my home state of Florida.
After such a relaxing time at the beach, we opted for dinner at a nearby restaurant called Aunt Carrie’s. I’m not a food blogger but, just FYI in case you’re ever in the area, I’ll say that it was a middling experience. I can’t say I’d recommend it… but it wasn’t awful either. I’m a sucker for scallops and mine were pretty good but I thought the kids dinners were overpriced for measly portions.
Fred and George at Roger Wheeler State Beach
Getting bumped…
So here’s things get wonky for us in Rhode Island. You see, one of the reasons we picked this location was in order to visit Block Island. In researching our visit, I realized we wouldn’t be content with simply hanging out where the ferry dumps you off once you arrive. Block Island offers a lot of activities and boasts a little town with shopping and what-not but that’s not really our scene, right? We wanted to visit the Block Island National Wildlife Refuge for some good nature and camera time for mom and a unique place for the boys to explore.
Instead of exploring Block Island, Plan B involved a geocaching mission.
The problem we ran into was transportation. Once there, we’d have to be able to get to the north end of the island… with everything we needed for the whole day, including my insanely heavy camera gear, food, water, etc. Between the timing of ferries, the distance we’d need to cover, and our load, we had a logistical problem with the on-island transportation offerings.
Instead of trying to rent something on Block Island, I opted to just put Blubaru on the ferry so we’d have everything we’d need and be able to do things on our terms. Having just drifted into town, however, I didn’t have a ferry reservation so I took a gamble. After talking to the ferry operators, I felt I had a decent chance to make one of the few unreserved spots available on the morning ferry so we reported to the waiting area early as instructed to secure the number one position in line.
So we sat for something like two hours, listening to podcasts to pass the time and even grabbing a quick geocache that was nearby. The ferry dude was giving me a thumbs up… it was all looking very good. We spent the bulk of the time in near-certainty our gamble would pay off. And then two giant dump trucks showed up that needed to get to the island for work that day.
That was it, we were out, our morning wasted and my mood soured. The ferry was about to leave and the ferry dude asked if I could just grab my stuff and get on without the car. It wasn’t humanly possible to get all of our stuff together we’d need for the whole day in the few minutes we had.
Great Swamp…
Soooo, suddenly without a plan for the day, we had to improvise. After a little research through the wonderful technology that is a smartphone, we found where we’d be spending our day… Great Swamp Wildlife Reservation. There were a handful of geocaches to be had and we were intrigued by the notion of what a Rhode Island swamp might have to offer.
Along the trail in Great Swamp…
A reptilian friend on the trail in Great Swamp.
Swamp cachers…
Great Swamp proved to be a very entertaining geocaching stop.
One of the funniest geocaches we’ve ever found. We weren’t sure what we were getting into when the cache name mentioned lamp skirt… in the middle of a swamp.
Having salvaged our day with a lot of fun geocaches in Great Swamp, we headed back towards camp but since we still needed dinner, there was one stop we really had to make…
Sometimes it doesn’t take much to amuse the boys. Eating at George’s very entertaining for them. And very yummy, BTW.
It was a worthwhile stop… entirely yummy. It was a bit the spendy side but after our experience at Aunt Carrie’s I really wanted a decent meal. The boys did a great job tromping around the swamp and being agreeable so we just decided to go for it. We didn’t get to eat at Fred’s back in New Brunswick so it seemed like we should at least get to eat at George’s.
When training pays off…
After dinner, we high-tailed it back to camp to batten down the hatches for an incoming rain storm. Clearly mother nature decided we’d been dry for a couple of days and that was enough. With heavy rains in the forecast, I did a little advance camp breaking that I would normally have saved for the morning.
In the frenzy of an unusual camp evening, Fred managed to open the car door into is upper lip, leaving a respectable gash. All packing came to a halt as I had to address the problem. And here’s where having Wilderness First Aid training paid for itself…. I knew it wasn’t a problem. I could reasonably assess and deal with his injury. It was well beyond a simple band-aid fix but since I knew how to clean it and dress it with more appropriate bandaging, I had him fixed up and we were back to packing in a matter of minutes. He was good as new in a few days time.
Prior to my WFA training, I wouldn’t have had the knowledge or proper tools and materials on hand. Without that training, I would have spent the night in a Rhode Island emergency room because I would have been unsure if this was something that needed stitches.
Insult to injury…
We were already dealing with the brewing thunder storm and Fred’s lip-busting antics and for some inexplicable reason, the park suddenly closed our camp area’s only bathroom. I was dumbfounded. I’m sure they had a good reason but they didn’t bother to tell us what it was. All they did was put up a tacky little sign that said to use the restroom in the other camp area. Only, that camp area was nowhere near ours.
Huh? Area 2 might as well have been Area 51 for as far as it was from our site.
So apparently if we needed a middle-of-the-night potty run we would have to trudge over a quarter mile in a downpour. Uh… No thanks. Not cool.
On that note, we spent a fairly restless night waiting out the thunderstorm in the tent, trying to make sure we were going to stay dry in the pounding rain. The next morning, rather than try to prep breakfast in the rain on top of trying to break camp I made a deal with my little camp helpers. Break it down like champs and they’d earn a trip to Dunkin Donuts on the way out of town. Let me tell you, with that kind of incentive, we were out in no time. That, plus we all really had to pee…
Another soggy camp exit…
And with that we headed out to our next point of interest, Philadelphia.
And now for your moment of green…
Check it out… I actually almost enjoyed being at the beach. 🙂
