Shenandoah Getaway

Things have been busy.. summer seems to be getting away from us and I feel we just didn't have enough time. This summer we got bogged down by a lot of things that just had to be done. But we did manage a little getaway.. it had it's fare share of bumps but hey we are living in a crazy world right now and we have got to make do with what we got.

We got a VBRO in Luray, Virginia, but before we got there we made a little stop to Assateague Island. We had been there before, many moons ago when D was a little little guy and M had always wanted to go back to explore it better. For those of you don't know Assateague Island is a barrier island off the coast of Maryland and Virginia inhabited by wild Chincoteague ponies. Last time we took a boat ride around the island this time we rode our bikes through it and it was amazing! We had come mentally prepared to so few to no horses but lady luck was on our side and we saw a pack of horses even before we got on our bikes. 

The next couple of days we spent living in Luray and hiking the trails of Shenandoah Valley National Park.

To enter the park it cost $25 per vehicle and is valid for 7 consecutive days. The last time we visited the park we had only driven through a portion of it. This time we did 5 hikes.

Our first hike was an accident.. we were supposed to be hiking Mary's Rock via the Meadow Springs Trail, a 1.4 mile loop. We parked in the Meadow Springs parking lot and instead of crossing the road and walking a couple of extra yards (how were we supposed to know that?) There were no signs.. the online trail guide said follow the blue blazes.. we spotted the blue on the trees and followed. We went almost 2 miles one way when we decided to turn around... there was no summit in sight.. no people to be seen and D who is allergic to bee got stung by something! He was a trooper.. we were fully equipped with meds and thankfully he was not allergic to this particular bee... but we still had to make the 2ish mile journey back to the car. We were wrecked by the time we returned to our car. We warned a couple who was about to make the same mistake as us. There was no way we were going to go on our second planned hike for the day.. so we headed back to our rental and the kids spend the rest of the afternoon in the pool.

The next day we attempted Mary's Rock again.. it was a pleasant hike.. nowhere near as difficult as our accidental one.. the summit was gorgeous. And then on the way back I got stung by a bee. I mean seriously.. no one was really in the mood to hike anymore.. so thank god for the pool waiting for us. 

On our third day we took a break from the park and went horse back riding instead. This is an activity that we have been promising the boys for quite some time and every time something happens.. this time we got a call early in the morning that due to a heat warning all afternoon rides were going to be cancelled. Luckily they had an opening for us in the morning.. We visited Jordan Hollow Stables and had the most perfect time. The horses were gorgeous, our guide a sweet teenager.

H there is riding 8 year old Misty, D on 18 year old Josie, I was on 8 year old Colorado and M on 10 year old Swift. The last three were siblings. They were the gentlest creatures. 

Afterwards we visited the Luray Caverns. This was our second trip to the caverns, you read more about our first visit to the caverns and Shenandoah here. D was only two.

a then and now

For those of you who have never visited caverns, I'd suggest a visit. They are pretty cool. This above picture is a real marvel, the lower half is water and it's perfect reflection, no photoshop. 

We were hitting our stride now.. no more bee stings.. though my upper arm was very itchy and had started to get hot and swollen. 

On day four we hiked Stony Man, a 1.5 miles loop. An easy hike with a very cool and very terrifying outcrop of large boulders when you have kids who make sudden movements. Unfortunately it was a cloudy days so not a great view.

On our last day we did two hikes, the first was Dark Hollow Falls a 1.4 mile loop.

It was a steep hike back but not too bad. The water level was low that day but it was still a lovely place to just sit.

Our last hike was the Blackrock Summit. It was the shortest and coolest hikes of all. Just a mile long and a summit covered in rocks and boulders, as far as the eye could see. It was quite a sight. The kids loved climbing them.. 

And the next day we packed up, took one last dip in the pool and headed back home. Our largest complaint minus all the bee stings was the lack of good food. There wasn't a lot of diversity. Our best meals were sandwiches from West Main Market, a decent Mexican restaurant named Camino Real and a nice dinner at Moonshadows even though service was very very slow. Otherwise pickins were real slim. 

       

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