What to do?
What does one do when they cannot reconcile their heart with their head? I'm being torn into pieces. The pain of it sucks away all happiness and I wonder why it is that I constantly live this scenario over and over. What did I do that condemned me to this? The lies, the pain, the heartache...when does it finally come to an end?
Needful Things
Last night Doug and I had a fight/talk about how I feel when he ignores things I write to him. Anyway, the basic vibe that came out is that I'm "needy". My first thought was to argue against that but what's the point? Yeah, I am needy for affirmation of love. What's so terrible about that? Furthermore, who can blame me? Let's digest some events which could have caused that, shall we?
First, my childhood was miserable most days. My parents never said they loved me, especially my mom. The few times she showed me love, it disappeared the next day and I was treated poorly or beaten. Even in my earliest years, I learned that love is a temporary emotion and can disappear just as fast as it appeared. All it takes is one argument, one fight, one false move to piss the other party off...and it's gone, regardless...
Relationships, well....every guy I've dated except for Mark has cheated on me (or attempted) whether it be physically or emotionally (real and online). These very same guys have ALL declared their love for me, promised to love me forever, even married me. Once again, in my mind, it just demonstrates that love can be here today but all it takes for it to vanish is for a woman hotter than me to show up on the scene.
In my current relationship, I'm just not sure Doug knows just how badly wounded I was by the lying. When someone lies to you, it's hard to ever really trust that what they tell you is 100% truth, no matter how hard you want to believe it. So even with "I love you", I ask because I need to know that TODAY, AT THAT MOMENT, it's the truth. It's how he feels.
But why is it such a sin to want to take care of one's heart? Why is it a crime to want to be loved? I didn't choose to be this way....I'm the product of those I trusted. I am what happens when others are careless in their words and deeds. It sucks. It sucks. It's miserable to feel as if love can disappear with the wind. But it can...I know it does. I've lived through it. I still remember the note Greg wrote to me in Rome, making huge declarations of love and committment, but a month later he was emailing Shannon and three months later he wanted a divorce. So when someone wonders why it is that I need to hear I love you, to see I love you......well I shouldn't have to freakin' explain...if it's what I need, why can't I have it? I'm not asking to go buy drugs, I am not asking for money to fly around the world, I am not asking for something that is impossible to deliver. I'm not demanding an act that is illegal, immoral, or unethical. I'm just asking for a little reassurance that I'm not going to be cast aside, abandoned, hurt. The odd thing....I could spend every day telling the people I love that I love them. I'd be happy to do it. Why can't you?
But I do hate that I'm seen in a negative way...a pathetic way. It's not what I wanted. Not at all. I feel badly that I'm not perfect and what was dreamt about, imagined. I coould try to pretend...
First, my childhood was miserable most days. My parents never said they loved me, especially my mom. The few times she showed me love, it disappeared the next day and I was treated poorly or beaten. Even in my earliest years, I learned that love is a temporary emotion and can disappear just as fast as it appeared. All it takes is one argument, one fight, one false move to piss the other party off...and it's gone, regardless...
Relationships, well....every guy I've dated except for Mark has cheated on me (or attempted) whether it be physically or emotionally (real and online). These very same guys have ALL declared their love for me, promised to love me forever, even married me. Once again, in my mind, it just demonstrates that love can be here today but all it takes for it to vanish is for a woman hotter than me to show up on the scene.
In my current relationship, I'm just not sure Doug knows just how badly wounded I was by the lying. When someone lies to you, it's hard to ever really trust that what they tell you is 100% truth, no matter how hard you want to believe it. So even with "I love you", I ask because I need to know that TODAY, AT THAT MOMENT, it's the truth. It's how he feels.
But why is it such a sin to want to take care of one's heart? Why is it a crime to want to be loved? I didn't choose to be this way....I'm the product of those I trusted. I am what happens when others are careless in their words and deeds. It sucks. It sucks. It's miserable to feel as if love can disappear with the wind. But it can...I know it does. I've lived through it. I still remember the note Greg wrote to me in Rome, making huge declarations of love and committment, but a month later he was emailing Shannon and three months later he wanted a divorce. So when someone wonders why it is that I need to hear I love you, to see I love you......well I shouldn't have to freakin' explain...if it's what I need, why can't I have it? I'm not asking to go buy drugs, I am not asking for money to fly around the world, I am not asking for something that is impossible to deliver. I'm not demanding an act that is illegal, immoral, or unethical. I'm just asking for a little reassurance that I'm not going to be cast aside, abandoned, hurt. The odd thing....I could spend every day telling the people I love that I love them. I'd be happy to do it. Why can't you?
But I do hate that I'm seen in a negative way...a pathetic way. It's not what I wanted. Not at all. I feel badly that I'm not perfect and what was dreamt about, imagined. I coould try to pretend...
The Winter of my Discontent...lol
I feel discontented tonight. Can't explain it. Just the feeling that I need something more in my life. More excitement. Sometimes I worry my life will pass me by without ever feeling the sort of excitement, adventure,and contentment I yearn for. When will that come, I wonder? Lately I think a lot about "what would have happened had I chosen this instead of that?" type thoughts. Probably not productive but so true. I don't want life to become routine and I fear it might or even has. The bottomline is that what I want in life, I have not achieved and it leaves me hungry for it even more. I want to substitute what is comfortable for what will bring me lasting happiness but that takes courage. I just want so much more of everything in life. More travel, more romance, more experience...just more.
Tonight I took Trooper on a LONG walk. Left him tired and me as well. But at least he isn't trying to eat me ;)
Reading more. I enjoy it. It relaxes me, clears my mind. I'm looking forward to this weekend. It's an extra long day and I can devote much time to just relaxing, reading, and socializing with some friends.
Oh yeah...kind of bummed out about a bird I saw. A robin was sitting in the road, not moving, not dodging traffic. I wanted to stop but was in a hurry. On the way back through, it was smashed. Someone had hit it. I can only suppose that it was stunned and perhaps I could have saved it's life had I stopped. It hurts my heart a little to think my time was more valuable to me than that little bird's life. Realistically, it probably would have died anyway ( probably stunned by a car) but just knowing I didn't do anything to try doesn't sit well. Yeah, yeah, it's just a bird...but I'm just a human.
Btw, it's cold. Bitterly cold. I hate Winter. It's pretty to look at but miserable to feel. All of my muscles are clinched in a desperate attempt to keep me warm. Winter, you can exit stage left. Now. Right now.
Tonight I took Trooper on a LONG walk. Left him tired and me as well. But at least he isn't trying to eat me ;)
Reading more. I enjoy it. It relaxes me, clears my mind. I'm looking forward to this weekend. It's an extra long day and I can devote much time to just relaxing, reading, and socializing with some friends.
Oh yeah...kind of bummed out about a bird I saw. A robin was sitting in the road, not moving, not dodging traffic. I wanted to stop but was in a hurry. On the way back through, it was smashed. Someone had hit it. I can only suppose that it was stunned and perhaps I could have saved it's life had I stopped. It hurts my heart a little to think my time was more valuable to me than that little bird's life. Realistically, it probably would have died anyway ( probably stunned by a car) but just knowing I didn't do anything to try doesn't sit well. Yeah, yeah, it's just a bird...but I'm just a human.
Btw, it's cold. Bitterly cold. I hate Winter. It's pretty to look at but miserable to feel. All of my muscles are clinched in a desperate attempt to keep me warm. Winter, you can exit stage left. Now. Right now.
New Year, New Blog Entry
Once again I am deciding to blog. Here it is:
So I want to begin by saying that I have started a new resolution to read more. Lately I've slacked off and feel dumber for it. Right now I am reading Child 44. It's set in the Soviet Union and so far, very good. Next on my list is Shanghai Girls. My friend Erica is letting me borrow it. Supposedly it's excellent as well! My goal is to read at least two books a month. I think that is MORE than reasonable especially if I keep the t.v. turned off.
Trooper: poop looks as if it's returning to normal. I really hope so. I hope he settles down too, manner wise. He acts like a kangaroo around people. I need to start socializing him ASAP. As soon as he gets his last shots.....Back to the poop, I think I am traumatized from it all. I hope I return to a sense of feeling secure that I won't be running outside every hour, every night. It really messed with my mental and physical well being.
I've been going to church and it's been excellent. This past sermon was on Toxic Relationships and I got a lot out of it. It has given me a lot to think about. I wish Doug could have been there because I think he would have gotten a lot out of it too. There was one thing in particular that stood out to me.
So January is shaping up to be a fun month and I have a lot planned. This past weekend was a lot of fun and going forward, I have many social events in the works. I plan to go to the Home and Garden Show with Angela, to Rocky's house for a party, out to eat with some friends of mine, and maybe even to a show to see a band play with some friends. I'm really trying to make an effort to do more, socially speaking. I feel like I've wrapped up every weekend with going to Cville but it feels nice to relax, hang out in Roanoke, and hang out with friends and do fun things. Sometimes I feel as if I have few friends but the fact is, lots of people want to do things with me, I just never do it! Big change in 2011.
Can't wait for warmer weather so I can run. I've jogged a bit with Trooper and I realize I miss doing it, even though I did it only for a short time!
Okay that is it, blog. I will try to keep up more often. :)
So I want to begin by saying that I have started a new resolution to read more. Lately I've slacked off and feel dumber for it. Right now I am reading Child 44. It's set in the Soviet Union and so far, very good. Next on my list is Shanghai Girls. My friend Erica is letting me borrow it. Supposedly it's excellent as well! My goal is to read at least two books a month. I think that is MORE than reasonable especially if I keep the t.v. turned off.
Trooper: poop looks as if it's returning to normal. I really hope so. I hope he settles down too, manner wise. He acts like a kangaroo around people. I need to start socializing him ASAP. As soon as he gets his last shots.....Back to the poop, I think I am traumatized from it all. I hope I return to a sense of feeling secure that I won't be running outside every hour, every night. It really messed with my mental and physical well being.
I've been going to church and it's been excellent. This past sermon was on Toxic Relationships and I got a lot out of it. It has given me a lot to think about. I wish Doug could have been there because I think he would have gotten a lot out of it too. There was one thing in particular that stood out to me.
So January is shaping up to be a fun month and I have a lot planned. This past weekend was a lot of fun and going forward, I have many social events in the works. I plan to go to the Home and Garden Show with Angela, to Rocky's house for a party, out to eat with some friends of mine, and maybe even to a show to see a band play with some friends. I'm really trying to make an effort to do more, socially speaking. I feel like I've wrapped up every weekend with going to Cville but it feels nice to relax, hang out in Roanoke, and hang out with friends and do fun things. Sometimes I feel as if I have few friends but the fact is, lots of people want to do things with me, I just never do it! Big change in 2011.
Can't wait for warmer weather so I can run. I've jogged a bit with Trooper and I realize I miss doing it, even though I did it only for a short time!
Okay that is it, blog. I will try to keep up more often. :)
Fourth of July - Washington D.C., Annapolis, and Philadelphia
Doug and I are very patriotic people and awhile back I mentioned that I've never seen the fireworks over the National Mall. We decided to head up for the Fourth of July and take it all in. Initially we were going to book a room but Heidi, Doug's sister, said we could stay with her (very nice of her!).
We drove up Saturday evening but I had to do the driving because Doug is still in a sling from shoulder surgery. In Gainsville, we stopped in Wegman's to buy some cook out supplies. Once inside we saw Mary Beth (Heidi's sister-in-law), which was odd since we were so far from Heidi's house. After talking to her for a few, we gathered up our supplies and got outta there.
When we finally arrived at Heidi's, Heidi was getting Erin ready for bed. We went up to see them but Erin became upset and started crying. I exited stage left rather quickly! :) For the rest of the evening, we hung out and watched John Adams (appropriate for the Fourth!).
We finally called it a day and went to bed. Heidi was kind enough to give up her bed to us. She has a huge king size bed and WAY too big! I felt like Doug was sleeping in another room! King size beds are luxurious but I don't like them. I enjoy being snuggled up with Doug so it will always be a queen size for us! I started calling their house the O'Brien Resort because her bedroom and bathroom feel are so large and lovely that it feels like a fancy hotel! The one downside to Heidi's room are the lack of black out curtains which Doug has in his room and to which I've become addicted.
The next day we had the house to ourselves. Heidi, Ann, and Erin had left for Ohio and Michael had taken Lucy and Gretchen to New York. It was the first time I've been there with it so quiet. It was strange. I think a big house like that definitely needs the sounds of children running around. Nonetheless,we had fun chillin' out watching True Blood, John Adams, and grilling out. Around 3:30PM we finally packed up and headed downtown to the mall. Traffic wasn't that bad and we made it down there much faster than I thought we would. After we parked, we started walking towards the mall. Along the way we encountered a Dutch family and Doug started talking to them. Recently, I discovered that Doug as a "First Sergeant" voice that he uses when talking to his military peeps. Interestingly enough, he also has a "foreigner" voice. When he was talking to them, I had to look down to avoid laughing aloud. He suddenly developed this strange accent and spoke slowly. I couldn't tell if he was trying to become Dutch or what?! HAHAHA! The best part is that he KNEW he did it! We talked about it and died laughing about it!!!
We finally made it down to the mall and passed by a Krishna festival before finding a spot just behind the Washington Monument. I remember thinking that only in America could there be a Krishna festival just a few yards from the largest Independence Day celebration in the country! When we first got there, there were very few people on the grass but as time passed, the place became flooded with people. We picked a perfect spot! Doug and I relaxed in the sun, eating grapes, hotdogs and chicken, and enjoying some very expensive bottles of coke! Ha! It was a perfect place to people watch too.
As the sun went down, you could sense the excitement in people. The area became very crowded with all types of people. A group of Italian students sat in front of us, an Indian family behind us, a black family beside us, and an Asian family across from us. The Capitol Building glowed! Finally, the fireworks began and it was AMAZING! I've seen lots of good fireworks shows but really, there just isn't anything like seeing them against the backdrop of Washington D.C. They erupted just behind the Washington Monument and it was beautiful! The most interesting part was how quiet the crowd got during the show. As the fireworks lit up the sky, I couldn't help but look around and take note of the people around us. Such a hodge-podge of people...Indians, Italians, Asians, Blacks, Whites...but all enjoying the American experience! As John Cougar Mellencamp says, "Ain't that America?!". I felt very patriotic and very proud to be an American.
After the show, we loaded up our stuff and headed back to the car. Along the way, Doug took a pit-stop in a port-a-john just beyond the Krishna party. The Krishnas were gettin' down too! They were playing some funky music and we were dying laughing because the music got stuck in our heads and we sang it all the way back to the car. Doug cracked me up when he said he was having a flashback to some of his war experiences whilst in the john. He said the combination between the heat (it was a HOT day), the smell of the port-a-john, and the crazy Krishna music was reminding him of places he had been (I die laughing as I type this...haha). Funny guy!
We finally made it back to the truck and took off in the post fireworks traffic. To my credit, I expertly navigated through the swell and got us back to Heidi's in one piece. I don't mind traffic that much. I suppose all those years in Philly got me used to it. Although, I will say that driving his truck was a little weird. It's just so big!!!! (that's what she said!)
The next morning we packed up and took off to Annapolis. I've never been there and said that I'd like to stop by. One of my favorite things about Doug is his willingness to take off and do things like that. He never requires much convincing and is eager to make me happy (I love that about him! haha). Our trip in Annapolis was short but I do believe the two hours we spent was sufficient. I can't imagine there was much more to see than what we were able to take in. Annapolis is a lovely little town. It's very quaint and colonial. It was blazing hot that day so we didn't waste a lot of time walking around. We were also quite hungry and decided that when in MD one must eat crab! We ate at a place called Buddy's Crab and Ribs and ordered a bunch of blue crap and some shrimp. We joked about whether or not the shrimp was "Chesapeake Shrimp" (we heard a Red Lobster ad boasting that and got a kick out of it as the Chesapeake is not really known for the shrimp but I guess anything sounds good so long as it's not from the Gulf.) After we filled our bellies with crab, we left town and headed for Philly.
I have to admit that I had some reservations about going to Philly. I have some good memories and good friends there but I also associate it with a bad time in my life and a place where a series of unfortunate events took place. Nonetheless, Doug wanted to see all my old haunts and I also wanted to associate some good memories with the place. Before going to the hotel, I took Doug on a short Rhonda tour and showed him a few places I used to live. After check in, we headed down to Center City and I showed him my old ghetto apartment. I think he thought he was back in a third world country!
Once we arrived in Center City, we took a walk through Old City to check out some restaurants. Radicchio was closed so we settled on Cuba Libre. We ordered the tasting menu. They initially brought out an appetizer for yucca leaves, banana leaves, and some different types of dips. The smoked marlin dip was exceptional. Then they brought out another course. I told Doug that I thought this was the main course but he insisted it wasn't. I thought for sure he was wrong and even went so far as to ask the waiter fora copy of the menu to prove Doug wrong. When I got the menu, the record skipped and crickets began to chirp. *insert awkward silence* I was wrong. There was STILL a main course and I was already full from the ribs, the empananda, the ceviche, etc. Yikes. In the end, it was a delicious meal! Vive Cuba!
We went back to the room and crashed. The next morning we got up and headed into the city. I had a pit stop I had to make but afterwards we went down the Reading Terminal Market and then down to South Street to get a cheesesteak. We went to Jim's on South Street. I think they have the best steaks. Geno's and Pat's suck in my opinion. I'm not a huge cheesesteak fan but if I have to eat one, I want a good one. Doug ordered his with provolone. I stuck with the Philly tradition and ordered mine with whiz. Doug tasted mine and I think he agreed that the whiz is probably better on a cheesesteak. Ordinarily I'd never go near cheeze whiz but it just seems to make sense on a cheesesteak. Afterwards, we headed down to Penn's Landing before stopping into my old haunt The Dark Horse. The Dark Horse is an Irish pub in Society Hill area. I used to go there from time to time and always enjoyed it. We hung out there for a bit to get out of the heat and then headed down to Love Park to stick our feet in the fountain and get our pic taken beneath the sign. Once we cooled our heels (literally), we took off down the parkway on foot to see the Art Museum. It was a scorcher that day. I believe the official temp was 102 degrees! Just before we got to the museum steps, I started to feel dizzy and sick. Doug bought us a bottle of water just in the nick of time!
The next morning we packed our things and headed home. Along the way we stopped to visit some of Doug's friends. Doug has known John since high school. John's wife, Heidi (a different Heidi) couldn't stay as she was on her way out but I was able to hang out with John and their children Conner and Laura. It was a fun time as John and I picked on Doug and Doug got into a gladiator-esque sword fight with Connor. After an hour or so we left and drove back to Charlottesville. It was a very good little road trip but nothing is as good as home!
When we finally arrived at Heidi's, Heidi was getting Erin ready for bed. We went up to see them but Erin became upset and started crying. I exited stage left rather quickly! :) For the rest of the evening, we hung out and watched John Adams (appropriate for the Fourth!).
We finally called it a day and went to bed. Heidi was kind enough to give up her bed to us. She has a huge king size bed and WAY too big! I felt like Doug was sleeping in another room! King size beds are luxurious but I don't like them. I enjoy being snuggled up with Doug so it will always be a queen size for us! I started calling their house the O'Brien Resort because her bedroom and bathroom feel are so large and lovely that it feels like a fancy hotel! The one downside to Heidi's room are the lack of black out curtains which Doug has in his room and to which I've become addicted.
We finally made it down to the mall and passed by a Krishna festival before finding a spot just behind the Washington Monument. I remember thinking that only in America could there be a Krishna festival just a few yards from the largest Independence Day celebration in the country! When we first got there, there were very few people on the grass but as time passed, the place became flooded with people. We picked a perfect spot! Doug and I relaxed in the sun, eating grapes, hotdogs and chicken, and enjoying some very expensive bottles of coke! Ha! It was a perfect place to people watch too.
We finally made it back to the truck and took off in the post fireworks traffic. To my credit, I expertly navigated through the swell and got us back to Heidi's in one piece. I don't mind traffic that much. I suppose all those years in Philly got me used to it. Although, I will say that driving his truck was a little weird. It's just so big!!!! (that's what she said!)
I have to admit that I had some reservations about going to Philly. I have some good memories and good friends there but I also associate it with a bad time in my life and a place where a series of unfortunate events took place. Nonetheless, Doug wanted to see all my old haunts and I also wanted to associate some good memories with the place. Before going to the hotel, I took Doug on a short Rhonda tour and showed him a few places I used to live. After check in, we headed down to Center City and I showed him my old ghetto apartment. I think he thought he was back in a third world country!
Once we arrived in Center City, we took a walk through Old City to check out some restaurants. Radicchio was closed so we settled on Cuba Libre. We ordered the tasting menu. They initially brought out an appetizer for yucca leaves, banana leaves, and some different types of dips. The smoked marlin dip was exceptional. Then they brought out another course. I told Doug that I thought this was the main course but he insisted it wasn't. I thought for sure he was wrong and even went so far as to ask the waiter fora copy of the menu to prove Doug wrong. When I got the menu, the record skipped and crickets began to chirp. *insert awkward silence* I was wrong. There was STILL a main course and I was already full from the ribs, the empananda, the ceviche, etc. Yikes. In the end, it was a delicious meal! Vive Cuba!
After we rested a moment, Doug had his photo taken at the Rocky Statue before doing the Philly tradition and running up the steps like Rocky! I filmed it and died laughing the whole time. After snapping off a few pics at the top, we took a cab back to get the truck. We were hot, sweaty, and exhausted so we headed back to the room to rest up before going to dinner with my friends!
After cleaning up, we headed to Tony's to have dinner with my old Churchville friends. The crew was all there when we arrived. We had a great time at dinner and Lauren amused us all by getting smashed on a martini and a cosmo! The highlight of the evening was when they were all telling Doug just how smart they think I am and a very inebriated Lauren turned to Doug and said, "Doug, are you smart?". HAHAHA!
The rest of the evening was a hoot even if we had to speak slowly for Lauren! My friends all liked Doug too!
The next morning we packed our things and headed home. Along the way we stopped to visit some of Doug's friends. Doug has known John since high school. John's wife, Heidi (a different Heidi) couldn't stay as she was on her way out but I was able to hang out with John and their children Conner and Laura. It was a fun time as John and I picked on Doug and Doug got into a gladiator-esque sword fight with Connor. After an hour or so we left and drove back to Charlottesville. It was a very good little road trip but nothing is as good as home!
Into the Wild - Dolly Sods Wilderness
Ahh Dolly Sods - or should I say Dolly Sogs? More on that later. First, for those of you who do not know, Dolly Sods is an incredible piece of Earth in the highlands of West Virginia. It's in the Monongahela National Forest and is a tract of land designated as a wilderness area. Views across the tundra-like, windswept, open meadows in the northern section of Dolly Sods are reminiscent of Alaskan landscapes. When you look across the Sods, it's easy to forget you're in West Virginia.
According to Wikipedia (it must be true!) because of the high altitude the climate is cool so the plants and animals are more similar to ones found about 1,600 miles farther north in Canada. Many species found here are near their southernmost range. For example, the snowshoe hare found in Dolly Sods is usually found in Canada and Alaska and is adapted to snow conditions, with its large, hairy feet which allow it to run on the snow surface. Other animals include red and gray foxes, bobcats, black bears, wild turkey, grouse, and white-tailed deer. It truly is a magical place!
Moving right along...Doug and I decided to head into the wild over the Memorial Day weekend. Our plan was to drive in Friday evening and car camp that night. On Saturday morning, we would trek into the wilderness and stay until Sunday or Monday. After discussing gear, we decided that we wouldn't backpack with a tent. Instead, we would rely on an army style "hooch". *foreshadowing* Also, in the days leading up to the trip, I told Doug we could use my car camping sleeping bags and tent for the car camping section of the trip. Doug took the items from my house on his last visit. *More foreshadowing*
Fast forward to Friday. I left work and headed to Cville to meet up with Doug. On the way there, I saw a huge storm brewing over Staunton. I raced to Cville hoping to avoid the storm. Unfortunately, we drove INTO the storm on the way back to the Valley as we made our way to Harrisonburg. It was a humdinger too! It made driving conditions pretty treacherous. Once we made it to Harrisonburg, the sky cleared out.
Fred, the GPS sent us on some backroad through Harrisonburg as we traveled towards route 33. Along the way, we saw Mennonites in their old fashioned clothing and that excited me a bit. My dad has always had a fascination with Mennonites and Amish and I guess it rubbed off one me. I find their simple way of life intriguing but also puzzling. What made them decide that they wouldn't advance any further than 1870 or whatever? Can you imagine if they made it all the way to 1983 before decided to advance? All Amish and Mennonites would have hair like Flock of Seagulls, leg warmers, and Member's Only jackets! Instead of horse and buggies, they would drive Le Cars, Yugos, and Deloreans. Somehow going to see them just wouldn't be as fun. I digress....
We headed over the mountain and I somehow managed to avoid car sickness. Twisty roads make me so sick! With clinched jaw, I tried my best to concentrate and meditate my way through it. Once we made it over the mountain, the rest of the way was foggy and rainy. Kind of a shame because the scenery is so gorgeous. Oddly though, there was something really beautiful about the fog. I remarked that it felt as if we were driving through a dream because the world was completely white except the road.
We passed Seneca Rocks along the way but we didn't stop because we were in a hurry at that point to get to Dolly Sods and try to snag a campsite for the night. Red Creek Campground is the only campground at Dolly Sods and it only has 11 rustic camp sights. If you don't manage to snag one, you must muck out into the wilderness to find a place. Luckily we did manage to find one but more on that in a moment....
We finally spotted the road for Dolly Sods. I tried to warn Doug that it was a long and twisty road to the top. It starts off paved but quickly disentigrates into a dirt pig path full of pot holes. On this particular occasion, the pot holes were small lakes thanks to all the rain!
When we finally reached the top, it felt as if we immediately transported to Alaska or Canada. The deciduous forest gave way to beautiful spruces, ferns, moss, and rock. As we made our way up the road, I prayed for a site at the campground, but I also thought about "Bear Rocks" and how I desperately wanted to see them again and share it with Doug.
After an eternity on that old road, with shocks squeaking and kidneys aching, we arrived at the campground only to find one spot available--naturally, the crappiest spot in the campground. Nonetheless, I was thrilled to have a spot. We parked and as soon as I stepped out, I felt frozen! The temperature was in the 50's and the sky was still spitting a bit of rain. Dark clouds rolled over our heads but we quickly began unloading the truck and setting up our site.
First, we set up the tailgate tent and spread some things out on the picnic table. Next, we took the tent out and spread it out on the ground. Remember the foreshadowing I warned you about? Well here is the first round: So as Doug spread the tent out, he asked " Where are the poles?" to which I replied "Huh?". He asked again and we both immediately realized that we didn't have the tent poles with us. NOOOOooooooooooooooo!!!!! I grilled Doug for a good 10 minutes about where the poles were and if he saw them when he took the tent out of the box at my house. Honestly, I truly believed that the poles were in the box and I couldn't understand why they were not with the tent. It puzzled me and disappointed me because I really wanted to sleep in a tent that night. I was also totally bummed that wood was too wet to have a campfire. Hot dogs on a stove just aren't the same as sitting around a campfire roasting them.
With daylight fading fast I insisted we hurry down to Bear Rocks so that Doug could fully grasp why I loved Dolly Sods so much. As we drove down the dirt road towards the rocks, we saw several groups of people camping off on the side. I remarked that you never saw this years ago and that Dolly Sods seemed much businer than it ever was when I used to go there as a teenager/young adult. We stopped to take photos of the setting sun before finally arriving at Bear Rocks. On a clear day you can count SIX mountain ridges in the distance. That evening you could barely see the range in front of us but what we missed in long range view was made up to us by another type of beautiful. You could see fog and the storm below us in the valley and it made for incredible sight! With the light slipping over the horizon, everything seemed a strange shade of gray. The rocks, the sky, the fog...it was magnificent!
With the light all but gone, we headed back to our campsight. We decided the only course of action was to sleep in the back of the truck on an air mattress. Since we had no campfire, we went to bed as soon as we got back. Luckily I brought a deck of cards so we were able to play a few rounds of War by the light of a lantern. Eventually, we lost interest in cards and decided to call it a night. Unfortunately, the night would be a long one for me. Doug normally does not snore but on this particular occasion, it sounded as if he was running a saw mill on his side of the air mattress. It was SO loud and I tried so hard to ignore it but eventually I couldn't. He tried propping his head up more but it didn't help so I finally accepted defeat and tried to sleep in the front of the truck. It did not work. I was cold and couldn't stretch out fully. I remember feeling a little irritated that he was the one snoring but also the one tucked in comfortably in the back. I thought, "Would a gentleman really send his woman off to find another place to sleep?" - lol Frustrated, I got up and decided to heard to the latrine since sleeping wasn't an option. The moon was bright but it was still really dark inside there. Using a nasty latrine in the dark just isn't fun. On the way back I stepped into a giant mud puddle and cursed everything I could think of. I contemplated sleeping on the picnic table but it was soaked. Doug must have heard my cursing and lamentations because he asked me to get back in the bed with him. Desperate and tired, I agreed. Luckily he didn't snore the rest of the night...or maybe he did and I was just too tired to care. Either way, morning came too quickly that night.
We woke up to sunlight and the sound of other campers rustling in the campground. We got up, changed our clothes, and packed up. We decided to eat the remaining hotdogs for breakfast. No point in wasting them. After looking at the map, we decided to hike the Bear Rocks Trail. This meant heading back down to Bear Rocks and parking there. Once we arrived, we snapped off a few more shots of the rocks before taking off down the trail. I was shocked by the number of people who were heading down the trail as we started. We immediately passed and older man and a guy I assumed was his son. We later passed a group of three chubby people. The trail was a sloppy mess. I thought this would improve as the day went on but I would later find that it would actually get worse. Mud everywhere!
As we descended down the trail we encountered a boardwalk. Apparently that part of the trail was so boggy and mushy that a boardwalk was built. It was a nice change from the sloppy trail and I am sure it helped protect the environment. Later on I would see parts of the trail that looked like a cattle stampede had taken place. The boardwalk was just before a small creek (the name escapes me). There was no good way to cross it without getting feet and boots wet so I decided the best method would require taking shoes off and crossing barefoot...which is what we did. The water was cold but it was fun. As we were putting on our boots, the chubby people showed up but I guess they decided against crossing. Instead, they turned around and headed back. The old man and his son showed up just behind them and started taking off their boots. Good for them!
The next part of the trail had us climbing a knoll. We passed through some deciduous trees before reading the top. The view was gorgeous! We walked through a grassy area that overlooked a beautiful valley. It was definitely one of my favorite places on the trail and I definitely did NOT feel like we were in West Virginia.
As we reached the intersection of the Bear Rocks Trail and the Raven Ridge Trail, we encountered three dudes just hanging out in the grass chillin'. They looked so happy and so relaxed! It was around that time that we decided it was time for a rest. We had been hiking for over an hour or so and we were getting hungry. My shoulders needed a rest as well. We headed into a spruce forest and found a nice spot under a tree where we had a nice lunch of beef jerky and MRE stuff. Once we felt rested, we through our packs back on and headed on down the trail.
After another 30 minutes or so, we came to the intersection of Raven Ridge Trail and Upper Red Creek Trail. The trail ws HOPPING with people. It looked like a bus had dropped people off. Kind of disappointing and shocking. Anyway, we headed on down the trail and came to another creek crossing. This one was a muddy mess but had the distinction of being right next to a beaver dam! Very cool! Unfortunately, we were crossing around the same time was a boy scout troop and they were so loud and silly. We snapped a few pics of the dam before heading out.
The next section of the trail wasn't as enjoyable as the previous sections. I think it was because I was starting to ache pretty badly. I had too much stuff in my pack and my shoulders were rebelling. Also, the trail had been destroyed by the boy scouts and it was a task trying to avoid the giant mudholes they had created. We decided earlier in the day that we would try to make it to Red Creek before calling it a day and setting up camp. When we finally heard the roar of the creek, I felt elated! My shoulders would soon have a break! When we reached the bottom of the gorge, we were surprised to see a ton of people camping along the banks of the creek. I guess I never expected to encounter so many people in a "wilderness" area. Then again, it's a gorgeous place made popular thanks to the internet AND it was Memorial Day weekend.
We picked a lil spot at the edge of the spruce forest, not too far from the creek and started setting up camp. We decided not to bring a tent because we thought we would save weight. In hindsight, I see now that bringing stakes, bungees, and poncho liners probably equaled or exceeded the weight of a good backpacking tent...oh well, lesson learned. None the less, we set up our hooch in our site and headed over to the creek to relax a bit. We found a nice sunny rock and perched ourself upon it for a good 20 minutes or so. While we dangled our feet in the icy, water, we became the object of a strange lil' moth's affections. This lil white moth would NOT go away. No matter how many times we swatted him, he insisted on sitting on one of us. Talk about co-dependent! After lounging a bit, we decided to break the moth's heart and begin our search for firewood. This was difficult for several reasons: 1 - all the wood was still wet. In fact, everything is wet in Dolly Sods. 2. The spot we chose was obviously a popular stop for backpackers and the forest had been picked through pretty thoroughly by previous hikers. We managed to scrape together enough wood and kindlin' for a small fire but getting it going was a nightmare. Our wet wood smoked a lot but it was difficult to get a good flame going. Doug and I played with it for a good hour and got a small blaze going but it never roared the way I wanted it. While sitting around the fire, hunger pangs kicked in and we cracked open our MREs. I settled on Chicken Fajita which was, surprisingly, not bad. Then again, I had hiked a good 6 or 7 miles with a pack on so I think anything would have seemed tasty at that point. Oddly, I didn't have any good chocolate treats in my MRE like Doug. It seemed that ALL of Doug's MREs had Reeses Pieces or M&M's or something similar. My MREs had cheese spread and crackers. I suspect my MREs had been "rat $%#*" but I won't point fingers.
After eating, we played a few rounds of Go Fish. My exhaustion kicked in around 8:00PM and I tried my best to stay up but by 8:30, I was ready to call it a day. I crawled into my sleeping back underneath our lil' hooch and said good night. I was hoping for a very restful sleep and thought I had much going for me. I was tired, I didn't sleep well the night before, and I had the sound of water rolling down the creek. A recipe for a great night's sleep, right? Wrong. I have no idea what time it was because I didn't have a watch but judging by the position of the moon in the sky, it wasn't too late...but I woke up FROZEN. I was shivering and shaking in my bag. I figured putting socks on would help so I grabbed them, threw them on, and covered up and went back to sleep. Some time later, I woke up again. This time I felt certain I was going to get hypothermia if I didn't do something. I threw on more clothes and covered myself up in the back. For the rest of the night, I kept waking up, shivering and praying to God for the sun. The moon moved so slowly in the sky and it felt like the longest night. At one point I actually felt comforted by the fact I could still hear the creek because I knew it meant things weren't down to freezing (Even though it felt like it!). I doubt I slept more than four hours that night.
I drifted into semi-consciousness when I heard voices in the camp across the trail. Since I was hidden in the depths of my sleeping bag, I wasn't aware that they were actually packing up and heading out. I wouldn't find this out until later when I walked down to the creek and saw their empty camp. The only proof that they were ever there was the smoldering embers in their fire pit. I stayed in my sleeping bag for awhile longer but finally got up when I heard Doug snapping twigs by our firepit. He was trying to light a fire but it seemed pretty pointless. I crawled out of the bag and ran down to the sunlight in a desperate attempt to warm my cold skin. All I wanted to do at that point was throw on my pack and hike. I knew that getting my blood pumping would warm me faster than anything. But we still had to take down our camp and eat.
Doug was eating his breakfast (granola and blueberries in freeze dried milk) when I came back from my foray into the sunlight. Unfortunately he used cold water. I decided to use hot water on mine and it was actually pretty tasty. It was like oatmeal and that is exactly what I needed on that cold morning. I still find it incredible that the termperature got down so low. It was easily in the 40's or lower...yet the day before and the day after were in the 80's. Strange...but just another mystery of Dolly Sods. The place changes on a dime.
After eating and packing up, we had to do ONE more creek crossing. I failed the mention that Red Creek gets it's name from the iron deposits in the water. The creek really is red! It's also cold, though not as cold as I imagined. Doug crossed first and headed up the bank to put his shoes on. I labored on the bank of the creek trying to wash the dirt off my feet before sticking my socks on. That simple task turned into a Vaudeville routine as I stumbled and lost my balance a millions times. How I avoided falling IN the water is not known...but anyone watching got a good laugh to be for certain. I managed to stick my socked foot in the water and cursed up a storm but it was better than falling in with my pack. After I managed to get my boots on, I scrambled up the bank only to hear Doug say that he can't find the truck keys and he thinks they are in the camp. I could tell he was nervous as he headed back over to the campsite. A few minutes passed before I called across the creek to inquire. He told me to start searching his stuff because he couldn't find them. In a panic, I started ripping things out of his pack right in the middle of the train. He then called back over and asked me to check inside his boots. Guess where they were? In his boots. I was relieved but hated the fact that I didn't look there before I started ripping things out of the pack. Figures.
My shoulders hurt so bad at this point and it seemed all I could think about was just reaching the end of the trail. Every step felt like someone was ripping my shoulders apart. I tried to concentrate on my footing as I slogged through the mud but it was difficult. The day before I was careful to avoid muddy holes and the like. That morning I was stepping wherever my foot landed...I just didn't care about dirty boots anymore. All I cared about was getting the pack off my back and resting my shoulders. We finally reached another creek but instead of taking my boots off, I just walked through it (and leap frogged a bit across some rocks). When we passed some familiar faces, I knew we were getting close to the campground. Our hiking trip actually took us on a loop with our ending point being the trail head near the campground we stayed in the first night.
When we finally reached the end of the trail, I pulled my pack off my left shoulder and let it dangle from my right one. It felt sooooo good to take the pack off! I suddenly had new found respect for horses, mules, oxen etc. Poor creatures!
Since the truck was approximately two miles away at Bear Rocks, we decided that I would wait with the packs while Doug walked to get the truck. I found a picnic table in an empty campsite and parked myself. I spent a good 20 minutes sleeping in the sun. It felt glorious to be warm after such a cold night! As I rested on the table, I saw a white car pull up and look at the site. Before I could get up and invite them to stay (I knew they needed a spot and just assumed I was claiming it), they drove away. 10 minutes later they made another pass and pulled in. A man jumped out and asked if I would be willing to share the spot. I told him I could do better than that and told him he could have the spot as I was just waiting for my ride. His son jumped out of the car and squealed with delight! Made me feel good to be the bearer of such good news! :)
Not too long after that Doug pulled in. We toss our packs in the back, grabbed some drinks in the cooler and headed down the road. We stopped for a few photo ops and for a geocache. As we drove out of Dolly Sods, the road looked like a used car lot - so many cars. So strange, so different, and so sad. The Dolly Sods I remembered from 1995 was an empty, quiet place with no humans. We used to see evidence of human presence ( cars and tents in the campground) but never saw any humans. I guess it was inevitable though....
So that's our adventure....We stopped in Seneca Rocks and had some lunch and a Pepsi and did a little bit of people watching. We planned on doing some additional geocaching but passed on it after missing the turn. It was just as well. We were both exhausted and ready to go home and rest. I found the poles to the tent in my closet at home. Oops.
I can't wait to go back to Dolly Sods. I'd like to visit again in the Fall but this time I'm taking a tent AND poles!
According to Wikipedia (it must be true!) because of the high altitude the climate is cool so the plants and animals are more similar to ones found about 1,600 miles farther north in Canada. Many species found here are near their southernmost range. For example, the snowshoe hare found in Dolly Sods is usually found in Canada and Alaska and is adapted to snow conditions, with its large, hairy feet which allow it to run on the snow surface. Other animals include red and gray foxes, bobcats, black bears, wild turkey, grouse, and white-tailed deer. It truly is a magical place!
Moving right along...Doug and I decided to head into the wild over the Memorial Day weekend. Our plan was to drive in Friday evening and car camp that night. On Saturday morning, we would trek into the wilderness and stay until Sunday or Monday. After discussing gear, we decided that we wouldn't backpack with a tent. Instead, we would rely on an army style "hooch". *foreshadowing* Also, in the days leading up to the trip, I told Doug we could use my car camping sleeping bags and tent for the car camping section of the trip. Doug took the items from my house on his last visit. *More foreshadowing*
Fast forward to Friday. I left work and headed to Cville to meet up with Doug. On the way there, I saw a huge storm brewing over Staunton. I raced to Cville hoping to avoid the storm. Unfortunately, we drove INTO the storm on the way back to the Valley as we made our way to Harrisonburg. It was a humdinger too! It made driving conditions pretty treacherous. Once we made it to Harrisonburg, the sky cleared out.
Fred, the GPS sent us on some backroad through Harrisonburg as we traveled towards route 33. Along the way, we saw Mennonites in their old fashioned clothing and that excited me a bit. My dad has always had a fascination with Mennonites and Amish and I guess it rubbed off one me. I find their simple way of life intriguing but also puzzling. What made them decide that they wouldn't advance any further than 1870 or whatever? Can you imagine if they made it all the way to 1983 before decided to advance? All Amish and Mennonites would have hair like Flock of Seagulls, leg warmers, and Member's Only jackets! Instead of horse and buggies, they would drive Le Cars, Yugos, and Deloreans. Somehow going to see them just wouldn't be as fun. I digress....
We headed over the mountain and I somehow managed to avoid car sickness. Twisty roads make me so sick! With clinched jaw, I tried my best to concentrate and meditate my way through it. Once we made it over the mountain, the rest of the way was foggy and rainy. Kind of a shame because the scenery is so gorgeous. Oddly though, there was something really beautiful about the fog. I remarked that it felt as if we were driving through a dream because the world was completely white except the road.
We passed Seneca Rocks along the way but we didn't stop because we were in a hurry at that point to get to Dolly Sods and try to snag a campsite for the night. Red Creek Campground is the only campground at Dolly Sods and it only has 11 rustic camp sights. If you don't manage to snag one, you must muck out into the wilderness to find a place. Luckily we did manage to find one but more on that in a moment....
When we finally reached the top, it felt as if we immediately transported to Alaska or Canada. The deciduous forest gave way to beautiful spruces, ferns, moss, and rock. As we made our way up the road, I prayed for a site at the campground, but I also thought about "Bear Rocks" and how I desperately wanted to see them again and share it with Doug.
After an eternity on that old road, with shocks squeaking and kidneys aching, we arrived at the campground only to find one spot available--naturally, the crappiest spot in the campground. Nonetheless, I was thrilled to have a spot. We parked and as soon as I stepped out, I felt frozen! The temperature was in the 50's and the sky was still spitting a bit of rain. Dark clouds rolled over our heads but we quickly began unloading the truck and setting up our site.
First, we set up the tailgate tent and spread some things out on the picnic table. Next, we took the tent out and spread it out on the ground. Remember the foreshadowing I warned you about? Well here is the first round: So as Doug spread the tent out, he asked " Where are the poles?" to which I replied "Huh?". He asked again and we both immediately realized that we didn't have the tent poles with us. NOOOOooooooooooooooo!!!!! I grilled Doug for a good 10 minutes about where the poles were and if he saw them when he took the tent out of the box at my house. Honestly, I truly believed that the poles were in the box and I couldn't understand why they were not with the tent. It puzzled me and disappointed me because I really wanted to sleep in a tent that night. I was also totally bummed that wood was too wet to have a campfire. Hot dogs on a stove just aren't the same as sitting around a campfire roasting them.
With the light all but gone, we headed back to our campsight. We decided the only course of action was to sleep in the back of the truck on an air mattress. Since we had no campfire, we went to bed as soon as we got back. Luckily I brought a deck of cards so we were able to play a few rounds of War by the light of a lantern. Eventually, we lost interest in cards and decided to call it a night. Unfortunately, the night would be a long one for me. Doug normally does not snore but on this particular occasion, it sounded as if he was running a saw mill on his side of the air mattress. It was SO loud and I tried so hard to ignore it but eventually I couldn't. He tried propping his head up more but it didn't help so I finally accepted defeat and tried to sleep in the front of the truck. It did not work. I was cold and couldn't stretch out fully. I remember feeling a little irritated that he was the one snoring but also the one tucked in comfortably in the back. I thought, "Would a gentleman really send his woman off to find another place to sleep?" - lol Frustrated, I got up and decided to heard to the latrine since sleeping wasn't an option. The moon was bright but it was still really dark inside there. Using a nasty latrine in the dark just isn't fun. On the way back I stepped into a giant mud puddle and cursed everything I could think of. I contemplated sleeping on the picnic table but it was soaked. Doug must have heard my cursing and lamentations because he asked me to get back in the bed with him. Desperate and tired, I agreed. Luckily he didn't snore the rest of the night...or maybe he did and I was just too tired to care. Either way, morning came too quickly that night.
The next section of the trail wasn't as enjoyable as the previous sections. I think it was because I was starting to ache pretty badly. I had too much stuff in my pack and my shoulders were rebelling. Also, the trail had been destroyed by the boy scouts and it was a task trying to avoid the giant mudholes they had created. We decided earlier in the day that we would try to make it to Red Creek before calling it a day and setting up camp. When we finally heard the roar of the creek, I felt elated! My shoulders would soon have a break! When we reached the bottom of the gorge, we were surprised to see a ton of people camping along the banks of the creek. I guess I never expected to encounter so many people in a "wilderness" area. Then again, it's a gorgeous place made popular thanks to the internet AND it was Memorial Day weekend.
After eating, we played a few rounds of Go Fish. My exhaustion kicked in around 8:00PM and I tried my best to stay up but by 8:30, I was ready to call it a day. I crawled into my sleeping back underneath our lil' hooch and said good night. I was hoping for a very restful sleep and thought I had much going for me. I was tired, I didn't sleep well the night before, and I had the sound of water rolling down the creek. A recipe for a great night's sleep, right? Wrong. I have no idea what time it was because I didn't have a watch but judging by the position of the moon in the sky, it wasn't too late...but I woke up FROZEN. I was shivering and shaking in my bag. I figured putting socks on would help so I grabbed them, threw them on, and covered up and went back to sleep. Some time later, I woke up again. This time I felt certain I was going to get hypothermia if I didn't do something. I threw on more clothes and covered myself up in the back. For the rest of the night, I kept waking up, shivering and praying to God for the sun. The moon moved so slowly in the sky and it felt like the longest night. At one point I actually felt comforted by the fact I could still hear the creek because I knew it meant things weren't down to freezing (Even though it felt like it!). I doubt I slept more than four hours that night.
I drifted into semi-consciousness when I heard voices in the camp across the trail. Since I was hidden in the depths of my sleeping bag, I wasn't aware that they were actually packing up and heading out. I wouldn't find this out until later when I walked down to the creek and saw their empty camp. The only proof that they were ever there was the smoldering embers in their fire pit. I stayed in my sleeping bag for awhile longer but finally got up when I heard Doug snapping twigs by our firepit. He was trying to light a fire but it seemed pretty pointless. I crawled out of the bag and ran down to the sunlight in a desperate attempt to warm my cold skin. All I wanted to do at that point was throw on my pack and hike. I knew that getting my blood pumping would warm me faster than anything. But we still had to take down our camp and eat.
Doug was eating his breakfast (granola and blueberries in freeze dried milk) when I came back from my foray into the sunlight. Unfortunately he used cold water. I decided to use hot water on mine and it was actually pretty tasty. It was like oatmeal and that is exactly what I needed on that cold morning. I still find it incredible that the termperature got down so low. It was easily in the 40's or lower...yet the day before and the day after were in the 80's. Strange...but just another mystery of Dolly Sods. The place changes on a dime.
My shoulders hurt so bad at this point and it seemed all I could think about was just reaching the end of the trail. Every step felt like someone was ripping my shoulders apart. I tried to concentrate on my footing as I slogged through the mud but it was difficult. The day before I was careful to avoid muddy holes and the like. That morning I was stepping wherever my foot landed...I just didn't care about dirty boots anymore. All I cared about was getting the pack off my back and resting my shoulders. We finally reached another creek but instead of taking my boots off, I just walked through it (and leap frogged a bit across some rocks). When we passed some familiar faces, I knew we were getting close to the campground. Our hiking trip actually took us on a loop with our ending point being the trail head near the campground we stayed in the first night.
When we finally reached the end of the trail, I pulled my pack off my left shoulder and let it dangle from my right one. It felt sooooo good to take the pack off! I suddenly had new found respect for horses, mules, oxen etc. Poor creatures!
Since the truck was approximately two miles away at Bear Rocks, we decided that I would wait with the packs while Doug walked to get the truck. I found a picnic table in an empty campsite and parked myself. I spent a good 20 minutes sleeping in the sun. It felt glorious to be warm after such a cold night! As I rested on the table, I saw a white car pull up and look at the site. Before I could get up and invite them to stay (I knew they needed a spot and just assumed I was claiming it), they drove away. 10 minutes later they made another pass and pulled in. A man jumped out and asked if I would be willing to share the spot. I told him I could do better than that and told him he could have the spot as I was just waiting for my ride. His son jumped out of the car and squealed with delight! Made me feel good to be the bearer of such good news! :)
Not too long after that Doug pulled in. We toss our packs in the back, grabbed some drinks in the cooler and headed down the road. We stopped for a few photo ops and for a geocache. As we drove out of Dolly Sods, the road looked like a used car lot - so many cars. So strange, so different, and so sad. The Dolly Sods I remembered from 1995 was an empty, quiet place with no humans. We used to see evidence of human presence ( cars and tents in the campground) but never saw any humans. I guess it was inevitable though....
So that's our adventure....We stopped in Seneca Rocks and had some lunch and a Pepsi and did a little bit of people watching. We planned on doing some additional geocaching but passed on it after missing the turn. It was just as well. We were both exhausted and ready to go home and rest. I found the poles to the tent in my closet at home. Oops.
I can't wait to go back to Dolly Sods. I'd like to visit again in the Fall but this time I'm taking a tent AND poles!
Lexington and House Mountain
During the cold, dark days of winter, I began daydreaming of Spring. By the third installment of Snowpocalypse, I had all I could take of snow, winter, ice, and days without sunshine. It was during that time that I mentioned to Doug that I'd like to visit Lexington in the Spring. I've driven through Lexington from time to time on my way down from Philly; yet, I never stopped to check the town out. It always looked so charming but I never had time.
A few weeks ago Doug suggested we fulfill my winter daydreams and visit Lexington the Saturday after his birthday...so we did! Our plan was to stop at Edelweiss for lunch. Edelweiss is a German restaurant just outside of Staunton. From there we would head to Lexington and visit Stonewall Jackson's house and tour the town a bit. We also wanted to do some geocaching so Doug found a cache called " The Big House". **Foreshadowing**
So we embarked on our trek to Lexington but made a pit stop in Waynesboro. Waynesboro is apparently the "Town That Time Forgot". We needed to find a CVS to buy some Zyrtek but stumbled across Peebles, Roses, and Ben Franklin (the store, not the founding father). Odd. After scoring our drugs, we headed on down to Edelweiss for some Deutch cooking. I thought it was mediocre but since it was my first time trying German, I had nothing to which I could compare. Doug didn't seem thrilled with it either and he is a connoisseur of German cuisine so I defer to his expertise. The bread was yum-yum though! Oddly, they said they don't actually make it but buy it elsewhere. Hmmmm.
After we ate our brats and schnitzels, we finally arrived in Lexington. It was incredibly windy that day. As we made our way to Stonewall's house, I felt certain we would blow away. We bought our tickets to enter ($8 a person, which seems steep if you ask me) and were told that we had about 15 minutes to blow before the next tour. We walked around the garden for a few minutes, browsed the Confederate trinkets in the gift shop, and finally settled into our chairs as we waited for the tour to begin. Some weird dude named Peter came in and informed us that we would wait a few minutes for others to arrive but we would most likely receive a private tour (for $8 bucks a person, I should hope so!). We spent the next few minutes admiring the many stages of beard growth that Stonewall toyed with throughout his life (pictures were on the wall) before Peter finally emerged, once again, to inform us that we would be having a private tour. It should be noted that Peter was an odd fellow. He made NO eye contact and that annoyed both Doug and I. I think it's disrespectful. He also had an aire of superiority about him, which annoyed me because...well...I'm Rhonda and I'm kind of a big deal. Apparently, no one informed No Eye Contact Peter (NECP from this point on) of this vitally important info.
NECP took us around the house and gave us an informative, if not slightly dry, tour. He also plugged his acting escapades at every turn. Supposedly he had a role in the Civil War flick "Gods and Generals". Good for him; although, he acted as if he had a major starring role yet I can't find his name on IMDB. All I can say is: Extra City: population Peter.
After our "private tour" ended, we strolled around the streets a bit in search of the cemetery but we never found it. By this time, the call of the 'cache had begun and we were eager to hunt down our first cache of the weekend. This is where the story gets truly interesting....
The description of the cache stated that we would embark upon a three mile hike on a logging trail. What it failed to mention was the near vertical climb towards the end of the trail. Also, though I knew there was a mountain near Lexington called House Mountain, I never put that and the name of the cache "The Big House" together. Oopsie. Nonetheless, the hike wasn't too bad for the first two miles. It was a steady incline but not a hard hike. The worst part was the wind. It seemed to kick up even more as the afternoon passed.
I felt pretty happy when we reached "The Saddle" because, according to our GPSs, we didn't have too much farther to go. The Saddle is a term used to describe the small valley between Little House and Big House. I felt like we were definitely close to the top until I looked up and saw a huge mountain looming in front of us. Once my mind took in the height up to the summit and the distance given on the GPS, I realized we were about to get our arses kicked. The only way to make it to the top in such a short amount of distance meant we had to head straight up without switchbacks. Yikes!
With evening approaching, we knew we had to kick it into high gear so we took off, determined to make it to the top and find this cache. Doug the Army grunt took off at a pretty fast clip and though I did a pretty good job of staying close, I couldn't exactly match his pace. I had a hard time and was breathing hard but it comforted me to see him stopping along the way too. The worst part was that he would stop to catch his breath but the moment I caught up, he took off! This left me in a constant state of trying to decide which was best: catch up with him or catch up on breathing! It was a toss up and eventually my lungs decided for me.
Overall we had a really good time but I'm not sure I'm going to allow Doug to pick out the caches anymore! haha.
A few weeks ago Doug suggested we fulfill my winter daydreams and visit Lexington the Saturday after his birthday...so we did! Our plan was to stop at Edelweiss for lunch. Edelweiss is a German restaurant just outside of Staunton. From there we would head to Lexington and visit Stonewall Jackson's house and tour the town a bit. We also wanted to do some geocaching so Doug found a cache called " The Big House". **Foreshadowing**
So we embarked on our trek to Lexington but made a pit stop in Waynesboro. Waynesboro is apparently the "Town That Time Forgot". We needed to find a CVS to buy some Zyrtek but stumbled across Peebles, Roses, and Ben Franklin (the store, not the founding father). Odd. After scoring our drugs, we headed on down to Edelweiss for some Deutch cooking. I thought it was mediocre but since it was my first time trying German, I had nothing to which I could compare. Doug didn't seem thrilled with it either and he is a connoisseur of German cuisine so I defer to his expertise. The bread was yum-yum though! Oddly, they said they don't actually make it but buy it elsewhere. Hmmmm.
NECP took us around the house and gave us an informative, if not slightly dry, tour. He also plugged his acting escapades at every turn. Supposedly he had a role in the Civil War flick "Gods and Generals". Good for him; although, he acted as if he had a major starring role yet I can't find his name on IMDB. All I can say is: Extra City: population Peter.
After our "private tour" ended, we strolled around the streets a bit in search of the cemetery but we never found it. By this time, the call of the 'cache had begun and we were eager to hunt down our first cache of the weekend. This is where the story gets truly interesting....
I felt pretty happy when we reached "The Saddle" because, according to our GPSs, we didn't have too much farther to go. The Saddle is a term used to describe the small valley between Little House and Big House. I felt like we were definitely close to the top until I looked up and saw a huge mountain looming in front of us. Once my mind took in the height up to the summit and the distance given on the GPS, I realized we were about to get our arses kicked. The only way to make it to the top in such a short amount of distance meant we had to head straight up without switchbacks. Yikes!
With evening approaching, we knew we had to kick it into high gear so we took off, determined to make it to the top and find this cache. Doug the Army grunt took off at a pretty fast clip and though I did a pretty good job of staying close, I couldn't exactly match his pace. I had a hard time and was breathing hard but it comforted me to see him stopping along the way too. The worst part was that he would stop to catch his breath but the moment I caught up, he took off! This left me in a constant state of trying to decide which was best: catch up with him or catch up on breathing! It was a toss up and eventually my lungs decided for me.
Once we reached the top, I realized all the pain and misery was worth it though. The views were incredible! We could literally see half the Shenandoah Valley. The wind had blown all the haze and pollution out of the valley and I'm pretty sure we saw England at one point! ;) We took a few pictures but didn't play around with our usual jumping bean silly biz because evening was approaching quickly and it was getting very chilly. We knew we had a long three miles going back so we had to get busy if we wanted to find the cache and get back to the truck.
We followed our GPSs to the coordinates but couldn't find the cache. We spent a good 20 minutes looking and even fanned out a bit in case the sats were off but no luck. After walking around, stumbling over rocks, and reading the clues, we realized that the cache couldn't be there. Our guess is that college students muggled it. :( Disappointing.
We hauled tail down the mountain and decided to refuel at Macado's. It was funny to see all the little VMI boys in their whites. They look like little kids playing dress up. I guess I am getting old!
Overall we had a really good time but I'm not sure I'm going to allow Doug to pick out the caches anymore! haha.
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