This weekend, I went down to Scottsville, VA (an hour and a half from Richmond, VA) to go on a James River tubing trip in celebration of a friend's birthday.
Normally, I might have come back saying it was fun, we had some laughs, floated down the river, end of story.
Well, I CAN say we had some laughs and floated down the river, but the story doesn't end there. We survived a freak thunderstorm on our way! We were about 2/3 of the way down the river and the sun was shining. Moments later, it was pouring rain and booming thunder. Trying not to get struck by lightning, we paddled furiously to a little island in the river and waited in the mud until rescue came. Then we saw someone waving to us from the other side of the river. It was the driver of our rescue bus. We waddled all the way across the river with our tubes, against the current, in the mud, just to escape the thunder and lightning. Despite how muddy and drenched we were when we got to shore...all 15 of us survived!
I would definitely recommend tubing in the James to anyone looking for a summer adventure. And if it rains, that's just more adventure.
Showing posts with label adventure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adventure. Show all posts
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Just a Nantahala-back girl
If I haven't posted for awhile, it's because I'm still in a state of bliss from my recent trip to the Nantahala Forest in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. I went for the weekend, and it was nothing but rustic goodness.
First of all...I will never see a plain old hotel room in the same light again. I've been changed. Hotels have nothing on vacation cabins. Since we were in the mountains, we decided that the only way to go was to stay in a cozy pine chalet. This place was unbelievable. Vaulted ceilings, huge windows that lit up the whole place with mountain daylight, this otherworldly smell of pine everywhere, gorgeous views. It was like living inside the brain of a tree. Except with less termites, I suppose.
One of my favorite things was the totally awesome game room. It was however...a game room of awkward proportions. Think pool is easy? Try playing pool with a foosball table up in your grill.
Now as hard as it was to actually leave the cabin and its many amenities, we did manage to make a scenic drive out to Fontana Dam one day. I say drive because on the 3rd day of our vacation, it SNOWED and thus a full-on hike in the cold was not so appealing anymore. No worries, mom, it wasn't snowing that heavily but there were flurries nonetheless. Yes...us DC area residents bring snow with us wherever we go. It turns out that "Snowpocalypse" is a contagious disease. Here's some sights from the trip:
The nicest weather on the trip was on the day we left, so on our 9-hour trip back, we stopped and drove into the Deep Creek entrance to Great Smoky Mountain Park and did some hiking.
Now I have come back, relaxed and ready to enjoy the cherry-blossom love fest that is DC in the springtime. Ahhhhhh :)
First of all...I will never see a plain old hotel room in the same light again. I've been changed. Hotels have nothing on vacation cabins. Since we were in the mountains, we decided that the only way to go was to stay in a cozy pine chalet. This place was unbelievable. Vaulted ceilings, huge windows that lit up the whole place with mountain daylight, this otherworldly smell of pine everywhere, gorgeous views. It was like living inside the brain of a tree. Except with less termites, I suppose.
One of my favorite things was the totally awesome game room. It was however...a game room of awkward proportions. Think pool is easy? Try playing pool with a foosball table up in your grill.
Now as hard as it was to actually leave the cabin and its many amenities, we did manage to make a scenic drive out to Fontana Dam one day. I say drive because on the 3rd day of our vacation, it SNOWED and thus a full-on hike in the cold was not so appealing anymore. No worries, mom, it wasn't snowing that heavily but there were flurries nonetheless. Yes...us DC area residents bring snow with us wherever we go. It turns out that "Snowpocalypse" is a contagious disease. Here's some sights from the trip:
Now I have come back, relaxed and ready to enjoy the cherry-blossom love fest that is DC in the springtime. Ahhhhhh :)
Monday, November 30, 2009
From Nassau to the PQ
I went to Nassau in the Bahamas for 4 1/2 days with the boyfriend. We spent all of our time at the beach, because that is all that there is to do there. The hotel beach, Cabbage Beach, Cable Beach, those beaches be crazy. The snorkeling is pretty amazing! You can swim up really close to the fish.
The first night we were there, we caused an altercation between two taxi drivers. Yes, I bring the ruckus wherever I go. We got in one taxi, but another taxi driver (who ostensibly had been waiting longer) blocked him from getting out of the parking lot by parking in front of the entrance. He wouldn't move until the other driver let him have the fare (us)!
They're not just ruthless - taxi drivers in Nassau entertain you. Ask them a few questions about the island, and you'll hear long yarns about where various celebrities live (they especially love to talk about Nicholas Cage, Oprah, and the Miami Dolphins). Is any of it true? Does it matter? There's even "tour guides" that tell jokes for tips on the water taxis:
About the Paradise Island hotel:
"The Atlantis Bridge Suite costs $25,000 a night. You cannot stay there just one night! You must stay there minimum of four nights! If you are interested in any real estate deals....Talk with ME!"
About celebrity homes:
"This is the house where Nicholas Cage lives. If any single ladies would like to talk to Nicholas Cage...Talk with ME!"
About the beach:
"There used to be a nude beach here. The government closed it. Why? Too many boating accidents!"
Unfortunately, the food/water there is a culinary disaster. It's expensive (since it's all imported) and frankly, not very good. It also can give you food poisoning, so the only drink you will be ordering will be a special pink one called "Dismal Bismal." I think half my stomach is still in Nassau somewhere. And Em, to answer your question: No, the water is not $8...just $4 :)
The plane ride home on Wednesday (before Thanksgiving) was totally uneventful. Not many crowds or long lines at the airport. That does remind me though, of what the security officer said to me on my outbound trip:
"Ma'am, this sunscreen bottle is too big. We'll have to throw it away. Or you can check it."
LOL! I can CHECK IT! I would have liked to check one bottle of sunscreen! (I'll show YOU, TSA!) Can you imagine that going around on the conveyor belt? Along with a little address tag? Hysterical!
Anyway, I made it home to visit my folks. I needed a vacation from my vacation, and it was time for some good home cookin'. With some turkey pot pie and grilled steak, I was soon enough cured from the ills of too many Dismal Bismal cocktails.
The first night we were there, we caused an altercation between two taxi drivers. Yes, I bring the ruckus wherever I go. We got in one taxi, but another taxi driver (who ostensibly had been waiting longer) blocked him from getting out of the parking lot by parking in front of the entrance. He wouldn't move until the other driver let him have the fare (us)!
They're not just ruthless - taxi drivers in Nassau entertain you. Ask them a few questions about the island, and you'll hear long yarns about where various celebrities live (they especially love to talk about Nicholas Cage, Oprah, and the Miami Dolphins). Is any of it true? Does it matter? There's even "tour guides" that tell jokes for tips on the water taxis:
About the Paradise Island hotel:
"The Atlantis Bridge Suite costs $25,000 a night. You cannot stay there just one night! You must stay there minimum of four nights! If you are interested in any real estate deals....Talk with ME!"
About celebrity homes:
"This is the house where Nicholas Cage lives. If any single ladies would like to talk to Nicholas Cage...Talk with ME!"
About the beach:
"There used to be a nude beach here. The government closed it. Why? Too many boating accidents!"
Unfortunately, the food/water there is a culinary disaster. It's expensive (since it's all imported) and frankly, not very good. It also can give you food poisoning, so the only drink you will be ordering will be a special pink one called "Dismal Bismal." I think half my stomach is still in Nassau somewhere. And Em, to answer your question: No, the water is not $8...just $4 :)
The plane ride home on Wednesday (before Thanksgiving) was totally uneventful. Not many crowds or long lines at the airport. That does remind me though, of what the security officer said to me on my outbound trip:
"Ma'am, this sunscreen bottle is too big. We'll have to throw it away. Or you can check it."
LOL! I can CHECK IT! I would have liked to check one bottle of sunscreen! (I'll show YOU, TSA!) Can you imagine that going around on the conveyor belt? Along with a little address tag? Hysterical!
Anyway, I made it home to visit my folks. I needed a vacation from my vacation, and it was time for some good home cookin'. With some turkey pot pie and grilled steak, I was soon enough cured from the ills of too many Dismal Bismal cocktails.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
weekend adventures
Weekend adventure no. 1:
Friday happy hour at Mayorga. It's a coffee house in downtown Silver Spring (DTSS) that also happens to have a bar. You wouldn't even know it from the outside, but they do. And this is important because of the scarcity OF decent bars in the immediate vicinity.
Weekend adventure no. 2:
I'm about 3 hours from Ocean City, MD, so it makes for a good day trip when you want to get away from the DC area. The drive out there is pretty nice, it's mostly on rural roads going through corn fields. Perfect beach day this time, the weather was warm, the waves were great, and the wind didn't steal my towel away.
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