We woke up on Tuesday and the weather looked good so we decided to eat breakfast and head out for a few shorter hikes.
First up we went on the Stony Man trail; it was a quick, easy hike out to a beautiful overlook.
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| It was pretty hazy due to the wildfires from Canada |
We stopped by the Skyland resort/center to use the bathrooms and wifi to pick our next hike since it was still pretty early in the day. We decided to head to the Limberlost trail and picked up the White Oak waterfall trail from there.
I forgot to snap a photo of Skyland but the walkways were all carved with animal tracks; they're currently filled in with little beads of black caterpillar poop as the park is struggling against gypsy moth caterpillars (an invasive species) eating all the trees. You can hear the crunching and see both leaf fragments and poop raining down when you are walking around on any trails.
Limberlost is a really easy ADA accessible trail that is meant for strollers and wheelchairs so we had an easy start.
Then we headed to White Oaks waterfall; it's downhill the whole way so we knew the way down would be pretty easy but we'd be tired on the way back up.
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| Up over this ridge is where you see the waterfall best |
We were exhausted and sore after what amounted to a bit more than 5 miles of hiking. It was lunch time and we were hungry but we all wanted to shower first. We went home, ate a few snacks, got cleaned up and it was nearly 4 by the time we checked out a local BBQ place-- Hanks Grille & Catering. We pretty much had the place to ourselves but it was delicious!
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| I had salad with grilled salmon |
When we woke up on Wednesday it was pretty cloudy but it looked like the bulk of the rain had passed us by and we decided to take a day trip to King's Dominion; a nearby amusement park.
It was pretty empty and we had a fabulous day riding anything we wanted; the longest wait time of the entre day was only 20 minutes.
Alec was crazy enough to pay extra money to try out this: (he does not have my fear of heights!)
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| getting strapped in |
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| once he's secure and suspended |
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| He's winched up to the top |
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| Then released; he was cheering and laughing on the way down. |
Other posts in this series:
Days 1 & 2
Linking up with: Fine/ Whatever,
This looks like such a fun trip. I love that you plan a vacation that everyone will enjoy!
ReplyDeleteLauren @ Don’t Mind Our Mess
Now that the boys are older we try to pick a destination that has a little something for everyone and then plan each day as we go once we arrive.
DeleteFun! I'm pretty sure that amusement park is owned by the same company that owns our local amusement park, Kings Island. Good for Alec for doing that flying through the air thing. At KI, a crowd usually gathers around to watch the people who do it. The hikes you went on look so pretty. Great bird and flower shots!
ReplyDeleteThere wasn't much of a crowd anywhere in the park that day but one family did see us taking photos of Alec and commented on how he sure did seem to be loving it.
DeleteWow this looks like so much fun and such a beautiful area- love the family pics too!
ReplyDeleteThanks! My mother in law took those. I'm so glad she thought to offer.
DeleteIt looks like you had some fantastic hikes. I love the photos, the views look amazing. The amusement park looks like fun. Alex is brave! I prefer my feet planted firmly on the ground!
ReplyDeleteI do too; though I will ride roller coasters and things now (I hated them as a child!).
DeleteThat last picture is really cool. Not something I'd do though!
ReplyDeleteI thought he was totally nuts!
DeleteThis looks like a great trip! The waterfall and views are gorgeous. It was fun that you got to Kings Dominion too. That ride looked crazy!!
ReplyDeleteIt was a wonderful trip!
DeleteOh my gosh!! I cannot believe that Alec was brave enough to do that! You couldn't pay me to do that! Haha.
ReplyDeleteWell, he was bummed he couldn't sky dive with my mother in law last year since you have to be 18 to do that so this was his consolation prize (in fact, my mother in law paid for him to do it!).
DeleteI love the spectacular views at the beginning of the post!
ReplyDeletewww.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Thanks! We thought that was an amazing view for the quick, easy hike we did to get there. On a clear day they say you can see 120 miles.
DeleteIt's sad to think of the invasion of the gypsy moths. I wonder if there's much they can do. Breathtaking views, Joanne! And, that bungee type thing at King's Dominion...no way!!!
ReplyDeletehttps://marshainthemiddle.com/
I know we had a problem with the gypsy moths here a few years in a row and many of our trees never recovered and ended up dying. I really hope that does not happen to these beautiful national parks! Just watching Alec participate in that jump made me feel queasy.
DeleteLooks like a great place to visit #titmt*3
ReplyDeleteThank you! It was a lovely area.
DeleteGosh, what a perfect day to go to that amusement park. It's rare to find a day without crowds when we went to Cedar Point in Ohio.
ReplyDeleteXOOX
Jodie
Yeah, we kept waiting for it to get more crowded and were pleased that it never did!
DeleteYou said hiking and got my attention. Looks like you had a great time and saw some wonderful sights.
ReplyDeleteWe really did!
DeleteThis all looks so fun and no doubt y'all find beautiful scenery wherever you are! I will be in that area in just a week or so!
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a wonderful time! It's so pretty.
DeleteWhat fantastic scenery! Sad to hear about the trees' fight.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your link at My Corner of the World this week!
Thank you so much for hosting!
DeleteI love that you guys are out as a family enjoying such beautiful scenery. It's spectacular and I enjoyed seeing it through your eyes (and your camera lens).
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you!
DeleteI was thinking how tranquil and deserted the park looked and how lovely to get away from it all, but the theme park looks pretty quiet as well.
ReplyDeleteWe really didn't run into many people at all; even many of the restaurants we visited seemed pretty empty-- I think we just managed to avoid crowds by timing our hikes and our meals well (and I think the amusement park must have been more empty than usual since there were threats of storms all day?).
DeleteWow! Where is everyone? That area of the country is usually so crowded. We loved the Whiteoaks Falls but we took a different route than you. That was my son's favorite area of the park. I remember the Limberlost area and wished I was there at a time of year when there were more flowers in bloom. The views from Stoney Man look incredible. We did't have time for that one, but we did Hawksbill instead. They look similar.
ReplyDeleteI had Hawksbill on my list but after Stoney Man we had very cloudy skies and zero visibility for the rest of the trip so summit hikes seemed kind of silly at that point.
DeleteAnother fabulous day hiking with pretty flowers along the way and looks like a fun day at the amusement park on the next day. My crazy husband did a slingshot ride at a German amusement park many years ago, not something for me haha!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely not for me either; both this brothers thought he was crazy too!
DeleteOh what a wonderful tour you took me on. Good on your son!! He was flying...Goodness me, I am late in my reply to your post for Wednesday’s Words and Pics. Thank you so much for being part of the community! Denyse.
ReplyDeleteHe really was flying (and loving every minute of it!).
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