Counseling for the Daring Traveler
It all begins when you decide to break away without the “group of tourists” surrounding you. You may be planning to go it alone, with a companion or with a few friends that share your enthusiasm for adventure; and it’s not that difficult! Perhaps this site will offer some helpful advice to motivate you into action, to decide where to go, when to go and how to plan to get there. There may be even a thought or two on what to do when you arrive at your destination. This advice comes from a well seasoned traveler that rarely uses a travel agent or travel agency to plan for me and my traveling companions.
Backyards…
Look no further that your backyard for some sunny outside time!
Here near home, is a park along the Roanoke River with trails that lead down to the water -
But up along the mountain base, you may find local company enjoying the sunshine as much as you are!
Virginia Opossum in a tree
AND: On a very recent trip to Denver CO while staying in the outlying Aurora, we discovered this gem in our backyard…
This is Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge where you can hike through the park, drive around the park - enjoying buffalo roaming, prairie dogs popping in and out of their holes, geese flying over lakes and lots of surrounding mountain caps covered in snow…just be aware of the planned burns as it does impact the air quality!
This refuge has 15,000 acres, 20 miles of trails…right in Denver’s backyard: RMA National Wildlife Refuge
So what’s keeping you from visiting your backyard?
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A Winter Weekend in Virginia
Tripping to the Charlottesville area, Nelson County actually, for a weekend getaway…of drinking (adult beverages), some hiking and some eBiking during the mid-winter turned out to be quite awesome!
Cloudless sky, warmed by the sun to 60 degrees made for a perfect weekend…Camping (or almost glamping since we chose to stay in a cabin) at Misty Mountain Camp Resort was an excellent home base of operations for this getaway.
From the front door of cabin #11, we were surrounded by a rustic scene while the sounds were only of nature.
Of course this serene setting changed rapidly as we set out for Nelson County Route 151 and all the choices of wineries, breweries and even a distillery. But before we started the alcoholic samplings, we hiked the Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail…a nice 4.5 mile round trip hike that takes you through the mile long (train) tunnel and back again…a great warm-up to prepare for some tasty treats along highway 151!
Historic tunnel built by labor in the mid 1800’s…is well worth your time to visit and hike through it.
Day 1, Blue Mountain Brewery, Brewing Tree Beer Company, Silverback Distillery and the Flying Fox winery provided the first part of the weekend with fabulous adult beverages and lots of good food choices all along the 151 corridor…even a Hop-on Hop off transit was available for those who chose not to drive.
Later that evening we traversed northward to listen to a Rolling Stones tribute band, Cherry Red, at the Pro Re Nata Brewery…lots of cold brews, hot wings and a crowd pleasing musical performance made for an outstanding event.
Day 2, some eBiking in Charlottesville along the river on the Rivanna River Trail and then on to the McIntire Park to finish the morning riding before once again embarking on adult consumption of fine beverages…
An absolute must “revisit”, the Glass House Winery, part of the Monticello Wine Trail, was a fitting end to a spectacular weekend with friends…music provided by a father-son duet, the Rimels, set in a unique tropical plant conservatory while serving excellent wine (and chocolates) rounded out this holiday weekend. We chose the Merlot/Tannat and glad we did!
“Wellbeing is attained by little and little, and nevertheless is no little thing itself.”
All I want for Christmas is to plan my next trip…
But for now, I will share one of the more unique and enjoyable trips I have taken….the country of Panama…click to: take a look!
Decisions, decisions…
Decision - Do we go out in the cold and rain to play, or just stay sheltered, secure and warm? Well…
Getting cold outside meant more decisions…like which side of the tree do we take?
Or, where do we dock the drift boat for a break?
Some decisions required watching for rocks as we drifted through the rapids….
But the best decision this day was to go fishing with my son and a local guide and try to catch a muskie!
So… my advise is to forgo the warmth and security of your shelter for some exciting adventure on a river near you, even if you don’t catch a fish all day…because being out with someone you care about is warmth enough.