Pinball Wizard

After our glamping trip we have been taking it easy. We have been binge watching Grey's Anatomy and having a nightly pinball tournament. So far the little has won 4 nights in a row. Don't worry...I'm going to come in strong tonight...haha! Sometimes it is nice to kick back and recharge. Even Adventure Girls need rest every now and then. Until next time...adventure on!

Disco fever

We started the summer with 3,424 miles. We have done a lot on our road trip this summer! #Memories

Glamping Stop #3..."Train Wreck"

                                                                                July 26 - 27, 2018

Glamping stop #3...a caboose on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The positives of the property are that it has a wonderful view with a beautiful sunset! You can sit out and watch it in one of the many wooden swings. Donnie, the owner, is a friendly, talkative guy that is very welcoming. The cabin was well air conditioned and had a clean, mountain air freshness to it upon entering. It was open and plenty of room for the two of us. The caboose is closely located to some really awesome antique shops. Be ready to pay Blue Ridge Parkway antique prices if you are shopping there. We did a bit of window shopping and had fun. The caboose is also close to Mt Airy (Mayberry). We have been there twice so we skipped it this trip. It is a neat town to visit though. I mean...who didn't love Andy Griffith?!

Grassy Creek Cabooses boasts 3 cabooses and a "train depot"/cabin. From a distance it is the cutest setup and is even decked out with railroad crossing signs and railroad cars "loaded with dynamite". Can you say "Kodak moment"? As you get closer to the cabooses, you realize that the cool factor has worn off and it is really "lipstick on a pig". The cabooses are in need of a good blasting away of the old paint and a fresh new coat of red paint. Updates inside the cars are also needed and decor truly fitting with an old time caboose would make be more aesthetically pleasing...not Lionel the train curtains & "grandma's" handmedown sofa and calling it a day. Foregoing decor, I think the hot tub may have leaked (trust me...we did NOT use it...must've been the people before us.) onto the carpet as there was a water stain around it and the carpet felt damp. We wore our flip flops. We stripped the bed and went with our sleeping bags & pillows, just in case. We were good. We opted for a spit bath as the shower needed some Tilex. We are headed home in the morning so we are fine. 

The is no wifi in the cabooses, nor majority of the property. Yikes! We found one spot approaching the owner's home. It would be nice if he shared. We have been binge watching Friends during vacation at nights so we were quite disappointed! Adventure Girls come prepared though and we quickly unplugged from the world and kicked it old school. We broke out the cards and Mancala games. We walked around and took pictures and then realized a word game we like on my cell didn't need internet to work. We worked together to solve word puzzles...giggling and laughing and had a really good time. 

The caboose was a disappointment...no lie. Was it the worst place we ever stayed? No. Did we both slam our hand in the big, heavy train door? Yes...and it HURT...safety hazard! Did we take a look at each other and both say, "We should have started with this, gone to the treehouse and then to the tipi?", yes. However, we do try to find the adventure and fun in each experience. This night brought us giggles and quality time together. For that I am grateful! Now, am I recommending this place to others?...no...not unless some work is done to make improvements. 

We caught the 1st train out in the morning!

A stark contrast to the photo on their website that is 15 years old!

Break out the sleeping bags!

This door slammed both of our hands on 2 separate closings...ouch!

We did have a gorgeous view :)

The "train depot"...cabin for rent.

Whoa! It's dynamite!

The full moon.

A Walk on the Wildside!

July 26, 2018

New River Gorge Bridgewalk

This morning we headed over to the New River Gorge National Park. It is just gorgeous! We went out on the Bridgewalk over the Gorge. It was so cool! Ashley was our guide. She was super sweet and gave us neat information and tips for the area. Ashley was easy to hang out for our walk and helped us to have a really great day. 

The walk wasn't at all scary. We were tethered to a wire attached to bolts on the bridge. We were 851 feet up but the bridge is 876 feet tall. We could feel the cars going over us above. It was pretty cool. I won't lie, it did make me think a couple of times about what would happen if the bridge collapsed but YOLO! You can see a graphic below of how the bridge compares to the height of some other well known, tall buildings/bridges. Pretty cool to think we were walking up there. The only other bridge that has a similar walk in the world is Sydney, Australia. We may have to add that to our bucket list after we finish our "Discover America, 50 State Tour" and of course Ireland (my bucket list dream!).

While we were on the bridge we could see whitewater rafters and kayakers enjoying some fun on the New. We learned interesting facts about the bridge and also about Bridge Day. I would so love to return for Bridge Day. They have people that parachute from the bridge and all kinds of activities. It sounds amAzing! It is always the 3rd Saturday in October. 

Once we finished up on our bridgewalk, we headed to lunch at one of Ashley's recommendations, the Secret Sandwich Society. Wow! Their food was DELICIOUS! Their homemade french onion dip was so good that we had to purchase some to take home with us. The little said the ketchup tasted homemade as well and was super yummy.  How can you co wrong with fresh and homemade? You can't! The secret is definitely out...this place is great! #ShareYourSecret

After lunch we headed off for one of Ashley's other recommendations, the New River Gorge Scenic Drive. It was SO pretty to see the bridge, falls and scenery from a different perspective. I definitely recommend doing both the bridge and driving tour. 

We had a great day visiting such a wonderful place that we just happened to stumble upon by staying at the treehouse. We will definitely have to return to take in some of the other adventures that they have here. Well worth the trip!

The New River Bridge

The view before we started. We went across that silver bridge and through a locked gate to start our tour.

The area we walked was in the darkened area in the middle.

Getting started :)

No fear here! Adventure Girls!

One view just opened up into another. So pretty!

The beam is about 2' wide and very sturdy.

We took a little time just to sit, relax and to take in the view below. Ashley took pictures for us.

Adventure Girls

You can see we were thethered to the bridge at all times and our phones had to be attached to us as well.

Dangling 851' above the gorge. We sat for a while and chilled or chatted with Ashley.

Relaxing spot!

We love adventure!

Look closely and you can see the whitewater rafters below!

Adventure Girls with our awesome guide!

We did it!

View along our scenic drive.

I wanted to go rafting but the little didn't want to this trip. Here you can see one of the rafters taking a swim before having to get back in to go through the next rapid.

Old wooden bridge and a view of the New River Bridge and Gorge.

The New River is about 360 miles long and flows from North Carolina to West Virginia. It is unique in the fact that it flows south to north. Cool!

Relaxing!