Little Bennett Campground & Sugarloaf Mountain

This past weekend we decided to make an impromptu trip out to the edge of the DC metro area for our first family summer camping experience.  It was only about an hour away from us, but a totally new area for us called Clarksburg, Maryland.  We picked Little Bennett Campground there based on it being 50% off (I'll do anything for a coupon) as part of the Great American Backyard Campout event. 

I've never really camped in the prime of summer before, and was overly worried about the heat and the bugs.  But slathering us and our campsite with bug protectant, and sticking to the shade while outside made it a very enjoyable time.

We checked in right at noon on Saturday and made our way to site A8 (we decided near a bathhouse was best with our four year old).  The boys all busily set up the campground while I put together our walking tacos for lunch.  After we were fed and set up, we headed through the woods along the Nature Trail to get to the Hawk's Reach Activity Center were Theo got to make a bug box craft.

 Afterwards, we took Little Oak Trail to Big Oak Trail to Stoney Brook Trail which brought us back around to our campsite loop.  Altogether it was about a 2.5 mile, fairly easy trek.  With lots of different mushrooms to learn about and compare features.

 Despite being so tired from the hike that both boys needed to ride on daddy's shoulders, they both ran right up to the playground and had enough energy left to play some more at the end of the trail.

Afterwards we grilled some hamburgers over the quickly put together fire (another benefit of summer camping, the wood seems much better), and then headed back to the activity center for an ice cream social featuring root beer floats.  As always, our four year old was much more social than us, finding a boy to talk with based on the character t-shirt he was wearing (Legos, which we just saw at the dollar theatre).  I think this was the first time Theo had a root beer float, and of course he loved it (poor Eli just got the ice cream).

After some more campfire time, we all hit the tent.  Eli had a hard time sleeping so near to us (which meant mama did as well), but Theo slept like a rock at the edge of the tent as always and never stirred once.

After a dry night (we were surprised there didn't seem to be any dew), we woke up, had breakfast, and started packing up.  We didn't really have any plans for the day, but eventually decided that the nearby Sugarloaf Mountain sounded like a great place to spend a little more time hiking.  We figured at only 1282 feet, it's not too much for our 4 year old and almost 2 year old to manage.

We drove up to the last parking lot (West View), and just randomly started out on some trails, not planning to take a lot of time.  But we ended up hiking for more than two hours, heading up the blue trail toward McCormack Overlook, then taking the red trail up to a great vista at the top.  It was a little steep in some parts, and very rocky in others, but very doable for the boys.  The vista at the top was pretty rewarding.

Theo for some reason decided it was an Arizona mountain when he saw the view... he's got some surprises in store when we finally get to visit Phoenix with him.

Our last stop of the trip, was a quick stop at the nearby Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard that we had spied on the way to the mountain.  A quick check to their website said they were kid friendly, dog friendly, and you were welcome to picnic there.  This sounded perfect for our needs, and we had our mid-day meal at a picnic table neighboring their rows of grape vines, with a glass of wine.  (We didn't do them, but tastings are 8 for $10, fyi.)  It was so fabulous to get to relax at such a beautiful winery after a couple of days being outdoors.  Easily stopping at roadside wineries is definitely something I miss most from my pre-parenting, pre-pet-owner days, but this place was just a perfect stop for our family.  And the cherry on top of a beautiful weekend with my boys.

Cape May/Wildwoods

We wanted to head for the beach a few days ago while my little sister was here, and instead of going the usual route to Rehoboth, we wanted a change of scenery.  So we headed across the bridge to New Jersey for a nice day in the sun.

We picked Wildwoods, because they are one of the free beaches in Jersey.  Apparently you have to buy "beach badges" to go to a lot of the other ones.  We had a quick lunch at Marvis Diner before heading on to find the board walk.  The sand was hotttt, causing us to immediately run in and find the waves.  Theodore loved it, and we spent a lot of time keeping him from eating the fine grained particles.

After enough time for Brian to get thoroughly pink (he spent so much time putting sun screen on T he apparently forgot to do himself), we headed on over to see the quaint little town of Cape May.  The town is fairly equivalent to Lewes in Delaware (a ferry connects the two), and is full of bed & breakfasts, beautiful homes, and lots of beautiful blooming hydrangeas in a variety of colors.  We stopped by the lighthouse here.

Next, we stopped at the Cape May Winery and did a quick tasting while Erin and Theo napped in the car.  I enjoyed their Isaac Smith apple wine.  The vineyards and facilities were quite beautiful, and a nice end cap to the day.

On the drive back, we stopped at an ice cream stop that had truly unique flavors and mixes of ice cream.  Erin enjoyed her black raspberry, while my monster cookie was slightly outdone by Brian's scoops of funfetti cake-both were delicious.  It was definitely worth the stop, but I can't remember the name of the place.  I guess we will just have to go back... :)

Thanksgiving 2008

This Thanksgiving was the first one we spent in Indiana in a few years. Well, Indiana and Ohio. It was a very quick and whirlwind trip.

First, we woke up early on Thanksgiving, and headed for Toledo. We drove diagonally across Pennsylvania, and then across northern Ohio. It was a very pleasant drive, hardly any traffic, and though there was snow on the ground, none was on the road. I was impressed when we passed Penn State's football stadium-a huge fortress in the middle of nowhere.

 

We then spent the day with my husband's paternal side, before traveling on home to Indiana.

On Black Friday, my sister and I went out to make a purchase, and then did a little more shopping around Huntington. It really wasn't very crowded at all. Then, another of my sisters met us to see Twilight (the movie). The one had saw the movie already, and I made the other read part of the book on the drive there. They were each so loud during the movie-asking questions and making comments-I was about to kill them-but it was still fun to see the movie together.

That night we had dinner with my maternal side. After the delicious meal we participated in many rounds of corn-hole tournament. Apparently, my grandpa saw the game recently at a festival and decided to build his own. A couple years ago we were racing Matchbox cars on a track he built-we are a very competitive family. I was unofficially the worst player throughout the first few rounds. I did finally start doing good, and actually got three or four in the hole in a row.

We then headed back to Ohio, this time down toward Columbus, for my husband's maternal side. The game at this family was Quiddler-a word forming game based on cards. It was kind of a cross between Scrabble and Gin. We then traveled back to Delaware, stopping overnight in Morgantown, WV. The drive back was much slower, with rain, fog in the mountains, and more traffic. We did make one stop, trying one of the many wineries, Frederick Cellars. It was an okay place, nothing really stood out to me though. We did get the following:

-Chardonay "A lightly-oaked Chardonnay with delicate notes of pineapple. A nice compliment to just about everything."

-Rose 2007 "A dry Rose in the Rhone tradition; summer in a botthe with hints of strawberry. PAirs with fresh fruit, mild cheeses and grilled salmon."

-Merlot " From Annapolis, a smooth, full-bodied Merlot with flavors of blueberry and blackberry; pairs exceptionally well with hearty or spicy foods.