Anniversary Week Vacation is a Tradition to Keep

Last year, we took vacation the week of our anniversary to celebrate 10 years.  The weather was superb… so we did it again.  This week the weather, again, is superb!!!!  It’s sunny, warm but not sticky, and just so entirely pleasant.  So we’ve spent the majority of it outside.

We happened upon the Allegheny Geo Trail and decided it would be fun to tackle this week.  Well… at least a portion of it.  Basically, you visit a specific county in PA and pick up a passport booklet.  County by county, you have to find at least 6 specially marked geocaches.  They have a special stamp in them that you use to mark your passport.  Then you take it to the passport headquarters for that county and they will give you a trackable commemorative geocoin.

We started in Venango County.  It was HARD.  The first cache find took hours because we kind of went the hard way.  Ooops!  It didn’t help that we forgot to mark the waypoint for the car and decided to just pick our way through the forest in the supposed right direction.  We were thankful to find another hiker out with his dog who pointed us to the right trail.  We would have eventually found it, but it may have taken a while longer.  All in all though… we got the required 6 and returned for our little prize.  We closed out the day with a quick stop at DAIRYQUEEN!!!  Oh ya!!!

 

Yesterday we hit Crawford County working on the same goal.  We found 5 out of 6 caches.  We would have had all 6, but we failed to read the fine print telling us that we had to find one of them during regular business hours.  UGH!!!  It was beautiful there though.  We loved the sky and the water.

 

The Covered Bridge cache was the first one yesterday.  It was so neat and quaint.  It’s near Seneca Hills Bible Camp.  We saw a chicken way out there in nowhereville… WEIRD!!! 

 

This sunflower field was in a conservation area near Polk, PA.  What a neat town in a really cool valley.  Very nice. 

I couldn’t resist this photo of the awesome sky reflecting off the pond.  So majestic!!!  God sure does know how to put together an awesome site!

 

Here we are… happy hikers! 

 

We ended the day with a DELICIOUS dinner at Rachel’s Roadhouse.  We had a gift card that cut our bill in half! I’m all about a bargain.  Today we think we’ll visit Red Robin… to get my free birthday sandwich.  The offer expires after today.  Mmmm…. chicken sandwich.  YUMMA!!!!

 

Today we are doing other things around home.  The car needs a little repair.  I think it’s not cut out to handle all the back country dirt roads of the north.  Hopefully it’s not an expensive repair.  It did, however, convince me that it would be good to have a AAA membership.  Thankfully, it didn’t leave us stranded.

 

We have plenty more exploring to tackle… we can’t wait!  AND… we are planning to drop a geocaching Travel-Bug on our anniversary, in honor of our anniversary that will be tasked with traveling to all the coolest honeymoon destinations in the world.  How fun!!!

Crouse Run Nature Reserve

Over coffee this morning, Keith says “What’s the plan for today?”  “Well” I reply, “I’d really like to hike, but I realize that you are really beat from working hard this week.”  “Sorry.  I really don’t feel like it today.” he says.  “I understand.  If you don’t want to go, I can go later without you.  No big deal.”  The conversation continues noting that we have a couple of travel bugs we need to move.  Maybe we could find somewhere close by to drop them.  That turned into agreeing to hit this little trail not far from home… The Crouse Run Nature Reserve. 

There were three caches along this trail that we were determined to find.  If we hoofed it a little farther, we could have had four, but we were on a race against the clock because he has to work today.  The photo above is the one called “Wildwood Boardwalk.”  There is a marshy area on the trail where they have basically built a boardwalk so you can continue on.  And then hidden not far off the beaten path was this box of goodies.  We snagged a small container of Playdoh, trading it for one of the travel bugs we needed to move. 

 

 

The trail was really neat.  It followed close to a creek bed.  We crossed the creek at least three times.  I guess that’s why the geocaching site warned to wear boots and prepare to get wet.  I wish we would have had time to play in the creek.  There was so much shale that its probably a fossil-gold-mine if you take the time to search.  As a matter of fact, if we had not had time constraints, we probably would have walked back IN the creek bed instead of on the trail. 

 

There were all kinds of interesting sites along the way.  Aside from water, rocks, trees, and foot bridges, there was an area with a bunch of odd structures around a fire pit.  I’m not sure what happened or happens here, but maybe some kind of Indian re-enactment?   There were a couple tent-like things made out of tree branches and leaves.  It was slightly creepy.  We did not linger long. 

 

So all in all… so much for NOT hiking today.  It was kind of short (hike-wise), but it was still really fun.  I enjoyed spending quality time with my Hubby.  

Weekend Adventures

Here is a photo from the wedding picnic on Saturday.

 

After church Sunday morning, we hooked up with my friend and her daughter and went hiking at North Park.  We found SIX caches in 2.5 hours.  We hiked up big hills and down steep valleys.  We saw a lovely doe in the woods.  We passed over some baby snakes and around creepy spider webs.  There was an observation deck, but there wasn’t much to see because of the overgrowth of vines in the area.  There were bird-boxes and houses galore.  There was a pond, wetlands, prairie, ants, birds, squirrels, and the like.  It was sunny, hot, and humid.  We stopped at a bridge to admire rather large trout and a school of baby bass.  Afterwards, we stopped for ice cream.  (that’s allowed on Sundays)

Overall… it was an AWESOME afternoon of hiking!  I cannot wait to go again!

Recap of Last Week

Monday:  work, haircut – nice and short

Tuesday: work, chores, cdentist

Wednesday:  work, chores, RIDE!!!

Thursday:  work, chores, Penny had her feet trimmed, spent hours chatting with friends and enjoying the evening

Friday:  work, chores, home early to do house-work and enjoy some peace.

Saturday:  WEDDING celebration!!!  My cousin married her high-school sweetheart.  It was hot, but just lovely.

Sunday:  Up early…. to be continued…

 

This weeks goals:

• Focus on intake
• HIKE!!!
• Clip Coupons
• Get Groceries
• Ride at least once

Canoe Trip Continued…

I just thought these were pretty pictures that Keith took with his cell phone.  Enjoy!

Am I Adventurous?

Ok. It’s gone beyond just trying a new food, turkey burgers.  Somehow I got the itch to try canoeing again.  I’m NOT a water sport kind of a gal.  Not by a mile!!!  We went once before, years ago, and I hated every minute of it!  When your feet are supposed to be dry… they are supposed to be dry!  Perhaps I didn’t really know what to expect?  Hmmm…  The thing is… we both hurt our ankles on Saturday, so we didn’t want to hike, but we definitely wanted to enjoy the day. 

I DID fall out of the boat.  We banked it here in the rocks.  I got out first.  I slipped on a slimy rock and fell right on my butt in about 6 inches of water!!!!  My other leg was stuck in the boat.  Ahhhhh!!!!  So then the people floating past on tubes wanted to know if I was ok, which I was, just embarrassed.  When I finally regained my composure I noticed a lobster-size crayfish in the water right beside where my butt was planted!  Ahhhhh!!!!!!!  Keith said he could see it from the back of the boat.  WOW!  

Oh well.  The water was warm and mostly calm.  It was a nice upper body workout, only 4 miles.  What a gorgeous day for it!  I would do that again in a heartbeat!  (don’t tell Keith!) 

 

So there you have it… perhaps an adventurous side of me does exist?  Hmmm… what next?  Fish for dinner???  Doubt it!!!

Recreation Gone Bad

I was so excited this morning to have my Handy Hubby home for the morning hours.  He agreed to hike with me, so I located a couple of geocache coordinates and told him I wanted to go to North Park.  The Red-Dot trail I’ve frequented lately has a cache along it that we have yet to look for.  It’s a multi-cache requiring approximately a 2-mile hike.  That sounded perfect given the fact that he would need to be home by lunchtime to get ready for work.

 

My walking sticks were worth their weight in gold today!  I slipped on the first hill. I almost landed on my butt; however, I caught myself with my walking stick.  Whew!  We opted to hike UP the hill on the Red-dot, as I usually do.  Well… I twisted my ankle about half way up the hill.  It was bad enough that the next few steps were extremely ouchy, and I needed to stop and regain my composure.  Keith was so concerned and supportive.  I love that about him.  I decided to walk it out, so up the hill we went. 

 

So we find the approximate spot where the first leg of the multi-cache is supposed to be.  We found a clue attached to a tree reading “You are close.  Keep looking.”  That was cute.  We didn’t find the actual cache with the coordinates though.  We gave up after scouring the area and finding nothing but a zip tie on a tree with nothing attached to it.  So much for our geocaching idea. 

 

We decided to go back down the trail towards where we parked, in search of another cache in that general direction about 3/4 of a mile.  Part way down we switched trails to the one that passes by the stone ruins I may have mentioned in another post. 

Of course Keith insisted on checking it out.  There is even a picnic table down there.  It’s at the bottom of a muddy hill, which I refused to tackle today because my ankle was still a little bit tender.  The problem was his getting back up the hill.  He had NO traction.  I watched him almost make it up, but then slide back down as if he was skiing backwards, probably THREE times!  I was laughing, but he didn’t think it was funny, especially when he wacked his ankle on a tree branch.  OUCH!  So he finally climbed up out of the pit, but at that point he was in pain.  So much for finding the other cache. 

 

We walked a little more slowly back to the car, dumbfounded about how this recreational opportunity panned out.  So we stopped at the grocery and got some good fresh fruit and vegetables and then headed for home.  We both ate lunch with our ankles elevated and iced.  How romantic…. NOT!!!

 

I want to be out and about tomorrow too.  I’m trying to think of something to enjoy in the outdoors after church.  I’m thinking hiking (if our ankles are up to it) or fishing or something like that.  I’ve been considering the possibility of canoeing again; however, I have not yet fully convinced myself of that.  It’s just a notion.  Although that would probably rest the ankles, right?  Hmmmm…

Last Weekend’s Fun

Last weekend we made a little road trip to a fishing hole we hadn’t tried yet.  We went to Westmoreland Park.  It’s a lovely park with picnic tables everywhere, pavilions for parties, a beach area for swimming, camping, hiking, fishing, and boating.  There were kayaks and canoes constantly passing by. 

We didn’t catch a lot. It was HOT!  We did catch a couple small bass and some sunfish.  The water was surprisingly clear.  We could see fish coming close to shore.  I mostly fed them worms instead of actually hooking them. 

A couple times we caught our lines on the rocky bottom.  The first time Keith snagged his about 8 feet from shore, I offered to get in the water to free it for him.  An then as you can see… he was obliged to do the same for me. 

 

It was an enjoyable time.  It’s never long enough though.  We need to learn to plan ahead better.  I’d love to return to this park to do some more things….like hike!  I *might* be coerced into trying a boating activity since the water is so clear and seemingly calm.  No guarantees though.  

My Lovey

I love my new kitty.  I love my old kitties too, but this one is different.  She LOVES me back… like in a BIG WAY!!!  She wears a collar with a bell.  I can hear her come from afar when I call her.  She snuggles with me all the time.  She wants to be wherever I am.  She’s possessive.  She doesn’t like the other kitties to be near me.  She wakes me in the morning, which is annoying but so freaking cute that you can’t be mad.  She is precious!  She’s my LOVEY. 

HOT Date!

Keith took me for a dinner date this evening.  We have been to this winery before; but, now they have a restaurant too.  We sat outside on the patio, under an umbrella, listening to live music.  The food was fantastic!  We both ordered the same thing, Pasta Vite.  It was pasta with grilled chicken, spinach, roasted plum tomatoes, and a light sauce.  YUMMO!  I was pleased that it was light and refreshing. 

 

Keith had red wine and I ordered Sangria.  It just seemed like a Sangria kind of a day.  It was very tasty!  Of course, we both drank full glasses of water too. 

 

 

When I said it was a HOT DATE… it was… Literally!!!!  It was 89 degrees outside!  Thank goodness for the umbrella!  There is a beautiful tiered fountain on the patio.  They have a special picnic area for people who buy a bottle of wine and bring their own food.  I would definitely recommend this place.  We will surely be back!

 

Afterwards he took me to Sincerely Yogurt.  It’s a new place where you serve yourself and pay by weight.  His was chocolate with peanut butter sauce and Reeses peanut butter cups.  I had blackberry with fresh strawberries, maraschino cherries, and a squirt of whipped cream.  YUMMA!!!

 

I’m not a big fan of the heat, especially when the humidity is high.  I have to say though, I really enjoyed my time with Keith tonight. 

Weekends Are Made for Hiking

I went for a short hike this morning at North Park.  The humidity is at 90%.  I parked on top of the hill on the Ridge Road, but as it goes, there was a pretty big hill about half way.  It dropped about 200 feet elevation in about a quarter mile.  Coming back up was HARD!!!

I saw a very pretty deer.  It was a young buck.  Then there were baby turkeys that I kicked up.  They scared the bejeebers out of me!  Perhaps I should have brought my Bear-Bell?  There was a snake, but it was dead.  It still startled me though.  There were bikers, hikers, chipmunks, squirrels, bunnies, and bugs… beautiful dragon flies and even a butterfly or two.  It’s interesting how much you will see when you are out there without making a lot of noise. 

 

Given the heat and humidity, I chose to keep it short today… only 80 minutes and 2.6 miles.  Better than nothing, but not long enough to be caught out in the hottest part of the day. 

A Few Pictures From Vacation

The Zombecks took these pictures of us at the Toledo Zoo. 

 

Raccoon Creek State Park

We went to Raccoon to hike, fish, and boat.  We ended up fishing and boating.  Well… Nobody hiked.  Keith did not fish.  He forgot to bring his license.  Amanda and I did not boat.  It’s just not for us.  But it was FUN anyway!!!

Milestone

My reliable little Corolla rolled past 100000 miles this past week.  Wow!  It’s been a good car.  The most we’ve had to put into it has been tires, brakes, and oil changes… with the exception of the deductible I paid when the tree branch fell in front of me a couple years back.  The air conditioning died a little more than a year ago.  We had it recharged with dye last week when we took it in for inspection.  That lasted a whopping THREE days.  UGH!  Keith is taking it in next week to be re-assessed.  Nothing like a little summer heat for an hour long commute to get you thinking about trading it in on a new car.  We both agree… we’d rather save save save with hopes to buy a house someday.  Toyotas have longevity.  We hope to squeeze a good many more miles out of it. 

Solo Hike Today

Keith doesn’t like me to go out hiking alone.  On days like today the urge was just too much… I HAD to do it!  On the rare occasion when I do set out alone, I try to stay on trails that I’m sure are fairly well traveled. 

 

North Park was bustling with people today, mostly in the picnic areas.  I started out on the red-dot trail UPHILL.  I spooked Jake-the-Snake as I crossed the creek.  YIKES!  He was brown with darker brown markings on his back and about 2 feet long.  This is when I decided that it would be a good idea to wear my bear-bell when I hike.  Unfortunately, it’s clipped onto my saddle and an hour away.   So I clipped my keys on my hip so they’d jingle just loud enough to disturb the wildlife that may be lurking in my path.

 

After passing the point where we turned around last week, I hoofed it a good long ways past the spot.  I hit the red/green dot on the way uphill.  Note to self:  red/green dot uphill is a killer.  A pep-talk may be in order before doing it again. 

 

 

After finding my way much further on the red dot, I eventually turned around and tried the red/yellow dot, which is where I happened upon this cute little bridge.  The sun was hot but most of the trail in under the cover of the trees, so it wasn’t too bad.  I eventually ended up back on the red dot trail headed back towards home-base.

 

 

On the way back I picked up the red/black dot trail along the upper ridge.  I found some sort of stone structure up there.  Another note to self:  Must go back with Keith and check that out.  Great spot to hide a cache if there isn’t one already. 

 

Eventually I found myself on the Rachel Carson Trail and actually ended the hike near this sign which is just about where I crossed back over the creek… no snake this time.   All in all, it was about 4.5 miles, maybe slightly longer.  YAY!!!

Vacation Day #7: Loner But Not for Long

Today started bright and EARLY!!!  I went to the Farmer’s Market to help put up orders for Kennedy’s.  As always, it was refreshing to return to see old customers and friends.  It was a very busy and tiring morning.

 

I visited with Keith for a bit.  Took a nap.  Gave the kitties some attention.  Clipped my coupons.  Made the shopping list.  Clipped some internet coupons.  Did almost all the laundry.  Now I’m effectively putting off going to the store.  I just don’t feel like shopping today, but I must.  I’d like to hike, but have yet to find someone who wants to go with me.  Bummer.

 

Plans for tomorrow include attending church, putting my fruit-kabobs together, and heading to the Zom’s for a picnic birthday celebration for Joyce and David’s birthdays.  I already have something for Joyce.  I’m thinking of giving David cash this year.  That’s what I’m doing for Wendy’s kids.  

Vacation Day #6: I’m a Loner

Keith went back to work today.  Boo hoo! 

 

The fun must not stop here!  Tammi & Caleb & I hit North Park for a fairly quick 2.5 mile hike.  It was mostly uphill on the way out so an easy downhill on the way back.  We saw squirrels, bunnies, chipmunks, and some deer, with a fawn still in spots!  The lake looks so much more inviting now that it’s being re-filled.  It was a good little hike followed by a stop at the ice cream stand. 

 

 

From there I went straight to the farm.  We loaded up our tack and precious equine cargo and went to Moraine State Park for a nice long ride.  I’m so proud of Penny.  She loads and hauls pretty easy, quite the contrast from her first trailer ride about 16 years ago this week.  Some of the trail was familiar and some was new.  I wish I would have taken a camera to snap photos of one particular portion.  There is a land-bridge type area, swampy on either side with heavy Lilli pads.  At the end was a fairly large wooden bridge.  Penny didn’t much care for the strange hollow sound of her hooves crossing the bridge, but she pressed on like the good little trooper she is.  We trotted most of the ride trying to leave the bugs behind.  No amount of fly spray truly repels deer flies.    They were HORRIBLE!!!  She led the way for the last leg of the trip.  Again… I’m so proud of her!!!  I think she moves out very well and is actually better matched with Rambo as a riding buddy this year.  He covers the ground faster and doesn’t try to race like Sir.  It was GRAND!!!

 

What a well rounded day of exercise and fun!  Vacation is SO AWESOME!!!!