|
|
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
CampingAs promised, I've got some camping pictures! We headed up to Shenandoah National Park, and were pleasantly surprised to see that the fall foliage, while not exactly at peak, was still pretty spectacular.  After setting up camp, we headed a bit further down Skyline Drive to mile 59.5, and took a lovely hike. According to our trail guide, it was a smidge over 5 miles, and should have taken about 3 hours and 30 minutes round trip. We were back at the car about 1 hour and 45 minutes later thanks to a certain three-legged dog who has 2 speeds - fast and faster. I thought I was going to pass out during a couple of particularly strenuous uphill sections! The hike was particularly interesting because it led us past 2 sets of ruins - the first was the remains of a small stone church, circa 1904, and a few other buildings.    At the end of the trail (it was an out-and-back), we found ourselves in an old cemetary - most of the markers were illegible, although a couple were more modern and could still be read. The most recent burial dated to the 1940s, but most were pre-1900.  After a VERY fast 2.5 mile return trip that left S and I gasping for breath, Abby got her reward - a dingo donut! After running for over 5 miles, we figured we could cheat on her diet a little bit.  A cold front came through overnight, and strong winds gave us a crystal-clear sky. We could see the Milky Way, and I even saw a shooting star! Unfortunately, it was also VERY cold when the wind gusted, so we weren't too tempted to stay stargazing! Since we knew it was supposed to be cold overnight, I had brought my old down comforter to keep Abby warm. I think she liked it... she was so warm under the comforter that both S and I had to stop giving her snuggles because she was making us too hot! It was still chilly the next morning, so Abby and I kept warm in the car while S finished packing up...  And on our way out, we made one last stop to play in the meadow. I think Abby would have dug up the entire field if we had let her - those moles are lucky S and I got so cold that we had to carry her away!  On our way out of the meadow, I happened to catch these beautiful deer enjoying the early morning...  And when we got home, Cricket volunteered to supervise the laundry pile. Apparently she's trying to teach me to put the hand-wash sweaters INTO the hand-wash hamper. If I'm lazy and only manage to put them NEAR the hamper, Cricket will assume that I would like for her to sleep in the big fuzzy wooly pile. SIGH.  Labels: Camping 0 comments || # |
|
