Virginia

Bob and I used to travel quite a bit before Caelan was born. Most of you know that we lived in Alaska for a while, and every break we had was spent going somewhere. This changed quite a bit once we had kids. We managed to squeeze in a few trips when Caelan was a baby, she has always been a very easy going kid. But the arrival of Garrett put a major crimp in our ability to go anywhere. He is very active and has a difficult time adjusting to new situations, and Bob and I both find it stressful at times to go anywhere with him. I am still surprised that we brought him to China. Lia is sort of unpredictable, but in general enjoys going to new places, and as long as she has her "cozy blanket" and an unlimited supply of milk for her bottle, she is pretty content.

We used to camp and backpack quite a bit and both of us have been to several National Parks. We decided that this summer would be a good time to start the tradition that we had hoped to continue when the kids were babies of going to a new National Park every summer. Neither of us had been to Shenandoah National Park before and it seemed a manageable drive so it was decided to go there.

The first day we drove 8 hours to New Stanton, Pennsylvania, where we stayed at a hotel, swam, and went to dinner. The next day, we drove a short distance to Idlewild Amusement Park. The kids loved the rides, until I brought Garrett on "The Spider." He was terrified and everybody at the park knew it.

After the park, we went to Bedford, PA, to rest up before making our final drive to Virginia.

W arrived in Shenandoah on Sunday and stayed at a hotel in Luray, VA for three nights. The first day in the park, we went on a hike up to Mary's Rock. Bob and I took turns carrying Lia in the Ergo, but both Caelan and Garrett did the 3 mile hike with ease. Garrett came down looking like an accident victim with all of his cuts and bruises, but it didn't phase him at all.

The next day, we went to the Luray Caverns, swam in the afternoon while Lia took a nap and then went for another hike in the evening, with a man that Bob works with, Greg, who also was visiting the park. On the way back to the hotel we saw a mama bear with three cubs close to the road.

Tuesday morning, another hike was planned with Greg, but Garrett insisted that he "wasn't going to go hiking for the rest of his life." By this time he realized how cut up he was- and he was just really crabby, so I decided to stay at the hotel with Garrett and Lia. Bob and Caelan left and we went put-put golfing and swimming.




Garrett felt better later in the afternoon, so we did make it for another hike, up to Little Stony Man. Hiking on cliffs and mountain sides was a bit nerve-wracking for both of us, especially with Garrett bouncing up the hill and us trying to keep up with him the whole time, but we did it.

We left on Wednesday and made it all the way back to Michigan, and stayed with my mom at their cottage. It was a great trip and I am amazed at how well they did in the car. Where should we go next summer?