Day 13: Sycamore

We're home! We got in around 2:30pm.

Day 12: Ohio

On our final day of vacationing we went to Hocking Hills State Park. It was a cross between Maquoketa Caves State Park and Starved Rock State Park, only on a larger scale. First, we went to see Old Man's Cave, which was a huge cave that used to be the home of a man who lived his life as a hermit along with his dogs in the late 1700's. Next, we went to the lower falls. Although the falls only had trickles of water going over them, there was a pool of water at the bottom which we waded in. Jessie and I both tried to log roll on a piece of wood we found, but neither of us was to successful. We also tried to skip some rocks, but dad was the only one who was able to do it. After we were done there, we moved on to the upper falls. Those falls however, didn't have any water going over them but it was still cool to look at the rock formations and the bridge going over the top of the falls. Then, we stopped by rockhouse, which was the best cave I've ever been in (except for Y cave for those of you who have been to Maquoketa). Dark, cold, and high up made this cave a must see. The last thing we saw at the park was Ash Cave. This was a cave that was at least 100 yards in diameter and 100 feet in height and we walked in, on top, and around it in order to see it from every aspect. After spending about 5 hours at the park we left and were off to our last hotel. But the fun wasn't over yet, as we soon found out. We had to switch rooms two times because our first one didn't have internet or phone service, and the next one had a door that nobody (not even the manager or maintenance dude) could get open. But, we finally got a room that would do. Tomorrow, we do nothing but drive home for 5-6 hours. So hang in there Molly; I'll be back soon!!

Day 11: West Virginia

This was mostly just a driving day but we did have one stop at Twin Falls State Park in WV. We had some trouble finding the entrance to the park but once there we had an easy one mile hike to see the two main falls at the park. Why they call them twin falls is a mystery to us, they really weren't all that similar. The drive through WV was beautiful. Lots of winding roads with plenty of awesome views.

Just a side note: If you are wondering what happened to banjo playing youth named Lonnie from "Deliverance" I met him in the laundry room at one of our hotels a few days ago. Well, it may not of actually been him but this was running through my mind as I was talking to him. Quite scarry.

Day 10 (part 3): North Carolina

Our last stop of the day was at Stone Mountain State Park. Wow, three mountains in one day; could this day get any better? Here we saw a couple waterfalls, Stone Mountain, and the Hutchinson Homestead. The waterfalls weren't as full with water as we hoped they would be, but they were still interesting. The photo shows Stone Mountain Falls, a 200 foot drop down an inclined rock face. The homestead was built in the late 1800's and had interactive displays telling about that period of time. We hiked the about 3 of the 4.5 mile long trail around the mountain, skipping the climb to the top. There were so many deer (we saw about 12). Even though we didn't hike up the mountain it was still pretty gruesome, the end of the trail had about 450 steps, it felt so good to sit in the air conditioned car, but the hike was totally worth it.

Day 10 (part 2): North Carolina

Our second stop was at Pilot Mountain State Park. I can't tell you how excited Jessie and I were when we saw this mountain from the side of the road. Luckily we got to drive most of the way up, and we only had to do a short trail around the top. There were also a few overlooks that we stopped at where we saw a beautiful valley below, which we all enjoyed. At first it was a little foggy and you couldn't see the whole mountain but after the hike we went back to an overlook and got a couple of pictures, like the photo shown. When we were driving in the parking lot we stopped to let a squirrel by, but it seemed to be challenging us, as if saying "Come closer I dare you!" Thankfully it finally moved and we went on to find a parking place.

Day 10 (part 1): North Carolina

Our first stop today was at Hanging Rock State Park. We did three different trails here: one to see a pathetic waterfall, one to see some ok waterfalls, and one to see Hanging Rock. The trail to Hanging Rock wasn't that bad (compared to all the mountains we've been hiking up). When we got to the top you were able to walk out on some cliffs and yes, you guessed it, a hanging rock. The view from the top was pretty awesome with shear cliffs all around you. Even though the picture was suppose to be of me, Jessie always manages to find her way in somehow. God, Jessie, whatever you wanted to tell me, I think it could wait!

Atlantic Sunrise

I took this sunrise photo from our balcony at our Virginia Beach hotel. A great view but a dump of a hotel. It was like being on spring break with all the sights, sounds, and smells you would imagine. We couldn't get out of this area fast enough.

Day 9: Virginia

Ok, now we're back on track, but I've written the last three days all in one night so don't expect anything big for this one. Today on our ninth day of sight seeing, we went to Colonial Williamsburg and James River Park. Colonial Williamsburg was awesome! There were constant reenactments, and houses and shops you could visit to see how things were done and made.

James River Park in Richmond was not worth the hike we took to try and find it. Again more bad directions from the locals; a confederate mile must equal about five northern miles. The only reason I kept walking was so that at the end I could go in the river and drown myself. I did however end up saving a fish from frying itself in a drying up pool of water so I guess I had a reason to go there in the end. Dad note: Jessie and I had fun here, Alli didn't want to go in the water and is getting tired of hiking. Won't tomorrow be fun - up two mountains in NC.

Day 8: Virginia and North Carolina

On day eight we visited First Landing State Park, Wright Brothers Memorial, and the Historic Jamestown Fort (photo). First landing wasn't that interesting; just a walk in the woods (cypress swamp) with lots of mosquitos eating you alive, and sucky directions from both signs and people. It was however the first place where members of the Virginia Company landed. The Wright Brothers Memorial was more entertaining though. We saw the memorial, the museum/visitor center, and the airfield and distance markers for their first four flight attempts. At Jamestown we saw remains and replicas of old of buildings, some statues, and a museum where they showed artifacts that had been discovered at the site. Life was pretty rough back then.

Day 7 (part 3): Delaware

We took a ferry across the bay to Cape Henlopen State Park. The storm blew over while we were waiting for our ferry so we actually got to do stuff here such as play on the beach, play in the water watch dolphins, and look for cool shells. The beach was beautiful and we were just about the only people there.

Day 7 (part 2): New Jersey

Cape May Point State Park. We stayed here about an hour because a lightning storm was coming in and the beach and grounds had to be evacuated. You can see in the photo how dark it was in the distance.

Day 7 (part 1): New Jersey

On day seven we went to see Lucy the Elephant, a National Historic Landmark. Lucy is actually a building and was cheesier than the singing cow ride at Hershey's Chocolate World. You might be able to see us standing on the top platform in the photo. We also drove on some of the streets named in the board game Monopoly.

Day 6 (part 3): Philadelphia

Philadelphia was so much different from the rest of our vacation because it is by far the most urban of our stops. We walked from our hotel to see Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Benjamin Franklin's grave, and the Visitors Center. It was fascinating how the historic and modern Philadelphia have merged into one city but still kept their uniqueness. Photo shows us at the Liberty Bell and sitting on the front steps of Independence Hall waiting for our tour.

Day 6 (part 2): Pennsylvania

First just a note that the next few posts will be brief because we have had poor wireless connections at the last couple hotels. We have many things to tell you about but little time as I am also doing laundry tonight. Alli is the main author of our blogs. - Mark

Photo shows us in front of the National Memorial Arch and Dad imitating a stone face within the arch. Valley Forge was interesting because there were many memorials and statues to see. The house where George Washington HQ'd and stayed was pretty cool, a bit better than the barracks where the soldiers lived. There were people reenacting different jobs around the grounds such as cooking, washing, and life in general.

Day 6 (part 1): Delaware

Our only stop in Delaware was in Brandywine Creek State Park. The wall here reminded my dad of the one that was in the movie The Shawshank Redemption. Plus, who could pass up the chance to sit on a stone wall covered in bird poop?

Day 5 (part 2): Pennsylvania

Next we went to Gettysburg NMP. Instead of taking the bus tour we decided to do the auto tour to see the different battlefields, memorials, cemeteries, and statues. We also got to see replicas of the original cannons they used in battle. Jessie proved herself a worthy soldier, as she needed no help understanding the artillery. Way to go, Jessie. Last, we visited Hershey's Chocolate World where we took a tour to see how they made their chocolate. The tour was a ride and was the cheesiest thing I've ever done in my life. The first scene we saw was three cows in feather boas singing "It's the milk chocolate! Come on girls! It's the milk chocolate!" Jessie was totally enjoying it, Dad was laughing at it, and I slumped down in my seat and hid my face (I didn't want to be seen on the ride). When the ride was over we left the park and drove to our hotel. I'll tell you now: I don't think I'll ever get those singing cows out of my head.

Day 5 (part 1): Maryland

On our fifth day started in Maryland with stops at Cunningham Falls State Park and Catoctin Mt. State Park. While there we went on two trails; one to see Thurmont Vista Overlook and the other to see Wolf Rock and Chimney Rock (photo). At Wolf Rock we were able to climb over lots of giant rocks and jump over deep crevices. Chimney rock however, did not look like a chimney and there were only a few rocks you could climb on.

Day 4 (part 2): Virginia

Next, we visited Shenandoah National Park. While there, we climbed up 2 mountains (where we experienced an amazing 360 degree view of the valley), visited Dark Hollow Falls where you could walk around and get soaked in the freezing cold water, and stopped at several overlooks, where you could get a view of the spectacular valley below. Afterwards we all agreed that Shenandoah was our favorite place we visited so far. Then, with most of the day gone, we drove to our hotel in Hagerstown, MD.

Day 4 (part 1): Virginia

Today we visited two places: Monticello and Shenandoah National Park. First, was Monticello which was the home of Thomas Jefferson and his family. We toured the main floor of the house and got to see some of the original furniture, which we all thought was pretty cool; cause how often do you get to visit a president's house? After the house tour we walked around on the grounds where we checked out the gardens that had around 330 different types of vegetables and where the enslaved workers lived and worked. We then did an activity where you try to write with quill pens and ink; and we soon learned it's harder than it looks. The last stop was the grave of Thomas Jefferson and his family.

Day 3: West Virginia and Virginia

For the third day of our trip we visited Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area in West Virginia. Once again we hiked up the side of a mountain, only this time we actually enjoyed it! There was a 1000 foot change in elevation to the top. Most of the way up we maintained a pretty fast pace because there was another group behind us. There's nothing like a little competition to see who can give themselves a heart attack first from pushing themselves up the side of a mountain. The view was amazing and well worth the hike. There was a balcony where climbers could look out over the valley below and see forests, farms, and sweet semi trucks driving by. Anyway, since the Howland family is known for going the extra mile, we (everyone but me, Alli) wanted to climb an extra 40 feet to the peak of the mountain. As we were climbing the rocks I noticed a sign that said, and I quote "Danger. 15 people have died climbing up here. You can get the same view from the safety of the balcony. It is not worth the risk." When we got to the top, Dad had us stand by the edge to take our picture (above) which made me really uncomfortable. It's not that I didn't like the view; I just didn't want it to be the last thing I saw as I fell off the cliff! We probably stayed up there for about an hour before we started back down. I'm happy to say they won't have to update the sign. We hung out at the visitor center for awhile before we heading off to our hotel in Harrisonburg, VA.

Day 2: N. Ohio and W. Maryland

It's the second day of our Mid-Atlantic adventure; and today we went to Cuyahoga National Park and Rocky Gap State Park. First at Cuyahoga, we stopped at this overlook (photo) with a view of trees and mist that went on as far as the eye could see. We then made several stops to see different waterfalls. Even though it was the dry season and the falls weren't as interesting as they would be if it had just rained, we still enjoyed visiting them. Then, since we had alot of extra time on our hands, we decided to go to Rocky Gap State Park. Yeah, more hiking!! Some of us (Dad) thought it would be fun to do one of the longest and most difficult trails in the park so that's exactly what we did. The trail went up the side of a mountain and was fun for about 5 minutes. After an hour and a half of brutal hiking we finally reached the top, or at least, as far as we wanted to go. What we got to see, other than trees and rocks was the dwelling remnants of the first white man to settle in that county who lived his life as a hermit. Totally worth it!! Anyways, on our way back down we took a shortcut and got lost long enough for us to get nervous and walk the wrong way for awhile. Once we finally got back to the car we blasted the AC and drove got out of there as fast as we could. We then drove to our hotel in Cumberland, MD, and went out to eat at Ponderosa where we could stuff ourselves until our stomachs exploded. So every calorie we burned that day by hiking we probably doubled in one meal.

Day 1 - N. Ohio

Today we started off by driving about five hours to get to our first destination: Crane Creek State Park in northern Ohio. Crane Creek is a bird sanctuary off the shores of lake Erie. The beaches were covered with shells, that from afar, looked like sand. There was a boardwalk that we went on to go through the marsh where there were interesting flowers and lots of giant biting horse flies that I wanted to smack the crap out of!!! Overall though, we all enjoyed our time there and thought it was definitely worthwhile. We then drove about an hour and a half to get to our hotel in Cleveland, La Quinta, or as my dad says, Lucky Duck!

The Bloggers

From left to right your bloggers are Jessie, Alli, and Mark. This photo is from Cuyahoga National Park.

As long as our hotel has wireless internet we will post a new blog every night to recount some of what we did and saw each day. You will be able to make comments that we can read. Comments like there is smoke coming from your house or who are the people partying in your house, or even who are the people taking all your furniture are appreciated.

Pre Trip Planning

Our trip this year will take us to the mid-Atlantic states. Driving from home we will make stops in Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and North Carolina. We leave on Monday, August 4th and return on Saturday, August 16th.