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.