tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9869230253443818862024-03-14T02:46:31.810-07:00Enjoying the OutdoorsJanelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-5423048587573887292019-08-26T08:11:00.001-07:002019-08-26T08:25:56.304-07:00Camp Host Larry Implied I Was Stealing and Compared Me to a Parasite - Grayson Highlands State Park 2019This post is embarrassing to write because my experience was humiliating.<br />
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I made my 4-night camping reservation for Grayson Highlands six weeks in advance. I honestly believed I had reserved a site with electric and water. Even though I'm camping in a tent, being able to charge cell phones and easily refill water bottles is worth the small increase in price over a non-electric site.<br />
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Grayson Highlands is 340 miles from my home in Northern Virginia. We arrived by car just after 4:30 pm and the park office had closed for the day. I found my welcome letter in the metal hanging folders outside the Contact Station at the park entrance. I was surprised that my letter instructed me to choose a tent site with a brown color marker. Brown sites have no electric and no water. With the park office closed and no WiFi at the campground there was nothing I could do until the next morning.<br />
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Since I camped at Grayson Highlands last year on site 19 I knew I wanted to try something different this year. The big field had a great climbing tree and a place to stargaze. I had my eye set on those sites. Site 34 had electric and water and it was available but I couldn't take it because my welcome letter told me I had to choose a non-electric site. I chose site 32 directly next to site 34. It was a Tuesday evening and the campground wasn't even half full. Both camp sites on either side of me were empty and most campers would not choose sites in the open field anyway due to the lack of privacy. Thinking no one would notice or care, I walked over to site 34 and plugged in my cell phone and battery charger and went back to site 32 to begin the process of pitching my tent.<br />
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My cell phone was not plugged in at site 34 for more than 5 minutes when Camp Host Larry in his golf cart was on site 34 with another man. At first I thought Camp Host Larry was looking at my cell phone with concern as if the previous campers on Site 34 might have left it behind by accident. I raised my hand for attention as if to say, "Don't worry! It's my cell phone and I'm right here!" But then I noticed that Camp Host Larry's body language and the way he was looking at me communicated annoyance, agitation and disgust. I walked over to site 34 and Camp Host Larry unplugged my cell from where it was charging. Larry looked at me with a piercing glare and said with judgment in his voice, "If you want electricity you need to *pay* for it" as if I had been caught stealing.<br />
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I was so caught off guard from Camp Host Larry's accusation. I felt horrified and embarrassed. The bottom dropped out from the pit of my stomach. I tried to save face by saying that I knew electric outlets were in the bathroom nearby and I didn't think charging my cell phone was a big deal and I explained that I thought I *had* reserved a campsite with electricity. Larry was not having it. He responded, with annoyance, that I could stay on the electric campsite for one night only but he could not guarantee I could remain there since he had no access to the reservation system after 4:30 PM and all the electric sites might be booked for the following night.<br />
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As any tent camper knows, once your site is set up you want to stay put. Setting up a site requires pitching your tent, staking the tent and rain fly, unpacking and unrolling sleeping bags, unpacking and inflating sleeping pads plus setting up the cooking stove and picnic table canopy. Setting up a camp site is about an hour's worth of work. No one wants to set up a site more times than they have to. So, Larry's offer to let me have the electric site with no guarantee that I could stay there for the rest of my reservation was not a choice I wanted to make. I declined the electric site after explaining why but he either didn't understand or pretended not to understand. I limped back to site 32 carrying my cell phone and battery charger, having been put in my place by Camp Host Larry in front of another camper. The other camper's name was Doug and I would meet him later. <span style="background-color: white;">Doug didn't want site 34. He chose a site in the woods with privacy.</span><br />
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The first 10 minutes of my time at Grayson Highlands were awful. I sat down at site 32's picnic table to digest what had just happened. Camp Host Larry must have sensed he needed to do some damage control because he came up in his golf cart 10-15 minutes after he had implied that I was stealing. Larry told me that if the law enforcement rangers had caught me "parasiting" off another camp site there might be trouble for me. He framed his comments as if all he was doing was protecting me from getting in trouble with the law. Wait. Larry compared me to a parasite. Like a tick or a mosquito? And would a law enforcement ranger really notice or care where I, as a paying customer with a 4-night reservation, plugged in my cell phone? I highly doubt the rangers would even notice. They cruise through the campground pretty fast.<br />
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It took me a full two days to shake off Larry's accusations and comparisons. Every time I heard his golf cart coming I tried to keep my head down and avoid eye contact.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Even weirder, on Friday, August 16, 2019, Larry came over in his golf cart about 9 in the morning. He told me that if I wanted to charge my cell phone on site 34's electrical outlet that he would make my excuses if other campers showed up and wanted that spot. He volunteered to unplug my cell phone and put it back on my site if we wanted to go out on a hike while it charged. His offer was nice, I guess, but his comments implying I was stealing and his comparison of me to a parasite cost me two days of my happy life. Was Larry worried I would complain? Did he have a crisis of conscience? Did he think my kids were cute and realize that we weren't thieving parasites? I'll never know.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">But I do know this - Camp Host Larry needs some extra customer service training.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-84085091484243124342019-05-23T10:52:00.001-07:002019-08-26T08:55:15.514-07:00Spring Break 2019 - William B. Umstead State Park<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The flu takes us down</td></tr>
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Carefully, I researched, planned and reserved a nine night camping trip with three destinations. But it was not to be. The flu struck the morning of our Saturday departure. The girls spent more than half of spring break watching Netflix at home while waiting for chills, body aches, and fevers to pass. Once we had accepted the unfairness of the situation - we had, after all, dutifully received our flu vaccinations at the end of October - we salvaged what was left of Spring Break.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The car is always a bit full.</td></tr>
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Leaving Thursday morning was easy since the car had been carefully packed for a Saturday departure five days earlier. We set up camp at <a href="https://www.ncparks.gov/william-b-umstead-state-park" target="_blank">William B. Umstead State Park</a>. The first night camping in 2019 reminded me why I love tent camping. Cool, but not cold, sleeping weather. The rustle of spring leaves in a gentle breeze. The first night of tent camping was the best one. The other two nights were filled with heavy rain and I was very glad I had taken the time to spray waterproofing refresher on the tent.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camp setup</td></tr>
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I wish there was a good camping spot closer to the <a href="https://www.nczoo.org/" target="_blank">North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro</a>. From Umstead, the drive took over an hour and some roads were incredibly narrow and curvy. Like, so narrow that I don't think two school buses could pass opposite each other if they met. There is a campground near the zoo but it has very mixed reviews on Google. Lots of long term residents camp there, apparently, and I like the security and dependability of a state park. The North Carolina Zoo is huge and the <a href="https://www.nczoo.org/experiences/attractions/air-hike-ropes-course" target="_blank">ropes course</a> is great. I tried to bring my phone for photos but the safety harness cut right into the phone and I had to leave it behind. The Air Hike, as the ropes course is called, is safe but thrilling and we will go again.<br />
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We briefly went to the <a href="http://www.lifeandscience.org/" target="_blank">Museum of Life and Sciences in Durham</a>. From the website, it looks like the Life and Sciences museum might be a good rainy day activity, however, many of the exhibits are outside. Visiting on a day of heavy rain was not good. The museum has a train and many animal exhibits throughout the park. The museum is not advertised as a zoo but it might as well be. There is a nice casual restaurant on the premises but getting there requires going outside and the rain was pouring. Then I got delivered a veggie burger that I think was real beef but I didn't realize the mistake until the end when I took a close look at the meat.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marbles</td></tr>
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Despite being ages 8 and 12, my girls still liked the <a href="https://www.marbleskidsmuseum.org/" target="_blank">Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh</a>. Plus, we got in free with reciprocity from our Maryland Science Museum membership. Reciprocity is great and I'm so glad another mommy from the bus stop told me about a Groupon sale. Having one membership has given me access to other museums. The parking lot is hard to find unless you realize in advance the museum has their own dedicated lot directly behind the building. The neighborhood surrounding Marbles wasn't super great and I did not feel completely comfortable parking the car on the street. We kept driving around, looking for parking, until we circled completely and found the lot right behind the museum. Relieved, we parked, paid, and went in. Otherwise, we could have skipped.<br />
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On Friday, the first full day of the tent camping trip, I accidentally let one of my girls drink non-potable water. As I approached the pump, there were no warning stickers visible so I took some water. Only when we went on a full walk around the campground and I approached the spigot from the opposite side did I see the rectangular warning label. So, the lesson I learned is that looking at all sides of a water spigot is very important.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annoying pools of water on picnic table canopy</td></tr>
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I have to do something about our picnic table canopy. The canopy is waterproof and keeps the rain off the table but the water pools in gigantic puddles on the ceiling and has to be emptied very carefully so as to not have the water come pouring down on the top of one's head.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paperback for the tent</td></tr>
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When the rain falls and cell phone reception is low, it's always a good idea to have a disposable paperback to read out loud to keep everyone entertained and in good spirits. Some of our favorite paperback camping reads could be A Wrinkle in Time, Scott O'Dell's Sarah Bishop or Island of the Blue Dolphins, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Cards in the tent are fun, too.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uno in the tent</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art from leaves on the camp site</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Astronomy Go Fish on a chilly camp morning</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A clean camp site. Rear cargo bag is packed and site checked for trash. Done!<br /></td></tr>
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<br />Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-31426947868562180302017-07-27T05:44:00.000-07:002019-06-23T10:34:00.167-07:00I Hate Beach Camping #2 - First Landing State ParkAfter the <a href="https://naturegirlva.blogspot.com/2016/03/i-hate-beach-camping-1.html" target="_blank">Assateague Island Disaster of 2016</a>, I decided to try again with a different beach and a different season. Thankfully no theft or illness befell us while we were camping at <a href="https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/first-landing" target="_blank">First Landing State Park</a> but it was miserable.<br />
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1. I made the mistake of choosing camp site 150.<br />
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<li>On the map, 150 looked great. There was nothing between 150 and the ocean. In real life, though, site 150 was surrounded by tall shrubs and sand dunes making a beach view impossible. </li>
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<li>Site 150 was in the full sun with zero shade available. The sand was burning hot and there was no shade to escape to. In the early morning the site was ideal, but only until about 9 am.</li>
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<li>150 was all sand and no dirt. I had to pitch the tent on the deep sand because there were no other choices available. With sand right outside the tent door, keeping sand out of the tent was impossible. </li>
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2. We arrived during a <a href="http://wtvr.com/2017/07/19/intense-heatwave-on-tap-for-virginia/">heatwave</a><br />
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<li>Even on a reasonably cool July day I should have expected lots of sun and temps in the 70s and 80s. We arrived during a heat wave and the temps were in the 90s with high humidity. </li>
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<li>Camping with children is tiring on a good day. Excessive heat makes camping exhausting.</li>
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3. We didn't sleep well in the tent<br />
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<li>The night provided little relief from the heat. The humidity and sweat caused sand to stick to our bodies even in bed.</li>
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<li>The helicopters from Fort Story were active during the night, flying directly over the tent at low altitude many times. This was a neat experience, but tiring.</li>
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4. Sand was everywhere<br />
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<li>Sand was in the car. I still have sand in the car from Assateague Island from 2016. Next year I still have sand in the car from First Landing. No amount of vacuuming will remove all of it.</li>
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<li>Sand was on our bodies during the night despite rinsing off at the beach shower. We should have gone to the bath house to take a full shower but we were too tired on that first night. </li>
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<li>Sand was in my bed the morning after I got home. I used the same blanket in the tent that I used on my bed but I shook it out well. It wasn't enough.</li>
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5. We weren't at the ocean!</div>
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<li>How I could have missed the fact that First Landing State Park was on the Chesapeake Bay and not the Atlantic Ocean is mind boggling to me. The ocean was a 5 mile drive away but we didn't go because I thought we were looking at the ocean. One look at the campground map would have informed me of this, but I was so sure the campground was on the ocean that information to the contrary didn't register.</li>
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6. The water at our beach was dangerously dirty with poop</div>
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<li>One day after we left, the State of Virginia issued a <a href="http://wtkr.com/2017/07/26/swimming-advisory-issued-in-virginia-beach-includes-first-landing-state-park/">Swimming Advisory</a> and posted a warning sign at First Landing beach explaining how people shouldn't wade or swim in the water because the poop levels were too high. Yuck!</li>
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<li>All the beaches surrounding First Landing were fine. Of all the water we could have chosen, we had to choose the dirty water.</li>
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<br />Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0First Landing State Park, 2500 Shore Dr, Virginia Beach, VA 23451, USA36.9187444 -76.05193459999998111.396709900000001 -117.36052859999998 62.4407789 -34.743340599999982tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-82311983020571615012016-05-30T13:11:00.000-07:002019-06-23T10:28:19.184-07:00Some Items Need a Spare and the Magic of Laundry Baskets - Lewis Mountain Shenandoah NationalUsually the CRV is so packed that the girls can't see each other in the back seat and I can't see out the rear view mirror. I packed lighter this time but my efforts backfired. Our faithful air mattress of two years leaked terrible on the first night, leaving us sleeping on the rocky ground. The lightweight girls didn't sleep too badly but I spent most of the night awake and in pain. I eventually abandoned air mattresses altogether in favor of a cot but I hadn't made the switch yet at this point.<br />
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Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-48207305176399024452016-03-20T17:28:00.000-07:002019-06-23T10:26:01.723-07:00Roof Bag and Kelty Cosmic Down 20 Sleeping Bag - Assateague IslandTaking two children camping is no small task. Even an adult alone requires a bunch of equipment. The car is usually stuffed so tight that my girls can't see each other and the passenger seat is filled.<br />
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That situation changed when I began using a <a href="https://www.rei.com/product/677675/sherpak-go-15-roof-bag?CAWELAID=120217890000867630&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=16032979240&CATCI=aud-87986356584:pla-312551470936&cm_mmc=PLA_Google|404_65424|6776750017|none|29b29643-1545-4f42-8b08-1bcd6f3fe6ac|aud-87986356584:pla-312551470936&lsft=cm_mmc:PLA_Google_LIA|404_65424|6776750017|none|29b29643-1545-4f42-8b08-1bcd6f3fe6ac|aud-87986356584:pla-312551470936&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwevLBRCGARIsAKnAJvf6Jytu5vtENWmP8ZNap_gYHOWibwLTLELbr3kA7iugfcg_UzqjVBMaAlZmEALw_wcB">Sherpak Go! 15 Roof Bag</a> on my <a href="http://naturegirlva.blogspot.com/2016/03/i-hate-beach-camping-1.html">Assateague Island Trip of 2016</a>. I packed the roof bag on the ground to see how things would fit but then I took everything out, hefted the bag up to the roof, and repacked it on top of the car.<br />
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At first I threaded one strap through the front car door opening and the back strap through the back door opening but the straps buzzed terribly and gave me such a headache I had to pull over. This was, unfortunately, right before I had to drive over the dreaded <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesapeake_Bay_Bridge">Chesapeake Bay Bridge</a>. For my next trip I threaded both roof straps through the back door opening and the buzzing was more tolerable.<br />
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The roof bag isn't easy to use. At 5'4" I have to climb on top of the car every time to zip it shut and secure the straps. The buckles for both compression straps have broken but I won't really be in trouble unless one of the buckles for the main straps break (the straps that hold the bag to the roof). The Sherpa roof bag works and it does give more space in my passenger compartment but it's not easy for me to use.<br />
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For Assateague Island in March 2016 I also had another untested item to try out. I brought a <a href="https://www.rei.com/product/896031/kelty-cosmic-down-20-sleeping-bag-womens">Kelty Cosmic Down 20 Women's Sleeping Bag from REI</a>. The first night of our trip the temps were about 25 at night and I had to used another lightweight down sleeping bag as a liner before I was warm enough to sleep. Maybe if I had worn expedition weight long underwear with two pairs of wool socks I might have been warm enough with the Kelty Cosmic Down sleeping bag alone but I was freezing. My Kelty Cosmic Down is ideal about about 50 degrees.<br />
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<br />Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-80512063001759159552016-03-19T13:58:00.000-07:002019-06-23T10:25:37.582-07:00I Hate Beach Camping #1 - Assateague Island<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I thought camping at Maryland's <a href="https://www.reserveamerica.com/camping/assateague-island-national-seashore/r/facilityDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70989">Assateague Island National Seashore</a> would be fun during spring break. The temps were cold enough that mosquitoes would not be a problem and the beach would not be crowded during the off season. I was right about the beach not being crowded and the lack of mosquitoes but oh, what a mistake I made going camping at Assateague in March!</div>
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From the park employees I met at check in, I learned that March is the windiest month at Assateague Island. Not that they needed to tell me about the wind. I experienced this first hand.</div>
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I was really glad I bought <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0193HQRO8/ref=asc_df_B0193HQRO85095211/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=395033&creativeASIN=B0193HQRO8&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167131408724&hvpos=1o8&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9609979593749441702&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007557&hvtargid=pla-305158721694">sand anchors</a> for the tent. Metal tent stakes, even long ones, would have come out in the 30 mph winds. The sand anchors held fast, though. Sand anchors are a great product. I dug the sand anchors up to my elbows before I buried them. I dug with one of the plastic sand toys we brought to play in the sand. The 40 degree temps and the 30 mph wind froze my facial muscles and make talking difficult. I didn't want to wear my gloves because they would get wet and sandy.</div>
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We lasted one or two nights in the windy tent. Two, I think, before I tore the tent down to move to the bay side with less wind. Unfortunately, once I had the tent down I couldn't put it back up. The wind was too strong. My oldest child wasn't feeling well so I left our bikes, our cooler full of food (with bungees on it to keep the horses out), and our fire extinguisher on the site while we went to a hotel for the night with plans to return the next morning. That night my oldest developed a fever and I knew we needed to head home the next day. In the morning, we left the hotel and returned to our camp site to find that the bikes, cooler, and fire extinguisher had been stolen overnight! The law enforcement ranger said there were opportunistic locals who liked to cruise through the camps looking for unattended items to steal. What a bummer! My older was diagnosed with strep throat later that day and she took her first dose of amoxicillin before bed that night.</div>
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The trip was a disaster but the ponies roaming around was cool:</div>
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<br />Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-76783145186558405532014-10-26T09:25:00.002-07:002019-06-23T10:27:31.479-07:00I Couldn't Start the Fire - Shenandoah River State Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The survival book made it seem so easy. Crumpled paper. Twigs. Kindling. Dry wood. Light the fire. Done.<br />
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We did a fun hike with a shopping bag to collect twigs on the trail from Culler's Overlook to the RV campground.<br />
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We had our smore sticks, our marshmallows, chocolate, and our Graham cracker squares.<br />
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We put four $1 bills into the collection box and carried a bad of heavy wood back to our camp site.<br />
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I rearranged the paper, the kindling. I lit. I blew air on the little fire.<br />
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I blew so much breath I felt lightheaded. I thought about that guy from Survivor who passed out into his fire many years ago. Maybe he fainted because he was blowing his breath on to his fire.<br />
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After an hour of trying to start a fire, I have up and played Crazy 8's in the tent with the girls.<br />
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When I got home, I saw the large, unopened box of firestarters in the garage. Next time I will take one.<br />
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<br />Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0Shenandoah River State Park, 350 Daughter of Stars Drive, Bentonville, VA 22610, USA38.8525528 -78.30272880000001138.803089799999995 -78.38340980000001 38.9020158 -78.222047800000013tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-68016495188053309672014-07-27T11:57:00.000-07:002019-06-23T10:28:00.436-07:00Ranger Bill and the Bear Song - Loft Mountain Shenandoah National<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I remember Ranger Bill Jones from our camping trip last summer at Big Meadows. His genuine kindness and patience for children shined through immediately during his Junior Ranger program. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">So, I was happy to see Ranger Bill the first Friday we stayed at Loft Mountain.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I think the expression on his face while showing my 8 year old a bear foot print communicates how much he likes what he is doing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Plus, Ranger Bill sang the <a href="http://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/imetabear.html">"I Met a Bear" song</a>. Once we got back to the car, I realized we had this song on one of our cds and we listened to it many times with new enthusiasm as we drove Skyline Drive.....but I still like Ranger Bill's rendition of the song better:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-12072414015392891342014-07-26T07:09:00.000-07:002019-06-23T10:28:52.148-07:00What Is This Footprint? - Simmons Gap Fire Road at Shenandoah National<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">One of the guests at a ranger program showed a photo on her cell phone of a strange animal track on the Simmons Gap fire road in the southern district of Shenandoah National Park.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The girls and I walked the fire road the next day not really expecting to find the print since it was 24 hours old, but my 8 year old has keen eyes and she spotted the track on the right just past the metal bridge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">While I was getting the camera ready, my 8 year old took her index and middle finger and made fingerprints in the third and fourth toes of the track. I told her not to do that next time!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Note that this track has four big toe prints and no claw marks. Bears have five toes and leave claw marks. A cat, however, has four toe pads and no claw marks since cats retract their claws until they need them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Bobcat tracks are like house cats so they could not have been this animal. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mountain lion? My 8 year old is wearing a girls' size 2 shoe in this photo. Note her double sideways fingermarks on toes 3 and 4.</span></div>
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Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-77791000383717097842014-07-25T06:48:00.000-07:002019-06-23T10:29:27.737-07:00Evil Tick Beasts - Loft Mountain Shenandoah National<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While spending two weeks camping at Loft Mountain in Shenandoah National Park, I checked the girls and myself daily for ticks. Nearly every day, I found at least one embedded tick and many more that I flicked off before they could bite.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I remember finding a teeny tiny tick on my 3 year old and showing another mother in the bathroom. She was shocked how tiny ticks can be and told me that she had not checked herself or her children even once for ticks during their four day visit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even embedded ticks are easy to remove if you catch them within the first couple of hours. I take my needle nose tweezers, grab the tick as close to my skin as I can, and gently pull for up to three minutes. I wait for the tick to get tired so it comes out whole. If you pull too hard too fast, the head of the tick breaks off and stays inside your body. Yuck. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The tick below came off my 8 year old easily because we caught it early. It had only bitten into the outer layer of the skin on her scalp. The tick is very much alive after removal and still clutching a bit of human skin in its mouth.</span><br />
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<br />Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-12608094857374971332014-07-24T11:40:00.000-07:002019-06-23T10:30:13.006-07:00Witch Hazel With Wasp Eggs - Blackrock Summit Loop Shenandoah National<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ranger Zak Skelton led a hike at Blackrock Summit Loop in the southern section of Shenandoah National Park. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">He knew a lot about plants and pointed out how "witch hazel" got its name. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Wasps lay eggs on the leaves and they look like little witch </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">hats, hence the name, witch hazel.</span><br />
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Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-46043560246200295262014-07-23T11:39:00.000-07:002019-06-23T10:30:46.624-07:00Nature-Inspired Art - Loft Mountain Shenandoah National<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Nothing like spending time outdoors to get children drawing. These four were inspired by our time at the Loft Mountain section of Shenandoah National Park.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-30183840907017397182014-07-05T15:16:00.002-07:002019-06-23T10:31:22.268-07:00Great American Backyard Campout 2014 - Sky Meadows State Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">We attended the <a href="http://www.nwf.org/">National Wildlife Federation</a>'s wonderfully organized <a href="http://www.nwf.org/great-american-backyard-campout.aspx">Great American Backyard Campout</a> at <a href="http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/sky-meadows.shtml">Sky Meadows State Park</a> last weekend. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This campout was very easy considering Ranger Christa Kermode (who I think should be cloned and dispatched to every state park in need of an energetic leader with good people skills) put together dinner and breakfast with the help of park volunteers. All I had to pack was the tent, our sleeping bags, and a change of clothes. The car was practically empty.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Adding to the ease of this campout was the fact that barely had to entertain the girls. The <a href="http://www.blueridgewildlife.org/">Blue Ridge Wildlife Center</a> brought an opposum on a leash, a cuddly skunk, a snake, and a flightless screech owl. The girls did not fidget once during the entire presentation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Shenandoah Mountain Rescue Group showed a video called <a href="https://www.anpr.org/lost.htm">Lost But Found Safe and Sound</a> that tells young children what to do if they get lost in the woods. As a result of their talk, I am making waist (fanny) packs for both my girls with a space blanket, a loud whistle, and a small light source. I will remind them before every hike that in the unlikely event that they should get lost, they should stop and wait, not run around and get more lost.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Great American Backyard Campout staff set up a table giving away binoculars to the children and crafts like creating a picture frame from sticks and pinecones and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rubbing-Plates-Insects-R-5803-Colors/product-reviews/B002A2LB9A/ref=dpx_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1">crayon rubbings of animals</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the presentations and dinner, the rangers built a campfire and some <a href="http://www.chelseamcbee.com/">musicians with a good sense of humor</a> did their best to sight-read traditional campfire songs. What good sports they were to drag a bass and two banjos all the way across a field to a campfire.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTvVp8nF4pRLUShyphenhyphenvxfc6FXKG6nAXsYxKfQwcbDpNGeRw0n73mQQEgNvpRYfPA6m_SCAcry9ZBE91S4EM_fGX9BW8dOv4vutJFTPo47P8IGeufS1oYUDNjjyH2R2gPvnscmqNprOEPeSL/s1600/2014+06+28+(16).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTvVp8nF4pRLUShyphenhyphenvxfc6FXKG6nAXsYxKfQwcbDpNGeRw0n73mQQEgNvpRYfPA6m_SCAcry9ZBE91S4EM_fGX9BW8dOv4vutJFTPo47P8IGeufS1oYUDNjjyH2R2gPvnscmqNprOEPeSL/s1600/2014+06+28+(16).JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPgJ-48Xot1k7mJ_aZ7PNyJz3XfE9ZWfWjaTn2AyQBN_B1Ya4obnzWGSn1Rm1UWcQdFawxoVR3CvPzifECltk_8N9peUYVV5OUk9oLyMP-WuwJ8Cf3ilHt-jchUpKyiMmE9AARan0aEW2l/s1600/2014+06+28+(23).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPgJ-48Xot1k7mJ_aZ7PNyJz3XfE9ZWfWjaTn2AyQBN_B1Ya4obnzWGSn1Rm1UWcQdFawxoVR3CvPzifECltk_8N9peUYVV5OUk9oLyMP-WuwJ8Cf3ilHt-jchUpKyiMmE9AARan0aEW2l/s1600/2014+06+28+(23).JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
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Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-42117110020950402492014-06-22T09:01:00.001-07:002019-06-23T10:34:30.065-07:00Steer on the Loose - Sky Meadows State Park<span style="font-size: large;">It used to be that I only prevented the girls from running ahead on the trail when we were in black bear territory. Now, I will extend that rule to all trails. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We walked the Snowden trail at Sky Meadows last week and we deliberately chose a trail that did not enter the cow pasture because I didn't want to be surrounded by the beasts with my small children. Apparently, though, farm animals can escape their fences. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Luckily, the park staff and the cattle ranchers reacted quickly and we didn't run into this steer alone. I'm not even sure what I would do if that happened. Hug a tree, perhaps.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-63285051209449477142014-06-14T12:09:00.000-07:002019-06-23T10:34:46.859-07:00Astronomy for Kids with NOVAC - Sky Meadows State Park<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_party">star parties</a>. I went to my first and second star parties at <a href="http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/publicevents">Whipple Observatory</a> in southern Arizona. I lucked into my third star party hosted by the <a href="http://shenandoahastronomical.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=featured&Itemid=101">Shenandoah Astronomical Society</a> when I took the girls camping over spring break at <a href="http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/shenandoah-river.shtml">Shenandoah River (Andy Guest) State Park</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">By my fourth star party, I knew to bring a <a href="http://www.rei.com/product/839967/black-diamond-cosmo-headlamp">headlamp with a red light mode</a> so as not to ruin my night vision with white light. I knew to bring a jacket for the cool night air and a bottle of coffee for the drive home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Star party #4, hosted by the <a href="http://www.novac.com/wp/">Northern Virginia Astronomy Club</a>, was the largest I've seen. Up to forty astronomers brought their telescopes to set them up during the afternnoon so they would be ready by sunset.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Before sunset we saw the sun through a filtered lens, sunspots, solar flares. An amateur astronomer used beach balls to demonstrate how big our solar system was. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">At night we observed the craters of the moon, Mercury, the bands on Jupiter and its moons, and Saturn with its rings.</span><br />
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Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-71543521586688461902014-06-12T12:05:00.001-07:002019-06-23T10:35:14.896-07:00Waiting for Paw Paw Fruit - Mason Neck State Park<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkK_XJTmexUTAysyB4E-XMuB2XRRxEo9sTQLW3kQa0ExQhe3CaPNAMHCs2P0SAkESoEPPdq_MUXZvHwn2Jv5eEO8-q6ZjyqiRyKgE6AdKTFi9d9M038-a6he4GYHPlZ631McSzZ7EHU1YL/s1600/2014+06+12+(5)+Looking+at+Paw+Paw+fruit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkK_XJTmexUTAysyB4E-XMuB2XRRxEo9sTQLW3kQa0ExQhe3CaPNAMHCs2P0SAkESoEPPdq_MUXZvHwn2Jv5eEO8-q6ZjyqiRyKgE6AdKTFi9d9M038-a6he4GYHPlZ631McSzZ7EHU1YL/s1600/2014+06+12+(5)+Looking+at+Paw+Paw+fruit.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Two years in a row I have stumbled upon ripe paw paw fruit on Leesylvania State Park's Lee's Woods trail. This morning my 3 year old looked up at the trees near the playground picnic tables at Mason Neck State Park and called my attention to the fruit dangling in a stand of three trees grouped together in a row. She found some early paw paw fruit dangling green on the vine. We will have to keep watch on this fruit as it ripens because the animals will get it immediately if it falls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's some ripe paw paw fruit from August of 2012 that shows what we are looking for:</span><br />
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<br />Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-26566055002875087202014-05-04T03:52:00.003-07:002019-06-23T10:35:55.049-07:00Snowden Trail - Sky Meadows State Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sky Meadows is a gem. It's exit 23 off Interstate 66, way before the turn to Shenandoah National Park in Front Royal and much closer than Shenandoah River State Park in Bentonville, but it was deserted.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZuvHB0K19esKgYs1wmZMz5i6Ys0bKqhDtto4c_OvHv5RVDHL5Yd_WLLeC9eCoJR5QSCYCjW-QWQ-jdqtpE3c_0EDlZevkVpbOucW87KPbmw8pYdnXjfyqPMe5c6C3s8-H0AUObMJA36OS/s1600/2014+05+02+Sky+Meadows+SP+%252817%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZuvHB0K19esKgYs1wmZMz5i6Ys0bKqhDtto4c_OvHv5RVDHL5Yd_WLLeC9eCoJR5QSCYCjW-QWQ-jdqtpE3c_0EDlZevkVpbOucW87KPbmw8pYdnXjfyqPMe5c6C3s8-H0AUObMJA36OS/s1600/2014+05+02+Sky+Meadows+SP+%252817%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="text-align: start;">Next time we go I hope the girls will be brave enough to try the North Ridge Trail. They were almost there, but then had second thoughts about encountering cattle in the wild. I don't think the cows will hurt us, but you can never be sure. I </span><span style="text-align: start;">haven't seen very many athletic, aggressive cows.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBOXwo83vc1zPg9LTvgdwkKp5H17Du77f4Q-3G2tmW6hdsoq8Fu3wtO_KxRR40FYLg8d932dTb3Ji9FQcF8unXGFcSfF3q7PW7nwZfMsbJIzl6cVx7W4QBZQAKA5bYchV8_MiVGkapKsRt/s1600/2014+05+02+Sky+Meadows+SP+%252836%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBOXwo83vc1zPg9LTvgdwkKp5H17Du77f4Q-3G2tmW6hdsoq8Fu3wtO_KxRR40FYLg8d932dTb3Ji9FQcF8unXGFcSfF3q7PW7nwZfMsbJIzl6cVx7W4QBZQAKA5bYchV8_MiVGkapKsRt/s1600/2014+05+02+Sky+Meadows+SP+%252836%2529.JPG" width="200" /></a>We opted for the Snowden loop after the cows were too scary and we were lucky. The Snowden loop reminded me of the Merrimac Farms trail from Prince William County, wandering through light green spring vegetation and a little stream with lots of wildflowers. The trail is rated easy and is only a little over a mile, but with two little girls, this trail took well over an hour.</div>
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The Snowden trail is very well maintained with several bridges over little creek crossings. This bridge even had a wire grate placed on it to help people not slip. </div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">The gift shop at Sky Meadow is the best-stocked I've seen. They have educational games, stuffed animals for creatures and birds that live in the park, camping supplies, and snacks.</span></div>
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I would love to come here for a Star Party if our bedtime wasn't at 8:00 PM. Apparently, there are several coming up. I want to come here again.
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We met Ranger Caitlin Greene at the <a href="http://www.imm-cms.com/media/destinations/web/leesylvania_trailmap_powellscreek.pdf">Powell's Creek</a> trailhead for her <a href="http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/event-info.shtml?id=585D0E7A74080006010F031B0108">Ecosystems Explorations</a> walk through the forest. We weren't very far down the trail before Malia picked up a nut and started asking questions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ranger Caitlin identified Malia's treasure as a hickory nut that has a strong fragrance if the nut is still green and young.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-36527632215158332612014-03-26T12:06:00.000-07:002019-06-23T10:36:48.280-07:00Park Babies and Eagles - Mason Neck State Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The girls and I took advantage of a 65 degree day and visited Mason Neck State Park on a day when the Rangers were presenting a program on springtime babies.<br />
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Ranger Kevin told us about the bald eagles that nest in the park and they have already laid their eggs. The eggs will hatch in April and the babies will be full grown by June. Adolescent eagles are dark brown and don't get their white heads until they are a grown up eagle after five years.<br />
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An eagle's grasp is so strong that if it were to land on your bare arm and squeeze it could easily squeeze you down to the bone. Sounds terrible.<br />
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This nest on top of a telephone pole is the nest the park tried to build for osprey, another bird of prey, but the ospreys rejected the nest because it was too close to people.</div>
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At the back of the Visitor Center, there is a "box of bones" so that animals can chew them up for nutrition or to use for nests.</div>
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Ranger Kevin demonstrated how eagles and osprey fly differently. The eagles fly with their wings in a straight line. The other people in attendance must have had better eyes than I did. I need binoculars to see such things.</div>
Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-60049493852673587132014-03-23T10:22:00.000-07:002019-06-23T10:37:17.893-07:00Frozen Waves - Leesylvania State ParkWhile walking at Leesylvania State Park after a week of cold temperatures, I noticed that the Potomac River had frozen nearly all the way to Maryland.<br />
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Despite the signs warning of danger, this man walked far out on the frozen ice. If he had fallen through, he would have been in trouble and put his rescuers in danger, too.<br />
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<br />Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-72558376221594139632013-08-12T04:44:00.000-07:002019-06-23T10:37:39.904-07:00Red Tailed Hawk - Shenandoah National Park<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I love birds. Especially owls. I lay in bed at night delighted when I hear the coo of a barred owl (Who Cooks for You, Who Cooks for Yoooooouuuuuuu). The barred owl near my home seems to coo around 9:00 PM and again at 5:00 AM...or maybe those are just the times when I am sometimes awake to hear it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">During a trip to Shenandoah National Park, the girls and I took advantage of the Birds of Prey talk led by Ranger Sally Hurlbert.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We've attended this talk before with other rangers twice and seen the tiny eastern screech owl. When Ranger Sally pulled out a BIG cage, my oldest daughter knew we were going to see a new bird.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The actual discussion centered more on Peregrine Falcons (did you know they are the fastest creature on earth with a dive speed of 150 miles per hour and that they like to lay their eggs on rocky cliffs, not in nests?) but then the ranger challenged us to identify the bird of prey she coaxed out of the covered box.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">This powerful hunter did not retain his dignity for long. When he tried to fly away, the leash around his feet turned him upside down. Ranger Sally played a game of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cup-and-ball">Cup and Ball</a> with him until he righted himself.</span><br />
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Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-3684102969355112122013-07-12T12:13:00.001-07:002019-06-23T10:38:00.640-07:00Birds, Butterflies, Bushes and Trees - Leesylvania State Park<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Taking two small children for a walk in the woods is not a responsibility I take lightly. Even for a short walk, I carry a small first aid kit, snacks, water, and <a href="http://www.rei.com/product/751171/all-terrain-herbal-armor-spray-insect-repellent">Herbal Armor</a>, a Deet-free insect repellant in my <a href="http://www.rei.com/search?search=trail+25+pack&jxColor=Black&hist=query%2Ctrail+25+pack%5EjxColor%2CBlack">backpack</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Confident that I had packed what I needed to make the walk a success, we left our car near the park store and started on the <a href="http://www.imm-cms.com/media/destinations/web/leesylvania_trailmap_busheypoint.pdf">Bushey Point Trail</a> that winds along the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potomac_River">Potomac River</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">The girls didn't have to wait long to pull out their <a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3807228&CAWELAID=476090668&cagpspn=pla&pla=plat&camp=PLAPPC-_-PID6713862&KPID=6713862">binoculars</a> to look at what might be an Osprey nest at the end of the pier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Shortly thereafter we used our <a href="http://www.waterfordpress.com/index.php/component/option,com_catalog/Itemid,39/id,121/task,showTitle/">Pocket Naturalist Guide</a> </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">to identify three butterflies, a Red Spotted </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Purple brushfoot, a Northern Cloudywing skipper, and an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail perched atop a Buttonbush.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">We saw, but did not photograph, a Paw Paw tree, a Sycamore, an
Ailanthus tree, and an orange Butterfly Weed flower near the railroad bridge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">In two hours on the Bushey Point trail, I never once felt that I
could identify the majority of trees or plants. Just when walking on trail
started to feel a bit familiar, adding the task of identifying plants and trees
upped the challenge of the walk immensely.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-87043165157432271572013-07-07T16:14:00.000-07:002019-06-23T10:38:18.592-07:00Owl Prowl - Leesylvania State Park<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIiHvNkbak8UIigLzpgMPTUL5JlxDFE4ER-742zpCGL5jW-f6wk6ayzh3Ee5CM3pUoakkivJoIEmlEfH1W7M9w400zRGXLNtBb_ZO_heohuC9XEP5u15vKsPcqUQaAdWlvyEl3qfRwpVto/s1600/P1020425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIiHvNkbak8UIigLzpgMPTUL5JlxDFE4ER-742zpCGL5jW-f6wk6ayzh3Ee5CM3pUoakkivJoIEmlEfH1W7M9w400zRGXLNtBb_ZO_heohuC9XEP5u15vKsPcqUQaAdWlvyEl3qfRwpVto/s200/P1020425.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Bedtime got pushed back last night in order to attend our first <a href="http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/event-info.shtml?id=585D0E7A74080006010C041B0108">Owl Prowl at Leesylvania State Park</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The girls brought their Dora the Explorer and Barbie <a href="http://www.toysrus.com/buy/electronics/batteries-flashlights/flashlights/dora-the-explorer-led-headlamp-2-pack-34567-12176263">headlamps</a> and I brought my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Virginia-Birds-Introduction-Familiar-Species/dp/1583550992/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373234931&sr=1-1&keywords=james+kavanagh+pocket+guides+virginia">Virginia Birds Pocket Naturalist reference pamphlet.</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDgiMUM5fjrFtLgcH8DAVrm_tLon-UfuABJqZ40CdcXvKaIcv75N4huh-HtXH7Du6uB6tdk65s9aG_e0Wx5jisyya6amEhzxqC5biaLaaDpjpMism6fzkZguY1wYeYdUrclAdNVWOoLRm/s1600/P1020428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjDgiMUM5fjrFtLgcH8DAVrm_tLon-UfuABJqZ40CdcXvKaIcv75N4huh-HtXH7Du6uB6tdk65s9aG_e0Wx5jisyya6amEhzxqC5biaLaaDpjpMism6fzkZguY1wYeYdUrclAdNVWOoLRm/s200/P1020428.JPG" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">As we climbed the stairs to the amphitheater near the <a href="http://www.virginiaoutdoors.com/parks/activities/leesylvania-state-park/Hiking/">Lee's Woods Trail</a>, the wooden benches, stage, and fireplace came into view. On the mantle behind Ranger Genevieve White were three stuffed owls normally on display at the Visitor Center. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">"Owls are ninjas," she explained. Their wings are serrated, not blunt, so they fly <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1217_041217_owl_feathers.html">silently.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Screech Owls don't screech but Barn Owls scream like a woman in trouble, thus, making them the source of many ghost stories </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Owls cannot move their eyes but must turn their entire head instead. Owls can turn their head<i> </i>almost to the opposite shoulder when looking <i>behind them. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Owls have one ear on their chin and their other ear near their temple so that when they fly and look down, their ears are equal distance from their prey, providing depth perception. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Owls eat their food whole, digest the good stuff, and then spit the rejected food out their front end. If you look at the base of an owl's tree, you will find "pellets" of rejected food.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Owls kills lots of small animals, including <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2224445/Pictured-The-astonishing-moment-barred-owl-snatched-domestic-cat-meal.html">cats</a>, by flying off with the animal and dropping it from great height or performing quick surgery with their sharp talons.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ylny-rbu2bPf5b-OlvGJgzen5NudUt0iiYYnGR0KKlGnf1G9aO0kca7m4dPkYRiiHTyE7uiahcW7HO4y61FE4JEhrkH5xsu2ZQ334dxV6cV55IvZIfTG4uNsogZDPlOi95x5RG54ee0i/s1600/P1020431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ylny-rbu2bPf5b-OlvGJgzen5NudUt0iiYYnGR0KKlGnf1G9aO0kca7m4dPkYRiiHTyE7uiahcW7HO4y61FE4JEhrkH5xsu2ZQ334dxV6cV55IvZIfTG4uNsogZDPlOi95x5RG54ee0i/s200/P1020431.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Once the sun went down, Ranger Genevieve used her laptop to play owl calls, starting with the smallest bird first (if you call the bigger owls first, the little ones won't come). Two Screech Owls appeared quickly in the trees and started trilling.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">The Barred Owl and the Great Horned Owl did not make an appearance despite the recorded calls. Possibly the owls were hiding silently in the trees hoping we brought a cat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Our next Leesylvania outing might be the <a href="http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/events-list.shtml?srchloc=Leesylvania&eventtype=All%20Events&txtBDate=07/07/2013&txtEDate=07/31/2013&curdate=07/07/2013">Tree Identification Hike</a> on July 17, 2013.</span>Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-986923025344381886.post-47163018717501066022012-06-23T18:00:00.000-07:002017-08-04T13:07:40.595-07:00The Trip That Started it AllI don't even remember how I got the idea to take my 5 year old camping. The girls and I visited <a href="http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/leesylvania#general_information">Leesylvania State Park</a> for the first time in 2012 where I heard about the nationwide program called <a href="http://www.nwf.org/Great-American-Campout.aspx">The Great American Campout</a> put on by the <a href="http://www.nwf.org/">National Wildlife Federation</a>. I had camped before having children and it sounded fun and it cost only $25 so I thought we would give it a try.<br />
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My mom, who was still alive at the time, wasn't sure if camping was safe or not so she wanted my littlest to stay home for the night so our first trip was just me and my 5 year old.<br />
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Once we arrived, Ranger Genevieve took us on a walk near the Potomac River and started our campfire. She made starting a campfire look very deceptively easy. </div>
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At some point in the evening I realized that we were the only campers at the event. Finally I asked Ranger Genevieve if there were other campers coming and she confirmed we were the only ones. I was shocked and she must have realized it from the look on my face. She reassured me that she had camped many times at Leesylvania and that the chief ranger lived at the park and she was quite sure we would be safe. I was tempted to go home but we stayed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO74dsf_s2CV3MQDxRENEN5mnQT3tJCal_0SoC581rl4phNlz88OpNZ9pizf17r9FX3cupIafAu4ymg_6HPpgHUFbT4rXX_xeDqSwUc_galZW2URHdCnex754C12DPxf7Ubi3TxxPQnQ9d/s1600/DSC00797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO74dsf_s2CV3MQDxRENEN5mnQT3tJCal_0SoC581rl4phNlz88OpNZ9pizf17r9FX3cupIafAu4ymg_6HPpgHUFbT4rXX_xeDqSwUc_galZW2URHdCnex754C12DPxf7Ubi3TxxPQnQ9d/s320/DSC00797.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at that teeny tiny backpacking tent that I had from my earlier days!</td></tr>
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The music from Tim's Rivershore across the Potomac filled our tent until 2:00 am at which time it promptly shut off and woke me from the shock of the sudden quiet. There, at 2:00 am, with my child sleeping beside me, I was alone in a big field. It was kind of terrifying but nothing bad happened. Nothing bad usually happens. The night was peaceful and beautiful and we were in a protected state park, not in the backcountry. We survived.</div>
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Janelle Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14069283940626945563noreply@blogger.com0