Kitty Hawk Beach

Ahh summer, beach, friends, Virginia, North Carolina, humidity, salt water! I love it all. Talk about a whirl wind July so far. After going to Snowshoe West Virginia on our first weekend back, I took off to Kitty Hawk North Carolina for a beach week with friends. I had been invited on this trip back in February, so I was excited that the time had finally arrived. We drove 5 hours to the beach and then it was a week filled with sun, salty air, amazing food, and fun times with friends. I couldn't have asked for a better week at the beach. I already miss the crazy late nights, the blurry mornings, and the humid salty air baking into my skin. Gosh, life is good!

 (Shrimp & Grits, with grilled beets. Yum!)

 (Playing a drawing game...everyone was deep in concentration.)

Wild & Wonderful West Virginia

Phew, life has been crazy lately! Since arriving back in Virginia, life and friends have been whisking us/me away. The first weekend back was spent in Snowshoe, West Virginia. It was a cabin trip that our friends had planned long before we came back to the East Coast. Lucky for us, there was room to join in last minute. It was a wonderful weekend. We got to see all of our friends again and spend some quality time in the mountains. The weather was cool and foggy, but we took full advantage of the mountain and cabin. It is weekends like these that reinvigorate my life. I just can't get enough of the mountains and fresh air, not to mention our amazing friends.

Packed up and Moving out!

Well folks, we are officially on the road! We have been anticipating this move for the last few weeks, but it came upon us really fast. We actually had Airbnb'ers staying with us until the second to last day, yikes! I emailed the girl who would be with us to let her know that our apartment was going to be crazy because we were moving. (I emailed her a month in advance.) I gave her the option to cancel with us and find another place...or to stay with us for a very discounted rate. I really hoped she would stay somewhere else, but she chose the discounted rate. So...we packed around her. I'm so glad that is over!

(This is everything we own, plus a bed, couch, and kitchen table.)

When Andy and I moved to California it was right over Christmas and not only did we drive through a huge winter storm, but we had very limited time to make the drive. We drove our own Budget moving truck and because we had stopped in Indiana to have Christmas with Andy's family, we had no more free time for our cross-country trip. We had to get to CA in 3-days, so it was straight driving for us. We were both bummed about driving in winter conditions and not being able to stop at random places along the way. This time we decided to do it differently. We planned a 10-day trip across the country to stop and see some friends, do some camping, check out some curiosities (like Roswell, NM), and have a few days with Andy's parents. This time we also have a moving truck that is taking our stuff for us. All we have to do is drive our car and make sure we are in VA to meet the moving truck on the other end. We are pretty excited!

(Our planned trip itinerary.)

So, our California life is packed up and on the road. Our car is all loaded with camping supplies, dog stuff, and a cooler full of cheese and fruit. We've got our road-trip music mixes made, and our travel caps (cowboy hats) on. Wild South West, here we come! Then it's home to Virginia!

(The way Andy packs vs. the way I pack.)

Yosemite National Park

After many conversations and half planned trips, Andy and I finally went to Yosemite. We couldn't leave California without visiting Yosemite, no way! We chose a beautiful weekend to go, the weather was mid 60s, sun was shining, blue sky (some haze unfortunately), it was all around nice. The 3 hour drive from the Bay Area went by quickly and we soon found ourselves in some of the most majestic scenery we have ever seen. The mountains were covered in green pines while white waterfalls flowed off of rocks. It was like a moving picture from a magazine. We could hardly believe what we were seeing, it was quite surreal.

We spent the day driving through the park and hiking on small trails. Unfortunately though, we had two things working against us, our dog, and the tourists. Dogs are not allowed in the park, so it was hard to do much with him there. On top of that, there were hoards of tourists. I know Yosemite is a popular park, but wow, I was not expecting so many people. The scenery was incredible when you look up, but when we looked down all we could see were people. How disappointing! I'm sure if we didn't have our dog with us we could have jetted off on a wilderness trail and avoided the tourists...next time I guess.

After a day in the park and full realization that all of the campgrounds had been booked months in advance, we left Yosemite and headed to Stanislaus National Forest. This National Forest is right next to Yosemite, but while Yosemite doesn't allow dogs and is filled with tourists, the National Forest is the complete opposite. We had the whole place to ourselves and our dog could run off his leash as he pleased. Perfect!

We gathered our packs, laced our boots, and headed out into the National Forest to find a place to camp for the night. We found a great trail along a river where we eventually found level ground to camp on. Camp was set, dinner was made, whiskey was drank, and the sound of the river lulled us to sleep. It was perfect! The next morning we hiked out, grabbed breakfast on the way home, and then promptly discovered that Andy had gotten poison oak ALL over his body...I mean everywhere! Since we are from VA where we have never seen poison oak, we didn't know what it looked like. I'm sure we were camping in the stuff! Luckily I am not susceptible to poison oak or ivy, but poor Andy was miserable.

It was a great weekend overall, despite the tourists and poison oak. I would highly recommend visiting Yosemite, just not in the summer when it is overrun with tourists. Also, if you plan on camping there, make sure you reserve a campground months in advance... and don't bring your dog.

Strong Arms Saturday!

This Strong-Arms-Saturday is brought to you by a throw back adventure. I recently came across this picture while packing. Last time I lived in California it was in Los Angeles at my grandparents house. (Sometime around 2007.) When my dad came to visit he took me to Joshua Tree National Park for a day of rockclimbing. We did a 3-pitch climb and boy did I feel accomplished when I reached the top. It was fun to find this picture while packing up to leave California for the second time. While I can't seem to put roots down here, this state sure is full of adventure!

What exciting things do you have planned for Saturday? Feel like snapping a picture of your own Strong-Arms-Saturday, send me a picture and I'll post it along with a little story and a link to your website or blog (if you have one):  E-mail Me!

Leaving the Bay Area...

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

-Lewis Carroll

And the time has come for us to leave the Bay Area. (Yes, the poem above is completely random, I just like it.) Leave the Bay you say? Why yes, Virginia is our home and we have made the decision to move back.

The decision to move back to Virginia has been a difficult decision that we have mulled over many a night. I wrote this post a while back about constantly comparing California to Virginia, and about how our decision was made from the desire for adventure. And let me just say, it has been one awesome adventure!

Our move and adventure to California was inevitable. It was the thing we had waited years for, so we had to do it. It was our opportunity to try something new, live in a different place, be different people, and experience new things. Through moving here and doing all of those things we slowly began to realize that it was not for us. Our life here in California has never felt permanent. When the future was brought up we could never envision ourselves here, and when talk of having kids started we most definitely could not imagine it happening in California.

We gave it our best shot, but somehow the core of our being cannot let go of Virginia. Neither Andy or I had a childhood in Virginia, we both moved there when we were 12 years old. From that point on though, Virginia shaped who we were through middle school, high school, and then college. Those green rolling mountains of the Shenandoah Valley molded us into the people we are today. It wasn't until we left that, that we discovered how important it is to us.

Yes we are young, and yes we will still have many adventures, but at this point in our late 20s we just want to be in a familiar place surrounded by our good friends. California has taught us the importance of home, community, family, and friendship. These above all else are the important things in our lives and we don't want to waste another minute away from them.

So...California- it has been grand, but Virginia awaits us!

(*We start the long drive back at the end of the month, so blog posts will be spotty for the next few weeks.)

Alcatraz!

It is my strong belief that when you live somewhere you should explore the area in depth, and know not only the cool things to do, but the history as well. It always saddens me to hear of someone having lived in an area for 5-10 years and still not knowing about the history or cool things around them. Having said that, Andy and I put our tourist shoes on and went to Alcatraz!

Alcatraz was so neat! I am not a huge history buff or even one for enjoying overly touristy things, but this was COOL! It was as touristy and history filled as you wanted it to be, which I appreciated. We took a boat out to the tiny island and upon getting off the boat we could do whatever we wanted. We had four hours of time on the island, of which we could take a boat back at any time. Time on the island could be spent following a tour guide, doing an audio tour only in the prison, following a pamphlet walking tour, or just wandering around on your own.

Andy and I decided to skip the tour guide and do our own thing. We were pretty excited to see the inside of the prison so we went straight up to the top of the island where the prison sat. There, we did an audio tour which guided us through the prison telling us stories and bits of history. It was VERY interesting, I loved it! I wish I could remember all the cool facts that were given, but alas I cannot. You will just have to experience the audio tour for yourself.

(Inside an Alcatraz cell)

After our audio tour of the prison we decided to wander the island on our own. Aside from the wardens huge house in ruins, we happened upon beautiful gardens. The gardens on Alcatraz surprised me the most. I had no idea that it was such a beautiful little island. Most of the time you think of Alcatraz just as a prison, but this island was so much more. It was a small town of sorts where all the prison guards and their families lived.

(This picture is an interesting contrast of beautiful gardens and the prison in the background.)

Andy and I had so much fun on our Alcatraz tour and now we know even more about the Bay Area. It was such a fun trip and I would recommend it to everyone. During the audio tour we heard something about the mess-hall being famous for serving spaghetti, so when we got home we made spaghetti and watched the old 'Escape from Alcatraz' movie. It was a great way to end our day visiting Alcatraz.

(Not sure exactly what this was, but it doesn't look like fun.)

(Checking out prison cells on the audio tour.)

(The outdoor area where prisoners could exercise and/or play games. It looks sunny, but was windy and freezing cold!!)

(Solitary confinement. They shut us in there for 5-minutes, it was blackout with no sound. Kind of crazy.)

(A view of San Francisco from Alcatraz.)

(Beautiful gardens with exotic birds roaming them.)

(Unfortunately Alcatraz is falling apart. Most of the island is in ruins.)

*If you decide to check out Alcatraz for yourself dress WARM. It was windy and freezing cold on the island. We were warm enough, but left early due to having the chills.*

Strong Arms Saturday!

This Strong-Arms-Saturday is brought to you by hiking and camping! Over Memorial Day weekend Andy and I headed out to Yosemite National Park and Stanisalus National Forest. We enjoyed the views, ohh'ed and ahh'ed all the way through Yosemite and finished up with some off-trail camping in Stanisalus. It was great to be outside and we had wonderful weather all weekend. Yay for our beautiful country!

What exciting things do you have planned for Saturday? Feel like snapping a picture of your own Strong-Arms-Saturday, send me a picture and I'll post it along with a little story and a link to your website or blog (if you have one):  E-mail Me!

Redwood Trees!

I have come to realize that the redwood trees of California are just about as representative of the state as the dramatic coast line. Really, this state does not skimp on beauty! Unfortunately these huge trees don't just line the highways, instead you have to go find them. Near San Francisco there is a national park called Muir Woods and that park is known for their redwoods trees. The famous redwood trees in Muir Woods seem to attract all sorts of hoards of tourists though. Let me just say miles of tourists! I mean they get dropped off by the bus loads, and if they drive in they park for miles and miles. Andy and I checked out Muir Woods one weekend and immediately drove away. I am not one for enjoying nature in a woods crowded with people. No thank you! So after our failed attempt to see some redwoods we did some research and discovered Butano State Park about equal distance away from San Francisco, but south rather than north. (Mill Ox Loop trail is known for redwood trees.) When we arrived at the park there was not a single soul in sight! I mean we had the whole place to ourselves. I have no idea why Muir is so crowded and Butano sits empty. No matter though, we enjoyed the large majestic trees in a quiet forest all to ourselves. They sure are beautiful trees.