Weekly Mileage #134 and Last Camping Trip of the Season

We saw two hot air balloons on the way to preschool Monday morning

Monday morning I managed to go for a run and a hike. Such a good way to start the week.

I spent some time doing sample cuts/engravings on different leathers. I should have done this a long time ago, but didn't. It was a bit time consuming to do the design and enter all the different settings, but it was very informative and should save a lot of time and wasted leather in the future (no more charred leather projects like last week's banjo strap pad). The time involved is probably why I didn't do it earlier.

While the GlowForge was GlowForging away (three different leathers, 4 or 5 samples), I worked on a costume, which was a good use of my time.

the banner I was working on last week

Tuesday morning we squeezed in River's 6 year old checkup and the boys' flu shots before music lessons. We also got Ocean's ears looked at.

Last week Ocean's preschool teachers mentioned that he didn't seem to be hearing them if he wasn't facing them when they were talking: he wouldn't acknowledge them, and didn't participate in story time and singing time like he usually does. We've known something was off with him, but that was the trigger to realize it was probably his ears. Not sure why it hadn't occurred to us sooner. Maybe 9 months of no ear problems made us forget how it used to be. In any case, I spoke with his speech therapist and she watched him more closely during his next therapy session, and she confirmed that he seemed to be regressing in his attention span and speech.

I made an appointment to get his ears looked at Wednesday morning, but I also bought an otoscope camera (I was going to buy an otoscope, but decided to give the camera a try). I looked at everyone's ears, and they all looked good, except Ocean's. His looked pretty icky.

The doctor checked them out and found copious amounts of wax blocking his ears. After cleaning them (an ordeal in itself), the doc decided to keep the appointment the next day to do a hearing screening.

After music lessons, we explored some ruins. We've driven past them every week for the past 6 years, but never stopped in to check them out. I'm trying to get better about such things, and it was a nice day, so we stopped and looked around a bit. The house was destroyed by fire in 1884 (70 years after being built), but the walls were left standing.

After lunch I worked on the treehouse floor frame while the kiddos finished filling the garden boxes. Well, two of the boxes. One more box needs to be moved a bit, then it and the other one right in front of the shed need to be filled.

After building the framework, I started laying out the planks for the flooring and put a half wall up on the end that adjoins the middle level of the treehouse. There will be a mud kitchen somewhere on this level, and I'm thinking of putting it against this half wall. Still deciding.... Lots of walking as I walked back and forth, back and forth.

Wednesday it rained most of the day, so after taking Ocean in for his hearing screening (inconclusive, so we have an actual hearing test at the end of the month, just to make sure he can actually hear), he and I did the grocery shopping. We got wet, but it was a good use of our time.

Thursday we went for a hike at our local trails park to check the conditions of the trails after Wednesday's rain. They were a little damp, but not nearly as muddy as I expected them to be. I also screwed down a few of the flooring planks in the treehouse, but didn't get very far before both drill batteries were dead. They're old and it's past time to replace them, but we haven't needed them much lately. Guess it's time to stop ignoring the issue.

Friday our playgroup went on a hike at the trails park. We stopped and played in the river a bit. The water level was low, but still high enough for a good number of kids to get wet. I planned ahead and brought extra clothes for both boys to change into, as well as a towel. Bonus points to me for being prepared (for once)!

Friday evening we drove up to Shenandoah NP for the last campout of the season so we could dump the tanks. We've been planning this for some time, but I didn't realize that October is the busy season for the park as everyone comes to look at the fall foliage. Needless to say, we weren't able to get a reservation the first time we tried. We found somewhere else we could go, but it was further away, so I held off on making reservations. Last weekend I decided to check one last time, and found one spot available for Friday night!

It was cold, but we were all reasonably warm in our piles of blankets and sleeping bags (no hookups at the campground and our batteries are crap and won't last the night if something is pulling power, like the propane heater, which needs electricity to run the blower). Temps dipped down close to freezing, but we got the tanks dumped Saturday. Now Jeremy just needs to blow out the pipes and we'll be good for the winter.

While we were at Shenandoah, the boys did their Junior Ranger books (Sunshine earned hers several years ago) and we hiked to Dark Hollow Falls and back. It was fun, but the park was more crowded than we've ever seen it.

not a lot of water in the falls after the dry spell we've had the last couple months

 If we go back next year at the end of the season to dump our tanks, we'll have to go during the week, when the crowds aren't quite so bad. We may be able to go to a campground a lot closer next year though. It's closed for remodeling right now, but we've dumped our tanks there in the past.

We headed home mid afternoon and got home in time for Sunshine to take a quick shower before heading off to a stake youth activity.

Weekly Mileage
Monday- 1.35 mile trail run
Monday- 1.75 mile hike
Tuesday- 2.00 miles walked outside
Thursday- 1.50 miles hiked
Friday- 1.32 miles hiked
Saturday- 2.36 miles hiked
total- 10.28 miles

24 hikes towards #52hikechallenge
2.56 kayak miles towards #365milechallenge

105.73 outdoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
41.16 indoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
80.0 bike miles towards #365milechallenge
229.45 miles total

Weekly Mileage #120 and Our Family Reunions

Monday we drove to Mr M's reunion at a national forest campsite in the mountains, about half an hour past Idaho City. The narrow, twisty mountain roads made the drive longer than it would be otherwise.

Ocean played in this pile of dirt for more than half an hour, happy as a clam

There was a rustic cabin with 6 or 7 campsites around it, and that was surrounded by forest. I loved how quiet it was, and the fact that we didn't have to worry about making too much noise and bothering the other campers. The cabin had running water in the kitchen and bathroom and a propane powered fridge and water heater, and there was an outhouse nearby as well.

the boys helped clean the dutch ovens

There were a couple power stanchions, but they only worked if the generator next to the cabin was on. There was also water and sewer, though the sewer system was having problems when we were there. But it was a super cheap campsite, so no one could really complain :)

helping is dirty work

I was still not feeling great while we were at this reunion, though I did feel better as the week went on. We went to town twice while we were camping so we could find wifi to use. Mr M needed to check stuff for work and I had some work to do to make sure I was ready for the affiliate launch I was part of the next week.

there was a forest fire in the area in the not-too-distant past, but the forest is recovering

The drive made me nauseous, though, so while we could have gone to town again, or to a swimming spot further down the mountains, we didn't. I do wish we had done some hiking- there were trails that started right at our campground, but I wasn't up for that, either. It was nice to just relax in the mountains and not worry about the work I could be doing, since I couldn't do it :)

Some of the guys took advantage of the surrounding national forest to do some shooting practice. Mr M took Sunshine along and she got to shoot a .22 pistol and a .45 pistol. The last time she went shooting was 5 years ago, so it was a good refresher. I stayed at camp with the boys to make sure they didn't follow. River really wanted to go, but we decided he needed to wait a little longer. Next time.

Friday we were up early so we could break camp and head back to Boise. We stopped to pick up a package we'd had delivered to grandma's house, then headed for Flaming Gorge. We checked to see if we could stop by Craters of the Moon since we'd missed it on our trip west, but there was still no time. We arrived at our campground outside Flaming Gorge after dark, so it was good we didn't make any other stops along the way. We'll visit Craters another time.

McConkie Ranch petroglyphs

We had planned on going to the reservoir on Saturday, but it was cool and overcast, so we headed south for some exploring instead. First, we visited McConkie Ranch in Vernal to look at the petroglyphs.

McConkie Ranch petroglyphs

After hiking around, looking at those petroglyphs, we went to Dinosaur National Monument. Sunshine wasn't enthused about doing a Junior Ranger book until her cousins said they wanted to do it. Then she was much more willing ;)

the girls working on their books

River working on his

We didn't have enough time to fully explore (we weren't able to do any hiking, though apparently there are some trails where you can see fossils in the wild), though we did go to the quarry (the covered area where dinosaur bones were first discovered) just before closing.

the variety and number of bones is quite impressive

Once the visitor center closed, we headed out in search of more petroglyphs before calling it a day. It's quite impressive that they've managed to last this long.

On the way back to camp we stopped for dinner at a tiny BBQ joint and made their day (and their week, possibly their month) ordering dinner for 18 people. Totally skewed their sales numbers, but in a good way. The ribs were good, but the coleslaw was uninspired. If you've ever had Mr M's coleslaw, you know that most coleslaws don't come close to it.

Sunday after church we did a group photo (minus my older brother and his family, who were only able to stop by for a few minutes and missed all the festivities and my nephew who just went on his mission).

We also played around with some indigo dying. After you submerge fabric in the dye and pull it out, it looks green. It turns a deep, dark blue as it oxidizes in the sun. I forgot to take a picture of the finished products, but I just love the deep blue that results. I've been trying to come up with some projects I can use indigo dye for, just so I have an excuse to play around with it some more.

Weekly Mileage
Saturday- 5.0 miles hiked while looking at petroglyphs
total- 5.0 miles

14 hikes towards #52hikechallenge
1.25 kayak miles towards #365milechallenge

73.53 outdoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
15.87 indoor foot miles towards #365milechallenge
80.0 bike miles towards #365milechallenge
170.65 miles total

Weekly Mileage #68 and a Trip to the Beach

When we bought our RV last spring, a year’s membership with Thousand Trails was included, but we didn’t activate it until we went to Gettysburg last October. We were determined to get our money’s worth (even if we didn’t spend money on it), and scheduled some trips this summer that we’d been wanting to take that had TT campsites nearby.

picturesque road to our middle of nowhere campground

Monday we drove to the Eastern Shore of Virginia in the RV, towing the car on the dolly. Mr M had a business trip, so he wasn’t able to come, and this was the only week we could fit this trip in, so the kids and I went without him. We’d have liked it if he could come, but it was empowering for me to do it all myself and realize it’s not quite as scary as I’d made it out to be. Though following my track record with discovering problems when Mr M’s not available to help, I found some damage on one interior wall. I initially thought it was carpenter ant damage, but after researching once we got home, it might be water damage. We'll have to peel the wallpaper off to find out for sure. Sooo frustrating.

those spiky bumps aren't natural....

The campground was older, but on the water, at the end of narrow road in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't a sandy beach, but there was a fishing pier and a swimming pool right next to the fishing pier. There was also a playground and a putt putt course, and grass everywhere. At one point in the past there were a lot more camping sites (you could see the old concrete picnic table pads in a couple of fields), but I don't think most of them are used these days.

old concrete pads in a field, with the ocean in the distance

view of the ocean from our campsite

Since we arrived on a Monday, we had our pick of sites, and opted for a shaded site with water and electric. We could have gotten full hookups, but it would have been in full sun with neighbors right next to us. There was a trailer next to us in the shade, but we never saw the owner's the whole time we were there- most likely they just stay on the weekends. The next closest were 3 sites down and also deserted for the week. Despite the age of the park, we loved how scenic it was and having so many empty sites around us was super nice.

view in the other direction from our campsite

private road through the campground- perfect for walking and bike riding

I’d checked our cell phone provider’s service map before we left, and they claimed we’d have 3G coverage, but that was a lie. I was roaming most of the time, and the signal was just strong enough for me to send and receive texts, but that was it. So no using my cell as a hotspot to get work done. Getting a cell signal booster or other provider is looking more and more attractive all the time.

After we set everything up, we explored the campground and went swimming before dinner, then another walk after dinner. We brought the kids' bikes and I walked, and this was the perfect campground for letting kids ride around on their bikes. It was very peaceful and quiet, with lots of birds in the trees, and the weather was nice and cool.

Assateague lighthouse and the view from the top: the causeway between Assateague and Chincoteague

Tuesday we drove an hour and 15 minutes north to Assateague Island National Seashore. After River begged to stop at the lighthouse, we climbed Assateague lighthouse, which River didn’t enjoy. His favorite part was getting back to the ground :) but he climbed all the way to the top and back. Ocean didn't have a problem with the height, though he did try to convince me to carry him part of the way because he was "too heavy" ie, didn't want to walk anymore. 

band of wild ponies on Assateague

We started the kids' Junior Ranger packets and went on a ranger program through a salt marsh, then hiked a trail through the trees, where we saw some wild ponies way off in the distance. We stopped for ice cream in the town of Chincoteague, then headed back to the RV. We stopped at the lone Walmart we saw and picked up a couple lighters (I’d discovered the one in the RV was empty when I tried to light the oven pilot light the night before for dinner- thanks renters for leaving an empty lighter in the cupboard) and a boogie board. We went swimming again before dinner to cool off from the heat and humidity of the day, but the biting horse flies were a <literal> pain.

River, ready to take on the ocean. Well, until the first wave came :)

Wednesday we got a much earlier start and went to the beach first for about 2.5 hours, but took another hour to get stuff to the car, walk to the rinse station, try to clean up, and walk back to the car. It was way too hot for all that nonsense. We did have fun in the water though. We collected shells, played in the sand (giant sand box!), and boogie boarded. 

another junior ranger pin to add to her collection

Sunshine had the boogie board most of the time, but I grabbed it to give it a go, and Ocean begged to come with me. So I laid him on the board and we floated around and caught some waves, and he loved it. River wanted a chance after that, but he wasn't sure about the whole thing. He did enjoy the waves, but he was also happy to get back to the shore. This was the first time I’ve really played in the ocean, doing more than just standing or sitting in the water, and it was a lot of fun.

After we finally made it back to the car after attempting to rinse off, we turned in the Junior Ranger packets, got a better view of the wild ponies, and then stopped by the Misty of Chincoteague statue in downtown Chincoteague. Unfortunately, we were about two weeks too early for the annual wild pony swim. A bummer, but pictures of the crowds tell me I wouldn’t enjoy it, so it’s ok.

we caught the tail end of a wind tunnel activity they were hosting for kiddos

Then we went to NASA’s Wallops Island Visitor Center. Rockets are regularly launched from the Wallops Island facility, but none were on the schedule while we were there. We stopped by a railroad museum that was supposed to have cars we could walk through, but most of them were locked up (boo).

one of the locked railroad cars

Thursday we went to the Eastern Shore Wildlife Refuge, where we went on a Butterfly hike to a WWII bunker, complete with de-commissioned gun barrel. After that, we went on to Cape Charles. Sunshine and I fangirled over Young House Love’s beach house and duplex that they’ve been restoring. In a non-creepy way, though- we just drove by once or twice, didn't even take pictures :)

running on the shady part of the trail

(l-r, clockwise) the bunker, the stairs to the top of the outside of the bunker, a shell, and the <huge> gun

love the materials used

We did take pictures at the LOVE sign on the beach though, and then walked the on the white sand beach. The tide was out, which was a new experience for us. The rippled sand was super cool, and the shallow water was warmer than we expected after the cold water at Assateague beach. We collected some shells, though nothing as large as the day before. 

Ocean wanted to pick up ALL the rocks and ALL the shells

We headed back to the car to get ice cream, but this happened, which I shared yesterday:

Almost-3-year-olds cannot be reasoned with.

We ended up stopping at an old fashioned candy store, where the kiddos behaved well enough for me to give the ice cream store a second chance. I thought they had better ice cream than the place in Chincoteague, though Sunshine disagreed.

We stopped at a real, old fashioned hardware store that’s been around for more than a hundred years and literally has a little bit of everything- it was so crowded. The linoleum on the floor was worn through on the main aisles. It also had the coolest old stamped tin ceiling tiles with peeling paint. Those tiles probably haven’t been touched since they were originally installed.

We got back to the RV earlier than the last few days, so we had quiet time, which was much needed by all. Since the cell signal was so bad, I couldn’t get online to work, but I did get my desktop cleaned up and worked on writing various posts that I'll publish in the future.

the boys loved having a flat area to ride their bikes, and I liked that I could still see them

my view while working at the picnic table

Friday we got up early and made breakfast, then started putting everything away so we could break camp. Since we didn’t have sewer hookups I had to empty the tanks on our way out. It went better than the last time I dumped, so that was a win. We got home in the afternoon, unloaded the RV, and started laundry, then it was time for quiet time.

This trip was different than when the kids and I went to help my sister move because I was towing the car on the dolly for the first time. I was a little nervous about getting the car on the dolly by myself, but I helped get it on enough times last summer, that it wasn't too hard. Driving with the car behind me wasn't too bad either- I mostly didn't know it was there.

The worst part of the trip was the 20 mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel that stretches from Hampton Roads to the Eastern Shore of Virginia. It's made up of three bridges and two tunnels, and while the bridges are 2 lanes each way, the tunnels are only one lane each way. The tight quarters with semi trucks barreling towards me in the other lane was a bit nerve-wracking, but I survived.

There are some things we need to do still and we'd like to bring Mr M back with us, so we'll definitely go back. One thing we didn't get a chance to do was camp right by the beach on the Maryland portion of Assateague Island. Doesn't that sound cool?

I didn’t manage to stick to my half marathon training schedule, but I knew it would be very difficult without Mr M along to watch the kiddos while I went for a run every day. Despite that, I did get some workouts in, and my mileage was close to where it should be. I even managed my 6 mile long run/walk Saturday on the treadmill. I haven't enjoyed running on the treadmill lately, but this time I actually felt good, which was a nice change.

Weekly Mileage
Monday- 1.69 miles walked and run around the campground
.70 miles walked around the campground
Tuesday- 2.42 miles hiked
.44 miles walked during the ranger program
.75 miles walked while at the lighthouse
Thursday- 1.25 miles hiked
1.10 mile beach walk
Saturday- 6.00 miles walked and run on the treadmill
    total- 14.35 miles

12 hikes towards #52hikechallenge
2.14 kayak miles towards #365milechallenge

130.11 foot miles towards #365milechallenge
195.00 bike miles towards #365milechallenge
327.25 miles total