Camping in the Shenandoahs

(Click the hyperlink to access the blog and see the video!)

This week, the boys are not going to camp. Instead, they are spending the days with me! So, early Monday, we left to go to the Shenandoah National Park to camp overnight. We got out there before it was time to get our camping spot, so instead, we went to a swimming hole I know about. The boys and I loved it. While the water was quite cold, it was a warm day, and there were basically no people there. We arrived to find some college aged kids, but they left within minutes of our arrival, and a family came just before we left. So we had the spot to ourselves! The most amazing thing was the number of butterflies! There were more than we could count, flying, landing, drinking, and sunning themselves.

After spending a few hours and eating our lunch, we headed to our campsite. It was the first time any of us had camped here, and once we got our insect repellent on, we were ready to go!

Quenching thirsts after putting up one easily set up tent. Ahhhhhhh!

We staked the tent, and then went for a hike, searching for Overall Run Falls. However, it was a long downhill hike, and someone (Cassius) got too tired, so we called it off. 

They are down there in the gloaming, somewhere.

The campsite was great, and to our delight, there was a herd of deer just wandering around us until the sun went down!

There's something back there!

Biggest and friendliest squirrels I've ever seen!

Woo hoo! A climbing rock!

At bedtime, we told each other scary stories, though some were scarier ("Who has my golden leg?!?!?") and some went on and on and didn't really have a point (Once again, Cassius).

In the morning, we packed up the tent and all our stuff (The boys are getting better at helping each time!), and we headed off to Garrett State Park in Western Maryland to explore a rock maze. It was a long drive, but worth it! 

"Daddy, is this the rock maze?"
"Do you see any rocks?"

There are giant boulders strewn about with natural avenues and alleyways between them for exploring and climbing. 

Main Street?

Maceo looking back on his innocent childhood years.

If you know the boys, it might not surprise you
that Cassius was the more adventurous climber.

Leader and second leader.

Simon and Garfunkel, the early years.

From there, it was a long drive back to DC. However, the boys were great in the car, and when Cassius was sleeping and we got a break from singer Vance Joy, I was able to introduce Maceo to Harry Chapin's song "30,000 Pounds of Bananas", a song that had always been a good one for road trips when I was a boy. He seems to like songs that have strong narratives, and that one has a truck crash to boot, so it's been on repeat since that day.