Day 9: When in Kentucky…

After about 24 hours in West Virginia,

We continued west to Kentucky for our final stop.

Do you know what we get to drive on in Kentucky?

The Bourbon Trail

Do you know what that means?

Buffalo Trace pit stop!

It took some expert maneuvering and special RV parking

But we got our rig settled and headed in to what is touted

As the most family-friendly distillery on the Trail.

And it just happens to be one of Mom and Dad’s favorites.

While they had a bourbon tasting

We had a root beer and chocolate tasting

Then we hit the gift shop

And bought waaay too much.

Mom and Dad couldn’t turn down all the tasty options.

An hour or two down the road

And we settled into Singing Hills RV Park

Which they declare is unlike any RV park you will ever stay in.

It was a lovely spot.

And we have to say—

The owners Eldon and Beth are LEGIT 

some of the sweetest people we have ever met.

We didn’t have much luck at the fishing pond

but you can’t beat the view.

 

Day 8: The newest National Park

Good bye Virginia, hello West Virginia!

We’re off to check out New River Gorge National Park.

Established in 2020, it’s the newest of the parks.

People rave about the rafting in New River

But given it’s October,

We’ll have to settle for some hiking.

Our first stop was the Grandview Visitor Station

and a short 1.2 hike on Castle Rock trail

It was a really cool hike along the cliffs

That made for some cool pictures

We wound up back on the Grandview Rim

Which was pretty too

See why they call it “Grandview”???

That was too easy.

We needed one more before we headed to our campsite.

How about the Tunnel Trail?

A good name for this one

With some “grand” views…

We quickly set up camp

And decided to try out one more hike—

Because on the trail is the best place for Happy Hour.

We set out on The Endless Wall Trail,

Which didn’t have many walls but did have these cool 

GIANT rhododendron bushes

We made it to Diamond Point as the sun was setting

Having a snack and a drink overlooking the New River?

One of our best Happy Hour spots this trip!

The hike back gave us some amazing views of 

the famed New River Gorge Bridge

Not a bad day,

But we’ll have to come back in the summer

To give this park its due

 

Day 7: The colors of Fall

It’s pretty cozy sleeping in the camper

But the gorgeous sunrise pulled us out

Today, we’re headed back into Shenandoah

They love to brag about the fall leaves in the park—

And they weren’t wrong!

We had to pull over for some gawking on our way to the Ranger’s Station

Because, of course, we needed to get our Junior Ranger badges

Now, bring on the hike!

Mom chose the Dark Hallows Falls to Rose River Falls loop

For our first hike of the day.

It was a lovely, quick, downhill hike to Dark Hallows Falls

Family pic for the win

And then we set off into the woods

For the slow loop assent back up

It was very pretty out in the woods

We followed the Rose River and

There were all sorts of deep pools with fish in them

The city is fun

But there is something about being in nature

That is good for the soul

There were all sorts of things to see

We ran into a few snakes

And deer.

And how about this tree?

Looks like some crazy arms!

Not the most exciting hike ever,

But it was an enjoyable 5.5 miles.

It was getting late in the day

So we decided to finish up with a hike to the highest point in the park:

Hawksbill Point

We chose the shorter-but-steeper route up the Lower Hawksbill trail—

And it was worth the 3/4 mile scurry

Great place for a roadie drink

When we got back down,

We noticed that there was access to the Appalachian trail

Just off the Hawksbill trail

Check that out!

Been on the Appalachian Trail?

Check!

Mom needed to walk on it just a bit…

Back at the campsite,

It melted into a beautiful evening

Perfect for a campfire

And a few more rides in the golf cart

Because tomorrow,

We’re on the move to our next stop…

 

Day 6: From City to Country

Today we left the hustle and bustle of DC behind

And set out for Virginia

To Shenandoah National Park

All the fall colors were pretty—

We thought our hike on Fox Hollow trail

Was a lot like something we’d find in Missouri

With a hike under out belts,

We finished our drive to Luray, just outside the park…

To a Jellystone.

And even in the off-season,

A Jellystone doesn’t disappoint! 

We tried out the paddlboats

Even Mom and Dad took a ride

(Dad was especially excited—

I think he was just glad to be out of the truck)

The had a pretty good mini golf course

Which we prefer to play like billiards

Hey, hey, Boo-boo!

What we really loved was the bounce pillow.

We played ball well past dark

With our glow-in-the-dark football

It was a gorgeous night

Mom was back in her happy place—

Disconnected in nature

And we were in our happy place—

Mom and Dad splurged for a golf cart!!!

We weren’t supposed to drive it…

But you better believe once the park rangers were gone,

We were out and about all night!

This is a pretty amazing campsite

Just look at that moon and those stars!