A few years ago we started a tradition of going on an adventure for Mother's Day. It is one of my favorite traditions now, it even tops Happy Doughnut Day. Of course since Mother's Day is on Sunday, I get to have both! This was the first year we've gone away overnight. All our other adventures have been just on Mother's Day. We wanted to take the Sunstar with us. We figured it would be a good reminder of life in the RV and a chance to see what needs to be fixed, bought, or modified before the big trip. This year we settled on Catoctin Mountain. There is a national park and a state park that both have camping and plenty of hiking trails throughout both parks. Plus it's not too far from home for a quick overnight.
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| Cunningham Falls |
We set out on Saturday afternoon. The day was hot and we knew a front was coming through. It rained for most of the drive but by the time we got to the mountain, the sun was out and the heat of the day was gone. We first went to the National Park only to learn that the campground wasn't open yet, a result of sequestration. Luckily the state park was open and had plenty of campsites. We settled into our spot and the kids explored for a bit and then after being told their electronics time had run out, they explored a bit more. I think the electronics battle will be one of the toughest of the trip. On one hand those gadgets will save our sanity on the many long days of driving, but the kids nagging to use them on our adventure days may very well rob us of that well earned sanity and take us back to crazy town.
We had a nice dinner outside and the fire kept Kellen occupied for quite a bit. We managed to get everyone settled into bed but not before I was reminded that getting 4 people to sleep in a 21 foot RV has it's challenges. Someone wants a snuggle, another wants all the lights off and every time anyone walks to the bathroom, the whole RV shimmies a bit.
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| Having an adventure on the hike |
We woke up the next day to a cool and beautiful morning. We managed to get the kids up and out for a morning hike to Cunningham Falls. We want them to think of the hikes as fun adventures, not forced death marches, so the challenge is getting the right mix of distance and destination to keep them interested. This one missed the mark a bit. The falls were great and the kids were having fun. However, we wound up taking the long way back, which proved to be a bit too much for our kids. There was a good big of whining and one child had to end the hike with only one shoe on, but we made it back. After lunch we did some easy "nature trail" hikes which proved to be just the right mix, thankfully.
It was a great trip overall and a reminder of the challenges coming on the longer trip. The first 3 days will be an adjustment as we settle into RV life AND drive all the way to South Dakota. I hope that by the time we reach our first destination, Badlands National Park, that everyone is ready for adventure and not ready to kill each other.
