Fun Times at Treetop Adventure Park - Granlibakken Resort

When Hubby had his conference at Granlibakken Resort for work at the end of September the whole fam tagged along over the weekend. It was a great time since it is right by Lake Tahoe. The closest town is Tahoe City where we had time to explore the lake. However our favorite part of the weekend was checking out the Treetop Adventure Park.

Snow Mountain Backpacking Trip with the Fam

Last weekend was Memorial Day Weekend and each year we try to go on a hike or a camping trip (except last year, I did Boston's Run to Remember). We had thought about car camping but it seemed like all of the spots that we were hoping to check out were already reserved (yes, we were late in the game). We could have just gone to one of the campgrounds that didn't take reservations but that would have left lots of uncertainty, so Hubby figured backpacking was the way to go. Hubby decided on checking out Snow Mountain and it was a great choice. Thanks to Obama it is now a national monument so the land is protected similar to a National Park.

5 Things to Love About Niagara Falls

It wasn't too long ago that the fam visited Niagara Falls. It was on my bucket list of things to do before we moved and I am so glad that I got to cross it off my list. It was a great place to see. 

Here are five things that I loved about visiting the Falls:

Family Hike to Angora Lakes

While visiting Davis, CA last week, we had a whole day free so Hubby thought it would be fun to visit the mountains. I'm so happy he brought up the idea because where we went was pretty awesome. Angora Lakes in South Lake Tahoe was our destination and it did not disappoint.

Fox Hollow Trail Our Last Hike at Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah National Park Day 4 - Thursday 4/9/15

The weather on our last day at the park was pretty bad. Cloudy was the forecast but we wanted to get one more hike in before we left so we chose the Fox Hollow Trail. We chose it as we knew you wouldn't get views on the hike but it was a nice short loop with a few interesting things to see along the trail.

Shenandoah National Park Day 3: Little Stony Man and Luray Caverns in Luray

Shenandoah National Park Day 3 - Wednesday 4/8/15
The weather on day 3 was not great. It started out really foggy in the morning, cleared while on our hike up Stony Man, then the clouds rolled in and stayed. It was pretty dreary the rest of the day so we headed to the Luray Caverns which turned out to be a pretty awesome place.

Shenandoah National Park Day 2 - Dark Hollow Falls, Blackrock, Miller's Head Hikes

Shenandoah National Park Day 2 - Tuesday 4/7/15

Day two, weather-wise was a lot different from our first day of sunny and blue skies. Lots of clouds but at least it was not raining. We planned for three short hikes again with a stop for lunch at Big Meadows Wayside and then checking in to our room at the Skyland Resort.

Shenandoah National Park Day 1 - Lower Hawksbill, Bearfence Scramble, & Blackrock Summit Hikes

Shenandoah National Park Day One - Monday 4/6/15

It's the kiddos spring break so we decided to head down to Shenandoah National Park for some hiking and exploring. The park is famous for it's Skyland drive which is a 105 mile road that goes right through the park. With great overlooks and hikes along the way, we were excited to visit the park. Our plan was to start from the bottom of the drive and stay in 3 different hotels/lodge and just explore each area along the way. Our plan didn't quite pan out as the weather forecast didn't look so great for the week of our visit so we made some modifications but it worked out totally fine in the end.

Last Day in Washington DC: National Postal Museum 11/19/14

It was our last day in DC and I wanted to stick close to Union Station so we headed to the National Postal Museum as it was literally across the street from our hotel. I wasn't sure what to expect at the museum because I wasn't sure how stamps and mail could be fun. However, I was pleasantly surprised on how well the museum displayed exhibits on stamps, explored postal history, and explained how mail is/has been transported throughout the years.

A cool thing we found was the Create Your Own Stamp Design station. It was neat because it was a touch screen where you got to tap what features you wanted. 

Day 4 in Washington DC 11/18/14

Today we visited the U.S Bureau of Engraving and Printing to learn about how are money is made. Tours run every 15 minutes from 9:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. We made it to the 10:30 tour and with it being off peak season we did not need a ticket. Tours are free like most other museums in DC. :) 

Before the actual tour you can watch a video on how money is made. During the tour no pictures, videos, or cell phones are allowed in use so I was not able to take any pics. The pics below are all from the gift shop.

My Long Run Turned DC Running Tour

On Sunday I had a 12 mile long run scheduled and when I came across running routes, I knew I would be seeing some awesome sites. I knew part of my route would hit the National Mall along with the Lincoln Memorial but I winged the rest of my run and added the Jefferson Memorial, the Tidal Basin, and the Martin Luther King Memorial. I figured why not add more sites and tour the city. What an awesome run! DC is very runner friendly. 

I started my run pretty early, I think I left the hotel around 6:35am. There weren't many runners out yet, but I did see more by the end of my run. I started right by Union Station and headed towards the National Mall. Here I am heading towards the Washington Monument.

Day 3 in Washington DC 11/17/14 National Museum of Natural History

The weather forecast called for rain all day so we checked out the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. It was the perfect place to spend the day. There was so much to see. 

Day 2 in Washington DC 11/16/14

Today we ventured to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. From Union Station it is fairly easy to get there as you take the red line on the Metrorail to the Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan stop. The walk was longer than expected to the zoo but not too bad.

What is great about the zoo is like other Smithsonian museums, it is also free! The Zoo is fairly big so we were unable to see everything but we did see all of the animals we were hoping to see. The animal I most wanted to see were the pandas. They were along the Asia Trail which was the first area we came across.

Day 1 in Washington DC 11/15/14

We arrived in Washington DC today as Hubby has got a big conference and he invited us to tag along. We got in close to lunch time and were lucky enough to get checked in to our hotel early. We dropped off our stuff and parked our car at the Union Station garage where parking per day was $24. A lot better than $50 per day at the hotel we were staying at. 

After a quick lunch at Union Station (lots of food choices there with restaurants and a food court downstairs), we headed towards the Air and Space Museum. Btw, big thanks goes to Jenny from Run Jenny Run who gave me a list of food and place recommendations in DC to explore with the kids and also running routes! Thank you Jenny! :)

From Union Station we walked towards Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum to meet a friend with her son who is also good friends of the kiddos. I Google mapped the walk and it turned out to be a 20 minute walk, which was great especially after we had just eaten lunch. I enjoyed the walk and stopped to take pics of the kiddos. Here they are by the Capitol.

Muscoot Farm with the Kids

Last Sunday, with my Mother-In-Law in the area, well up North near White Plains, NY, we headed up there to visit with her for the day. She had found this local farm that we could visit. This farm was called Muscoot Farm. It was pretty neat as they were having their Autumn Celebration so there were booths with local vendors and there was a display of cool vintage cars.

Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse

I had heard about the Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse from a Mom that I met at a park one day. She mentioned that it had a huge playground for kids and was free. As always the free caught my attention. She also mentioned it was close to the Philadelphia Zoo, so we could always swing by the Zoo too if the kids wanted. When we arrived, I was surprised to see what looked like a mansion. 

This mansion, is actually the Playhouse. According to their pamphlet, it opened in 1899, and was specifically designed to be used as a play place just for kids. Pretty cool that even back then they wanted a place just for kids to play! It is really big! 16,000 square feet to be exact! It has 3 levels. The Playhouse is for kids 5 and under but the older kids up to 10 years old can play out on the playground (get to that in a bit). I can see why the Playhouse is for kids 5 and under as the toys are geared more towards the younger crowd. There are lots of toys for younger kids to play with. This is the main big room upstairs.

Hershey Park with Kids

We went to Hershey Park for the first time this week. We left on Sunday morning and stayed the night, leaving Monday late in the afternoon. Thanks again to Priceline we got a pretty good deal on a hotel that was close to the park. 

I had heard lots of positive things about Hershey Park but was not expecting much and was not sure how the kids would be at the park. I had seen the maps on the website but just didn't realize how big it was until we got there. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the park and the amount of rides and attractions there were for kids under 5. 

Tyler State Park with the Fam

The last time we visited Tyler State Park was back in March when I did the Looney Leperchaun 10K. I remember running through corn fields and being surprised at how many hills there were throughout the trail run's course. Something I particularly remembered was that the kiddos really liked the playground there (they played while I ran). 

With nothing planned on Sunday, we decided to check out the park, not only for the playground but to also explore what else the park had to offer. After a picnic lunch, the kiddos enjoyed the playground. I even had a bit of fun myself. I was so proud of myself for going all the way across these monkey bars. I can't remember the last time I had ever gone across (I was probably in elementary school) but I did it! T25 has definitely made me stronger. I'm pretty sure I couldn't do this a month ago.

Gettysburg Trip Day 2

Gettysburg Trip Day 2
7/20/14

We started the day out with going to the earlier parts of the Self-Guiding Auto Tour that we did not visit yesterday. Gettysburg was a battle that lasted 3 days. The area we went to first in the morning was an area where action occurred on the first day. The pic to the left was near Seminary Ridge. The ridge looked out to an open field. 

Gettysburg Trip Day 1

Gettysburg Trip Day 1 
7/19/14

We decided to go to Gettysburg on a whim Friday night before the weekend. We didn't have any plans and by some weird coincidence we both were thinking the same thing, that is Hubby and I without even talking beforehand had Gettysburg on our minds. And with our heads on the same page, Hubby did some research on some cheap bids for hotels on Priceline and went from there. Our first bid of $60 for a 3 star hotel, was accepted so Gettysburg was definitely where we would be heading for the weekend. I love how Priceline can give great deals. We scored staying at the Courtyard Marriot!