Road Trip 2011 Part 2: The Charleston Adventures Day 1

Life lesson # 778,000,239.9:

Just because the weather channel reported temps in the 80's the previous week, don't assume your beach vacation will be hot and sunny.

The first few days we were at the beach it was quite....unbeachy.  The sun was hidden behind thick grey clouds, and the wind made the rain feel like tiny knives.

Yuck.

Fortunately, the kids didn't seem to mind that it wasn't the most ideal weather.  They donned their swimsuits and were pumped for a chilly day at the frigid pool.

One advantage to miserable beach weather is having the entire stretch of beach to yourself!

That first day we were only brave enough to get our ankles wet. 

That wind was COLD!!!

We ended the day with a drive into the city and dinner at Fleet's Landing. A waterfront sea food restaurant housed in an old Navy building.

Road Trip 2011 Part 2: The Charleston Adventures

Over Fall Break we packed up, together with our good friends and neighbors, and headed for the Charleston beach.  The first leg of the trip went so smoothly that we were actually in danger of arriving far too early!  Since we had some extra time to spare we decided to visit the swamp.

Specifically Four Holes Swamp in the Francis Beidler Forest, just an hour or so west of the city.

While planning the vacation I had come across the following video and fell in love with the beauty of the place.

Reality being, well, reality, we visited at the dry time of year so much of the video's marshland was just dry, leaf covered ground.

For a nominal fee that goes toward preservation, we wandered along the boardwalk, nature guide in hand, trying to spot some interesting wildlife.

Much of the ground was covered by palmetto plants.

One eerie, out-of-this-world find was the cypress knees sticking out of the swampy areas.

Tall virgin growth cypress and tupelo trees towered above us, creating a dense shade (which really messed with my camera settings).

From quite a distance we spotted this alligator resting along the banks of the lake.

Surprisingly, we noticed few mosquitoes - something we had assumed would be present in blood-sucking droves.  Apparently the mixture of salt and water.....or marsh-i-ness....created a habitat unfit for the pests.

We did see quite a few of these little guys!

The Francis Beidler Forest was a great "pit stop" to visit and stretch our legs during the long drive!

Raven's Run

If you live in the Lexington area and have never been to Raven's Run, you need to go.  Now.

Earl and I spent an afternoon hiking there many years ago and always planned to go back, but didn't take the time until last month.

An easy hike through the forest (or grasslands, if you wish) leads to a beautiful over look of the Kentucky River Palisades.

As Libby is pointing out, the trails close at 4:00pm.  There is a gate leading to the nature sanctuary that is closed and locked around sunset, so make sure you get out before then!

Danger signs are always a great thing to see on a family hike with a precocious preschooler. =)

 

Libby was quite frustrated that I had a hand on her at all times while we sat on the overhang.  These rocks had a small ledge underneath, and then a dropoff to the river about 50 feet below. 

The view of the palisades is spectacular! 

On the hike back to the Nature Centerwe opted for the shorter, flatter route through the grasslands.  By this time we were kicking ourselves for not bringing a bottle of water for the kids.  Surprisingly, they both made it with relatively littlecomplaining or whining.

Although strolling through a sea of goldenrod in the height of fall allergy season was its own form of torture, we couldn't resist taking the time to snap some pictures of its beauty. 

Apple Pickin' Fun

After the zoo, we decided to go apple picking because we are crazy I had a craving for Evan's Apple Cider and needed more apples for another apple pie.

The weather was perfect, although since it was late in the apple picking season, the trees were pretty well picked over. 

We were still able to find enough yummy apples to sample and add to our bag.

And we bought a peck (is that a real measurement) of my most favorite HoneyCrisp in the market along with a gallon of apple cider.

A benefit to apple picking with few apples was the absence of other apple pickers.  We pretty much had the orchard to ourselves!

With our apples I made a homemade apple pie, which didn't last long enough to photograph, and since I was on a domestic kick, I also whipped up a loaf of Maple Oat "Becca Bread".

It's soooooooooooo good!

Catching Up

Many moons ago, when Libby was a monkey-haired sack of newborness and we were sleep deprived yet still needed to find ways of entertaining a demanding almost-four-year-old, we packed up our brood and drove to Cincinnati where we became members of the Newport Aquariam.  For roughly the cost of two visits, we got unlimited passes and could go anytime we wanted.

We've continued the tradition of buying membership at local parks where we can bring the kids for a great day of fun. 

Lucky for us, we live within an hours' drive of two semi-major cities with a variety of zoos, parks, and museums.

Last year, we had a Louisville Zoo membership pass.  We visited the zoo about 4 times within that year, so the passes were worth it.

Since our membership was going to expire the end of September we decided to spend one last morning walking around the zoo and visiting our favorite animals. (I must say, the biggest benefit to having the passes is the freedom to see only the stuff we're really interested in, and not feeling obligated to check out every exhibit.)

Of course, I had to get a picture of my favorite rhino rumps!  I have captured them on camera every.single.time I go!

The elephants are always a hit! A bonus with the Louisville Zoo is they have both an African and an Asian elephant, so the girls could see the similarities and differences in the two animals. 

We treated the girls to some cotton candy, an often-requested but rarely-gotten treat...

Libby especially enjoyed the sugary snack, which we enjoyed in the shade while watching the seals (sea lions?) swim in Glacier Run, the new Arctic Animal exhibit that just opened recently.

Of course, the Polar Bears were a big hit!  Although we didn't get a picture, the main attraction is a cub named Qannik, rescued from Alaska (I believe) after she was separated from her mother.

The exhibit provides lots of places to view the bears.

We also always enjoy hanging out with the Amur Tigers!

And it's become a tradition for Anna to get a picture compared to a Gorilla.  See last year's here.

After the zoo, we lunched at Lynn's Paradise Cafe.  I don't think my arteries have completely recovered from the hotbrown I ordered.  Then, we drove back to Georgetown and headed to Evan's Apple Orchard for from apple picking!