Day One: Off-Road Adventure and Waterfall Hike

I'm counting Saturday as the first day of our vacation. We actually drove to The Homestead Friday night, but that hardly counts as "Day One." We didn't leave DC until after 5pm and after stopping for a classy dinner at Cracker Barrel, we finally got checked into the hotel around 10pm.

Our first activity Saturday morning was called "Off-Road Adventure" -- translation: driving through the mountains in a dune buggy, spraying mud all over the place. Can you guess who picked this activity for us? Yes, Bryan was in heaven. After suiting up in coveralls and helmets, we took off up the mountain, zipping around corners and splashing through mud puddles. It had rained the night before, so all of the trails were nice and gooey. With our helmets on and the engine running, Bryan and I couldn't hear each other talk, but I could hear one thing: Bryan's maniacal laughter. We both had a blast, but let's be honest, this activity is designed for men who are still little boys at heart. By the end, we were covered in mud. Despite my uniform of coveralls and helmet, I even had mud in my hair.

We had just enough time to grab a quick sandwich and change our clothes before our next activity, called the "Cascade Hike." I chose this one. It sounded fantastic -- a two-mile hike of moderate difficulty, with amazing views of several waterfalls. Count me in. Our group met the guide at the trailhead, where the guide informed us that he wasn't just a guide, he was a naturalist. Ok, fine. And this was an interpretive hike, and he would stop to point out plants and would teach us about them. Um, ok, let's see how this goes. The first thing he pointed out was poison ivy. Ok, that's helpful. However, when we were about 20 minutes into the "hike," and the trailhead was still in view, I was getting a little antsy. At the beginning, the guide had said, "If anyone would like to go on ahead of the group, that's fine." A few minutes into the guide's dissertation on witch hazel, we made a break for it. It was a little awkward, but I knew I had to man up and get us on our way so we could start enjoying ourselves. I politely threaded my way through the group, and we headed for freedom. A family of three followed our lead, and when we were out of earshot, they said, "Thank you. We didn't know how to get away."

 
After that, the family began furiously power-walking up the trail like they were in the Speed Walking World Championships. But their rush suited us just fine, and soon we were alone. We moved along at a good pace, and stopped a few times to take in the views, which were simply breathtaking.

We got back to the hotel, showered, and collapsed. We were exhausted. We're not quite as fit as we should be, so the combination of the humidity and the hike left us spent. But it was a great day. We had a late dinner, and called it a night.