Florida:
Usually the family vacation of the year. However, deadlines are not my family's strength at times. But after searching
through different vacation destination websites and various
suggestions, we pinned down the default winner-- Massenutten.
Back
in the days of elementary school, my family and I spent a few days in
Shenandoah in a cabin, tucked away in the
woods... Not the ideal vacation when I think about it. Which is what
found me so perturbed when I was told we were going to be staying on
another mountain for vacation. Despite the fact that it was not Orlando,
or the white sandy beaches of the Keys, Massentutten's beauty was
incredible.
Our
2 story dwelling for the week differed greatly from a rinky- dink
little cabin; it sat on the side of a great mountain overlooking
everything below. Having an entire upstairs floor-- compete with a
kitchen and two bathrooms-- my 2 best friends, sister, and myself found
ourselves pretty content.
We
hiked several miles on our first outing-- exploring various waterfalls,
creeks, and rocky cliffs along Skyline drive. We waded & tip toed into
the chilling fresh water in almost every creek we came across, secretly
pretending we were Pocahontas; while not so secretly singing "just
around the river bend." It was my first waterfall to encounter. Now we
all hiked downhill no problem, hiking back to the top was the real
challenge. After several breath catching and hydration stops along the
way, my friends, brother, sister and I made it back to the top
joyfully-- and a little winded.
The
next few days included visiting an organic lavender farm, exploring a
historic downtown city, a little more hiking, enjoying a ski lift ride
to the top of the mountain, and consuming gallons of ice cream and
coffee. Despite the fact that it wasn't like the typical tropical
vacation I find myself accustomed to, Massenutten truly charmed me. I
already miss the stellar mountainous views and natural simplicity of the
Shenandoah lifestyle.
