Socially Distant Birthday in Shenandoah Valley
Hiking on a mountain at Whiteoak Canyon Falls
WhiteOak Canyon is a great trail for young families. The paths are well established, and relatively flat. It rained the day before we came, so it was extra muddy. I thought we’d be okay with sneakers, but probably would have done better with actual waterproof hiking boots we didn’t mind disrespecting. We left for the hike around 11AM, and it took about 50mins to get to the trailhead. According to the reviews, there are waterfalls and other attractions along the way. We didn’t quite make it to the waterfalls because Stella started getting fussy about an hour in (a little blackberry bribery allowed us to get that far). There were other folks on the trail, and people were generally friendly and respected the social distancing guidance. Overall, a great activity before Stella’s afternoon nap.
adorable mid century modern Airbnb in Downtown Culpeper, VA
We lucked up and found an absolutely adorable airbnb in the heart of Culpeper, VA. From the outside, the building is nothing to write home about. The townhouse is located at the back of a vacant store from on the main downtown road in Culpeper. It’s advertised as a botanical oasis, and once you enter the space, you totally get it. Eric, the owner, is either an interior decorator himself or he should be! His place was beautifully and thoughtfully designed, with real live plants in every room! He made bold choices on the wall colors, especially in the upstairs bedrooms. I love an airbnb that gives me ideas for my own house, and this airbnb was that. Overall, it was a great home base for our trip.
Hiking in a mountain at Luray Caverns
On Saturday, we drove to Luray Caverns - about 50 mins from Culpeper. The caverns were discovered 143 years ago, and feature rock formations that are over 7 million years old. Everything in the caverns is amazing (and I mean truly amazing, not the way we casually use the word today), but the most remarkable thing for us was the mirror pools. These underground lakes perfectly reflected the stalactites hanging from the cavern ceiling. The underground path took us about 90 minutes to walk, with Stella on Reggie’s back. We expected it to be cold down there, but it definitely wasn’t. A hoodie would have sufficed. On the way out, we picked up two quartz agate souvenirs from the gift shop that are currently living on our bookshelf as bookends. Reminders of a great low-key birthday trip.
