The Next Adventure

The Hillside Motel is very close to the Thornton Gap entrance of the Shenandoah National Park (SNP). After checking out of the motel in the morning, I drove into the SNP for a vsit. The America The Beautiful National Parks and Federal Lands Pass lifetime pass for seniors (aka Interagency Senior Lifetime Pass) got me in for free, otherwise I would have to pay $30 for a 7 day pass. The senior pass is good for all national parks and federal lands (national forests, Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds) and all campsites are 50% off for the cardholder. My $80 pass has paid for itself many times over! Also, making reservations online is pretty easy on https://www.recreation.gov/. This is one federal website that appeared to have gotten the concepts of user experience right. Or, perhaps I had gotten used to the quirks of the website, having used it so often the past two years. I have been to SNP many many years ago and could not remember much about it. Had thought about camping there fo...

This trip, with the Hiking, Kayaking and Cultural Adventurers Group, was postponed from a year ago. I was rather nervous since I'm a novice kayaker. I was also told there will be rapids, but Bob, the group leader assured me that he had never lost anyone in the years he organized this trip (twice a year, in June and July) and that he will be close by to throw me a rope if I capsized. No, that did not calm my fears! We were with Shenandoah River Outfitters (SRO) who provided the kayaks and gear as well as transportation to the launch and pick up at end. SRO also provided lunch and dinner for the day. Since it was about a 2 hour drive from Bowie to the SRO near Luray, WV, I decided to stay nearby a night before the trip and a night after. SRO offers a few cabins for rent, but those were quickly taken by our group members. Fifty members had signed up for the paddle, although some had planned to drive up early and leave right after the kayaking. I reserved a room at the Hillside Motel ...