Blog for adaysouting.com

A Day’s Outing now has a free version of our iPhone app!  We still have our $2.99 “Pro” version, but now you have a choice.

With both of our iPhone apps you can find great things-to-do as you’re driving down the road and fun day trips while you’re on vacation — right from your phone. Here’s what you’ll find in our apps:

•    NEW! …. Shake the iPhone for a random sampling of local events in nearby locations
•    Customize each search based on the type of outing, date for travel and desired driving distance
•    Search for outings based on one’s current location or a city and state that they plan to visit
•    View the outings that match one’s personal preferences in a list or on a location-based map
•    Retrieve detailed history information on the previous 10 outings viewed (in the event web access is lost in rural areas)
•    Access turn-by-turn driving directions from the current geo-location to each outing
•    Find a specific event by using the keyword search function
•    Save your top “starting location” addresses for frequently visited cities
•    Save your “Favorite” outings for quick and easy retrieval

Head on over to the iTunes store and choose between the Free version that is supported with ads or the Pro version for $2.99.

And, please share A Day’s Outing iPhone app with your friends on Facebook.

My family is headed on our third trip to Costa Rica this April. I love to travel and usually search to see how far I can fly for the least amount of money, which is how we ended up taking our first trip to Costa Rica. Right now, this April, you can fly from New York, Washington D.C., and Miami to San Jose, Costa Rica for well under $400 round trip on Taca.  I am not affiliated in any way with the following places I am recommending.

Our first trip -

Finca Rosa Blanca - an organic coffee plantation right out side of San Jose in beautiful Gaudi-esque style. A wonderful place to relax for a few days at the end of your adventure filled trip.

Peace Lodge & Waterfall Gardens - right at the Poas volcano and only 1 ½ hours from San Jose. This lodge in the misty forest is right out of The Lord of the Rings and with all of the animals and hiking, it is Costa Rica’s cloud forests in a nutshell.

La Fortuna & the Arenal Volcano - if the volcano is not fogged in and it is erupting, especially at night, this is a great adventure destination. We watched boulders the size of cars roll down the mountain. You can visit the Tabacon hot springs on a day pass, which is what I would recommend. Hotel El Silencio del Campo is very reasonable and highly rated. There are also rafting tours, vast nature preserves, and unreal bird watching opportunities. It is a 3 ½ hour very bumpy ride from San Jose.

Buena Vista Villas in Manuel Antonio - these are great accommodations for a family in Manuel Antonio. They have there own beach with kayaks and boogie boards and beautiful Costa Rican styled lodgings with monkeys waking you every morning on your front porch. Sign up for Buena Vista’s specials via email.  Be sure to eat at one of the beach side sodas in Manuel Antonio and bring your things to visit the beautiful calm beach in the park. Plan for this drive to take 4 hours from San Jose, do not drive it in the dark and be sure to stop at the bridge over the Rio Tarcoles and see the HUGE salt-water crocs. On the way down in Herradura, there is a big American style grocery store right on the highway.

Our second trip -

Aguila De Osa - this was a once in a lifetime trip for my husband and I for my 40th birthday. Aguila is on the remote Osa Peninsula, cast away country with breath taking scenery and it is one of the most biologically diverse places on the planet. We flew from San Jose on Sansa Air to Palmar Sur, Aguila staff met us and we took a one-hour boat ride down the Sierpe River out to the Pacific and then to Aguila’s dock. We watched monkeys in the trees and flocks of scarlet macaws all along the way.

Aguila is all-inclusive and has to be because of its remote location. The food is wonderful (even for foodies) and served family style.   We met the most interesting people every night at dinner. We filled each day with adventure trips, made all the more special because they all could only be reached by boat. We salt water fished, found a beach gnome who took us waterfall hiking, hiked Corcovado National Park from the Sirena ranger station where we tracked a puma and tapir, and snorkeled the pristine Caño Island.

Our next trip in April -

We plan to visit Cabo Matapalo on the very southern tip of the Osa Peninsula. We are flying from San Jose to Puerto Jimenez on Nature Air, the Locos fare is very reasonable, but we are only allowed 25 pounds of luggage total including carry-ons! We are bringing friends and family and therefore we are renting a house for the week. All houses are off-grid, have no A/C and most have no screens, but believe it or not, they are still luxurious. Here are a few of the house options we choose from - Casa Vida Verde, Casa Bambu and Tres Palmas. There is also the spectacular eco-resort, Lapos Rios and one of the top rated Central American family resorts, the Yellow Coco Lodge.

While we are there we are planning on visiting the Caña Blanca Animal Sanctuary, hiking with a guide into Corcovado National Park, waterfall rappelling, and taking surf lessons.

A few words of caution -

Driving in Costa Rica is dangerous. Many of the roads and bridges are in disrepair and heavy rain only makes them worse. You can read the State Department warnings here. We were involved in a drunk driving accident on our first trip. I would not drive at night, ask all taxi drivers to take their time and to not pass (No hay prisa - there’s no hurry, Por favor, tomese (with an accent on the o) su tiempo - Please take your time, Por favor, no pasan - Please do not pass), do not get in a taxi that does not have seat belts, stop for help in public places and be leery of “good Samaritans”.  That said, we had a wonderful time and all the locals helped us in any way they could.

You can see more photos of our trips to Costa Rica here.

We are thrilled to announce the release of A Day’s Outing’s iPhone App! With hundreds of thousands of new outings in cities and towns across the country, you can now find great side trips as you driving down the road and fun day trips while you’re on vacation — right from your iPhone.

Please check out the A Day’s Outing App in the App Store.   Once you download it for $2.99, take it for a spin and then give us your feedback in an App review.  It’s amazing how important those reviews really are.

(And:  For our wonderful users that requested A Day’s Outing for their mobile phones – you’re next!)

I have a crab from Baltimore, a pink pig from South Carolina and L’Avenue des Champs Elysées from Paris. What are they? They are fabulously, tacky key chains. My excuse for buying these bad souvenirs? I need them, of course.

I live on a farm and we have many keys to the various machines, out buildings and locks. Like in many homes, the miscellaneous keys are tossed in a drawer all mixed up together. Normally this would be a problem, but I know that I mow with the crab, the carpenter’s level from a discovery museum opens the office and a luggage tag from Lost Mountain operates the truck.  I love to buy these travel souvenirs. It’s really nice to grab the keys to do some work and instantly be reminded of a great trip, even if the keys chain for the most famous street in Paris was from my friend’s trip. I can still dream.

Do you collect something special on your adventures? If so, what’s your favorite travel souvenir?

We are excited to announce that you can now find outings all across the country.

A Day’s Outing has been growing state by state over the last year.  We started in our home state of Virginia, and now we have reached the sunny shores of California.  Now when you’re looking for a fun day trip or a special vacation side trip, check out A Day’s Outing.  Now that we are nationwide, you’ll find outings wherever you go.

We would like to tip our hat to Chris Morancie and his development team for all their hard work.  It’s been quite a trip to get here and we’re glad they have been along for the ride.

Have fun!

Our whole family loves the Florida Keys, I hope to retire there one day with a boat. We have travel down at least once a year. Usually we drive and that way we can take all of our gear, fishing stuff, skim boards, etc. We have also taken the Autotrain down from Washington D.C. and you can read a review of that here. In the past, we have helped many of our friends with their vacation planning to the Keys and so I decided to finally go on and post my list of favorite places.  I would also like to say that I am not affiliated in any way with the places I am recommending.

These are as you drive down from Miami -

Sunshine Market on Tavernier Key - This Cuban gem is on the left as you are driving down to Key West in a yellow building. The coffee is wonderful and the to-go foods are great.

Home Away Islamorada/Tavernier Vacation House - We loved renting this house, it was beautifully decorated, had an amazing kitchen, we could park our boat right out front and the owner is a delight. We have rented several times through both Home Away and VRBO and we have had a great experience each time.

Islamorada Fish Company Restaurant at the huge Bass Pro Shop on Islamorada - The food is very good and it is a beautiful location to take photos at sunset. It is also fun when they feed the tarpon, grouper, and HUGE lemon sharks that come right up in the middle of the dockside restaurant to eat. The Bass Pro Shop is also amazing and they give great fishing advice.

Robbies of Islamorada- It is great spot to hire a fishing charter, go out on their night time party boat, and their largest attraction is allowing people to feed GIANT tarpon from their dock. There are also cute little open-air shops.

Indigo Reef and Coral Lagoon on Marathon- We love staying here too. You can park your boat right out in front of your townhouse, they are beautifully decorated, have wonderful linens and great kitchens. If you sign up for their emails you can get significantly discounted rates.

Bahia Honda State Park - This my daughter’s favorite place on earth! The beach is beautiful and one of the only real beaches in the Keys. It is perfect for skim boarding. The fishing from the jetty under the Seven-Mile Bridge is also fabulous!

Big Pine Key Deer Watching - You can almost always find some of the endangered tiny Key Deer on back roads at dusk.

On Key West -

Mangia Mangia - A restaurant with great Italian food that has been there since we honeymooned in 1993. It seems to be a little more of a local place and away from the craziness of Duval Street.

Fort Zachary Taylor State Park Beach - This another gem of a beach in the Keys. It is very clean and you can snorkel right from the beach.

Mel Fisher Treasure Museum - Who doesn’t love treasure? The Mel Fisher story is wonderful and well worth going to see first hand.

Truman Annex - The homes in the Truman Annex are the epitome of the Florida Keys to me. It is one of the most charming neighborhoods in the U.S.

Parrot Key Resort - These are great townhouse style vacation rentals that also have wonderful linens, great kitchens and are beautifully decorated.

The Mermaid & the Alligator B&B - This B&B is another great example of Key West architecture. We even stayed here on our honeymoon in 1993.

This recipe is a favorite in my house and I am proud to say, it is totally my creation. If you ask me to bring a dessert, especially if there are kids there, you can almost always be assured this is what I will bring. I think the key in the recipe, like most others, is good ingredients. I use real butter, good quality vanilla (I like Nielsan-Massey and I just got organic Nielsan-Massey at Marshalls!), Reese’s peanut butter chips and, of course, good chocolate. Oh yes, No, the whole wheat flour is not an attempt to make these healthy, there’s way to much butter for that! The whole wheat flour seams to make them stand up better to cutting into squares. I also like to add chopped pecans, but that almost always insures kids won’t like them.

Jolly Brownies

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (4 squares)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
¾ cup all-purpose white flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
10 ounces peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350, 325 for convection ovens. In a 4-quart saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate carefully over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat very lightly, just until combined, by hand. Stir in both flours. Spread batter into greased 9X13 pan.  Top with peanut butter chips.  Bake at 350 for approximately 40 minutes in a standard oven or bake at 325 for 30 minutes in a convection oven.

I have been looking for a “perfect” day trip bag for a long time. I wanted a bag that would carry the essentials from my pocketbook, as well as the sunscreen, water, camera and snacks for my family. While a backpack is great for a day hike, I didn’t want to carry one on day trips, even if it was a small backpack. I was looking for something I could carry on one shoulder or adjust the strap to carry across my chest. I didn’t want the bag to be too big, but it did need to have several pockets and zippers to keep all my items organized.

I am pleased to report that I have found my perfect day trip bag! It is a LeSportsac. My bag’s pattern is a bit crazy, but the kids decided they liked the bold colors and I love the bag’s size and compartments. I carried my new bag on a recent outing the Safari Park and it was fabulous. If you happen to be looking for a great bag for your next outing, give the it a try. You may decide on a solid color or go for one of their great prints. Either way, I hope you will love it as much as I do.

Cathy is looking for a great pool bag and would love any suggestions.  She would like a bag that is waterproof (oilcloth maybe?), can stand up on its own, is pretty big (can hold several towels), and has pockets.  She was not happy on Memorial Day when her phone ended up at the bottom of a wet bag.  Here’s Scout bag she is considering, but she is not sure it is big enough.

I went with my extended family May 13th-15th to the annual reenactment of the Raid on Martin’s Station. There are similar events at the park all summer long and almost every month throughout the year, but the this is the biggest. Wilderness Road State Park is in far southwest Virginia. The park is 310 acres that lie beside the Wilderness Road, a route carved by Daniel Boone in 1775 that followed a buffalo migration trail and opened America’s first western frontier. Martin’s Station is a replica of a colonial frontier fort that was on this site in 1775. Park officials brag that it is the most authentically reconstructed fort in the United States. The three-day event has more than 500 re-enactors, including Shawnee and Cherokee warriors (who were my kid’s favorite) and men, women and children (who were adorable) settlers.

I had never been to a reenactment and I wasn’t sure what I would think, but I knew my kids would love it. I think there is something for everyone. My father has a sincere appreciation for the authenticity the reactors strive for in everything they do and really enjoyed sharing that with us. Other than the other visitors to the site and the cars in the parking lot, there is nothing modern to be seen. It was a wonderful step back in time that brings history alive. Even the coffee shops and vendors in the 18th century Market Fair, serve on tin and there is no plastic anywhere.

My children and my nephew absolutely loved the Indians, their camp and watching them creep through the woods and across the field during the raid. They even told my dad, whom I think would enjoy being a re-enactor, they would dress up and come along to more of these if he would join the Indians. But, I don’t think he’s ready to join sides with the Indians just yet.

My mom, sister and I loved seeing how the re-enactors authentically prepare their meals in their camps. I think it’s a secret contest amongst them to see who can have the best food. A group of about 9 men had ribs, pies, greens, stuffing and salad. They were the winners in the secret contest that day! Although, I think there wives must have helped with a lot of prep before they got there.

I could also appreciate how authentic the camps were. There were no air mattresses, mosquito netting, or coolers anywhere. I have since found out that the coolers are hidden in crates. The men in the first picture below have an actual birch bark canoe they made.  One of the re-enactors told us how the night before that had to get cosy under a lean-to belonging to two people they had never met before during a sudden rain storm. I think I would only be happy camping in the actual fort, maybe!

The two reenactments of raids of the fort were enjoyed by everyone. You see the Indians sneak through the fields, capture the women caught outside the fort (of course!), fire original muskets and a cannon, burn down sections of the fort, and negotiate the return of the women.

I know there are reenactments in many places but the beauty of Wilderness Road State Park and Cumberland Gap is amazing. The town of Cumberland Gap is also very charming. There is only one restaurant, Webb’s Country Kitchen,  that serves great country cooked meals (we ate there 4 times that weekend) and it is quite funny to see the groups of re-enactors there having dinner. Early one morning, my four year-old nephew peeked out the window of our hotel only to see an Indian in the parking lot!

When you are visiting farmers’ markets this year keep an eye out for fresh eggs.  Once you have tried an egg from a hen that has roamed around a field foraging on fresh grass and bugs, you’ll never want to eat a grocery store egg again.

We added a chicken coop and hen house to our yard two years ago. I purchased an assortment of chicks from McMurray Hatchery, but my favorite ones are the Polish hens with the top hat feathers.  I raised the chicks in my office, which you might think is insane and you would be right. The chicks make a huge mess so I have to clean their cage twice daily. I know folks who have raised the chicks in their garage and this works, but keep in mind the smell can move through the house if you are not really careful. After the chicks’ feathers have come in, which takes about four weeks, they can be moved to their permanent residence outside. It takes another six months or so for the hens to start laying eggs.  It’s quite a process to go from chick to hen to eggs.

I now have a new batch of chicks in my office. These little ones will grow to be beautiful hens. Some will stay with me and others will go to friends who are excited about fresh eggs for their family and friends. If you want to try fresh eggs, look for a farmers’ market near you. Once you try eggs from happy and healthy hens, you may want to raise some yourself. Maybe not in your office, but you never know.  Here’s a video to give you an idea of what is going on inside my office right now!