Blog for adaysouting.com

Elizabeth’s post on hiking in the winter made me start to think about all the things we can do to get outside in the winter. After watching many of my neighbors out walking and running on a freezing cold New Year’s Day, I also decided that it’s really just about dressing for the weather.

My kids and I spent a great birthday weekend with my sister and nephew snow tubing at a ski resort near my house. We bought a family season pass this winter to go skiing and snowboarding there, but tubing was something we all (and virtually anyone else) could easily do. We had a blast. As you can hear in the video below, on of the littlest in our group thought it was “awesome”.

A few tips for snow tubing -

-Make sure you are dressed to be outside in the cold for about 2 hours and the for brief periods you will be going up to 25 miles an hour.

-If you do not have reservations (many of the sessions at some resorts sell out on weekends and holidays), get there a few minutes early to purchase the tickets and make the most of your time slot.

-Remember, like anything, it can be dangerous. Make sure the heaviest person is in the front when making a train, keep your feet from hitting the berms, and make sure you look before stepping into other lanes after your trip down.

Here are a few of the things I found on A Day’s Outing -

Candlelight Ski & Snowshoe Hike Winter, WI  February 5th, 2011

Turtle Fambeau Flowage Ice Fishing Jamboree Mercer, WI  February 26th, 2011

Ice Fishing Rumble Phillips, WI  March 5th, 2011

Cross Country Ski & Snowshoe at Bristol Mountain Nordic Center Canandaigua, NY

Utah Olympic Oval Ice Skating Salt Lake City, UT

Wenatchee River Road Snowshoe Trail Leavenworth, WA

It has been cold in Virginia. I won’t tell you how cold, because some of you might laugh and consider the temperature to have been down right balmy. However, cabin fever has been settling in and I had to get the kids out of the house. So we bundled up and went for a hike in the woods.  Of course, I was freezing, but the kids were fine. Walking along, I would say, “put your hat back on”, but as they ran along zigzagging back and forth in front of me they would call back, “we’re not cold”.  And, of course, they weren’t. They were getting five times the exercise I was, and their hearts were beating like hummingbirds’.

I admit that even though it was my idea to get outside for a hike on a cold day, I was the one letting the weather stop me from enjoying the walk. A good thing though, I realized part way through our walk that I needed to embrace the weather. When I did, I settled in, and I enjoyed the adventure and ignored the cold.

Now I know, anytime is a good time for a hike!

With the holidays approaching, grand hotels across the country are preparing special afternoon events and evening parties.  Both guests and locals can enjoy a huge range of fun activities, including carriage rides with hot chocolate, gingerbread making contests, story time with Santa and New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The grand hotel that is nearest to my family is Keswick Hall in Keswick, Virginia.  They have multiple holiday events that anyone can participate in. We’re looking forward to the annual lighting of the holiday tree with Santa and his sleigh. It’s an evening outdoors with hot chocolate, hot apple cider, cookies and Santa Claus.

Take a moment to think about the amazing, old, grand hotels that are near you. Whether you decide to spend the night or simply stop by for a few hours, you’ll be surprised at the great events that they have going on.

The day after Thanksgiving is known as “Black Friday.”  I have heard the phrase describing the rush of shoppers that descend on stores the Friday after Thanksgiving, but didn’t know where the term came from.

Here’s a bit of history…. Depending on the source, the term dates either from the 1980s or back to 1966. The day’s roots may have originated in Philadelphia, where it was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic, which would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. Others claim it was part of mid-1980s anti-consumerism backlash, when people took a pledge to “blackout” that day - staying home, rather than shopping.

I’m not sure which one it is, but I don’t want to stay home or shop at the mall. Instead, I want to visit somewhere fun, today.  Many historic homes are already decorated for the holidays and are open and welcoming guests. I can always work off a few of the extra calories and go for a long walk in a park.  If I just have to go shopping, there’s nothing like a visit to an antique store or two (maybe three or four).  Some of my favorite presents have been found rummaging around a great old antique shop.

Whatever you do – have fun with your family and friends!

When I was little, we made homemade ice cream in a mixer that my mom and dad received as a wedding present. The ice cream maker had a metal center where the cream , sugar and vanilla went. There was an outer chamber with wooden sides where we poured in the ice. I was really young, but I remember that their machine also involved pouring rock salt into the sides along with the ice, which made a mess. With the ice and salt in place, we then attached a crank to the top of the machine and turned and turned it until magically ice cream was made.

Today, there are many different kinds of ice cream makers, including electric ones that do all of the turning for you. My ice cream maker is a small, hand cranked type made by Donvier. I love it because it’s really easy to use. All I have to do is chill the center chamber in the freezer for a day. Once the center is cold, I pour my ice cream mixture into it, put the chamber into its base, add the top and turn the handle around and around. I must say that I like the process of turning the handle and slowly watching the ice cream being made. I’m not sure what happened to that great old ice cream machine of my parents, but I am glad that we can make homemade ice cream and that there is no rock salt involved.

Vanilla Ice Cream

1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 cups very hot milk
1 vanilla bean - cut lengthwise with the seeds scraped out
1 pint heavy cream

Mix the sugar, salt and egg yokes together in a heavy-bottomed pan. Slowly stir the hot milk and then add the vanilla bean seeds. Cook, continuing to stir, until slightly thicken, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Strain, then add the cream. Chill. Freeze in a hand-cranked or electric ice cream maker. (Makes 3 pints)

This weekend we were having a family over to dinner and I really wanted to make something everyone would like. When the kids were younger, we would usually make something fancier for the adults and then have a kid friendly option. Now that the kids are getting older, I really love having the kids at the table with us talking about dinner just like we always do with our friends. On the menu this weekend were grilled flat iron steaks, twice baked potatoes, corn on the cob and wedge salads with a super easy homemade ranch dressing.

While ranch is not my favorite, I knew the kids would all like it. I also realized I had only ever tried ranch from a bottle. Here’s what I came up with, I think it’s so much better than anything from a bottle.

2 Cloves Garlic
¼ cup Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley
2 Tablespoons Fresh Chives
1 Tablespoon Fresh Oregano
1 cup Real Mayonnaise
½ cups Sour Cream, Low-Fat worked great
½ teaspoon White Vinegar
½ teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
Dash Cayenne Pepper
¼ teaspoon Paprika
Buttermilk (as Needed To Desired Consistency)
Salt To Taste

Mince the garlic with a knife and then sprinkle about and 1/8 to ¼ teaspoons of salt on it and mash it into a paste with a fork. You have to mash it or you will end up with garlic pieces that are to bold in the dressing. Chop the parsley, chives and oregano very finely and add to the garlic.
In a bowl combine all ingredients, tasting frequently and adjusting seasonings as needed. Chill for a couple of hours before serving, thin with buttermilk if desired.

My husband and I make it a point to stop for lunch somewhere on long drives so the kids can stretch their legs and get a bit of energy out. We pack a big picnic lunch to carry with us in the car so we have the flexibility to stop anywhere that we want.

A few months back we were in the middle of an 8 hour drive, and we stopped at Falls Lake, a North Carolina State Park. I was testing out A Day’s Outing’s iPhone App when it was in development and found the park as we were driving down the road.

Falls Lake is quite large and offers camping, boating and fishing. We were just at the park for lunch and headed to one of the picnic areas. If we were fisherman, we could have made it a long lunch break and caught something wonderful for dinner. Instead, we ate under a tree and watched kayaks and motorboats make their way around the lake. It was wonderful to have lunch somewhere so beautiful and unexpected.

Recently we got this great review submitted to us by Debbie an A Day’s Outing fan.  We love fan submitted tales of their day trips!

The Museum of Life and Science in Durham is a great place for children and adults alike. There are lots of outside activities like climbing stations, a real caboose, a sound area with drums and other percussion instruments. The butterfly house is wonderful. There are two areas, a large tropical rainforest with butterflies from around the world and a smaller domestic butterfly section. Children can watch the butterflies as they emerge and take flight.

There is also an insectarium with a variety of unusual living bugs, even live black widow spiders. Exhibits are carefully arranged so that the insects and be viewed up close. There are tropical frogs in a variety of colors. There is also a dinosaur exhibit, but I didn’t get a chance to go through it.

Prepare to spend several hours when visiting- there are lots of hands on activities both inside and out.

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.

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!