Blog for adaysouting.com

It’s February and while spring is still a few weeks away, flowers are blooming at garden shows around the country.  Now is the time to get ideas for new plants in your garden, to see beautiful display gardens in dozens of styles and browse among the booths in the garden marketplaces that many shows host.

I recommend that when you visit a garden show you take a camera along with you.  Not only do I like to take shots of the large garden displays, I also like to take photos of the individual plants that I want to remember.  Instead of trying to write down a description of the plant along with the Latin and common names, I take a photograph of that plant’s name tag, as well.  I found that if I have a photo of both the plant and its name, I could more easily find that plant for my garden.

With garden shows popping up around the country, I hope you can find one near you to visit.  It’s a great way to get ready for spring.

Here are a few that I found:

Cherokee County Home and Garden Show
Indiana Home and Garden Show
Minneapolis Home and Garden Show
Rhode Island Spring Flower & Garden Show
West Michigan Home & Garden Show

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!

I grew up traveling down to Pawley’s Island, SC each year for a week with my family.  This wonderful destination is home to beautiful beaches, great surf fishing and the famous Hammock Shops.   As the name implies, this is where you can find the original Pawley’s Island Hammocks. Not only can you buy a hammock to bring home, but you can also watch craftsman weaving the hammocks in an open-air shop.

I am on my third Pawley’s Island hammock.   This last one is strung between two trees in a shady spot in my garden. It has happily been there for three straight years spending our snowy winters outside.   I had grown up with cotton hammocks, but my last purchase was one made from “duro-cord.” Duro-cord is some kind of blended fiber, and I find it to be softer than the polyester hammock they sell.  And, I know from past experience that the all cotton hammocks do not last very long when left outside in the rain and cold.  Since I like to plop down into our hammock at anytime of the year, I want one that can stay outside and handle the wear and tear from the elements.  Now I have a hammock that I can enjoy all year long, come rain, shine or even snow.

You can find festivals that celebrate birds and local bird watching events happening year round. Even though it is cold outside right now, there are amazing new birds to be seen. After migrating in the fall, birds have arrived to their winter nesting grounds.

Many birds migrate long distances over entire continents and oceans each year. The typical image of migration is of northern birds, such as swallows and hummingbirds, making long flights to the tropics. Many geese and ducks also migrate long-distances, but they only move from their Arctic breeding grounds far enough south to escape the frozen waters.

Now is a great time to see birds in your region that only come once a year. You can also make it a bigger bird watching adventure and take a road trip to a warmer part of the country to see birds that you have never seen before. Here are a few bird watching events to enjoy:

14th Annual Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival Titusville, FL
January 26th - 31st, 2011

Bird Walking, Newport News, VA

Bird Walk on Pepper Creek Trail, Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, FL

Migrating Through The River Valley Bird Weekend, Dardanelle, AR
February 4th - 6th, 2011

Whitefish Point Bird Observatory, Paradise, MI
Year Round

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.

Driving down the road this weekend, I saw a familiar sign for a Virginia Byway. I have been on many byways in many states, but I began to think, “What exactly is a byway?”

To me a byway is a road that is surrounded by beauty. It is a road that runs through the mountains, along open fields or down a winding country road. But what is a byway really? A Byway is a less-traveled side road, one that is secluded or obscure. In the United States, the Department of Transportation designates special roads for their beauty and historical qualities as “Byways.”

So the next time you see a sign for a byway, turn on to the road and take the path that is less-traveled. You are sure to find yourself somewhere beautiful. There are Byways all across the country. Here are just a few:

Frontier Military Scenic Byway, Hwy 69 Pleasanton, KS

Columbia River Gorge Scenic Byway, Stevenson, WA

Wally Road Scenic Byway, Loudonville, OH

Peak To Peak - Scenic and Historic Byway, Boulder, CO

Weekends have been beautiful this fall in Virginia. In between kid’s sports, we have tried to jump up to the Blue Ridge Parkway for quick hikes to enjoy the great weather. Recently, with another family we headed up to hike Blackrock Gap at milepost 87.4. The hike did break one of my hiking with children rules- never hike down first. It was only 3.7 miles round trip, and with one alleged bear sighting, the kids did great.

*Elevation 2,320 feet. Parking on west side. Fire road; trail head. AT access. The AT comes to the edge of the Drive on the east side, but does not cross it. Distances on the AT: north (to the left) it’s a quarter of a mile to the Drive crossing at mile 87.2; south (to the right) it’s 1.8 miles to the Drive crossing at mile 88.9.

In the future, I will look into the history of the area before we set out and bring it with me to read to the group. There is almost always an interesting story to tell. About a mile down the trail is Blackrock Springs, which was a fashionable resort with a hotel, cabins, recreation hall, and bowling alley that reached the height of its popularity in the 1840s and 1850s. It burned down early in the last century. The waters of Blackrock Springs were said to be good for whatever ails you. According to advertisements they contained iron, soda, lime, magnesia, and carbonic acid gas. There were seven springs of different colors and different healing properties, including one for rheumatism, one for arthritis, one for gout, and one for aiding the growth of hair. There were a few in our group interested in finding the one that aids in hair re-growth, but we could only find one of the seven springs and it was almost dry.

On the way home we stopped at the Blue Mountain Brewery & Hop Farm. We had a great dinner outside enjoying the beautiful weather and fantastic views. The Brat Pizza and Barbeque were great when paired with their flight of beer.

Recently on a trip to Sweden, it was the height of chanterelle mushroom season, which I love.  During the days we spent hiking, we ran across many locals hunting for them. Even after one of them showed us several examples, we were still nervous to pick them. Like a lot of people, I have grown up hearing NEVER eat wild mushrooms.  The following nine photos are all from Sweden and the last three are from a trip I took to Costa Rica.

When we returned home to the states, I wondered how common of a hobby it is here. It is a huge hobby here. There are numerous mycological societies (studying mushrooms, molds, truffles, yeasts, lichens, plant pathogens, and medically important fungi) throughout the country.

I am interested in learning more. I think it fits into my families’ whole love of treasure hunting, whether it’s shelling, looking for shark’s teeth or fossils, panning for gold, or maybe now, mushrooming.

Here are some festivals, lectures and shows across the country I found -

Mt. Hood Salmon & Mushroom Festival, Welches, OR
October 2nd and 3rd

Southern Appalachian Mushrooms Lecture at Smithgall Woods, Helen, GA
October 2nd or 30th from 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM

2010 Wild Mushroom Show, Seattle, WA
October 16th and 17th

Yachats Village Mushroom Fest, Yachats, WA
October 15th - 17th

Texas Mushroom Festival, Madisonville, TX
October 23rd

A Day’s Outing wants you to share your best park travel tale! We love taking day trips and setting out on weekend adventures to the parks that are around us. We have shared some of our favorite trips with you on our blog and now we want to hear what you think is the Best Park in America. Do you have a great memory of a hike to a waterfall? Did you take a long drive though an amazing park? Did you spend the night in a cabin wondering what all those crazy sounds were outside?

We want to know what great adventures you have been on, whether those trips were close to home or in a far flung place in the US. The winner of the Best Park in American contest will receive a $100 iTunes gift card. You can enter your personal travel tale through October 22, 2010.