Savannah and Skidaway Island State Park

How is it February already?  We wrapped up (literally) all our customers' Christmas lights....but one.  For the last couple weeks we (not literally WE, just Ernesto and the crew) have been taking down the lights that were installed at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. That is close to done now though and the kids had Winter Break. (ie: a 4 day weekend)

It's just a 4 day weekend, but definitely warrants a little trip right?!  We needed a plan though.  

It was one week before and although we had been thinking that we would go to Weeki Wachee again to stay with my parents (as we do every year), but there was NOTHING to book.  Its a small area and books up so fast! Boy those snowbirds snatch everything up quick! haha

I was searching Ga Parks website and saw that ONE cabin was available in an otherwise sold out campground.  Must've been a cancellation. I quickly threw it in my cart without even consulting Ernesto. LOL (so glad my husband goes with the flow!)  Skidaway Island State Park is just outside Savannah and since we have very good friends there, I thought we could double dip on this trip! 

We picked the kids up right after school with the van all packed up.  Paloma noticed something new and flashy red on the bike rack.  Although excited, she did express disappointment that her new bike was not turquoise.  😂 We picked it up at REI that morning, so choices were limited, but it is undoubtedly a sweet ride!  She was happy for sure!

 Soback to the early departure "plan."  We thought we would head out of town early.  We will get a head start before traffic, right? Wrong.  Remind me to never think that again.  We should have left at noon...like Marcelo told me to do. 😂. It took us TWO hours to get away from Atlanta and I was SOOOOOOOO annoyed.  After we were cruising,  and the kids were happy watching a movie, I listened to a book on headphones. We rolled into Savannah at 9p and our wonderful friends Ana and Carlos welcomed us in their house.  And had already ordered pizza.

Our cabin rental didn't start until the next day so we were able to shack up with them for a night! 

It was the first time we saw their new house, which is right on So walkable to everything.  I somehow didn't get a picture of their house, but the street is lined with these trees that scream Savannah.  Two are right in the front yard  😍 

In the morning we slowly came to life (after a 2am bedtime) and made it to the Funky Brunch Cafe in downtown for brunch.  This may surprise you but I'm not a huge fan of eating out with my kids, but this place convinced me to rethink that. 

It was was perfect for kids! Something to do!!  In the middle of the huge table is a griddle for you to cook your own pancakes! 

Batter comes in a squeeze bottle and you pick a few toppings to add.

Definitely a fun place and the food and service were great!

    Ourcabin check in time at Skidaway Park was 4p and we arrived at 5p, just as they were closing the door to the office. Whew!  They gave us the keys and everyone was super excited to get inside. 

The exterior was not cabin like.  The color seemed like it would be better suited for the beach. 

 However, it was AWESOME inside -woodsy and cabin like - and perfect for a family!  ZERO complaints! 

There was one bedroom, a bathroom, the kitchen and living area on the bottom floor.  Up a very narrow staircase was a loft with TWO queen beds!  The kids claimed that of course and Ernesto and I were like, you got it! We had Danny with us, so the four of them had plenty of space up top.  

Sunday morning Carlos and Ana came the park and we adventured around the trails on our bikes.  So PRETTY!

Palm trees, tall grasses, wooden trails......

...and no alligators! Thank you very much!  BUT!  Im looking at this picture below and thinking why oh why did we let them go in the water like that?  The park said they have not seen alligators, but does that mean they aren't there?!?

UGH, that is freaking me out now.  What were we thinking?!  I will say there were a lot of other people by the water, but still.... 

All the big trees are just calling you to come climb them .  How is this for a photo op?? 

We grilled burgers and hot dogs, made a fire and roasted smores.  Is there a more stereotypical camping menu? Ha! When its good, it's good.

The next morning Marcelo wanted to ride the trails with me.

We met up with Ernesto who had been on a ride himself.  Biking the trail is easy and once you hit the boardwalk you can follow it out to the observation tower.  This park borders the GA intercostal waterway, a salt marsh and boasts a Colonial Coast Birding Trail. (I saw so many birds!)

Marcelo has to explore nature.  Its in his bones.  He hopped off the boardwalk because he saw tons of crabs.

He will pick up almost anything too......

Also, oh my gosh, my boy is sooooo handsome,  right?!? Watch out ladies. 

I may or may not have been stalking all of the airstreams in the park.  I counted SIX silver bullets. I have never seen that many in one campground. Come on Netooooooooooo.  SO COOL!

On Monday, we checked out of the cabin at 11 and met Ana and Carlos at the Oatland Island Wildlife Center. What a wonderful spot this is.  

Over 100 acres of  forrest just outside of savannah. They have almost 100 animals from 39 different species. A few favourites were the grey wolves, great horned owl, red fox and bobcat.  Least favourite? snakes and alligators!

Meandering along the mile and a half trail was pleasant.  February is Savannah is great! The sun was out, but without the unbearable humidity.  The trail is mostly shady, but beware in the Summer.  If you like animals though, its worth a stop.

Downtown Savannah was the next stop.  Our plan was to kayak at Tybee but because it was President weekend there wasn't availability.  We walked along the river and stopped wherever the kids wanted. 

Carlos chose Savannah Tequila Co. for lunch.  Its on the river with a festive interior.  Food was muy bueno!

It wasn't the fastest service, so by the end, the kids were ready to get out of there.  It didn't help that they knew we were taking them to this HUGE candy shop afterwards.  We have been to River Street Sweets before, and the kids remember it.  They were like...wait for it...kids in a candy shop.

The JW Marriott is on the river too.  The lobby is crazy cool.  Huge displays of gems and geodes line the walls. 

Take the elevator up to the top and you will enter the Electric Moon Skytop Lounge. The inside is a swanky bar, but when you step outside you actually have to slide down a sliding board to get onto the rooftop deck.  The kids tried to sit in these spin seats, not that you ready could sit. 

It was a long day, but pasamos may bien!!

We decided to drove home that evening and the kids slept. So easy.

Thank you to our friends and the city of Savannah for a wonderful weekend!

Camp Pick Up + Biking the Virgina Creeper Trail

We are home from our 2nd road trip of the Summer.  This one took us to Pennsylvania for the boys one week sleep away camp at Woodward.

On the way to the camp we hit DC for one night as a family and then Paloma Ernesto and I explored Hershey and Philadelphia without the boys (while they were at camp). 

The day before pick up we left Philly and stayed the night in Harrisburg, PA, just an hour and a half south of Woodward.   

What a cute little town!   We strolled along the Susquehanna River and oohed and awed over the cute houses and quaint downtown area.

  

Ernesto found a cute little corner cafe called Alvaro.  We ended up eating here twice. 

While we were sitting outside here eating lunch, my phone rang.  After no word from my babies all week, Mateo called on the 2nd to last day....because they ran out of money LOLOL

It was so sweet to hear his voice on the phone. He was talkative and excited to tell me about everything. 

But $$$$$$$!  They were out of money and still wanted to buy a sweatshirt and Mateo had a flat tire etc etc. 

All food is included for the week but we had given them each $100 (loaded on a "camp card") that they could use at any of the shops for souvenirs and treats and any extra activities.  Even though we didn't talk to them all week, Ernesto and I felt close to them by looking at their purchase history online.  We logged in to their accounts each day and LAUGHED SOOOOO MUCH as we read aloud what they were buying....

Look at this list of goodies!  These guys were living their best life! 

Sourpatch Kids, Skittles, Airheads, go carts, ice cream, milk shakes, Brownies, Soda etc...  haha I know I would've done the same thing as a kid.  And this is just a screenshot of a couple days 😳😳 

It was finally pick up day.  Driving the winding roads to Camp Woodward was peaceful.  

It was nostalgic really.  This is the landscape I grew up in rural Ohio.  Farm land, cornfields, green open spaces.  I took it all in as I knew that in an hour the peace would be gone.

We pulled in to the camp and I got excited to see my babies.  

They were excited to see us too, but not ready to leave.  "Can we stay 2 weeks next year mami?" 

They showed us around and introduced us to their new friend from camp that week.  His name is Dillon and he lives in NYC.  They are already trying to coordinate next year to make sure they go at the same time:)

They had a BLAST!  Talking about it non-stop.  Im so glad they had that week of independence! 

And boy were they independent...

They were able to make their own decisions about food and snacks, managing money and deciding to wear the same clothes over and over.  Seriously, hardly any of the clothes packed were dirty/worn, I don't even thing they showered.  Hygiene is a big responsibility that they just aren't ready for yet. Ha!

We were riding in the car for a while and Marcelo just randomly said "Guess what Mami? I didn't brush my teeth the whole week!"  😱😱😱😭😭😭

We wanted to break up the trip a bit on the way home too.  We  headed south...right down to the southwest corner of Virginia where it meets Tennessee and North Carolina.  

Also, where has Virginia been all of my life? Talk about a gorgeous state!! This was the first time (that I remember) driving through it. It was a gorgeous drive- I was so impressed with the beauty!  I made a mental note that we must explore more in the future.

We stopped in Abingdon VA with one goal. Ride the Virginia Creeper Trail. Funny enough, my friend Virgina told me about the Virginia Creeper Trail.

 

She went on and on about what a beautiful ride it is and promised me that it was doable for kids because the trail starts atop a mountain and winds through meadows, farmland, pastures, little cute houses...all at a slight decline.  

  

On the website it says the trail is a "retired railroad bed and is a casual biking experience with gentle grades..."  Needless to say, we wanted to DO IT! 

On the website it says the trail is a "retired railroad bed and is a casual biking experience with gentle grades..."  Needless to say, we wanted to DO IT! 

We arrived in Abingdon around 930p tired from the 7 hour drive from the boys' camp in PA and checked in to the Abington Doubletree. Abingdon is actually where the 34 mile Virginia Creeper Trail ends. (If you are starting at the top of White Top mountain).

 At 9am we drove 15 minutes to Damascus where you can catch the shuttle to White Top.    I just called Creeper Trail Bike Rental & Shuttle to reserve our bikes/shuttle during that car ride.  Ha!  Always a planner!

There are so many places to rent bikes and I think the prices are all similar. For a nice mountain bike rental and shuttle to the top, it cost $35 per person. Luckily we had no problems getting a spot and we were on the 11am shuttle! 

Since we were doing a one day ride and we have kids, we rode just half the trail.  (17 miles from the top down to Damascus, the halfway point) Damascus is a popular town where 7 trails pass through, two of them being the Virginia Creeper and Appalachian Trail.  Needless to say it's a cool little town that attracts a lot of travelers.  

The kids were not that excited about this adventure (as you can see in the above pic) and we DID NOT DARE tell them that the ride was 17 miles.  LOL  

BUT! We all made it and with little to no complaining.  It really was a very easy ride.

About halfway through the ride we came upon Hellbenders Cafe a little restaurant right on the trail.  A lot of bikes were parked out front and we were ready for some food!!

The weather was beautiful too, so we weren't uncomfortably hot!
The trail is a smooth, hard packed surface of dirt and fine gravel....and many wood bridges.

We didn't need to stop and rest, that is how easy this ride is...but we did stop for water or helmet adjustments.  

Or when the kids wanted to explore or climb on the rocks along the river. 

 

...or when there was a butterfly that was big, blue and friendly. 

Really, we stopped for anything 

We waited in a short line to order and they brought it out quickly. Burgers, hot dogs, corndogs and fries.  Not the healthiest selection but it hit the spot. Also, we were riding 17 miles,  so I would say the activity vs. food choices balanced out.

Again with the rolling green hills and fresh air. 

When the kids saw a little store on the side of the trail, they wanted to stop.  They assume there are treats to be had.  It was such a cute little place equips with all kinds of hiking and biking gear. 

 

I can't remember but I think we may have grabbed a few drinks.  We really just needed a bandaid for this guy's elbow...our only casualty while on the trail.

No doubt he was daredeviling on the rocks.  He slid and wiped out. Luckily it was nothing that slowed him down.  I am so glad we made this adventure happen. It was a beautiful day.  If you get a chance to ride the Virginia Creeper Trail, I highly recommend it!