Happy Birthday to me!

For my birthday Meric and I went to a bed and breakfast and hiking. We left on Tuesday and got home on Thursday. Friday (my actual birthday) we went to Louisville to Red Robin (free birthday burger) and Costco. That night we hung out by the fire chatting with everyone. Nothing special ON my birthday but I was okay with that.

Whenever Meric would ask what I wanted for my birthday I would tell him that the trip was my present. I really meant it too. Of course he didn't listen. On Saturday morning Meric went out to breakfast with some of the guys like he does most Saturday mornings. This Saturday morning though he let me know he was going to be later because he was going with the guys to check out a gun one of them wanted to purchase. He ended up being gone until afternoon. Later that day he had planned to go shooting with some of the people at the campground. I wasn't planning on going because I need to get some stuff done around the house. Just before they were set to leave one of the guys called us over so that I could see the gun he purchased. When I opened the case there was a shotgun and a hand gun and a note from Meric that said happy birthday. The guns were my presents.

Of course after seeing that shotgun I had to go skeet shooting with them. It is a beautiful shotgun and I had a lot of fun shooting. I have the bruise on my shoulder to prove it!

After shooting we came home we made dinner and watched some tv. Then we took the dogs out for a walk. When we got home from our walk I had a text message from our neighbor. It told me to head over to the office so I could see how she had painted her nails. I said okay and we headed over. We walked into the office and headed to the back room. Inside was half the campground. It was a surprise party and I was very surprised.

Almost burned down the office with all those candles!
 

We had cake and ice cream. (One thing I should mention is the cake said Happy 44th Birthday Mandy on it and I had a 44th birthday balloon. Some of the campers like to tease me and say I am much older that I actually am.)

I really had no idea and since it was the day after my birthday I wasn't expecting anything. Meric really did a great job of making my birthday a special one.

Natural Bridge State Park

After Meric and I left Snug Hollow we headed over to Natural Bridge State Park to do some hiking. I have heard about this area from a few people but had never been. It is just over two hours away from our house.

We pulled up to a parking lot which marked the start of a few trails and a ski lift. You have the option to ride up to natural bridge by ski lift or hike up. Meric and I were there for the hiking but I have never ridden on a ski lift before. We opted to ride up and hike down.

I am a little scared of heights and being on a slow moving ski lift made me nervous but the view was beautiful and it was nice to ride. At the end of the ski lift you have only 600ft until you are on the natural bridge. Yes I said on. I thought we were just hiking to where we had a good view but you actually end up on top on it.

Again I was a little nervous because there is no guard rail or fence along the edge. You are up high and there is a bit of a drop down. But again the views were breath taking and I was so glad we decided to go.

View from below

 

From the top you can take a little path down to beneath the bridge and then you have a few options of trails to take back down.


Did I say "little" path? I should have said narrow.

 

The entire area was so beautiful and the rock formations were very cool. Meric was drooling and really wanted to go rock climbing.

Just a couple of examples of the unique rock formations

The trail back down was fairly easy but had a few more difficult spots.

Definitely not a path for tall people

In some places there were stairs carved into the rock. One spot was fairly steep with small winding stairs. It reminded me of the stairs of Cirith Ungol. (Yes I am a nerd but so are you if you know what I mean.)

It is really hard to see the stairs in these pictures

 

After the hike we pulled off at Miguel's Pizza for lunch. When we left Snug Hollow the owner drew us a map to the State Park. On the map she made note of this pizza place and recommended we try it. I am glad she mentioned it or we probably would have missed it. It is a little building next to a gravel parking lot. It isn't much to look at and the inside seemed a little worn. We went to the counter and ordered our pizza and then sat down in a booth. Not two minutes later the line at the counter was huge and we could tell that this pizza place was definitely a landmark and part of the Natural Bridge experience. Meric loved that it was a climbing store as well. From the ceiling hung every piece of equipment you would need to go rock climbing.

When we were done with our pizza we drove to another spot marked on our map. This one was called Nada Tunnel. We had no idea what it was but it wasn't too far and since she took the time to mark it on our map we figured it was worth checking out. We drove along the road until we reached the tunnel and it was definitely worth seeing. The tunnel is a one lane tunnel carved out of the rock. Only one car at a time can fit through, it is very tight and very dark. It was so cool to see.

Two motorcycles heading into the tunnel

We really fell in love with this whole area of Kentucky. None of these pictures do it justice. Meric and I can't wait to come back and explore it some more.

Snug Hollow Bed & Breakfast

With Meric taking most of the week off for my birthday we figured it would be the perfect time to take a little vacation. We looked up several places and decided to give Snug Hollow Bed and Breakfast in Irvine, KY a visit. Something about it seemed so relaxed and peaceful. It was a bed and breakfast located on 300 acres. Also in researching the place I couldn't find a single negative review which made me even more curious.

View of the back porches

The main house

We started out Tuesday afternoon and put the address into our GPS. Oh the places that GPS will take us! We wound through every little town along the way. Very scenic and nice but we both figured it was not the most direct route. When we reached the road Snug hollow was on we were definitely far into the country. The road was a one lane dirt road that wound back one mile to the bed and breakfast.

One of the two cabins

The main cabin/house was very pretty and rustic. There was no "main" entrance that we could see so we went in through the screened porch and into a cute little kitchen.

A staff member was showing another couple around so she had Meric and I sit on the porch until she was done. With several rocking chairs and a porch swing to choose from we were quite comfortable while we waited. When it was our turn to "check-in" we were given a tour of the main house and shown to our room.

View from the porch

Our room was on the second floor and had two rooms and a bathroom. One of the rooms had two twin beds and then the main room had a queen bed. The room opened on to a sitting room full of books, magazines and games. Across a little walk way was another bedroom that opened onto a private porch. Since no one had booked the other room, Meric and I had the entire upstairs and porch to ourselves.

After checking in Meric and I took advantage of the sitting and looked through different books and magazines until dinner time. At Snug Hollow breakfast is definitely included but they also give you the option to eat dinner there as well. Some of the reviews mentioned that all of the cooking is vegetarian but they also raved about how good everything was. I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to try it for ourselves.

A fruit tart they gave us for an afternoon snack

At dinner we were joined by the other couple that had checked in before us and another couple that had just come for dinner. The first dish brought out had a bowl of white bean soup, a piece of corn bread and a salad on it. Everything looked delicious and was such large portions I thought that was it but she soon brought out another plate. This plate had cheese grits topped with kale and a tomato. I am not a fan of grits but I think these people could make anything taste good. Dinner was wonderful! Everything had such good flavor and was so fresh. For dessert we had ice cream with peaches and homemade shortbread. I was very glad we had decided to do dinner there.

I haven't seen this many butterflies since I went to a butterfly exhibit

 After dinner we sat on the porch until it got dark and then turned in for the night. It was the perfect summer night to open windows and listen to all the nature sounds while we slept. In the morning we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of pancakes and eggs. We then decided to explore the 300 acre property. One of the first things you see as you start along the path is the garden.

Snug Hollow's owner, Barbara, has a beautiful organic garden. Continuing along the path you head toward some hiking trails. It was a beautiful, sometimes difficult, hike that eventually wound back toward the house and stopped at a lake.

Lakeside there was a hammock that Meric and I relaxed in for a while. It was so quiet and peaceful we didn't want to leave.

Eventually our stomachs prompted us to head into Irvine for lunch. After lunch we decided to Take the advice of Barbara and check out a local pottery shop called Tater Knob Pottery and Farm. Personally I wasn't too excited to go look at pottery. I like it but usually it is a little expensive and really I don't have room for too much "stuff".  When we got to the shop one of the potters came out to greet us. She said she would let us look around a bit but then she would give us a demonstration and answer any questions we had. The demonstration was really neat. She made four bowls, put a handle on a pitcher, and painted a couple of items. She also showed us the kiln and discussed the process and all the stages of making a pot. I really learned a lot and I also understand a little better why this kind of pottery is a little more expensive. Meric and I ended up buying some homemade jam, a clay spoon rest and a citronella candle. The candle was really cool and the item we didn't realize we really needed. It wick is fiberglass and last forever and is held in a clay ball.

Then all we needed to do was fill it with citronella oil and we have a beautiful table decoration that will help keep the bugs away while sitting outside. Visiting the pottery shop really added to our trip.

We then headed back to Snug Hollow for dinner. This time it was just Meric and I. They served us a large salad with melon, summer squash topped with spaghetti and fresh made bread. It was to die for! I felt bad about not being able to finish dinner because it was so good but they gave us so much. It was also hard to stop eating when I got super full because dinner was so delicious.

For dessert we had a blackberry tart. After dinner we took our over stuffed bellies out to the porch and enjoyed relaxing until it got dark. Then we played a game in the sitting room before heading to bed.

In the morning we enjoyed a breakfast of oatmeal, eggs and potatoes, fresh melon and a biscuit. It is a good thing the owner made a cookbook because everything was so good I wanted the recipes. After breakfast we got ready to leave Snug Hollow. It was hard to want to leave the peaceful feeling. Everything was so laid back and comfortable. There was no cell phone service or wifi. It was great to be "unplugged".

Meric and I really enjoyed our first bed and breakfast experience. We really felt like we were just visiting a grandma or great aunt. Everyone was so warm and friendly. We loved it and plan to try and go back sometime. Snug Hollow Bed and Breakfast definitely earns their good reviews.

*If you want to check out the websites here are the links:
www.snughollow.com
www.taterknob.com

 

Fireworks and Fun

Last year the 4th of July holiday was hot and dry. They had to cancel fireworks due to a drought. This year was very different. We had rain and cool temperatures. Fireworks had the possibility of being cancelled again but due to rain this time. Despite of the rain we still enjoyed our four day weekend and had plenty of activities and fun at the campground. 

On Thursday it rained lightly all day. Meric and I watched 1776 and listened to the rain on the roof. That evening we enjoyed some night bowling which due to the rain had been relocated inside. The ball was a soccer ball and the pins were 2 liter bottles with water and glow sticks inside. They lighted the "alley" with a string of lights and then shut off the room lights so that everything glowed. It was a lot of fun to watch.

On Friday it rained off and on. A couple of the outdoor activities had to be postponed or cancelled. When it wasn't raining Meric and I helped with a couple of activities. There was an egg toss and a water balloon fight. That night despite the rain we made grilled cheese and pies over the campfire.

On Saturday the rain continued through the morning but finally cleared up in the afternoon. Which was good because Saturday was the busiest day. In the morning we made tie-dyed t-shirts.

I have never actually tie-dyed before but I think it turned out pretty good for my first time. Then we had a birthday party for one of the little campers. (Her family are seasonals and she is one of the kids who loves to play with the dogs.) Then they had a greased  pig chase. It was really funny to watch everyone chase after the pig.

After that they had a golf cart derby. They would blindfold the driver and have the passenger navigate them through an obstacle course. That too was really funny to watch. Then came the pots and pans parade where all the kids followed a fire engine through the campground while banging pots and pans.

After that was a giant slip and slide in red, white and blue pudding. Very messy but the kids had fun. Once it got dark it was time for fireworks. I was really glad they didn't have to cancel them. I love the fireworks show they but on at the campground. After that Meric and I had a few fireworks that we set off too.

Campground girls with their holiday crowns and pots for the parade

I love holiday weekends at the campground. There is always so much going on and we always have so much fun.