Art Loeb Trail This Summer

IT'S ON!!!  Today I dropped the idea that I'm interested in doing a overnight hike while we're on family vacation near Mount Pisgah, NC.  The wife looked at me and said "By yourself...your weird!"

With that comment...she picked up a MSR Pocket Rocket Stove and a few clothing items I'll need as a Fathers Day gift.  Not sure if they we're planned, but YES!!!  We're in business.

I've been a day hiker and camper for many years, but now I need to get my backpacking skills ready.  Watch me plan here.  

Camping at North Landing Beach Campground

We'll it looks like almost a year to the date we're going back to North Landing Beach Campground. My last post about this particular outing brought back some good and bad memories.  We're going to give it a try again.  I'm hearing that its a "pirate" themed weekend so "I be practicing me piiiirate accent" all week.  My coworkers should love that!

This time we're going with some different friends who have a child the same age as ours.  Hoping to get some hiking done and maybe a geocach or two.  

Micro Vacation - Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg

So I've spent most of my adult life thinking that a "vacation" had to mean something which involved a bunch of travel, an extended stay and cost several hundred or thousands of dollars. We'll I learned something today - It doesn't. My family and I just got done with our first no kidding micro-vacation.

We spent just spent one day at Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg Virginia.  Place is great weither you have kids or are just with a spouse.  They have indoor water slides and activities all year around plus you're allowed to use the park pretty much the entire day on both days you visit.  A win win for whenever you can break away!

Here is how we spent our vacation:

• Left home from Virginia Beach at 11:00 AM and dropped the dog off at the kennel for the night.
• Drove up to Hampton, VA and made a quick stop at Sandy Bottom Nature Park to take a quick peek around and eat a packed lunch.  
• Check into the Hotel at 1:00 PM.
• By 2:00 PM we were in the water park enjoying the slides.
• We decided to go eat dinner at Carrabba's Italian Grill.
• Came back around 7:00 PM, got some ice cream and went to the animatronic wilderness show.
• Found out they have Guinness on tap.  :-)
• Then went to story time by the big fireplace in the lobby in PJ's (my Son).
• Put the kid to bed and played cards with the wife then went to sleep.

End of Day #1

• The next morning we rose pretty early and went to Starbucks for breakfast.
• Got the room packed up and ready to go around 10:00 AM
• By 10:30 we were at the water park again.  
• Stayed till about 1:00 and decided to hit the outlet mall on the way home.
• Departed, went to the mall, pick the dog up and back home by 2:30pm.  

We truly enjoyed ourselves and lived like kings for the day.  The cost wasn't too bad considering all we did.  They do offer some 10% discounts so make sure you ask prior to arrival.  

The perfect micro-vacation!  I would highly recommend you find a place locally where you can do the same.  

**This is not a paid advertisement - we just had a great time!***