Camping at Pocahontas State Park

Finally camping season 2019 has arrived. To say we were anxious would be an understatement. We had bought ( and been paying for) our new 5th Wheel since September and had only been able to camp in it for three nights before we had to close it up for the winter so heading to Pocahontas SP was a weekend we had been looking forward to for months.

We knew this was going to be our shake down trip so we picked POCO as it is only an hour from the house and 30 minutes from my office. The plan was for Guy to bring the camper to POCO while I was at work Thursday afternoon and I would meet him there. This worked out perfectly. He got it pulled in and secure and when I arrived we set the camper up, had a nice first camping meal of the season (flank steak, potatoe and veggies), went of a short trail walk and then we just sat together and relaxed until we decided to head to bed, a bit earlier than we normally do camping but I was going to work on Friday, saving myself from having to take a vacation day, while Guy worked around the camper, re-educating himself on the ins and outs of how everything worked.

Do you know how hard it is to get up at 5:30 in the morning at a campground to go to work? Let me tell you, it ain't easy!!

Friday afternoon my boss sent me home early and so I was able to get to POCO earlier than anticipated which worked out well as Guy needed my assistance to take down and replace the TV in the living area that had somehow gotten cracked over the winter. Once done, we were able to take a drive around POCO then another short hike with the puppies, cook a nice meal (brats, chips, potato salad), talked with our camping neighbors and relax. Rain was threatening so we were not able to set-up the entire site as we normally would do which wasn't fun, but a good call as it it started raining around 8:00 pm and POURED!.

We had planned on getting up early and head over to our granddaughters first ever soccer game (about 20 minutes away) but surprise (NOT!) it was still raining so we were very lazy, sleeping in late and then headed to a class on Cast Iron Dutch Oven cooking that I had registered us for several months. The class was about 3 hours long and while it wanted to rain, it never did which made it much more enjoyable The class was so much fun and we are looking forward to them offering the next level. Here is a link to the video and post I created about it.

The afternoon was dedicated to hiking a few of the many trails POCO offers and more relaxing. Rain was once again in the forecast for the evening and of course it did so no outside fire again. I really wanted my campfire to sit around darn it.

On Thursday we had decided to stay one more night (Sunday) and I would head to work from the park Monday morning while Guy brought the camper home. Unfortunately this didn't work out for us. We awoke Sunday morning to a very large storm system heading our way that evening with high winds and tornadoes possible both at the campground and at the house. We discussed it and made the call. We would enjoy our morning at the camper, get one more hike in and then pack it up and get to the house before the storm. This ended up being a perfect decision as the storm did arrive and we were in tornado warnings all night through daybreak. We read online that the winds at POCO were crazy strong and campers were actually seeking shelter their so I am thankful we were in the house and not the camper.

Over all it was a successful shake down. We left relaxed, but with a list of things to get done, a few things to buy and some ideas for organizing better and are now counting down the days to our next (and longest ever in distance and time) camping trip to the Great Smokey Mountains in May.

Cast Iron Dutch Oven Cooking

Tried something new this past weekend, we took a Cast Iron Dutch Oven cooking class at the campground where we were staying. We learned so much and had a blast doing it.

The class was first a lecture on types of cast iron, how to take care of it, clean it and convert recipes for it.

From there we were broken into groups and assigned a recipe to make. Guy and I were given "Upside Down Pineapple Chocolate Cake". I had never made one of these before so was a bit worried but it came out great, slide right out of the "oven" and didn't crack. Instructor told us that rarely happens so we got a gold star LOL.

Here is a fun video I put together of the class and our results!

Zoar State Forest Hike

For our get outside adventure this past weekend we decided to keep it local and visit a state forest that is just just down the road from the bluff (about 8-10 miles), Zoar State Forest.

It was a wet, slightly humid morning for the hike but since we had so much going on that day it was early am or not at all. Arriving early we were the only ones there, which was actually very nice. The forest has two hiking trails, the Mattaponi Bluff Trail which runs along the shores of the Mattaponi River and is a 1 mile loop and the Herring Creek Trail which is a offshoot of the Mattaponi Bluff Trail and is .40 long. We decided to try and get both in if time allowed, which it did as both trails are more very easy walks than hikes, nothing strenuous at all. There is one very steep staircase you must use to continue along the trail but other than than no issues at all.

The State Forest is in desperate need of some maintenance of the man made structures, bridges and walkovers but it still has beauty within the views of the Mattaponi River and the natural growth found within the forest.

Near the end of the Mattaponi Bluff Trail we came upon this marker with Captain John Smith engraved on it and the message "To The Cross Hath Bin Discoverd A.D. 1607" on the other side. No other explanation as to what the markers indicated so as always we consulted Google who explained that this is one of 24 markers throughout the shores of Virginia which highlight the history of Captain John Smith’s explorations along the Chesapeake watershed areas. More information about these markers and where you can find them is in this article Friends of the John Smith Chesapeake Trail .

This is a nice local find that we will return to again, especially in the fall and winter as it will certainly be overgrown and very buggy in the summer.

Batter Up

Maybe it will or maybe it won't be her sport... Only time will tell!!

The Squirrels of the Bluff

I was trying to get some shots of the yard birds earlier this week and while waiting for them to arrive some of the squirrels who live here on the bluff decided to put on a little comedy show for me. Make sure you check out Red our Red-tailed squirrel. Look how she blends into the trees so well.

I know many don't like squirrels and I do get frustrated when they empty my feeders but I do see a cuteness in them that you can't take away. You?

All Kinds of Feels :)

I mean.....