week 40: away we go!

After months and weeks of waiting, we finally arrived at our mountain vacation week! We planned to head to the Blue Ridge Mountains with another family and just sack out in a gorgeous cabin for a few days.

There were no plans, no expectations, and (hopefully) no stress.

Sunday – 2.6 miles, walking

Sunday dawned ugly and cool. We had nothing but errands and boring things planned throughout the day, including trips for groceries and supplies from Target.

I squeezed in a quick walk before we got rolling.

After the bulk of our priorities were complete, we took a family trip to Cooper’s Hawk Winery. We belong to the wine club and needed to pick up five months worth of bottles. While we were there, we enjoyed a yummy lunch on their patio.

Monday – 4.33 miles, walking

I was all in for a long Monday walk. Some days, you just need it.

Otherwise, the day was incredibly uneventful. A bit of downtime before the storm.

Tuesday – 6.21 miles running + .45 miles, walking

Due to a minor miscalculations (oops), I still had to complete my Global Energy Run 10K Virtual Race. Yes, I finished 6.2 miles on Saturday, but it wasn’t within the actual time I needed to log miles. Whoops.

So, J and I went out and I did it again (although I confess there was more walking this time).

The rest of the day was a whirlwind. A had just a few things to finish up before we left town, giving him all that time off from school (a HUGE perk of virtual school). We had to pack, write down instructions for the pets, and get our plan in order.

Wednesday – 2.80 miles, walking

VACATION HAS ARRIVED!

I started the day with a nice walk, because I knew we would be in the car for so many hours. It wasn’t long, but it was enough.

The drive was much longer than we originally thought. It was fine but six to seven hours in a car does wear on you. We stopped once for lunch/gas/bathroom, and when we got to Ellijay, GA, we splurged on some awesome rooftop dining (literally at The Roof).

I also got the cutest mural photo! How sweet is this downtown area? And how exhausted do I look?

We stopped at a grocery store and then headed up the mountain. I won’t lie: the sun set fast and the unlighted, gravel road to our rental was terrifying. We actually ended up at the wrong house (the people who actually lived there were so kind), and then had to reverse down a single lane road in the dark, with drop offs on either side.

I have never wanted wine more badly. Our friends arrived a few hours after us and we were stoked to kick off our Blue Ridge Mountains Extravaganza!

Thursday – rest

In the morning light, it was much easier to see our cabin. Isn’t it perfect?

We just lounged around that first morning – we had breakfast on the deck, enjoyed the cooler temperatures and the stunning view. The plan was to go into the downtown area for lunch and then go apple picking.

Welcome to Blue Ridge!

We found a cute outdoor cafe for lunch, and then picked our orchard.

With COVID precautions in place, some places had limited their picking or additional activities, but we were able to enter the orchard, pick what we wanted, and enjoy things like the exotic animals and the views. It was a lot of walking, and we picked two bushels of apples between us.

It was a perfect day.

That evening, we had pizza in the cabin. All was well, until A’s friend tripped and hurt her ankle. The poor thing was so uncomfortable and worried. We got her settled and off to bed, and agreed to make a game plan in the morning.

Friday –  rest

Friday morning was misty and drizzly. I managed to do a little stretching on the deck outside our room.

I also enjoyed a cider donut with my coffee. That view, though. We didn’t get ALL the fall foliage, but every morning, there was more yellow, orange, and red.

C was still hurting, so her parents decided they would take her to a local urgent care and we would take A and the older girls out and about. We settled on Expedition: Bigfoot, a museum all about… you guessed it. Bigfoot.

It was ridiculously cheesy, and the kids were such good sports. After that, we went back into town for another outdoor dining experience. By that time, C had her diagnosis (a sprained ankle), and we decided we would all meet back at the cabin and chill for the evening.

We had leftover pizza. I had to lay down for a few because the driving up and down the mountains was taking its toll on me (yay for carsickness), and while I was resting, J made the most amazing apple pie. She recruited A as her sous chef, and he was so proud.

Delicious. By that point, we were all just wrung out, and enjoyed the most peaceful evening of pie, wine, music and fresh air.

Saturday – 2 mile hike

C wasn’t up for a hike, but we did want to visit some waterfalls not far from the cabin. Again we split up. This time, A stayed with C and her dad (he was so worried about her), and the rest of us went to North Falls.

I was a little terrified. Hiking isn’t a super stable activity, and it had rained all night. We joked that in the worst case scenario, we would just hop on the trail, take some pics and go home, but in my heart, I wanted to make it happen.

The entire hike was probably just under two miles. It wasn’t crazy technical, but I had to keep my eyes on the ground and take my time. Amazingly, even with all the rain, the trail wasn’t muddy or even slick, for which I was so grateful. We visited the base of the falls, and it was such a huge victory for me!

Then we hiked to the top of the falls. There was a little outcropping down a small hill at the very top, but it was too crowded for me to feel comfortable. We waited for the ladies to get their fill of the views, before heading back down the mountain. It was so gorgeous and I felt so strong.

In the afternoon, we went to another nearby attraction that offered mini golf, fishing, and gem mining. The 9-hole course was actually built into the hill, and was ridiculously hard. We still laughed. Mostly.

And then we let the kids go crazy mining for gems. They found all kinds of gorgeous quartz and other fun rocks and minerals.

In the evening, we grilled chicken and steak and stayed up way too late, sharing in some really intimate and meaningful conversations. We were so happy.

Goal-getting

I had planned to run. And to walk. I had all my workout clothes packed and ready. However, our cabin was not on a paved road. It was steep and gravel and so easy to slip and lose footing. There were also no sidewalks and once we got down the driveway, we would be right on a main road. As much as I hated it, I had to make myself ok with some rest days. I will get back to running tomorrow.

We ate so well, too. For whatever reason, I don’t think I snacked at all the entire trip. I craved a lot of salads and fruit, and that’s what I enjoyed. Yay.

This week will be getting back to my miles. I’m feeling a little behind on my upcoming half marathon, so fingers crossed it will go ok.

I am linking up with the Weekly Rundown, with Confessions of A Mother Runner and Running on the Fly! Check them out!

How was your week in training?

Have you ever taken a cabin vacation?