Sweet Treat - Pack's

Hubby and I have charted a number of different routes to and from the WV place. A variety of factors are considered when trying to decide which route to take on any given day.

Do we need to stop for groceries on the way? Let's go through Cumberland so we can hit the awesome Martin's supermarket.

Do we need to stop for dinner? If we feel like Hardee's, we drive through Hancock. If we want Chick Fil-A (and it isn't Sunday) we go through Winchester or Martinsburg.

Do we need an awesome dessert? We have to drive down 522 near Winchester so we can stop at Pack's.

Pack's Frozen Custard

I don't know the difference between ice cream and custard. We've always referred to the stuff this place serves as ice cream, but apparently it's custard. Whatever you call it, we call it GOOD.

There are actually a couple Pack's locations that I know of for sure. One is on US-522 in Gainesboro, Virginia. The other is on US-50 west of Winchester, just east of Spinning Wheel Lane. As I was preparing this post, I learned that this other custard stand we have yet to try, which is also in Winchester but off of WV-7 just east of I-81, is likely also a Pack's. In fact, it may even be the original Pack's because the two we frequent are more like roadside ice cream (or custard) shacks.

Even if they do look like shacks, their soft-serve vanilla ice cream (custard?) is divine. Now, I'm no conisseur, but I know what I like. And this stuff definitely fits the bill.

Because I'm trying to actually share information via this blog and reveal all the special "secrets" of this area, I made you an Ice Cream/Custard Map (Winchester, VA). It shows the two locations we've tried that I know are Pack's, and the one off WV-7 that I believe might be a Pack's.

So, if you're in or passing through the Winchester, Virginia area, be sure to stop and sample the ice cream.

If you're familiar with the custard shop off of WV-7 that I suspect may be a Pack's, let me know.

Oh yeah, there's a Five Guys Burgers and Fries just west of that mystery custard shop on WV-7, too. So you could go there for a meal first and then head to the custard shop for dessert.

Do you have a favorite road-side treat?

Winter's Last Gasp

I sure hope this is the last we'll see of Winter.

I've been holed up at our WV place since Tuesday night with some friends of mine. It's that one weekend every year when we all just get to sit around and do whatever we want. Or nothing. The point is, it's what WE want to do, not what we have to do. There's no schedule. No pressure. Just lots of time for rest, relaxation, and catching up with each other.

This picture is actually from last year's trip (I'm on the right). We did take some group shots this year, but I'm pretty sure they might kill me if I posted them here. They're a bit goofy. Okay, a lot goofy. So we'll stick with this nice, sedate shot from last year's getaway.

We've all known each other for over 30 years. That's a long time! And we've been doing this annual weekend thing for about 16 years.

Until this year, we'd always gone to Lancaster, Pennsylvania where we shopped far too much. This year, we all decided to tighten the purse strings a bit and head to the country.

This is the first time Carol (middle) and Tracey (left) have been here together (Carol visited a couple of years ago). Hopefully it won't be the last. We had a grand time.

We all lead pretty busy lives and don't get together nearly as much as we should. And when we do, it's very rejuvenating.

For the most part, Mother Nature cooperated. It's been cold, but otherwise nice. Until last night. We woke up to a light dusting of snow. It wasn't much. Just a dusting, literally. But I hope it's the last we see of Winter.

Here are a few images I captured over the course of this long weekend.

My dogs LOVE the WV place.

Spring is on the Way

Our World Today

Winter's Last Gasp (we hope)

New Growth

Come on Spring

While I am not looking forward to the drive home, I am looking forward to seeing my Hubby. The girlfriend getaway is always fun. But now it's time to go home and resume life where I left off.

Very Cool Summer Destination

The first time Hubby and I drove through North River Mills was definitely a WTF moment for me.

Imagine for a moment, you're driving along, descending (or ascending if you start in Capon Bridge) into what looks and feels like a remote boreal forest. Sure, you'd passed a few houses recently, but that was before the forest encroached.

The road is getting more narrow and windy by the second. Not the sort of road you'd want to be carving turns on, but the sort of road where you like to putt along and absorb what surrounds you. Because of the trees, it's a bit dark. And the air feels different. Literally. I'll explain why in a minute.

All of a sudden, there's a house. Or two or three. And an old store. Continuing along you see the church, which is old but so well-maintained you know it's still being used. Then, boom, you're back in the forest.

The buildings are old, but not completely abandoned.

If the place had been entirely forgotten, the buildings would have already been overgrown or demolished. You just know there's got to be a story behind the place.

As for why the air feels different, North River Mills is the closest settlement to Ice Mountain, which is now a Nature Conservancy Preserve described as...

Ice Mountain gets its name from the refrigeration effect that takes place inside its talus — a sloping mass of boulders at the foot of a mountain. In cooler months, dense, cold air sinks deep into the talus, and ice masses form inside. As the weather warms up, the cooler air flows out of vents among the rocks at the bottom of the slope. It’s here, at the foot of the mountain, that many local children would eagerly gather ice.

So it literally is cooler in that area than in surrounding areas. Which is why this little 12-mile stretch of West Virginia road is one of our favorite little side trips. It runs from WV-29 in Slanesville to US-50 in Capon Bridge.

At the Slanesville end, it's County Route 45/20 or Springfield Grade Road. At the Capon Bridge End, it's County Route 15 or Coldstream Road. See for yourself on this map. One of these days, I'll figure out the rhyme and reason behind the West Virginia road-naming system. Maybe.

One of the things I'd like to do this Spring, is hike to Ice Mountain. Here's a video I stumbled across this morning.

To learn more, download this Ice Mountain info sheet or visit The Nature Conservancy's Ice Mountain page.

If you have time and are interested, I finally found a page leading to a great history of North River Mills, complete with pictures.

Oh yeah, and if you decide to visit, be sure to allow time to stop in Capon Bridge for lunch or dinner at El Puente, our favorite Mexican restaurant in all of West Virginia.

Spring!

In Maryland, one of the surest signs that Spring has arrived, in addition to the Peepers, is when the Forsythia bushes bloom.

I'd noticed over the past week or so that my daffodils and tulips had come up pretty good. I don't think they're blooming yet. But then, I haven't actually looked. I'll have to do that tomorrow.

I was quite tickled to see a mass of daffodils in bloom along I-70 yesterday. I think it was around Mt. Airy, but I could be wrong. We travel that road a lot. It's all become a bit of a blur.

All I know is, those blooming masses of yellow made me SMILE.

What We've Been Up To

Hi there! Long time, no see.

I won't give you some lame excuse for not being very active of late. Things have just been busy. Many of you know this is one of two blogs that I own. If that's even the right word. How do you own a blog? Anyway...

I do have a full-time job. A very demanding full-time job. And two houses, one of which has been undergoing a do-it-yourself kitchen renovation. Between the weekend kitchen project and the Monday through Friday madness, I've just been short on blog time.

This morning I decided to do a bring-readers-up-to-speed post. But I only had time to do that on one blog. For no particular reason, I started with that other blog. And now, because I simply don't have time to do a parallel post using essentially the same subject matter, I'm going to refer you to that other blog I mentioned.

It's my PERSONAL BLOG. If you're already a follower of that blog, you've probably already read the kitchen update.

I'll try to get back on track tomorrow. Spring has definitely sprung in Maryland and West Virginia. I hope y'all are out there getting some ride-time in. This kitchen will be done one day...

My New Look

Have you noticed anything different here? Are you thinking I'm having a crisis of not being able to decide which header I like?

For some time now, I've wanted to change the look of my Appalachian Tours blog. I knew what I wanted to achieve (rotating header images), I just didn't know how to make it happen. After a bunch of reading and some experimentation, I made it work. And I am quite tickled about it.

It wasn't as simple as THIS POST would make you think. So, if you're not a bit techhie, don't try it yourself.

That post definitely provided the info I needed. But it's sort of specific to a certain Blogger template. For me to get it to work, I had to change the javascript.

I had to change this line from the provided code...

"document.write("#header-wrapper {");"

...to read like this...

"document.write(".header-outer {");"

I am not techhie enough to do a great job explaining this. I only know a teeny bit about CSS (cascading style sheets), which is essentially the behind-the-scenes code that tells a browser how to render your page. What you see -- bold letters, centered titles, font sizes, etc. -- is based on what's in a site's CSS.

If you select Edit HTML in your Blogger Design window and scroll down, you'll eventually see something like this...

It took some trial and error to figure out what to change. I also had to insert a transparent header image to sort of make space for the rotating images to appear. I had to make some other minor tweaks, too. For example, I have 11 different images, but the example only had 6.

What's this all mean?

Every time you refresh this page, you'll see one of 11 different header images.

Cool, right?

Sorry I can't be more specific, but I only know enough about CSS to be sort of dangerous.

I'm just glad it worked.

As much as I like the images, I sort of like this header the best.

Do you like the variable headers? Or do you find it confusing, overwhelming, tacky, etc.?

Find Your Next Getaway the VRBO Way

It will probably come as no surprise to learn I'm the vacation planner in the family. That's not to say Hubby never recommends destinations, it just means that I am the one that does the vast majority of the planning.

I'm the girl who makes it happen. And I am good.

Really, I am. I've planned some pretty awesome trips over the years. One of the things that's made our trips so unique is my fondness for quirky lodging. I would so much rather stay in a cute little cabin, historic inn, national or state park lodge, etc., than a nondescript chain hotel. 

Just like a master carpenter, the quality of my "work" is directly proportional to the quality of my tools and the amount of effort I am willing to invest. Time is not an issue. I'll spend as much time as necessary to find just the right spot. As for the tools, one of my most powerful planning tools is the Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO) web site.

A few years back, when we took that Great Smoky Mountains trip, I found a cute "little" three bedroom, two bath cabin in Stecoah, North Carolina. It was just close enough to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) that we were easily able to see the main attractions there, but still have time to check out the Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway.

This cabin, which is easily big enough to sleep six, with no sofa beds involved, rents for between $90-$120/night or $550-$635/week. It has a fully-equipped kitchen, linens, satellite TV, active hummingbird bird feeders on the huge porch/deck, a fabulous front porch, and charm galore. Especially if you're into the whole cabin decor thing (bears and moose) like I am.

The cabin was almost perfect. The only drawback was scarcity of nearby restaurants. And liquor stores. I must admit, nothing beats an ice-cold beer after a long motorcycle ride. Except maybe a frozen margarita, but those take time.

Anyway, if you are prepared and pick up a few provisions en route, you will be set.

This is not the only place we've ever rented through VRBO. There was the pair of ADORABLE little cabins in the Black Hills. Hubby and I stayed in one and our friends, Kathy and Barry Spice, stayed in the other. Hubby and Barry rode their motorcycles to South Dakota. Kathy and I flew out and met them. We got to ride around exploring for a few days and then fly back home.

Our cabin was called The Cub House. Guess what it was full of?

Our cabin was the smaller of the two. But I LOVED it because it was full of bruins. I'm not sure if this one is still available for rent, which is a shame.

If you're a motorcyclist, the Black Hills should definitely be on your bucket list. I can do without the whole Sturgis rally thing. Huge crowds just aren't our thing. But the Black Hills area is just gorgeous. (And Oz, I agree Spearfish Canyon IS one of the best roads in the country.)

Another shot from the Great Smoky Mountains trip.

Here I am with my V-Star 1300 Tourer.

Here I am again with my favorite Hubby.

We've stayed in several great properties found through VRBO. There was an awesome spot on a little lake near Medicine Park, Oklahoma. And there's this spot, which I am beyond excited about, where we'll be staying for a few days with some friends in September.

When it's just Hubby and me, we only need small places. But the available properties come in all shapes and sizes. If you're traveling with a group, staying in one of these places is the way to go.

If you're planning a trip this year, check VRBO out. (This is a completely unpaid endorsement.)

Oh yeah, and would you like to see more pics from our Great Smoky Mountains trip? I uploaded them to Flickr today especially for you.

If you do find a place on VRBO, let me know. I may be looking for that spot in New Jersey I mentioned yesterday.

UPDATE: The SD cabins I mentioned are still available, just through a different service. They call it the Rockbottom Cottage. There are actually three cabins on the property, at least two of which are available to rent. Dan and Arlette, the hosts, live in a house on the property so are on-site pretty much all of the time to meet all of your needs. They're super-nice, gracious hosts. As with most properties of this type, daily maid service is not provided, but they do swap out your towels on a daily basis. And did I mention the place is on a creek? You can walk right to a state park/forest via an adjoining trail. There's a road bridge very close to the property, too, which gives you a bird's eye view of a cliff swallow colony. The cabin is within about 5 minutes of Keystone, which means Mt. Rushmore is right around the corner and there's also easy access to Custer State Park, another little piece of paradise. Can you tell I liked the place? My pictures from the trip are available on Flickr.

Oh, the Places I Want to Go

I was doing a bit of tidying up last week and came across some old travel brochures and this postcard.

That discovery did two things. First, it brought back memories of our trip to North Carolina in 2007. On one hand it doesn't seem like it's been that long. But on the other hand, that was our first big trip with me on my 2007 V-Star 1300. You know, the one I just got rid of?

That was a great trip. We headed south through Maryland then into and across Virginia to Lynchburg, which is where we picked up the Blue Ridge Parkway. We took our time, stopping for the night in southern Virginia. We ended up at a cute little rental cabin near Robbinsville, North Carolina. We stayed there for a few days while we explored the area.

The second thing that postcard did was it got me thinking about where I want to go this year. You know, when the weather finally breaks. (We ran into snow on our way home from the WV place today!)

There won't be any long bike trips for us this year. But only because some very good friends from Belgium will be spending two weeks with us here in the US doing a whirlwind tour of a few national parks out west. We are really, really looking forward to that trip! Even if no motorcycles are involved.

We'll just have to do some weekend trips. I want to go back down through southern West Virginia. There are an awful lot of roads down there yet to explore. I'd also like to head north into Pennsylvania and do a bit of exploring in Central and Northwestern PA. There's also a road that runs along the Delaware River near Frenchtown, New Jersey that I want to do on the bikes. (Actually, I want to explore that whole area around Allentown, PA and that section of New Jersey.) We've never gone to Natural Bridge, Virginia. There are quite a few state parks in West Virginia we've never seen. Maybe we can even spend a weekend at one or two of them. We want to ride WV-20 south from Buckhannon again, too. We did it last year, but it was cold and rainy and we didn't get to enjoy it nearly as much as we should have.

We don't always go places, sometimes (more often than not) we just ride to ride. For the sheer joy of it. Do you have a first destination in mind for 2011? Or are you more of a local, ride for the fun of it type?

Soothing Images of Spring

At the risk of being really lame, I am sort of doing a repeat of a repeat. Becaise I NEEDED a jolt of Spring. And I thought you might, too.

Since THIS POST originally went up way back in January before hardly anyone had discovered me, I thought it would be ok. Okay?

Here's the video from the post I mentioned. It was shot from our truck, while Hubby was driving, but I still like it. I hope you do, too!

The Peepers Are Back

I get excited easily. Especially when it's been a long, cold, dreary, cold, never-ending Winter.

Did I mention that it was long?

I know it's only March 1st, but guess what I heard today? I heard it last night when I let the dogs out, too. But since it was still technically February I was sure it had to be a figment of my imagination. Until I heard it again today. And then I knew.

I heard Spring Peepers.

Spring Peepers are to frogs what American Robins are to birds. They're the first harbingers of Spring.

Spring!

Do you know what the Peepers sound like? I thought everyone did. (Of course, my nickname is ToadMama.) But when I said to Shannon, my oldest daughter, "I hear the Peepers," she looked at me like I was nuts then said, in a nice way, "I have no idea what that means."

Here's a Spring Peepers link for you. In case you don't know what they sound like.

Know what's weird? No, the answer is not ME.

We had three blizzards here in Maryland last winter. This year the snow has been pretty negligible. But it's been darn cold. And it seemed like once the cold hit, it hit with a vengeance. And it didn't break until just over a week ago. But even that was fleeting.

Of course, this past Sunday it got pretty warm, but Hubby and I were busily working away on our kitchen remodel project at the West Virginia place. The thing about that is, when the weather is REALLY nice, consistently, we won't have any pending projects hanging over our heads. And we'll be able to just get out there and ride.

If you're still curious about those frogs, here's a cute little slide show/video montage sort of thing someone else was kind enough to post on YouTube.

 Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go pop my head outside to see if I can still hear the Peepers.

That's not just frogs chirping. That's the sound of Spring. :-)