Journal With Me No. 003 | Virginia May 2018

Two trips in a row? Back-to-back in April and May. No wonder it's been hard to get stuff done!

But all's good because this gave me an excuse to do another nice long journaling session and a Journal With Me for you guys. Unfortunately, I didn't realize the camera stopped recording partway through, so I had to refilm it storytime style. It's longer than the trip to Utah's video, but that's just because we did so much in a week!

If you haven't already, please check it out! There's even some footage of a pony and her foal crossing the water. Super cute.



In case you're interested, below's a list of places we went to on our trip:
None of these links are affiliate links.

New Jersey:
The Escape Plan - We did Abigail's Playroom. Although the story was so-so, the puzzles in this room are actually fantastic! Our little group has probably done two-dozen-ish escape rooms by now and this one had creative puzzles and the room itself has little subtle hints, which is clever!

The Escape Room Woodbridge - I accidentally said Woodside (and wrote it that way!) in my video, but it's Woodbridge! We did the Museum Heist room, which was decent. I would still recommend it. The blacklights were a little overdone and there could have been more indication in the room itself as to what you should be doing. At some parts, we just ended up randomly doing stuff and they happened to work.

Delaware:
Dogfish Head Brewery - Now, I drink very little. As in, maybe once every 3 months and not even a bottle's worth at that. However, the people I went on this trip with really know their stuff. So if you're into craft beers, definitely worth getting a growler full of Palo Santo Marron and maybe making some ice cream floats with it. :D

Virginia:
Historic Victorian made for Making Memories AirBnB - This is the AirBnB we stayed at while in Onancock. Tom and Kitty (the owners) and Austin (their friendly dog) are wonderful. They seem to know everyone and even happened to meet them by chance couple times! The home was huge and comfortable and has everything you need except shampoo. If you cook, you might want to bring some of your own stuff, but that goes for pretty much any AirBnB.

Kiptopeke State Park - I think it was $5 to park our car. We mostly walked along the beach and on some trails. The trail is gorgeous and very varied. You can go from the beach to the woods, to grass, to pond, and from one trial to the next. Beware, ticks and mosquitos plentiful.

The Bike Depot - We rented our bikes from The Bike Depot, which is literally right across the bridge from all the bike trails in Assateague Island. The island is flat so it's not really worth getting a bike with all the gear shifts. Great service! The guy who helped us (Travis? Was it Travis?) was super helpful and nice and got us all set to go. He even gave us a serious heads up about the mosquitos...

Assateague Island National Seashore - Most of the bike paths here were paved and the scenery was beautiful. It also wasn't crowded at all. However, the mosquitos are vicious! No amount of bug spray would keep them away. I got over 30 bites just on my legs. They even bit my scalp! We were told later that we happened to come after 3 weeks of rain so it was a particularly bad mosquito time. We also didn't see any ponies, but we really couldn't stop unless we wanted to make a blood sacrifice to the ecosystem. Had to eat lunch at the beach. No skeeters there!

Ker Place - This was a hidden gem! The little museum is donation based and is open for only a short time on most days. They have guided tours given by volunteer docents and our guide shared tons of fascinating information. I don't think I caught her name (who was there on May 30?), but she really made the old house shine.

Mutton Hunk Fen Natural Area Preserve - In full disclosure, we didn't plan on coming here. We wanted to get some exercise before getting on a boat cruise and found this place on Google Maps. We hiked all the way down to the marsh and back. It was mostly grassy with a bay at the end. I imagine if we weren't rushed, it would be worth re-exploring.

Daisey's Island Cruises - We had a tour with Captain Bill! He was so full of charm and information. Totally worth it. Saw Egrets, Ospreys (feeding each other in the nest with eggs), baby Black-winged Seagulls (3 of them!), Oyster Catchers, a few Bald Eagles (plus nest), and of course, wild ponies! There's tons of history and tidbits that I'm sure only a local would know (but we're from out of town, what do we know). Captain Bill was very generous with his time and even had blankets and binoculars for anyone who needed them.

Southeast Expeditions Onancock Location - Kayaking was fun, even though I'm terrible at paddling. There are 3 little creeks to explore which were full of birds (got to see a Great Blue Heron up close). You might have to make a trip down to the actual location though because when we called the number on the website, we were told we had the wrong number.

Mallard's at the Wharf -  This place was pretty interesting! It's part historic exhibit and part restaurant. They also have some work from local artists for sale and support the local Historical Society - very involved in the community. It looks like people can also just dock their boat and eat too! The pulled pork was okay, but the crab cakes were delicious.

Cape Charles Natural Preserve Boardwalk - The boardwalk is only about a mile long, but it sure is pretty! It's a well-maintained dead end with two overlooks. This is probably the "hike" I enjoyed the most!

Cape Charles Beach - It actually a bay beach. Very clean, not crowded, and the water is pretty darn clear! We happened to go when the tide was low and had to walk waaay out to get to neck-deep water. It was a very pleasant beach to be on.

Seastar Cafe - We picked up some sandwiches at this Carry Out cafe (there's outdoor seating) which were yummy. It seems like a pretty popular place, many people were driving up for lunch. It's a little difficult to spot from the road (the building is set back quite a ways). This is a hard recommend if you like sandwiches. I had the Virginian and tried a bit of the Fresh Shrimp Salad Croissant (lemony!) the chocolate brownie was also good.

Hope this was helpful to someone, and please share if you have some places to recommend!

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