We decided to take the kids hiking. Ken LOVES the outdoors and hiking, and we thought it would be something fun to do. Also, after waking up at 6, Henry went back to bed until 9, so I thought this would be a good day to skip a nap.
(Their "collecting jars" for the treasures they found on the trip.)
Admittedly, I did not do very good research for this trip. I am more of a "get in the car and see where you end up" kind of person. (Drives Ken crazy!) I had asked a friend who had recommended Fridley's Gap, but we couldn't really find directions to where she was talking about and I had neglected to ask. Basically, I made some sandwiches, threw some water bottles and chips in a bag and we left. 
(Henry''s "eating lunch" face.)
(Why is the almost-7 year old a messier eater than the 3 year old?)
We drove east out of town towards Elkton. Then we turned off on a couple of different roads, following some directions from the internet that were not very clear. We did end up finding the National Forest, so we pulled over in a spot to eat lunch and walk around. We didn't ever find the trail we were looking for, but we found a logging road to follow for a while until it became too overgrown for us to keep going.
(My reflection in the side of the van with Benjamin in the Snugli.)
We got back in the car and decided to just see where the road went. We paralleled Cub Run for quite a way and some some really pretty mini water falls.
(Benjamin was not a fan of the cold mountain water!)
We ended up in Page County and followed route 340 home through Shenandoah. We did spend a good part of the day in the car, but the kids enjoyed looking out the windows to see what was going on.
(Mountain climbers!)
We got gas and a car wash on the way home and then went out to dinner at O'Charley's thanks to a gift certificate from my mom. It was really nice being able to spend the day together as a family of five with no real plans or responsibilities. That doesn't happen often enough.
Love Frances and that hat and glasses!
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