Forward on Climate Rally

Those of you that know me well, know that I am passionate about protecting our environment and spreading the word about how everyone can make a difference. This blog post is about an awesome experience I had doing exactly that. This adventure took place on a COLD, windy day in the middle of February on the downtown mall in Washington, D.C. I was there for the Forward on Climate Rally, to protest the Keystone XL Pipeline and raise awareness about climate change... easily the biggest issue facing our society and yet one of the least addressed. 

Official Logo of the Rally

This rally was about so much more than that though. It was about proving to those of us that care so deeply about trying to protect this planet that we are not alone. It was about having fun with friends while restoring hope. It was about participating in something that allowed us to vent our frustrations with the government about their blind eye towards fixing this problem. Most of all, it was about coming together as a bunch of concerned individuals to make a statement: We care about stopping climate change!

Even the Polar Bears get it

So when I first heard about this rally in an e-mail from my buddy +Kurt, I knew I had to go. It was on a Sunday which worked out perfectly with my work schedule; I could easily take off and not be missed. In the weeks leading up to the rally, I got TONS of e-mails from 350.org (founding organization of the rally), The Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, MoveOn.org, CCAN, League of Conservation Voters, WWF, and so many more... all encouraging me to go. It quickly became very obvious that this was going to be a big deal.  Sure enough, when the day arrived... the mall was swarming with climate activists, braving the bitter cold to make their voices heard.

A glimpse of the huge crowd

Originally my plan for getting to the rally was to simply take a train from Fredericksburg, therefore avoiding any traffic delays and reducing my carbon footprint by using mass transit. That was before I convinced my friend Hector to join me though. When I told Hector about the rally, he jumped at the opportunity to participate in something so exciting, and he suggested that we ride our bikes to the mall so we could get around easily. That sounded like a great plan to me, so we loaded our bikes on the back of his Honda and left Fred that morning around 8 am... fully bundled up and prepared for the cold. Or so we thought.

2 wheels Rock! And roll...

Hector parked his car in a hotel parking lot near the Rosslyn metro station, and we biked over the Key Bridge into the city. Talk about windy... I almost thought I was going to get blown over at one point. Hector (same guy that introduced me to DC Bike Party) previously worked at a bike shop in Georgetown called Revolution Cycles, so he knew the area well. After a brisk (COLD) ride through the city, we arrived on the downtown mall by the Lincoln Memorial. The rally didn't start til noon, but even at 10:30 there were still plenty of groups meeting up and starting to brandish their signs. Hector and I decided to bike up and down the mall to get a better idea of exactly what was happening. This was my first time biking around DC, so that was a thrill in its own right... dodging traffic, running lights, and seeing the city in a new light.

Happy Hector!

After a trip or two up and down the mall, we were starting to wonder what else we were going to do while we waited for our other friends to arrive. Kurt lives in DC, so he wasn't planning on arriving until a bit later. Our other friends +Kristina Scrimshaw and +Kelsey Voss were also coming but not planning on showing up for a little while since they had to fight with the challenge of finding a parking spot. I had packed a water bottle full of Kraken Rum and the original plan was to save it for celebrating that evening.... but given the sub freezing temps and wind chill, we decided it was time to release the Kraken!

Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of Rum!

That may have been the best decision we made all day... that little bit of rum warmed us right up, and brought on a new level of excitement. I was instantly ready to spontaneously start a dance party or scream at the top of my lungs, whatever the moment called for. About this time, I got a text from an unknown phone # letting me know that Kurt had lost his phone. So we arranged to meet at a specific location just like the old days, and then observed the huge variety of folks arriving for the rally while we waited for him.

Hey Coal, Move Over... it's time for Wind and Solar!

While we were waiting, we scored some stickers, posters, and even some cool polar bear hats that read "Chill the Drills." We were decked out and ready to Rally! Soon after that, Kurt showed up and expressed his jealousy about our cool Rally swag. We teased him for being a doper and losing his phone, which he apparently found, and then we started getting in position to hear some of the speeches before we actually marched. 

Our view of the stage

The speeches given that cold February afternoon were eye-opening and inspiring. The stage was graced by many important leaders, including Van Jones - founder of Rebuild the Dream, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse from Rhode Island, The Rev. Lennox Yearwood - Hip Hop Caucus president and CEO, Crystal Lameman from Beaver Lake Cree First Nations Tribe in Canada, and of course Bill McKibben, (founder of 350.org) who stated perfectly: "All I ever wanted to see... was a movement of people to stop climate change... and NOW I've seen it!!" I will never forget the warm feeling that rose within me as I joined thousands of other people in cheering him on in agreement. Each speech was different, but the chorus was the same: We have to stop this pipeline, to protect the future of our planet.

Kurt and me soaking it all in

Slightly before the speeches began, Kristina and Kelsey showed up so we were able to meet up with them and increase our climate change fighting posse to 5 members. I thought it was so cool that my friends were just as interested in being a part of this movement as I was. It made the whole experience so much more fun and memorable, and it renewed my confidence that people our age want to make a difference for the future. The crowd that day was anything but homogeneous though; we were surrounded by young kids, college students, middle-aged folks, and even some old ladies that had to of been over 70. They all got it. This issue is important, and we've got to come together to do something about it!

Kristina and Kelsey join the gang

The general plan for the afternoon was to have everyone meet by the Washington Monument, gather to listen to the speeches, and then march around downtown DC in a large loop, passing by the White House and hopefully attracting Obama's attention. But before we launched ourselves into this endeavor of parading down the streets chanting about stopping this pipeline... we had to get properly excited! As if the raw energy of tens of thousands of people coming together for a common cause wasn't enough to get to get your blood pumping... they introduced some music to start getting everyone groovin'.

The sun smiled down on us 

Here's a short video of us getting excited before we started the march. The only problem was that there were SO many people that when we actually tried to start moving, there was hardly any space since everyone was getting jammed up while trying to squeeze onto the street at once. That's an awesome problem though.

As you can see in the video, I really didn't need much encouragement to get excited. Something about large crowds create an energy in me that makes me wanna yell and make some ruckus, especially when its for a good cause. This is part of the reason why I enjoy DC Bike Parties so much... hootin and hollerin is encouraged. Eventually we made it out onto the street amongst a mass of picketing planet lovers, and the creative chanting began... "Hey!! Obama! .. We don't want no climate drama!!" 

Couldn't of said it better

 The route had us starting off on Constitution Ave and walking towards 17th, then heading all the way up to Pennsylvania Ave where we strolled past the White House, and then we turned on 15th to head back towards the mall. It turns out Obama wasn't even home... he was actually playing golf with some oil execs in Florida. That was disappointing news, to say the least... but there's no way he can ignore what happened. How he chooses to react though is still being determined.

How Obama should be reacting to the pipeline proposal

While we were on 17th we took a much needed bathroom break at the Cocoran Gallery of Art, and then got right back in the action. Throughout the march there were individuals camped out with massive speakers, blaring tunes that helped inspire energy and made the event so much more fun. Here's a glimpse of what one of those impromptu dance stations looked like:

It was fun, it was good exercise, and it was for an amazing cause. What more can you ask for?? As we rounded the corner onto 15th Street... the crowd was definitely thinning out, and we could clearly see folks leaving the streets for the warm comfort of nearby coffee shops. That was fine by us though, just meant we had more space to move around and "physically express ourselves."

Me and Kurt in full on Rally mode

 Eventually we made it back to the starting location at the stage, and had our spirits lifted by the announcement that there were more than 50,000 in our ranks that day!! We screamed our throats hoarse,  then danced our hearts out on the grass and had our minds blown as Eve made a throwback appearance for a spur-of-the-moment celebratory concert. The music was over before we knew it (she was clearly freezing) and Kristina and Kelsey quickly split to the warmth of their car. Kurt, Hector and I biked to a nearby cafe where we ate some lunch, and rejoiced as we regained feeling in our extremities and color in our cheeks.

Proud to have been one of them

As I ate some broccoli cheddar soup and started peeling off layers, we met some girls who had taken one of the many buses into the area from Vermont. They were students at the University of Vermont in Burlington, and they couldn't have been more pleased that they took the long trip down for this event. I was impressed at their devotion, and we chatted about how they planned to spread the word and keep the energy from this rally alive when they returned home. As I am writing this blog so many months after this all went down, I still feel inspired by this event to do EVERYTHING I possibly can to make a difference.

By our powers combined....

So I will leave you with this thought. Everything little thing you do makes a difference... and every time you choose to ride your bike instead of drive, or eat locally instead of at McDonald's, or to simply spread the word to your friends and family about how important this issue of climate change really is... you are actually doing big things. Because if everyone did these things, it would make a HUGE difference. Keep up the fight to stop climate change, and have fun doing so! Now, go outside and appreciate the natural world. And if anyone asks you if you support the Keystone XL Pipeline, be sure to tell them...

 "NOOOOOO!!"

That hippo was for you +Chelsea Genack :) 

--Brewkeeper, Over and Out!

Ingleside Winery Tour

I'd like to interrupt this irregularly scheduled program to bring you all back to a cold, rainy day in January... when 909 took a "company field trip" to tour Ingleside Winery. But first I'll take you back a bit further... to explain why we were there. In November 2012, 909 made the decision to shift our wine list towards selling only Virginia Wines, in an effort to support the local economy and increase awareness of how many delightful wines our region has to offer. We are very proud of the 909 Wine List that has blossomed as a result of this switch, but to get there took many months of research, tastings, and even a winery tour. Chris Flemer, head of marketing and sales for Ingleside, had come to 909 to allow me and +Brian Hyland (owner of 909) to taste some of their wines, and after the tasting he invited us to bring the entire staff to come tour the vineyard.

The vines at Ingleside

This seemed like an excellent idea, and a great bonding opportunity... so we informed our staff and started making arrangements for transportation. The plan was to go on a Monday, when 909 would be closed. Fortunately everyone wanted to go, but unfortunately no one wanted to be stuck with the task of being a designated driver. As the day of the tour approached, one by one the 909ers ran into conflicts... until it was down to just Brian and me. We flipped a coin to see who would be DD, (I won) and then we hit the road... heading towards Oak Grove, VA. We would later learn, Pocahontas traveled the same road.

The Original Miss America

The drive was short and pretty, even on a dreary rainy day. It took about 45 minutes to get there from downtown Fredericksburg, and the rolling scenery of farmland and forest almost made me wish the drive was longer. On the way, we jammed out to some solid classic rock tunes delivered to us by our buddies at 96.9 "The Rock". When we arrived, we entered the gift shop and walked around while we waited for Chris.

Divine Wine

 After we met with Chris, we talked for a bit about the state of the economy in downtown Fredericksburg (needs help) and waited a bit for a lull in the rain. Then we walked over to the first stop on the tour: a brilliantly designed miniature history museum established by Chris' dad, the owner of Ingleside Plantation. On the way there, we passed through their outdoor courtyard that is used for private events, weddings, etc.

We had the place all to ourselves

Ingleside Winery and Plantation is a family owned and operated business, which Brian had a lot of respect for since he is very familiar with running a family business (J. Brian's Taproom). The Flemer family has owned the Ingleside Plantation since 1890, and it originally operated as a Dairy farm. In 1940, Carl Flemer Jr. (Chris' Dad) realized that cows were not the most profitable use of this land, and so he decided to convert the area into a Nursery. A few years later, the Flemer family learned that the conditions on their land were ideal for growing grapes... and thus Ingleside Winery was born. Doug Flemer (Chris' brother) has operated and overseen all wine operations since the vineyard opened in 1980. Ingleside is one of the oldest continually operating vineyards in Virginia. The land itself has an even richer history...

A display of arrowheads found on the Ingleside Plantation

Ingleside Plantation is located in the Northern Neck of Virginia, the very site where the Powhatan Indians lived and hunted over 400 years ago. Many of the roads in this area are built on old Indian trails. The road to the vineyard, Leedstown Road, was one of the more well-used Indian trails... and legend has it that when Pocahontas was captured by the English, they used that very road to transport her back to their camp. The collection of arrowheads above could very well include a spear tip used by Chief Powhatan himself.

Mountain Lion on display at the Ingleside history museum

Along with artifacts from the local Native Americans, there were some very neat taxidermy displays that helped paint a picture of the wildlife that would have been common during that era. Call me crazy, but I wish there were more mountain lions and less people in Virginia... it would keep the deer population in check, and make going for a hike a lot more thrilling. Carl Flemer Jr. also put some very fascinating items on display that belonged to the colonists that called this region home... including wine seals from Washington family.

The real deal... Washington drank wine here too.

I should mention that I was sipping on a delicious glass of the 2008 Petit Verdot while we were learning about the abundant history of the region, which I believe really helped it all "sink in" :) After a bit, we headed over to the warehouse to see some wine-making in action! Chris spent some time explaining to us how the grapes got from the vine to the bottle, and showed us every step in between. I did not know until this tour that the juice produced from red grapes is in fact white, and red wines actually gain their color by mashing up the skins of the grapes with the juice and then the skins are filtered out later. So in theory you can make a white wine with a red grape!

A glimpse inside the warehouse

The barrels you see above were used to age the wines to perfection. Occasionally the vineyard will host a "barrel tasting" that allows guests to come and taste the wine directly out of the barrel, so they can experience how the wood helps add an "Oaky flavor" that is absolutely delectable. Today happened to be bottling day for their Pinot Grigio, so we got to witness the assembly line in action which was pretty cool. I took a short video of the process... it was quite mesmerizing.

After watching the wine being put into bottles, we were about ready to taste some of it! The staff had prepared a beautiful spread of cheese, meats, and crackers... even some chocolates, to pair with the wines. The tasting took place in a beautiful room designed to host wedding receptions and other tasting events. It was truly charming, with elegant lighting and handcrafted wood creating a very homey feel.

Fancy cheese and crackers

This was the part Brian had been dreading... he was going to have to sit and watch while I tasted a plethora of delicious wines. It seemed unfair that he would go through the whole tour and not get to enjoy the fruits of their labors, so on an off chance he inquired if there were any decent hotels nearby that might make tasting the wines an option... so he could partake and not have to worry about drinking and driving.

Signature tasting glass

At this point, Chris really surprised us.... he offered us the opportunity to stay at one of the cottages located on their property! This was extremely generous of him, and we were very flattered and excited. On that note, we happily tasted the wines that they had to offer together... including my personal favorite, the Blue Crab Red. It's a delicious red wine blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah... which creates a light, fruity flavor without the bitter tannins often associated with red wines, making it very easy to drink. After this outing, we quickly decided to add the Blue Crab wines (Red & Blanc) to our wine menu, in addition to the Cabernet Sauvignon that we were already selling.

Ingleside Wine at 909. Photo by +Andreea Manaf 

After our glasses had been emptied and refilled many times, eventually it was time for Chris to show us to our home for the night. We were instantly impressed. Only a short drive or walk from the gift shop at the vineyard, we had a quaint little A-frame cottage complete with sleeping loft, full kitchen, screened-in porch, and gorgeous overlook of a small pond in the backyard. The cottage is known as Summerton and if you happen to be visiting Ingleside... I'd highly recommend staying a night or two at this gorgeous cabin.

A shot of our humble abode in the morning light

After Chris made sure that we were settled in and comfortable, he bid us a goodnight and we thanked him profusely for being so kind. Ingleside had immediately become our house wine! Brian and I put some music on the background and proceeded to pop open a bottle of Blue Crab Blanc that we had bought at the gift shop to share and celebrate the evening.

Cheers!

Eventually it was time to venture out from our comfortable little cottage to forage for some food in the wilderness that is Colonial Beach (Just kidding... kinda). We called a cab company, and had no idea how much of a treat we were in for. After some haggling about the price to get into town and back (we agreed on $20) and some complications on directing the driver to our corner of the world... we were on the road. The first thing he said when we got into the car was, "I lied about the price..." (Okay.... ) "I told you $20 right? Well it's actually going to be $8" We were off to a good start.

We're riding in the Cash Cab! ... NOT

This is when things really started to get crazy. Once we got in the cab, this dude just didn't stop talking. We told him we'd been recommended a little Thai place, so he started heading that way. While driving he told us he was an insurance agent by day and he owed a bunch of money ($12,000) to the IRS so he started this cab company to make some extra dough. He also told us that he used to haul Nitro Glycerin across the country when he was fresh out of high school, making $4/mile. He claimed he'd go to Florida, Texas, Cali, and then back to Colonial Beach... all in a week. Very reasonable. Did you know Nitro Glycerin has a 20 degree temperature fluctuation tolerance before it goes BOOM? This guy learned that the hard way on a hot summer day when he had to detach his flaming trailer from the cab and just kept on rolling. He said it was the most paperwork he's ever had to do. After that he switched to transporting toilet paper... its slightly less flammable.

Getting bang for our buck

 Around this time, we learned that the Thai place was closed on Mondays. Great. He tried to take us to the only other decent restaurant in town... they were also closed. So we settled on going to the grocery store and getting some eats there. A Domino's pizza happened to be next door, so we ordered a pie as well. This dude went to go pick up another guy while we shopped, so he didn't charge anything for waiting on us.

Dinner of champions

On our way back to the winery, he told us a story of the time the cops busted down his door with a search warrant and proceeded to ransack his house. Turns out the warrant was for the house next door. Unfortunately, this dude had a $7,000 door that they destroyed (how he spent that much on a door... I'll never know) and they also damaged lots of his furnishings. Fortunately, he rented the furniture. So he went to the Judge, pleaded his case, and the Judge made the police station pay for the damage and personally clean up the mess. The Judge also awarded him $11,000, which meant he turned a profit since he had insurance on the furniture. He said he had 4 cops in his house for a month... organizing his paperwork by exact date and folding every piece of clothing in his house, including women's underwear. Oh by the way, he was a retired Maryland State Narcotics officer as well, and he has a secret 10x10 safe room that's not on the blue prints in his house that contains his 56 guns... including multiple machine guns. Seems like an average guy, right?

Give us all your doughnuts!

 Finally the driver dropped us off, and our heads were spinning with all the tales he had just told us. We were easily in the cab for an hour, just driving around (at no extra cost) so that he would have time to tell us these stories. But we were pleasantly entertained, and had quite the story to share. We gobbled up the pizza, had a few beers, and wrote some of his story details down on the back of the pizza box so we wouldn't forget them... and then headed to bed. Brian took the pull-out bed downstairs, and I got the king bed upstairs.

Rest and relaxation! 

The morning came before we knew it, and I slept extremely well. We gathered our things and prepared to head back to the 'burg. I couldn't of imagined a more wonderful way to get to know what Ingleside Winery was all about. I took a moment to reflect on the events that had transpired and give thanks for the new day while overlooking the beautiful pond in the backyard. Then it was time to head home and return to our daily lives. 

Peaceful moment of reflection on the back porch

In conclusion, thank you very much Ingleside for your hospitality and delicious wines! We look forward to our next visit :) 

Peace Out!

Wilderness Adventure at Eagle Landing

This week was especially awesome, because my good friend +Kristina Scrimshaw and I headed down to Newcastle, VA (pop. 200) to visit our mutual buddy Hector at an amazing place called Wilderness Adventure at Eagle Landing where he is currently employed as a trip leader. Kristina lives in Alexandria, so she scooped me up in Fredericksburg on Tuesday evening, and we headed down to Charlottesville. We spent that evening at my parents' house to break up the 5 hr+ drive down to Southwest VA. Wednesday morning we woke up exceptionally early (for my taste) and hit the road around 7:30 am after making a crucial stop at Bodo's Bagels, a Charlottesville staple.This was Kristina's first time in C'ville... so I vowed to show her around more when we stopped in our way back. Then we hit the road! It's a fairly pleasant drive, taking 64 West to 81 South almost the whole way, then Rt. 311 (love that #) to our final destination.

We are (were) here!

We were rocking out to a bunch of mix CDs featuring 70's music, enjoying the scenery, catching up, and loving life. Great times. Before we knew it... we were winding up 311 through the mountains towards Newcastle. We arrived at the camp around 10 am, called Hector (woke him up) and started the day's adventure.

Hector and me in front of the main lodge

 Wilderness Adventure (WA) is an absolutely gorgeous place. It's surrounded by pristine woods, rolling farmland, a peaceful creek, and most of the buildings are constructed in the style of an old log cabin. It was started by a retired Marine Colonel named Gene Nervo who wanted to provide a place for youth to experience adventure and challenging experiences that would teach them valuable life lessons. It was established in 1990 and continues to thrive more than ever today... and it's easy to see why, the place is awesome.

The porch of the main lodge

Wilderness Adventure offers tons of different opportunities to explore the great outdoors, including hiking, mountain biking, caving, rock climbing, canoeing/kayaking, and even a 900 ft zip line through the forest! They have high and low ropes courses designed to build character, confidence, and teamwork skills. It is impossible to be bored here. So of course, we attempted to do as much as we could in the short amount of time we were there. In the beginning however, Hector had a few tasks to take care of to help out around the Lodge.. so Kristina and I took this opportunity to enjoy a much needed relaxation break.

Me and Kristina chillin' out

Eventually we got off our butts and started preparing for our first adventure, kayaking down the over-sized creek that ran next to the property. We each picked out our kayaks, PFDs, helmets, water shoes, and paddles and helped Hector load them onto the trailer. Hector's co-worker Brad helped us out and volunteered to drive the bus to the drop off point. Joining us on this adventure were a few Canadian cyclists that were staying at WA as part of a larger group that comes every year to bike the beautiful mountain roads in this area.

Ready to Kayak!

The ride to the drop off point was just down the road, but the float was expected to last about 2 hours. This was my first time actually paddling in a white water kayak, so I was excited to play around with it. The creek itself did not really have any rapids though, just a few riffles here and there. That was perfect for us though, because we got to hang loose, chat, and snap lots of pictures!

Me and Kristina, floating on

This was Kristina's first time kayaking, so it was a great little spot for her to get the hang of how the boat responds to your paddling, the current, etc. Thankfully, she brought along her waterproof camera, so we didn't have to fret about protecting it. Pictures galore!

Life is good

About half-way through the float trip, we bumped into the Canadians. They had shoved off just slightly earlier, and were in canoes. When we approached, they offered us a beer from their well-stocked cooler. We graciously accepted, and thought amongst ourselves that it really doesn't get much better than this.

Hector and the Canadians. Cheers!

Finally we made it to our take out spot, right in front of the camp. We saw a pair of orioles, flitting about through the trees above... which was very neat. We carried the boats up the river bank, stowed away our gear, and then headed towards the lodge to grab a quick meal.

Hector luggin the kayak

After a delicious early dinner of vegetarian chili and cheese piled high on nachos (wish we had a pic!) we started making preparations to go on a hike up the mountain to a spot known as "The Bluff" where you could supposedly see an excellent view of the valley below. On our way towards the trail, we could hear prolonged screams of joy and excitement echoing through the woods. People were on the zipline! We headed that direction, and bumped into Brad again who was helping some of the Canadians have the time of their lives. He graciously agreed to let us go for a ride, so we quickly grabbed helmets and harnesses and booked it up the hill to meet the other staff member at the top of the zipline.

Epic view from the top of the 900' zipline. The cable continues well past the water.

Needless to say, we were super stoked! The last time I was on a zipline I was in Ecuador, Kristina hadn't been on one since she was about 15, and even Hector hadn't had the chance to go on it since he had started working there. This is the second largest zip line on the east coast! So we harnessed up, snapped a couple pics, and got ready to take the ride of our lives.

We're ready to fly!

 It was just as radical as it looks, and more so! Kristina went first and rocked it. We both took our cameras with us, and I managed to shoot a video of the trip down. Enjoy the ride!

As you could see in the video, it was all over before I knew it. They had a pretty cool system set up, a couple of cables would catch you when you got over the water, slow down your incredible force, and send you soaring back towards land. Then a dude on the ground reached out with a long pole with a loop on it that you were supposed to grab onto to keep from sliding back over the lake and getting stuck there. Once in place, they slid a wooden tower over towards you that was mounted on a track. You get on it, "de-wedgie-fy" yourself, and then they slide it back over towards the stairs, so you can gracefully climb down to solid ground.

Hector experiencing an "Extreme" wedgie

After our awesome, and very quick, zipline experience we headed back up the ridge to find "The Bluff" and enjoy some amazing views. We got directions from Brad on how to get there... Hector had been before but he was being led, and on a bike, so didn't quite remember. The directions seemed pretty simple.. "Head up past the zipline, follow the trail to the Jeep Road... take a right, follow the Jeep road until you come to a fork.. then go left and that will take you there. Just keep heading uphill basically." Little did we realize how directionally challenged we were... and how much that last part would make us second guess ourselves.

Which way to go?

We made it to the Jeep road having only wondered if we were going the right way once or twice. Took a right... kept going for a bit, then suddenly started taking a sharp dip down hill... This couldn't be right. We turned back and went to the entrance to Jeep trail... trying to remember if he really said turn right. Must have, because left definitely went downhill. So we went back and saw that the trail went back up after it dipped. Phew. So, we continued on.

A walk in the woods

We ventured past the low ropes course (which Brad had mentioned were nearby) and continued on until we reached the fork. Or at least what we thought was the fork. So we turned left, as instructed... and soon found ourselves on a small narrow path heading down the mountain, steeply and continuously. We kept on that path for about 50 ft, before deciding this couldn't be the way.... we were going downhill again! So we went back to the fork and took a right this time, continuing on the Jeep Road. We wandered on and on, passing signs for the Orange trail, then the Blue trail, but nothing mentioning anything about "The Bluff." We were beginning to wonder if "The Bluff" was a just bluff after all.

So lost, I took this picture. Just Bluffin'

After wandering down the Jeep road for approximately forever, and eventually passing fallen trees covering the entire path... we realized there was no way Hector went mountain biking this way. Thankfully, Hector remembered very clearly what he had seen on his previous trip to the Bluff. NOT. We were lost and no one knew where we were supposed to go to find this damn overlook. So we headed back to the ropes course area, and started trying every possible path off-shooting from the Jeep Trail... wondering if perhaps one of them was the "fork". No luck.

Turned around

We explored probably every inch of the high and low ropes courses, going deep into various pockets of the woods... continuously hoping that suddenly all the trees would disappear and the magical bluff would appear. Nope. At this point the sun was starting to fade, and we were getting nervous and frustrated that we might not even find this thing. Definitely the beginning to a bad horror film.

Not a happy camper

Finally we gave in to Hectors demands to call Brad and ask for directions. We were extremely embarrassed that it had come to this. Especially since we had clearly waited such a long time to ask for directions. We started the hike around 5... at this point it was getting close to 7. Don't get me wrong, we were still having a great time gallivanting around in the woods... it just would have been nice if we knew where we were going. But no answer from Brad. Then Hector decided to text one of the other staff members. His simple reply was "Go past the bridge, when you get to the end... turn left" OK... I think we can handle that. The bridge he was referring to was part of the low ropes course, which was on the left of the Jeep road we started on. So we were back at the original fork. This time we took a left and kept going... down, down, down, and then back up! There was hope! I started running for joy, hootin and hollerin. Then suddenly it appeared... The Bluff!!

There it is!

Boy, were we happy! The view was amazing, and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from our shoulders. We took tons of pictures, relaxed, breathed easy, and congratulated each other on our perseverance. This spot was totally worth all that nonsense, and we felt extremely appreciative to be there.

Amazing view from The Bluff

We took a moment to pause and appreciate our accomplishment.

A Lion King moment

At last, we could return back to camp with smiles on our faces and a feeling of achievement in our hearts. We got back to the lodge, around dusk... had a hodge-podge dinner of left-overs and started preparing for bed. We were exhausted. Kristina, being the very active individual she is, has a band around her wrist that tracks her activity and tells her how much she has walked, run, etc. Prior to our walk she had set it to start calculating our distance, and once we returned... she downloaded the report to her iPhone. 

In the Zone!

As you can see, we experienced quite the hike. Probably the longest trip from camp to The Bluff that anyone has ever made. We're awesome like that. We're so awesome in fact, that we decided to return to The Bluff the next morning to see the sunrise, this time on mountain bikes instead of hiking. This involved waking up WAY too early, grabbing some bikes from the WA bike barn, and peddling uphill at a very steep incline.

My trusty steed

The ride was quite enjoyable, once I got over the fact that I was extremely out of shape. Other than the major hill on the way up, the rest of it really wasn't too bad. We didn't quite catch the sunrise, but we still got there pretty friggin' early (around 7 am) and enjoyed a lesson from Hector on how to mountain bike like a pro. 

Hector leaving us in the dust

And of course, the view from the top was nothing less than spectacular.

A slice of heaven

The ride back down was totally awesome, and only involved Hector leading us down the wrong trail once.

Kristina bombin' down the hill... like a boss

The trail spit us out onto the road that leads to camp, so we cruised on that a bit which was a nice way to cool down, and before we knew it we were back at camp and it was time to say goodbye to Hector. We quickly showered and then hit the road, leaving by 9 am... hoping to make great time for the long ride home. True to my word, I showed Kristina around C'ville when we got there, but soon realized we would have to come back since there was so much I didn't get to show her. Hard to believe we accomplished so much in just over 24 hours! Definitely an adventure for the record books.

Peace Out Y'all!

P.S. Tomorrow I will be participating in DC Bike Party again.... the fun never stops!