A "Quiet" Summer -- part II: Vermont's Green Mountains

Our August 2017 we planned last-minute week-long camping vacation Vermont's Green Mountains.  My husband's IT job was causing him extra hours and extra stress so we purposely choose a campground where there was limited cell service so that he couldn't work even if he wanted to (which he didn't)!  Woodford State Park fit the bill nicely, with large wooded sites, hiking at our doorstep, and a lovely pond with kayak and paddleboard rentals.

Watching the boys set up camp

We kayaked while the boys paddleboarded

Reading, S'mores, and baseball

Vermont is so lovely and we enjoyed our week in the great outdoors.  Tent camping (especially at a state park) and cooking over a fire doesn't break the bank, so this was probably the least expensive trip we've ever taken!  It was great to take a bit of a break from our technology-filled lives and spend time around the campfire, making s'mores and jiffy-pop, gazing up at the stars, and just breathing in that fresh mountain air.

Relaxing at the campsite

We explored nearby Bennington, with its granite Bennington Battle Monument that provided great views of the area, even on a cloudy day.  It was on this site that Brigadier General John Stark and his men successfully defeated the British in 1777; some say this was the turning point in the Revolutionary War since it prevented the British from capturing supplies that would have aided them in the subsequent battle of Saratoga.

Bennington Battle Monument, with General John Stark,
 and the view from the top of the monument. 

Just down the road from the Monument was the Old First Church, which first gathered in 1762.  Robert Frost is buried in the cemetery on site.  He's been a favorite poet since I memorized "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" in grammar school.

Robert Frost's grave at the Old First Church

Molly Stark was the wife of General John Stark, of Battle of Bennington notoriety.  Molly gained fame through her husband's battle cry:  "There are your enemies, the Red Coats and the Tories. They are ours, or this night Molly Stark sleeps a widow!"  She wasn't widowed that day and Stark's army was victorious, thank goodness.

Hiking in the Molly Stark state park,with the view from
the Mount Olga fire tower.

We saw many covered bridges during our week in VT

Exploring the Equinox Preserve

Manchester, Vermont

Bowling on a rainy (very rainy!) day

A rare selfie!

A "Quiet" Summer -- part I: Georgia

In the past few years, we've taken some amazing trips but the summer of 2017 was a bit different.  First off, we'd spent quite a bit of money on those past vacations, so thought it might be a good time for a more budget-friendly summer.  Secondly, my husband's job was rather hectic and he was limited in when he could take a break.  He wound up working remotely on this trip, in fact.

In July, we drove down to Gwinnett County, Georgia, to my sister's home for our first visit there (they moved from NJ in 2015).  We had some great day trips to nearby Six Flags Over Georgia, Stone Mountain, and Fort Yargo State Park.  At Six Flags we rode as many roller coasters as we could before a nasty thunderstorm closed the park that evening.  Our families enjoyed many activities at Stone Mountain, including suspended rope bridges, mini-golf, a gondola ride to the top of the mountain and hike down, and then a cool laser show projected onto the mountain itself.  Fort Yargo is a lovely park nearby with a warm lake that was great for swimming, as well as boating activities.  The flies were a bit much, so we picnic'ed quickly and stayed in (or on) the water.

Six Flags Over GA!

Various shots at Six Flags -- a great place to spend the day
if you love coasters as much as my family does!

Stand-up paddle-boarding at Fort Yargo

My sister and I paddle-boating 

Stone Mountain mega-selfie

A hazy view from the top of SM

So much love for these kids!

Dinosaurs in Georgia?!?

Our day trips were terrific, but the best part of our time together was simply spent hanging out and catching up.  My sister's children are just a bit younger than mine, but they grew up together, so it was extra-nice to have the cousins playing games, swimming, watching movies, and joking around.  When they lived in NJ, we used to see them at least once a month, so the transition to twice a year (or so) has been tough, making this trip extra-special.

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Local pool, hibachi, and frozen yogurt

Card games...

Board games...

3-D chess

Goofballs at the end of a wonderful week!

Ireland, part 4: Killarney and County Kerry

     

It only rained one day of our two week trip, and it was the day of our longest drive: Sligo to Killarney.  There were some attractions we'd hoped to see along the way that we omitted.  We had an outdoor lunch at Durty Nellie's, the tavern that's been serving the servants of Bunratty Castle since 1620.  The castle itself we skipped (plus a possible stop in Galway or Connemara), since our drive was taking longer than expected due to the rain.

We checked into our B&B then stopped at St. Mary's Cathedral.  There is a giant sequoia right in front, planted on a famine grave -- its seeds had been a gift from the people of California. An unexpected surprise.

 Inch Beach:  So Tranquil!

We drove the Dingle Peninsula and Slea Head Drive the next day, with so many stops along the way.  The first stop was the amazing Inch Beach.  So flat. So calm. So blue. Everything along the drive was lovely. Rolling hills, beautiful ocean, even a peek (only) at the Skellig Michael islands where the last scene from Star Wars episode 7 was filmed. Later in the day we saw locations used for episode 8.  Yes, my boys are Star Wars fans, as well as Game of Thrones.

Look for this view in Episode VIII!

We paid to feed some sheep and see a Lios (earthen ring fort), then later paid for Dunbeg stone fort (500 BC), neither of which gave us much information or offered tour guides.  After so many wonderful OPW sites, it was hard not be a little disappointed in that, but the feeling was minor. The Gallarus Oratory was so impressive:  a 1200 years old church that's still waterproof, even though it was built without mortar.  We lingered on the Dingle Peninsula, ate some Murphy's ice-cream, then spent an hour or so walking around Killarney so I could purchase an Aran wool sweater.

Dunbeg Fort, about 2500 years old

Gallarus Oratory

 

 The following day we set out for Killarney National Park. First stop, a tour of Ross Castle.  I was always happy to have a tour guide when we visited historic sites, but on occasion we did explore on our own.  This time, we went with a guide, so learned more about the construction of the castle doors, the uniqueness of the spiral staircase, and other interesting tidbits that we wouldn't have known otherwise. No pictures were allowed inside (not even without flash), which was not common in Ireland.

   

Next up was Muckross Abbey, with a walk past fields with beautiful black cows.  The abbey ruins were marvelous.  There's a lovely yew tree in the center of the cloisters, possibly they were built around the already mature tree, making it well over 600 years old.  My boys loved climbing around ruins such places, so we always lingered.

Yew tree in the cloister

 

Muckross Abbey, established 1448

 

We did the short hike to Torc Waterfall next.  This was a crowded location, but the falls were lovely and powerful, so I'm glad we stopped.

Ladies' View

   

We had a late lunch at the Ladies' View, overlooking the lakes of Killarney National Park.  Our outdoor table afforded us a fabulous view.  We drove further into the park, probably took a wrong turn or two, but the views were so amazing that we just kept going.  Eventually we figured out that we'd driven through the Black Valley and were headed to the Gap of Dunloe.  It was later in the day, so not many people (or vehicles), so we drove though it.  Amazing.  It would have been nice to hike it, but we would have certainly needed the entire day.  By the time our drive ended, it was nearly time to go The Jarvey's to hear some trad music and see some Irish step dancers.

Which way?  No signs!

   

On Wednesday, it was time to leave Killarney for the relatively short drive to Ennis, our fifth and final stop of this fantastic trip.  That's right, somehow we missed most of the famous Ring of Kerry.  We'd hoped to get down to Mizen Head as well, but there wasn't enough time.  And there were only three days left!  Looks like we'll be back in Ireland someday!

Check out the final installment of our wonderful trip:  http://readyforthenextvacation.blogspot.com/2016/10/ireland-part-5-ennis-and-county-clare.html

Ireland, part 3: County Sligo (Mayo and Leitrim too)

The Great Room in Donegal Castle

 We drove to Sligo following three nights in Northern Ireland.  Along the way we intended to stop in Derry and walk the medieval wall, but somehow (I don't recall why) wound up touring Castle Donegal and walking through the town there instead.  No complaints!  The castle was wonderful and was a great stopping point to break up our drive.


We stayed for three nights in St. Angela's College Student Residences in Sligo. Yes, we were in student dorms that get rented out during the nonacademic year.  Great idea, actually.  We were in a spacious apartment with two bedrooms, full kitchen, fireplace in the living room, and picture windows overlooking Lough Gill.  The manager of the apartments took us up to the roof to give a us a quick verbal tour of the area and some helpful tips.

After dinner at the recommended Yeats Inn, we went to visit the grave of W.B. Yeats, a famous Irish poet.  Drumcliff Cemetery was also home to an 11th century High Cross and across the street were the remains of the only round tower in Sligo County.  It didn't take long to explore this peaceful location, with the magnificent Benbulben as the backdrop.

Our beautiful view

Drumcliff high cross and round tower

On Friday we drove into County Mayo to see the Ceide Fields, the oldest and most extensive field ruins in the world.  There are remains of stone walls, homes, and tombs (mostly covered by bog) that were built by farmers well over 5000 years ago.  Amazing. We enjoyed the museum, walked the pathway on our own, but then joined a tour guide to learn more about the neolithic people and the way they lived.  There were beautiful views, including to the sea stack at Downpatrick Head, which was where we headed next.  The layers of rock were amazing.  Legend says St. Patrick split the sea stack from the mainland when a local chieftain refused to convert to Christianity.

Walls and markers of Ceide Fields

Downpatrick Head -- beautiful breezes here!

One of many rainbows

Saturday morning we went to Carrowmore Megalithic Tombs to see the passage tombs and stone circles built as a remembrance of the dead over 5 thousand years ago.  From the pathway we could see the Knocknarea mountain with a cairn for Queen Maeve clearly visible on top.  Later in the day when we hiked up the mountain there was fog everywhere, which gave it an other-worldly vibe.  The hike up was tough, rocky, and wet (walking through water though we never actually got rained on) -- and so worth it.  As tradition suggested, we brought rocks from the bottom of the mountain to add to the cairn at the top.  I'd imagine that on a clear day the view is fantastic, but we enjoyed the fog.
          
After lunch in town, we visited Sligo Abbey. This was the first time of our trip (day 8) that we got rained on -- not much, but it was more than a mist.  The abbey ruins have the only sculpted 15th century altar in Ireland, plus a well-preserved cloister.

The cloisters at Sligo Abbey

 
Parke's Castle was next on this busy day, but the sites were so close together that we never felt rushed.  This castle originally belonged to a Gaelic chieftan (O'Rourke) who was executed by the British after giving aid to Spaniards who survived an Armada ship that sunk nearby.  The castle had a scavenger hunt that my boys took quite seriously.  The OPW staff suggested that we go see the ruins of another abbey, so this took us to Creevelea Friary not too far away. There was a short hike alongside a rushing river before we got to the ruins, which are still used as a cemetery for the local families.

Scavenger Hunt!

Parke's Castle 

Creevelea Friary 

Sunday ended our time in Sligo.  We'd thought to see Carrowkeel on our way South, but there was rain (real rain for the first and only time on our trip) and a longer than expected drive, so we skipped it. We never got to Slieve League either, and so many other wonderful sites -- next time!  Time for Killarney (and part four of this five part trip)!   http://readyforthenextvacation.blogspot.com/2016/10/ireland-part-4-killarney-and-county.html