Anniversary, S'mage Day, Mountain Day
The cats had to fend for themselves yet again this weekend, while R and I took off to be kids for our anniversary. We made last minute plans - actually, that's really an oxymoron in this case. We had no plans - just a last minute decision, a hasty packing job, and a lucky break or two. Less planning, more disovery.
Saturday morning we woke early and drove to the land of chocolate. Mmm, land of chocolate. It was Hershey Park's last open day of the season, and we rode roller coasters most of the day. There is a zoo on site too, we found out, and I think I enjoyed that even more than the roller coasters. That's probably just due to the crowd factor though, because I LOVE roller coasters. I saw a new cat there that I didn't know about - a margay. He was stunning! I couldn't tear my eyes away for some time. It was a fabulous day and we lasted longer than I expected; it wasn't until the very end of the day that the crowds started to make me crazy, and only two people all day made me want to hit them, which isn't bad at all. Hershey Park has a very nice feel to it, full of history. I hadn't been there since E.T. was in the theaters, so I didn't remember a thing about it. Still, Cedar Point wins hands down for rides!
That night we stayed at a gorgeous B&B in the Mallard Room. The host was great, and I'd definitely go back there again, if I were the type to repeat my adventures.
In the morning, I got up early for a 10 mile run. It was wonderfully chilly out, and I managed to find a reasonable route around the hospital grounds. Halfway through the run though, I saw something quite terrible that brought me to tears and cast a pall over the rest of my day. I finished my run, but I suspect part of the reason the rest of the day didn't quite stack up to my expectations was this early morning experience. (Don't ask.) Back at the B&B, after a good hot shower, we had bread pudding and fruit for breakfast, sat with two other couples and had a long, easy chat about our respective collections of sporting hobbies. Then we headed out for day two.
Hawk Mountain is known for being on the main route for predatory bird migrations, and they boast really high counts of hawks, eagles, and falcons this time of year. We stopped on the way there at a giant Cabela's store, to see the wildlife art show they had inside. The art was good, but the store was disgusting. I'm going to avoid that rant for now though. Hawk Mountain was crowded. Argh. I should have expected that, but, I really underestimated the number of people who would show up on a nice day in the fall to look for hawks. Half the people there didn't even have binoculars, which confused me. It is a bird watcher's mecca, not civilian entertainment. The trails were packed, as were the overlooks. Unfortunately, the day was warm but still, and the thermals were therefore really high and the birds were all far away. I found it a surprisingly dissatisfying experience overall, and I had been looking forward to this more than Hershey. In fact, it was the whole point of the trip to begin with. But I sat there looking up into the bright sky, while local experts regularly shouted out things like "buteo approaching, above the 1, very high. Red Tail." or "3 sharpies directly above, 1 naked eye" and I struggled to even find half of them, let alone recognize the shape as a buteo vs. an accipiter, and then had to take their word for it that it was a red tail and not a broad winged or a red shouldered. It was frustrating as heck! Eventually, we gave up and left. I can tell a turkey vulture from a black vulture, sure. But at a million yards, I can't do much more than that. We drove slowly home on a randomly chosen route through Pennsylvania, enjoying the scenery and an audiobook, and thus ended the weekend.
Monday was Mountain Day, but having just come from a mountain the day before, I declined to celebrate the tradition. Instead, I got up very early for pilates at the gym, followed by the hot tub and breakfast. Not bad.
Saturday morning we woke early and drove to the land of chocolate. Mmm, land of chocolate. It was Hershey Park's last open day of the season, and we rode roller coasters most of the day. There is a zoo on site too, we found out, and I think I enjoyed that even more than the roller coasters. That's probably just due to the crowd factor though, because I LOVE roller coasters. I saw a new cat there that I didn't know about - a margay. He was stunning! I couldn't tear my eyes away for some time. It was a fabulous day and we lasted longer than I expected; it wasn't until the very end of the day that the crowds started to make me crazy, and only two people all day made me want to hit them, which isn't bad at all. Hershey Park has a very nice feel to it, full of history. I hadn't been there since E.T. was in the theaters, so I didn't remember a thing about it. Still, Cedar Point wins hands down for rides!
That night we stayed at a gorgeous B&B in the Mallard Room. The host was great, and I'd definitely go back there again, if I were the type to repeat my adventures.
In the morning, I got up early for a 10 mile run. It was wonderfully chilly out, and I managed to find a reasonable route around the hospital grounds. Halfway through the run though, I saw something quite terrible that brought me to tears and cast a pall over the rest of my day. I finished my run, but I suspect part of the reason the rest of the day didn't quite stack up to my expectations was this early morning experience. (Don't ask.) Back at the B&B, after a good hot shower, we had bread pudding and fruit for breakfast, sat with two other couples and had a long, easy chat about our respective collections of sporting hobbies. Then we headed out for day two.
Hawk Mountain is known for being on the main route for predatory bird migrations, and they boast really high counts of hawks, eagles, and falcons this time of year. We stopped on the way there at a giant Cabela's store, to see the wildlife art show they had inside. The art was good, but the store was disgusting. I'm going to avoid that rant for now though. Hawk Mountain was crowded. Argh. I should have expected that, but, I really underestimated the number of people who would show up on a nice day in the fall to look for hawks. Half the people there didn't even have binoculars, which confused me. It is a bird watcher's mecca, not civilian entertainment. The trails were packed, as were the overlooks. Unfortunately, the day was warm but still, and the thermals were therefore really high and the birds were all far away. I found it a surprisingly dissatisfying experience overall, and I had been looking forward to this more than Hershey. In fact, it was the whole point of the trip to begin with. But I sat there looking up into the bright sky, while local experts regularly shouted out things like "buteo approaching, above the 1, very high. Red Tail." or "3 sharpies directly above, 1 naked eye" and I struggled to even find half of them, let alone recognize the shape as a buteo vs. an accipiter, and then had to take their word for it that it was a red tail and not a broad winged or a red shouldered. It was frustrating as heck! Eventually, we gave up and left. I can tell a turkey vulture from a black vulture, sure. But at a million yards, I can't do much more than that. We drove slowly home on a randomly chosen route through Pennsylvania, enjoying the scenery and an audiobook, and thus ended the weekend.
Monday was Mountain Day, but having just come from a mountain the day before, I declined to celebrate the tradition. Instead, I got up very early for pilates at the gym, followed by the hot tub and breakfast. Not bad.