The first time I visited Bioluminescent Bay in Puerto Rico, it was a magical experience. I’d booked it as a shore excursion on a cruise stop. After an hour bus ride, we arrived at the water’s edge just as the dark was settling in. There weren’t any lights in the surrounding area; I assumed we were at a marina. We each got into our kayaks, and left the Caribbean Sea to paddle down a river in the dark. We couldn't see the mangroves as much as we could feel their presence as they closed in on the river and hid the darkening sky. I don’t remember seeing stars at that point, but they must have been there. I was too scared thinking of creepy crawlies dropping out of the branches overhead. Before we reached the bay I could see them. We entered into a magical world of wizardry as light streamed off the tail of the kayak in front of me. As each side of the paddle …
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Visit Smoky Mountains National Park in the Fall
All it takes is a warm autumn day and the feet start itching for a country drive, some hot apple cider, and incredible views of colorful leaves at the height of their beauty. Growing up and living in the north, fall was always accompanied by a stop at a pumpkin patch to choose your own, or even better, pick your own apples followed by a hot cider and freshly baked donuts, still warm, covered in cinnamon sugar. My most recent trek from Virginia to Texas, took me through Tennessee. When I realized I was passing by Great Smoky Mountains National Park, I knew I had to stop for a tour. I had no idea what I was in for, wrongly assuming it was off-season. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the busiest of all American National Parks, busier than the big ones in Utah, and the Grand Canyon! In 2020, they admitted over 12 million visitors into the park. In July, over …
Smith Mountain Lake Camping
You'll find Smith Mountain Lake camping at Smith Mountain Lake State Park and at three or four other private campgrounds around the lake. The first time I heard about Smith Mountain Lake, I knew I wanted to see it. Smith Mountain Lake is the second largest lake in Virginia with 500 miles of shoreline. It was created in the sixties by the Appalachian Power Company via a dam built for hydroelectric power. The waters of the Roanoke and Blackwater Rivers flooded 20,600 acres of (mostly) farmland. Since its shores are nestled amongst the Blue Ridge Mountains, the fresh-water fjords offer wonderful fishing holes and tranquil blue waters with green shores. Smith Mountain Lake State Park On the northeast side of the lake, after trundling down roads with rural neighborhoods, you’ll come upon Smith Mountain Lake State Park. Opened in 1983, visitors swim, boat, fish, and picnic by the …
