A Relaxing Vacation
Last week, I went to Red River Gorge with Danny and Ranni for a few days for a much-needed vacation. It's only a three-hour drive away, so it didn't take us long to get there. We stayed in a cozy cabin that was the perfect size for the three of us.
We went on a couple of hikes, but most of our time was spent just relaxing at the cabin. There was a creek right beside it that Ranni and I waded in. We also took advantage of the hot tub, outdoor grill, and fire pit. It was really nice just being in nature for a while, stepping outside and being surrounded by forest.
The entrance to our cabin area was marked by this one-lane natural tunnel carved into the mountain. Fortunately, there wasn't much traffic, but you had to yield and potentially reverse if you saw another car coming through.
Danny's favorite part of the trip was cooking on both the charcoal grill and the gas range. He made some delicious meals, including my favorite: grilled pork chops with zucchini, squash, and asparagus. He also built a fire in the fire pit that we enjoyed relaxing beside at night.
My favorite part was the hot tub, closely followed by mornings spent reading with a cup of coffee while taking in the view. I got several chapters of my book read during the trip and am actually almost done with it. There's nothing like unplugging for a while and getting some reading done without the distractions of my computer.
Ranni's favorite parts were splashing in the creek and playing with the ball. Basically the same as if she were home. 😆
We hiked to Gray's Arch, and we did a bit of Rough Trail #221. The rough trail was full of narrow bridges and flanked by a nice stream the entire way. The trailhead was close to our cabin, and we hiked a small part of it on our first day. We definitely did not do the entire 15-mile stretch. That would have taken us an entire day and lots of preparation. Someday I'd like to do it, but this trip was more about relaxation than strenuous hiking.
Gray's Arch was a bit more of an intense adventure. We met a copperhead snake close to the beginning of the trail, which we decided to risk passing while giving it a wide berth. Luckily, the path was wide enough at that point. I don't think Ranni saw it at all because she had no reaction to it, which I'm grateful for. We weren't sure if it was a copperhead at first, but we looked it up and sent the photo to my Dad after getting back to the cabin, and both confirmed that it was indeed a copperhead. The image of it is zoomed in. We did not get that close! We were well aware that we were encroaching on its territory and tried not to engage.
The first half of the trail is forested, and the second half is rockier and marked with limestone bluffs. It becomes increasingly difficult as you get closer to the arch, with a narrower path and steep sections leading down into the gorge. Once you get to the arch, you can climb up to it, which we did. I was pretty worn out by the end of it but proud of myself for doing the whole climb. And proud of Ranni as well! She did such a good job the entire way.
All in all, it was a wonderful vacation that I think we desperately needed. Danny especially, as he's been working long hours. He recently accepted a new job, and he's been working it while completing his two-week notice at his other job, which means double shifts almost every day. I'm glad he got a few days to decompress.
I haven't forgotten about part 2 of my "Disliked Games I Love" post. I'll get to that soon!