When you think of New York, your mind probably pictures the city. Well, not in this case. Dave and I stayed in the southeastern part of New York State near the Catskill Mountains. My parents rented a log cabin in a small town, closely located to some tourist spots. It was absolutely beautiful and very peaceful. Every day we did something different, along with a lot of relaxing. Driving around that part of New York was very different for me. I am not used to driving in the mountains and I get car sick easily. It was raining when we traveled there and going up the side of a winding mountain with no guard rail in the rain was pretty scary. Sorry, Mom. The log cabin we stayed in was awesome. It was perfect for a family of 8 and a baby. The basement was fully finished with a living area with tv, games, books, pool table, dartboard, poker table, a bar, and a bedroom and bathroom (Dave and I stayed in the basement of course).
One of the things we did that I will never forget is zip line. We did our zip line tour at Hunter Mountain, about 30 minutes from where we stayed. It is called the "Summit Skyrider". The first zip is over 600 feet above the ground and you reach speeds of about 50 miles per hour. In my case I only went about 40 because I barley weighed enough! In that case, an instructor has to come get you from wherever you stop, while you are dangling 600 feet up in the air...no big deal. There is no practice run for this might I add. You take a bus as a group up the mountain for the first of five zip lines (the zip lines zig-zag you down the mountain until you reach the bottom). The instructors show you really quickly how your safety gear works, what their responsibilities are, and what NOT to do. That's about it. When you are standing 600 feet in the air about to jump off (not literally) the side of a mountain down a wire cable, your mind start to back out a little. IT WAS AWESOME! Dave had a go-pro on his helmet so he got the first zip line on video. It died at the start of the second one...oh well!
Another thing we did was visit Woodstock, New York. A town full of culture, history and well, hippies. It was one of my favorite things that we did while we were there. We visited two different times even though we did everything you could do the first day. It's a small town. There are wonderful little shops, restaurants, book stores, art displays, theatre, candle shops and more. There are so many handmade pieces as well which I adore. My mom bought me a handmade leather bound journal with a brass locket and tree free paper. Love. Since we went in the summer time, the town was full of flowers and greenery. Everyone was out and it was just the perfect time to go.
I loved how everywhere we visited and ate at was a mom-and-pop business. It honestly humbles you and means so much more. We went to a pizzeria while passing through a small town to get some yummy New York style pizza. Probably one of my favorite things to eat. I was so pleased to see that they grow a lot of their ingredients right outside of their shop. A lot of places did that actually and I loved it!
We wanted to do a little nature sightseeing while we where there so we searched for waterfalls to visit in the area. There was a couple of different options to choose from. Do your research before visiting places that aren't established. Look at reviews if you can! A lot of things that we did were on a whim. For example, we went on a cavern tour at Howe Caverns, which was amazing by the way, I highly suggest it if you're in the area. It was something that that was fun for everyone and it was so cool in the caves that it was a nice break from the summer heat. Even my baby niece liked it! On our way back from the cavern, we came across a sunflower field. We didn't know it was coming up and we had two different cars so we didn't stop. I remembered where it was and went back the next day with Dave. It was gorgeous! Tons of big, beautiful sunflowers...and bees, a lot of bees.
If you ever are in the area, I suggest doing some of the things I mentioned. It was an awesome time and something we would definitely do again!
