Shenandoah River

This past weekend, Mike and I were able to sneak away for a little anniversary trip. We had originally planned to make a big European trip, since it was our 10th anniversary, but COVID, Crohn's, and moving across the country made that a little more difficult. So, alas, we'll have to save our European travels for another anniversary :)

We rented a little cabin along the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was a quaint little place, tucked back in the woods, with only a short walk to the Shenandoah River. It was so quiet and peaceful, the perfect little getaway. It had a little screened-in porch, where we could sit and read and drink coffee, and there was also a little outdoor biergarten for grilling.

Mike showing off his grilling skills our first night at the cabin :)

We went into Shenandoah National Park, taking the scenic route along Skyline Drive. There were beautiful overlooks, and we saw multiple deer. We also decided to do one of the shorter hikes to Stony Man Mountain, which is part of the Appalachian Trail. We ate our lunch at the peak, along the rocks, enjoying the beautiful views!

We made the short walk from our cabin down to the Shenandoah River. Mike took a swim in the river, but I was able to just enjoy the peace and calm {and quiet} from the shore. 

We also visited Luray Caverns. It was kind of the only "attraction" in the area {besides the national park}, and you might as well be a tourist for the largest caverns in the Eastern United States, while you're in the area :)  It was pretty incredible to see the caverns, and it's definitely something the kids would enjoy one day too. The coolest part of the caverns was an area where the water shone a perfect mirror image of the stalactites. God is pretty creative!

The mirror image off the water- how cool is that?

It was so good to get away for a long weekend, just the two of us. We are so thankful that Grandma and Papa could spoil watch the kids for us, while we had time to rest, relax, and reconnect. I'm so thankful for the time away with my favorite person :)

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And BONUS: this knocks off 2 items on my {40 Before 40} list! Celebrate our 10th anniversary with a trip away + Explore a cave {I mean, this counts, right? I hope to explore a little less-touristy cave at some point, but for now, we'll call this one complete}