My mind is still in reeling from how much fun we had during our family trip to Independence, Virginia.
This is the first really big driving trip we’ve taken with the kids, it took us over seven hours to drive five and a half hours away. Round trip from Newport News to Independence was just under a thousand miles (including us exploring). The drive was totally worth it though.
We pulled onto this long, winding, gravel driveway to a completely restored barn and AirBnb Dream Rock Silo in the middle of no where. The weather was the first thing we noticed! There was a stark difference between hot and muggy back and home and the crisp mountain air. The days were mid to low seventies while the nights got down to mid-fifties. It was refreshing! The second thing we noticed as soon as we got out of the car was the roaring creek followed by the incredible gardens. Flowers of all colors surrounded the creek and their home.
The mountain views and gardens were eye-candy.
We were greeted by Karen (the owner and Airbnb host), Folger (like the coffee) their sweet husky and Mocha the kitty cat you could hear from a half-mile away. 😂 Karen showed us to our stay, the Rustic Rooster Room. We were immediately impressed with her eye for decor and all the extra touches. There were so many things to entertain us right on the property; bird watching, playing in the creek, the gardens, chicken coop, petting the kitties and Folger, fire-pit, chatting with other couples, cards, rocking chairs and just plain ole looking at the views.
Besides the Airbnb, we knew we wanted to hike, find a waterfall and see the wild ponies at Grayson Highlands all of which we did!
Top 10 favorite moments of the trip:
1. Wondering the gardens at the silos
2. Finding a massive waterfall on the side of the road
3. Rock climbing with the kids
4. Fire-side chats with the other couples staying at Dream Rock
5. Seeing a baby deer, so fresh he/she was wobbly
6. Drinking fresh spring water
7. Getting a trucker to honk
8. Watching the kids splash around in the creek
9. Caroline catching her first firefly
10. Hiking Cabin Creek Trail at Grayson Highlands and seeing a baby pony
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