This unplanned visit to a Virginia state park has been filled with nothing but joy. I can’t wait to see even more of it today! Also: props to the rangers for hosting a late evening tour last night followed by a rigorous morning outing the next day.
Saturday September 20th, 2025
I’m in a great mood thanks to last night.
I found a nearby state park with no notice on a Friday night. The ranger led tour was fantastic. My campsite neighbor Bruce is super cool.
Note: I thought his name was Dan for some reason. It’s not.
And I’m excited because there’s another even this morning that’s led by the same park interpreters Joel and Brenna.
It’s going to be a great day. I can feel it.
A shed full of kayaks? I must be in the right place.
There are one-seaters and two-seaters and we all help each other out in carrying the kayaks down to the dock.
We line them up and one at a time they get placed onto a launcher where the kayaker(s) can hop in and pull themselves into the water.
There goes the first one!
I’m near the back of the line because I spent most of my time helping folks haul their kayaks down first.
This will be the second time I’ve ever kayaked, with my first time being a few days ago at Gorge Underground in Kentucky.
I’ve gone canoeing many times, and this is basically the same thing, but sitting in the center of a smaller and more maneuverable boat.
See the little trail behind the boat as it’s launched into the water? I can’t wait until it’s my turn.
That looks fun.
Like any other tour, I won’t spoil this one for you. You should go on it yourself.
I will say that this part of America is a fascinating and unique location with a very long history.
Finger in the photo as a size reference.
Something for the bird folks.
One that that I did not expect, was to have lovely little conversations with the other kayakers during this excursion.
It’s like when you make concert pals at a show.
I think folks are excited to see how new everything in this area is for me.
I’ve only lived in the center of the U.S. between Nebraska and Texas and so the East coast has loads of new things that I have no familiarity for.
But all good things must come to an end.
I think I’ll make it a point to come back here again.
I also need to send a thank you postcard to the folks here, still.
I’ll do that after I submit today’s blog post if I still have time.
Oops.
Got a blister from kayaking.
It’s a light one, though. It’s not painful.
And back to the gift shop to load up items to remember this wonderful place.
I love Virginia.
I had no idea that the people here are so wonderful and kind.
I still have one more day of vacation and even a campsite booked nearby, but I think I might tap out early.
End on a high note.
Let’s get a nice meal and we’ll see how we feel.
Pimento spread and bread?
Don’t mind if I do.
Follow that up with a burger and fries.
Ahh. Life is good.
The coffee don’t hurt, either.
I do decide to drive home.
I’m exhausted and I want to sleep in my bed again.
Unfortunately this also has me driving through Manhattan at 10:30 at night, which is probably not the worst time to drive through, but it’s also not the best time.
I had planned to return around three in the morning to absolutely minimize city driving.
It took so long to drive the last half mile before I could get onto a bridge to Queens.
Y’know what? Tomorrow I’m going to potato.
I’ll lay around all day and accomplish nothing important.
Sunday September 21st, 2025
Nothing. I did nothing today.
Monday September 22nd, 2025
After work, let’s send some postcards and share the stories of adventure.
First a postcard to my friend Tony in Michigan.
I tell Tony the story of losing my micron pen somewhere and how I ordered a replacement set from eBay.
I also get a random person to send a postcard to from postcrossing.com and that person is in Germany.
I send them this postcard of the Van Cortlandt House and share stories from my camping trip.
Upon returning, I also received this postcard from postcrossing.com.
I also send a wooden postcard to my friend Jerry in Nebraska.
Oh, but check out the new SpongeBob SquarePants stamps the post office has!
They have little glossy bubbles on them!
Thank you for joining me on this camping road trip.
This was good fun.
This trip started when I mapped out all of the location-based items on my adventure list and noticed a group in the Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia area.
There is also a cluster of adventure locations in Southern Florida.
My next road trip may be there.
Do they have camping in the swamplands of Florida?
Adventurenet.net 
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