Monticello Wine Trail – Take 2, by Mickey

***Our most recent wine trip was such a good time, we doubled up on the reporting.  Mickey’s take is below****

It had been several months since Minnie and I were able to spend an entire day visiting vineyards and tasting wine. Fortunately everyone’s schedules aligned for us to spend a day away on a recent Saturday. Our original plan was to visit Michael Schaps’ Wineworks followed by lunch at Keswick Vineyard. However, we decided to add Horton and Barboursville to the itinerary as well. We probably sampled between 25 – 30 wines between the four vineyards and did not have one which we did not at least find drinkable. All in all, an incredible day. More detailed notes on each vineyard follow:

Michael Shaps’ Wineworks

In a word, awesome. You have the option of tasting Michael Shaps’ Virginia wines and his Burgundy wines. We decided to try both. While the French wines were sold, the Virginia wines were spectacular. Far and away the best we’ve had in Virginia. They are very much “old world” style and are not the butter whites and fruit forward reds which you will find in California wines. The whites were all very intense and had noticeable acidity. The reds all had significant body and depth.

This winery has also done a great job of coming up with new marketing ideas. For instance, they sell a very good Chardonnay in a vacuum sealed box. This is a great value as you get the equivalent of four bottles for $40. They also have a growler which you can purchase for $10 and have filled for $25 with either a white or a red table wine. The blend of table wine for the growler varies every few months. The growler holds approximately 2.5 bottles of wine so it is an excellent value as well.

I enjoyed all of the wines, but found the Viognier and the Cabernet Franc to be standouts.  Interestingly enough, these are the two classic “Virginia” wines. The Cabernet Franc boasted a very noticeable fragrance of espresso on the nose while the Viognier had very intense fruit flavors.  This is not the type of vineyard where you visit for the views. It is “all about the wines” and they are great!!!

Our next stop of the day led us to:

Keswick Vineyards

Each Saturday in the Spring and Summer, Keswick Vineyards has a band and a Food Truck. We had researched this ahead of time and planned to eat lunch at Keswick after a tasting. The service, wines, and food were all memorable.  Unfortunately, I have misplaced my notes on each wine. However, they were all very solid with the reds being slightly better than the whites. The Norton and the Rose’ standout in my memory as being very good. I ordered a glass of the Trevillian White to have with my Food Truck prepared lunch after our tasting. While not my favorite wine, I thought it would pair the best with my lunch (Crab Crake Sliders with Avocado Salsa).

Keswick Vineyards is a great place to spend an afternoon and you can’t go wrong with any of their wines. Visit soon!!!

Horton Vineyards

Horton has an unusual tasting system where you pay a set fee and then pick the ten wines you wish to taste. They have at least 20 on their list, so narrowing our choices down to 10 was difficult.  The Norton was my favorite wine at Horton, but none of them were weak. Each had good body  and a solid flavor. This vineyard is a fun place to visit, but probably not the place to spend an entire day. The views are not great and there is not a lot of room to quietly enjoy a bottle.   I would strongly encourage you to stop at Horton, purchase a tasting, and buy a few bottles.  However, don’t plan on spending your afternoon here.

Barboursville Vineyards

This was at least our fourth visit to Barboursville over the years. On each visit, we have enjoyed the wines but have been frustrated by the crowds. It seems to always be over run by customers and there has never been a place to sit quietly and enjoy a glass or bottle after your tasting. I’m pleased to report that this has changed in a big way with the opening of The Library!

The Library is restaurant type area off of the main tasting room. It is a beautiful space with great views. There is a wine and food menu to order from. Additionally, you can elect to conduct a “flight” type tasting in The Library in lieu of the standard tasting experience. I would strongly encourage you to take this option as the tasting room is very crowded and loud.  I had a glass of Octagon ’09 with an excellent Cheese Plate. Both the wine and the cheese plate were extraordinary. The opening of The Library has made the Barboursville Vineyard experience much more pleasurable. I would highly recommend spending an afternoon in The Library.

Cross Keys Vinyeard

A great view for our afternoon

From Mickey:

The past couple of weeks have been very busy and stressful.  What better way to unwind than to visit a local vineyard with my beautiful wife?  The good news was I was able to get away from work after lunch in order to visit a local vineyard, the bad news was we only had a few hours.  Our time constraints narrowed down our choices to either Bluestone or CrossKeys.  As regular readers know, we love Bluestone Vineyards, but have had a series of bad experiences CrossKeys.  We both very much want to enjoy CrossKeys ,t herefore we decided to roll the dice and give it one more try.  This time, we were not disappointed, and hope this is the beginning of more ‘impromtu’ visits to this vineyard.  It is only about ten minutes from our house, and we would love to make frequent it more.

We arrived at CrossKeys Vineyard around 1 pm on a Friday and had approximately 2 hours before we had to leave to meet Billy and JJ as they arrived home from school.  The vineyard was crowded with people preparing for a dinner that was scheduled for later that evening, but the tasting room had only a few customers.  Upon our arrival, we were immediately greeted by atasting room employee and given a choice of a standard tasting or a flight style tasting.  We elected to purchase one white flight and one red flight for $11/ea to share.  Minnie also purchased an order of Brie’ Fondue.

Believe it or not, the service was excellent!  My major criticism of CrossKeys in the past we its horrendous service.  The employees acted like they were doing us a favor by allowing us to drink their watery wine.  However, on this visit they were extremely nice, polite, and happy that we were paying them a small fortune for their, still, watery wine.  As on previous visits,  the food was excellent!

Yum….this Brie Fondue was delicious.

White Flight

 Joy White – The wine is sweet, but not overly so.  A solid wine for drinking on the back porch on a hot summer day.

 Chardonnay – This wine had a pleasant fruit taste on the front.  However, it had an unpleasant after taste and was too light bodied for my liking.  Not horrible, just not great.

 Fiore (Rose’) – This was my favorite wine of the day.  Very fruity and pretty dry.

 Desert Wine – I can’t remember the exact name of this desert wine, but it was heavy and sweet.  Not my cup of tea, but Minnie seemed to enjoy.

In general the whites had decent flavor, but were light in body.

Red Flight

 Joy Red – Light bodied with some fruit upfront.

 Merlot – Medium bodied wine with velvety finish.  Not much flavor.

 Cab Franc – Definitely the most disappointing wine of the day.  I normally enjoy Cab Franc, but this wine was an exception.  Too much Oak.

 Ali d’Oro – This wine was full bodied with significant tannins.  Not bad, but too much oak.

As a whole, the reds were over oaked and too light bodied for my taste.

CrossKeys has added a flight system which we enjoyed. It allowed us to do the tasting at our own pace, which was nice.

In summary, we enjoyed our visit and think CrossKeys’ service has greatly improved.  Assuming the service does not regress, I would recommend it as a great place to spend a leisurely afternoon.  The food is great, the views excellent, and the atmosphere relaxing.  The wines do not stand out, but you can find at least one that you will find drinkable!

Virginia Wine getting some good press

We came across two interesting wine lists/articles lately that are shedding some light on Virginia Wine is a good way.

The first is the top 101 wineries in America.

Like any best of lists, this one is very arbitrary – but we were glad to see some VA Vineyard Love here:  3 in the top 101 List of best Vineyards in the US.  Of course, here at VVAT, we could argue for a few more.  But, I think there will be in the future.  Slowly, but surely, Virginia is getting more respect in the wine world.

 

In case you are interested…..King Family (#101) – Linden )#67) – Barboursville (#53)

http://www.thedailymeal.com/america-s-101-best-wineries-slideshow

As you can see, the vast majority of wineries on this list are from California.  We have been to Napa/Sonoma, and while that trip was A-MA-ZING, and yes, overall the wine quality was better – but we still contend that a day visiting VA vineyards is just as enjoyable as a day traversing through California.

 

Which is a good lead into the next article/list from  Us News and World Report, which  showed the Charlottesville area as #9 in the top Wine Vacations – just behind Sonoma!

http://travel.usnews.com/Rankings/Best_Wine_Vacations/

We would agree!

 

Amazing Video of Virginia!

This is a must see for anyone who loves Virginia!  Only one quick shot of a vineyard, which I would have like to have seen more of……but nonetheless, very breathtaking!

http://www.movoto.com/blog/opinions/virginia-above/

Fire on the Mountain…..Run Boy, Run!

It has been a long, cold winter….and it has been a long time since we have been able to get out on the trail. So, we were a little bummed that our first hike of the season had to be cut short due to a forest fire on the mountain. But, it is better to be safe than sorry. Not only did our hike head right into the vicinity of the fire, but it was also a very windy day. Upon reflection, though, we are quite lucky. This is the first time in many years of hiking as a family that we have ever not been able to complete the hike we set out to do. A couple times, snakes have challenged our progress….and bears sightings have slowed down our pace. But, we have never had to actually turn around and not finish.   Always pay heed to the elements!   Otherwise, you could end up as a filler on the 24 hour news cycle loop. ‘Family reported missing near forest fire’!

So, even though we cannot give a complete report and review of Fridley’s Gap, I post these pictures and short commentary for two reasons:

1) This blog is currently very ‘Vines’ heavy, and the trails keep calling my name

2) I can tell this will be a great hike when we are able to do it in full.  It seems to have it all…..rock scrambles interspersed in, a creek that is reported to have some small ‘swimming holes’ along the way…and hopefully a nice summit view at the top as a reward.

Fridley’s Gap is located right next to Camp Overlook, in the general vicinity of Lacey Springs and Keezletown, depending upon which direction you travel from.  It is just a short drive from Harrisonburg.

The humans may not be able to give a full report yet, but I can tell you that J-Wow gives this hike a 4 Paws up.  Between the rocks and the river, she was in heaven!

Corkscrew Racing / Be BOLD 7K Trail Race

This is actually not a post about wine tastings, nor is it a post  about hiking.  So, what is it doing on a wine and hiking page?  Well, it is a post about pretty close cousins to each:  hard cider and running.  And,  actually the running from this post was done on the trail, so it is very similar to hiking.  But, I wont waste anymore time justifying this post, because really the purpose of this whole post is to give a big  shout out to Corkscrew Racing.

I love the ‘swag’ from Corkscrew Racing. This is such a high quality glass we got to keep after our tastings. Every in my family tries to use it….but I have banned them. They did not do the work to get the glass, so it is MINE!

I have written about Corkscrew Racing before; specifically the Vine to Wine and Autumn Toast races they have held in the past at  Barren Ridge Vineyards.  This year they are expanding their race repertoire, and I had the good fortune to participate at one of their events last week:  The Be Bold 7K Trail Race at Bold Rock Cidery in Nelson County.  I cannot say enough good things about this company.  It is a husband-and-wife team with this wonderful vision:  hosting running races at vineyards breweries and cideries, with a fun after-post following the excursion.   An amazing concept; and they have seen their vision through wonderfully.  Although I don’t know all the ins and outs of hosting running races, I do know it’s much harder than it seems.  Robin and Dwayne handle it like pros: they have wonderfully personal customer service, and they offer quality product (not only in the racecourses and locations, but also in the T-shirts and tasting glasses ‘swag’….   because after races at these venues we get to taste their product!)   In addition, they are very efficient handling the crowds in terms of parking and registration….and the courses are always well marked and managed.    I have run enough races to be able to say that Corkscrew Racing runs a very tight ship, and does so with a considerably lower number of crew than most.

I would highly recommend one of these races  to anybody:  from someone who’s not a runner who wants to embark on a little adventure; all the way up to the season running pro.  The atmosphere is always very fun festive, and full of support, even for people walking the whole course.  And then, because the races also well organized; they seem to draw a pretty elite level runner.  So if competitions what you’re looking for you can find it at Corkscrew Racing events as well.

As to this specific race;  I had  never been to a Cidery before.  And, I really enjoyed the tasting after the race.  Let me tell you nothing is as refreshing as nice cold cider after a run.  Bold Rock is a really neat place, and I look forward to visiting just on it’s own;  and at future Corkscrew Racing series.

There is me in the foreground…gotta work on that form.

Another great thing that came out of this event with my discovery of all the trails and Rockfish gap.  I have been to that area before visiting vineyards and the Wintergreen resort, but I was unaware of the wonderful hiking and biking trails that existed.
This race was a 4+ mile trail run loop that was absolutely beautiful:  Mountain views, Stream crossings, and cow sightings were around every loop.  I did not even listen to my music, but rather spent the race appreciating the beauty of our surroundings.  I am woefully out of shape this spring, and normally would’ve huffed and puffed through a 4 mile run.  But the scenery made my exertion worthwhile.

Scenes from the after party!

After each of the runs there’s an after party with the tasting at that particular enterprise, the musical offerings of Chris and Goose.  I am not sure which one is who but their songs are always enjoyable, and they put everyone in a festive mood.  Food is also available for purchase, or you are welcome to bring your own picnic.  I did this race with a good running buddy of mine.  We spent some time soaking in all the sun, sites and sounds and cider; thankful for such a fabulous day.  And we enjoyed the  dogs, there were so many fun dogs at this event; both in the race and at the picnic!  Big dogs, little dogs, fancy dogs and crazy dogs.  It was a dog party, and we are both dog nuts!  Then we headed down the road to Devil’s Backbone Brewery for lunch.  My friend and her family are a huge fan of Devil’s Backbone, and I had never been.  I was intent on checking it out for myself.  And I was not disappointed.  They have my most favorite wine ever (Rombauer Chardonnay) on the wine list.  So, because of that and the glorious setting and tasty food,  I am now a fan too.

Above all, Corkscrew Racing events are fun times with friends!

I have found myself increasingly burning out from running, and after a half marathon next week,  I plan on hanging up my running shoes for awhile.  However,  I will always lace them up for a Corkscrew Racing event.  Check out their race calender.  Maybe I will ‘run’ into you there!   http://www.corkscrewracing.com/

Viva Virginia! Montpilier

We always set a few family goals on New Year’s Eve for the following year.  Last year, it was to hike 100 miles.  We documented that on this blog with various posts.  For 2014, we intend to visit at least ten places/things in Virginia that we have never visited before.  We have dubbed this pursuit, ‘Viva Virginia‘!    Be they historical, educational or just plain fun, we are on a mission to experience, and learn about, and enjoy places that we have always talked about visiting; but have never gotten around to doing.  In 2014, we are just going to ‘do it’!

Viva Virginia is an idea that has evolved and meshed from three different sources.  Back in November, when we visited Montebello, we had the aha moment that Virginia has so very many great things to do: many extremely popular, and many are hidden gems.  And that we have just stretched the surface of those places.  Shortly there after, I saw a post on the  Virginia Tourism Page (http://www.virginia.org/).  I have referenced this page, and it’s corresponding Facebook page a time or two before.  It is a great website, and serves the state very well, I do believe.  The post was a bucket- list themed highlight of ‘must-do things’ in Virgina.  In looking at the list, we had hit half of them, and the remainders looked very inviting!

JJ was our very first ‘Victor’ and he chose for us to the ropes course in Luray.  Here he is posing in front of the ‘victory board’.

The third piece of the puzzle comes from a recognition system we started in our family in September.  It is called ‘victories’.  When a member of the family does something good, anyone else in the family can nominate him or her for a victory.  We write that up on a chalkboard (in a color-coded fashion).  Then, on a weekend day at the end of the month, we have ‘Victory Day’.  And, the person with the most victories that month gets to chose something for us to do on that day as a family.  The only rule is it has to be a day trip.  I realized the boys especially needed some possibilities for their victories, and I started to make a list.  Then, when I saw the bucket-list article, and put it all together and Viva Virginia! was born.

Billy and JJ tied for the most victories in January, and they unanimously decided that our  very first ‘Viva Victory’ would be James Madison’s Montpelier.   It is just at about an hour from Harrisonburg, so a quick after Church, Sunday afternoon outing.  A very enjoyable one at that, and one in which we all highly recommend.

There are so many facets to Montpelier (James Madison himself, the process of renovation, the Constitution, Dolley Madison,the DuPont Family etc) that trying to do a full blog post on it will fall short on so many levels.  So, I am not even going to try.  Rather, I will share what stuck out for each of us individually as we discussed it on the ride home (interesting that none of us had even a similar answer):

Billy:  The war of 1812.  I did not know really anything about it until today.  And I liked the interactive ship display they have about the war.  (Note:  That is located upstairs in the house, where you can experience it just after the tour)

JJ:  I liked see how the houses were decorated back then.  I liked the Greek art on the wall.  (Note: He and I are currently reading the Percy Jackson Series, and a few of the paintings on Madison’s wall in the receiving room depicted Satyrs and Greek myths,we think).  And, James Madison had a cool chess set and really neat maps in his office.

Mickey:  I liked the details put into the building of the house, all the woodworking and panels.

Minnie:  Two things: First,  I found the renovation process to be the most interesting, and the painstaking detail that historians and anthropologists go to in recreating the house and time period.   And, second: being utterly disgusted with our politicians of today, what struck me about Madison and our founding fathers was their foresight and focus.  They were thinkers.   The Constitution is only 6 pages (including the Bill of Rights).  It is the supreme law of the land;  and, it has served ‘we the people’ well  for many years.  In our current political climate, we are hard pressed to find any bill under hundreds of pages or in most cases thousands of pages.  And they tend to mess things up, rather than improve the lives of ‘we, the people’!   Nowadays, we have schemers.

Finally, I think what surprised us all was this amazing view from Mr. Madison’s Front Porch:

We were so focused on the house when we walked up, it was not until we stood on the front porch waiting for the tour that we were even aware of the view.

One interesting pit stop to this trip is the Barboursville Ruins. It is less than 10 minutes from Montpelier; with the stop itself taking about the same amount of time.   On Christmas Day, 1884 the then Governor of Virgina (James Barbour’s) mansion burned down.  It was designed by Thomas Jefferson, and the remains stand to this day, where visitors can walk freely though the grounds.   Barboursville Vineyard is operated on what was then the estate.  The ruins have been preserved, and provide for a short, and yet unique experience.  It was Billy and JJ’s first trip to the ruins, and thought it was pretty cool.

So, our first Viva Virginia trip is in the bag.  One is checked off (and perhaps a half for the Barboursville ruins).  Do our VV&T readers have any suggestions for future ‘viva’s’?

Buckeye Lake Winery – Ohio’s Best Winery!

I always give credit where credit is due….this is not my picture, it is ‘borrowed’ from Yelp. I love the panoramic view of the winery and all the boat docks.

Buckeye Lake Winery is one of the most unique wine establishments I have ever visited.  Setting just a few hundred yards off its namesake , it is taking Central Ohio by storm.  Since its opening this summer, I have  heard much buzz about the place…..as it is just about a 20 minute drive from my hometown.    My mom has dubbed it, ‘the best winery in Ohio’ to which my brother replied, ‘that’s like going to a minor league baseball game’.  But, here’s the thing….have you ever been to a minor league baseball game?  They are pretty fun, and often quite distinctive, with a lot of local flair.   So, we have been quite keen to check out Buckeye Lake Winery.

To my surprise, Wineries are popping up all over Ohio.  I have not lived there since 1999, but growing up and until that time, I do not recall any vineyards in the ‘heart of it all’ state!    However, each time I visit now (which is a few times per year), I notice signs for them all over the place.  Just as wineries have sprouted up over the years here in Virgina (Mickey does not recall any growing up here either), it seems they have done so nationwide.

I did a quick Google search on ‘Ohio Wineries’, and what I found was most interesting:  According to one list (note: these lists are very fluid, as wineries are always opening, so I do not claim this to be the most recent data), Ohio ranks #9 in the country with the number of wineries at 185.  Virginia is 5th on the list with 206.  And, to give a little perspective, California is #1 with over 3,000.    But, digging into those numbers a little more, Ohio actually almost triples Virginia in amount of wine produced in this last year.  Which likely means that there are less commercial wineries, but more vineyards sprinkled throughout the state.  And, to look at history a bit more, Ohio started making wine way  back in 1823….in in 1860 was the biggest state producer of wine in the country.  Who knew?  I guess wine is literally in my ‘roots’!

And now for a discussion on perception when it comes to wine.  I too chuckled at the thought of ‘the best winery in Ohio’ remark, but being a big Virginia Wine fan, I should know better.   Despite inroads, Virginia is still looked down upon compared to the four states ahead of it on the list of most wineries (California, Washington, Oregon, New York) and possibly always will be.  One of the things I love most about our ‘wine habit’ is the learning process about wine.  It is complicated, and something that is never truly mastered, and thus always pursued.  But, along with that’ intellectual pursuit’ comes the only thing I dislike about wine: Snobbery!  Sure, I can taste the difference between a  Rombauer Chardonnay and Boones Farm!  But, I also think there is much value in things that are enjoyable.  And I can speak to the fact that a day at Buckeye Lake Winery or a day along any Virginia Wine trail is very enjoyable indeed, and is to be valued.  We have spent time in Napa and Sonoma, and while I immensely enjoyed our time in ‘the show’, I for one  don’t mind my time bouncing around the ‘farm leagues’!

But, anyway….back to Buckeye Lake Winery.  Remember when I said it was most unique?  Well, that is because I have never been to a winery set overlooking water with boat docks, and overall nautical awesomeness.  Their tag line really nails it with, ‘come for the wine…stay for the view’.  Check this out:

Another ‘borrowed’ shot showing the outdoor seating overlooking Buckeye Lake.

But, we did not visit in summer.  Our visit, two days after Thanksgiving looked like this:

Still beautiful in its own way, but with the snow on the ground, and the lake layered in ice, we opted for inside seating.  Where there was a big party going on…because in Ohio, that Saturday is a holiday unto itself:  The OSU-Michigan football game.

Go Bucks!

Now, I am not what you would call a OSU mega-fan.  But, it is rare to find a born and bread Ohician (my made up word) that does not root for the Buckeyes.  Especially against the Wolverines.  Especially when so far they are undefeated, and playing for a berth into the Big Ten Championship game, and possible National Championship game (at the time, we could all still hope).  So, with all that being said, we thrilled to see not one…but two big screen tv’s.  I think this is the first time I have ever encountered a tv in a winery.  And in some, it might not ‘fit’, but at Buckeye Lake Winery, it blended in seamlessly.

For lunch, we had the option of an all you can eat buffet, or a ‘gourmet’ menu option.  Mom Mom and the boys were with us….they opted for the buffet, and dug into that while Mickey and I did a tasting of Buckeye Lake’s 7 wines.  Now, here is where things get really interesting.  Their grapes are not estate grown, they are flown in from Napa Valley and then processed onsite.  Which I think is genius.   The back story here is that the owner  has a long standing love for and association with Napa Valley, and thus has set up his winery following this motto:  ‘Napa Valley Meets Buckeye Lake’.  Apparently in the future, they may grow some white grape varietals onsite, but will always ‘import’ the red grapes.

A new cork idea (you know I love those!)…puzzle games! And one of the employes was so kind to give me a number of BLW corks that I used as a basis for my Christmas ‘Corky’ reindeer!

Why do I think this is genius?  Because weather is hardly predictable in Ohio , and it is huge variable in growing and harvesting grapes to make quality wine.  So, instead of fighting the elements, Buckeye Lake Winery can focus on the wine making process and running their establishment.  Which they are doing both quite well.

All of 7 of Buckeye Lake’s wines are solid and drinkable (Mickey was too busy watching the game to take notes, so you are stuck with my  rather simplistic review of the wines them self).  They barrel age all of their wines, which is just how I like them!   The Zin was my favorite, and I chose it to accompany my meal of the Fig, Gorgonzola, Caramelized Onion and Maplewood Bacon Pizza, which was quite delicious.

Overall, I give Buckeye Lake Winery two thumbs up.  The relaxed and yet fashionable tasting room, along with a      friendly and helpful staff combined with agreeable wines and tasty food to make the visit most enjoyable.  Not to mention the Buckeyes won (and we got to see #79 put the H in O-H-I-O to the Michigan fans in high DEF!)

Okay, so this is only my second visit to an Ohio Winery, and to be fair, that’s not a lot to compare it to…but in this case at least, Momma knows best!  Thus far, I do dub Buckeye Lake Winery the best in Ohio.  But, I probably should do some more exploring on future visits, just to be sure.  And, I definitely need to get back to Buckeye Lake Winery in the summer.  I have a feeling it would be even harder to beat then.

Rarely do we take Billy and JJ with us to a winery. But, with the buffet and the football game on the tv, Buckeye Lake winery is a very family friendly place.

Un-Wine Friday

Just a short post on a fun tradition that we are about 2 years into, and going strong:  Un-Wine Friday!

Here is what happens:  Mickey and myself are joined by two other of our ‘bestie’ couples join us for a day of ‘hookey’ on a chosen Friday in both the spring and summer.    I cannot recall the exact origins of how it started, maybe that Jimmy Buffett concert we all attended in the fall of 2011…..and living out his motto, ‘It’s 5 O’clock somewhere!’  – but it is a tradition we must continue to keep…. wine, food and fellowship, what’s not to like?

In the past, we have visited Pippin Hill, Stone Mountain,  and then Early Mountain.  For fall of 2013, Mickey and I chose Afton Mountain (and then we added a quick trip to Veritas since is was so close).

Any ideas for our Spring 2013 trip, it is just around the corner!

 

I really ‘LOVE’ this picture from our Fall 2013 Un-Wine Friday.  Am I alone in thinking this would be a great marketing picture for the ‘Virginia is for Wine LOVERS’ campaign?

 

A weekend in Montebello

We spent the first weekend of November with good friends of ours in the tiny little haven of Montebello, VA.  We ‘camped’ (in a cabin), and hiked and fished and rode horses and made all kinds of wonderful memories.

Montebello is located in Nelson county, and you might be hard pressed to even find it on a map.  map.  Few people I know have ever even heard of the place, even though it is just over an hour away from H-burg.    But, it is a real diamond in the rough, with loads of charm.  We discovered it about four years ago when we hiked Crabtree Falls for the first time.  After miles of winding roads, it just pops up:  a quaint country store and a unique little fishing ‘resort’.  It piqued our interest way back then, and we have been to the area a few times since on hikes….each time, saying ‘one day, we are going to come back here and camp’!  Thank goodness that day finally came.

The amazing Montebello Fishing and Camping Resort just pops up between two mountain ranges.

The very quaint Montebello Country Store

There is a fun little story about how this weekend finally came to be:  Late last summer, we were at the top of Spy Rock hike (just a mile east of Montebello).  We made it to the top, a bit bummed that we had hit this hike on an overcast day, missing out on the 360 degree view.  And yet, finding the misty conditions beautiful in their own way.  When out of the mist comes our friends from H-Burg.  And not just any friends…..our ‘good time’ friends (of wine club and hiking fame).  What a coincidence that both of our families independently chose that hike and that day, considering we hike with each a lot.  We enjoyed some time together at the top, and made the descent together….braving the rain storm that hit us about half way down.   In the rain, it was agreed upon that we needed to do Spy Rock again, in better weather conditions.    On the way home, our friends stopped at the Montebello Country Store and became quite smitten with the area as well.  We had to  finagle with the date a bit to fit all of our schedules, but eventually we settled on a date which at the time seemed far in the future, and gave us something to look forward to in the fall; in between the craziness of starting school and the chaos of the holiday seasons.

Us on our second go around of Spy Rock (minus our MVP Photographer, and dogs of course!)

Our first random meet-up on Spy Rock!

Taking the trip required a bit of advanced planning, as we split up all the meals and brought all of our own food.  But, once we got there, it was pure relaxation.  We were  ‘off the grid’ so to speak in that none of us had cellphone service.   What a refreshing change of pace, as I especially can be guilty sometimes of focusing on technology more than the people right in front of us!  However, at times, arrangements had to be made:   In the mornings, Mickey drove  about 5 miles over one mountain range just to get his paper to download on his kindle!  Otherwise, when we were not hiking or fishing or horseback riding, the kids played in the woods and mountain streams, while the adults ‘fellowshiped’ on the porch.

The smaller, stocked pond is quite picturesque as well.

The fishing and horseback operations are managed at the country store across the street from the resort.  The store also stocks a little bit of everything inside, including a small restaurant.    There are two ponds from which to fish; a well-stocked version at the front that had a price associated with it:  you had to ‘take’ what you caught and pay per weight.  The second option was to fish from the larger lake back by the campground for no fee.  We chose the later since we did not want to keep what we caught.    The fish were not really biting, but we got a lot of practice casting;  and it was a beautiful and relaxing setting.  All in all, a great way to spend part of a  lovely fall afternoon

JJ on Clue

Billy on Pumpkin

As with fishing at the resort, there are a few horseback riding options from which to chose.  We settled on  the hour guided mountain tour.  None of us had really ever been on a horse, and thinking back on it, it is amazing that we all rode through the mountains on these 1,000 pound animals without incident.  But, I guess our safety was a testament to the well-trained horses (and a few prayers!).  We had a brief introduction and then we were off:  Over rocky and hilly terrain we traversed!   The horses stayed in a line and there was one guide at the front, and one at the back.   I was quite nervous at first, knowing that the boys had ZERO experience, but then soon relaxed and felt they were in good hands (or hooves!) and really found myself enjoying a new experience.    We all agreed that horseback riding was harder than it looked, and us adults at least had sore legs and backs the next day as proof.  But, something for sure to try again.

The boys have committed to earn 40 Cub Scout belt loops before Billy crosses over to Boys Scouts this spring.  And our adventures in fishing and horseback riding at Montebello earned them two in one weekend.  It was so nice to have such distinctive activities at our disposal.  Otherwise, those were two pins we would never have gotten around to in our ‘normal’ lives.

There two hikes within a short drive of Montebello are classic Central Virginia hikes.  Both of them made our initial top ten hike list when we started this blog last year.  Here is the link to that list, and a small description of each:  http://virginiavinesandtrails.com/2012/09/18/our-top-five-hikes-currently/

Us at the base of Crabtree Falls

With the unique view Spy Rock boasts (and it is much better when the 360 degrees is visible), and the pure iconic beauty of Crabtree Falls, both hikes should be on the list of any Virginia Hiking list!    We lucked out with a wonderful weekend fall-weather-wise for both of these hikes, but we were just about a week past peak leaf colors.  Oh well, guess we will have to go back again!

Our wilderness weekend away was so many things, and something we now plan to repeat each fall.  We are so blessed to live in this wonderful state where so many recreational opportunities abound.    We are also lucky to have these sweet, dear friends with whom we share so much in common, and who no matter our surroundings, we have a good time!  I think…no I know, that memories like these will be the ones that the boys remember the most from their childhood.  Shortly after this weekend, Billy had to write an essay at school about his ‘favorite place’.  It was a tie between Montebello and Smalley’s Ranch in Ohio.  Two pretty small, and unassuming places in this grand old world.   But, sometimes simplicity is the best.  Especially with good friends and mountains to explore.

The ‘Good Time’ Everything club (self described!)