What we have been doing in the Shenandoah Valley…

While we certainly didn’t plan on spending a month here in the Shenandoah Valley house sitting we have surely enjoyed our stay. When we decided to stay longer we wondered what we would do here for a month. It didn’t take long to realize that we had the equivalent a small state park all to ourselves. With nearly 200 acres to hike and with the Shenandoah River flowing through the middle of it the days passed by quickly.

We marked out a nice walk of about 2.5 miles with most of it traveling along the the river frontage. With the beautiful red barn in the backdrop there is always a good photo opportunity. The hike is along a dirt road, the river, hay meadows and a forested edge. We have seen lots of deer and birds including wild turkey, osprey, pileated woodpeckers, lots of goldfinches and even a lone bald eagle.

When not hiking we took many day trips out to such cool spots as Washington DC, Shenandoah National Park and Annapolis which we have blogged about in the past several blogs. We also spent one day playing disc golf in nearby Winchester as well as exploring the town. We have found several really nice crafted beer breweries in the area. A couple of really neat ones we visited were in Wardensville, WV (yes we are very close to WV) and one in Middleton, VA. Our favorite beers however are at the one closest to us in Woodstock VA.

I would be remiss to not mention how much fun we have had at the Shenandoah River on this property. I have done a lot of fishing and caught lots of fish. Mostly smaller small mouth bass and some sunfish but still it has been loads of fun. We have access to kayaks so we have been kayaking on the river as well. The Shenandoah River is amazingly clear so one can see all the detail on the bottom thus, we also see fish scurrying about as our kayaks pass by. An occasional green heron, great blue heron or belted kingfisher are often spotted on these floats.

There is also a large flock of Canadian geese that are residents of the property and they hang around the river seemingly lounging throughout the day.  We also often see them grazing on the grasses in the hay meadows. There are a few hammocks down by the river that make watching the geese and the rippling waters of the river one of my favorite pastimes. Happy hours down by the river and on the back deck of the house are filled with beautiful vistas.

We have done a few chores for our friends (the owners) along the way as our big thank you to them for inviting us to house sit.  It is such a beautiful place to be and with a such a fantastic kitchen which we have especially enjoyed.  Our foodie needs have surely been met during our stay as we have whipped up some of our favorite dishes. There are also lots of windows in the home which bring the outside in providing views of the valley below.  Its been great and the time sure has been flying by as our month is going to be up before we know it…