It was a great weekend. The weather was perfect…no rain, not too hot, and a nice breeze to cool me down. Had a great time.
On Saturday Shell and me drove down to the Mohonk Mountain House and met my parents and sister there. The place had a nice 4th of July celebration thingy going on, so for a price you could go there for lunch and get to do some outdoorsy stuff.
We started off with a nice long hike into the wilderness. There are a ton of different hiking trails, and they all intersect at different points, so it was a bit confusing. The trails go through woods and caves, and there were a few different points of interest to check out. We also got to see some awesome wildlife. I got some pics of two fawns bedding on the ground in the woods, and my Dad was so excited to get to see his first raven. I also spotted a black snake, and I got a bit nervous when my Dad couldnt identify it. He is a pro at New York fauna and flora, and can identify pretty much anything. So when he didnt know what kind of snake it was, I snapped a quick pic and then backed away.
We also came across a lilypad-filled pond, which pictures do not do justice to. It was extremely colorful. There were also a bunch of bullfrogs you could hear but not see…they stayed pretty well hidden. As we left the pond, we came across an awesome-looking mushroom, and Shell just had to touch it. I then attempted to convince her it was poisonous and her finger would fall off, but I dont think it worked…
There was also this tower-thing at the top of a huge mountain. You could climb up it to the top observation deck, and there was quite a view. The wind was pretty strong up there, and kept blowing my Mom’s hair into an awesome comb over.
After the tower, we headed down to lunch. Lunch was the best part of the trip for me! They had a bunch of picnic tables set up outside, and after signing in you were able to help yourself to the buffet-type area. You started off alongside the grills, where cooks offered you burgers, hot dogs, ribs, chicken, and three types of sausage (I chose the kelbasa). They also ladled hot sides onto your plate, such as mac & cheese, scalloped potatoes, baked beans, and some other stuff. The cold salad bar was super stocked with all sorts of awesome stuff. There were plenty of salads and fresh veggies and fruits. I went a bit fruit-crazy, nabbing my first grapes and cherries of the season! Also had plenty to drink. Oh, and then came Cara’s favorite part…the dessert bar. They had about ten flavors of ice cream, a bunch of toppings, and then brownies, pies, cobbler, and other baked goods. We all ate like kings!!!
After that was done, we went for a short hike, then decided to check out the dock to see if we could rent a boat. Shell, Cara, and I ended up renting a paddle boat, and went paddling down the lake. It was hard work! Cara and me peddled, and Shell sat in the middle controlling the steering of the boat. We had a lot of fun. I was able to let my fingers drift in the water, and it was so warm! That was the highlight of the trip for Shell.
We got off the boat just in time to catch some weird parade. There were a lot of punk kids dressed in clown suits and other stuff, and they kept marching around. I think I saw the same people pass like three times. It was odd. We then headed to the hedge maze, which was pretty awesome. The five of us went in and quickly decided to go our separate ways. I think we all had the same idea to try and scare the others, except for Mom. She wised up to that pretty quick. I caught sight of her, and was stalking her from behind the hedge, waiting for an opening with which to strike. Suddenly, she bolted for the entrance and made her escape! She chickened out, knowing her children were plotting against her! So I ran back in looking for Shell and Cara. Eventually the three of us met up, and we began searching for the exit, when all of a sudden my Dad jumped out, scaring all three of us. I actually didnt realize that he had even come in initially, so I wasnt expecting it. We failed in finding the true exit, and ended up making a complete circle and ended up back at the entrance.
After that, we checked out the crafty gift shop inside the hotel, and then drove home. Once home, we hung out by the pool for a bit, and eventually I manned the grill and cooked up some chicken (regular and buffalo) and ribs. Mom also popped some corn on the cob down, and we had a very tasty dinner.
After dinner, we needed to plot out the plans for the nights fireworks. We had intended on going to Otisville, but it was canceled since the field was ruined due to all the rain. Instead, we opted to go to the Wallkill Golf Club. Shell, Cara, and I drove off to hit the club. On the way, we came across a bunch of people camped out on the side of the road, in front of some business. I realized that they must be able to see the fireworks from there, so we turned around, parked the car, and joined them. It was a smart move, as we were able to get out quickly later on, and didnt get bogged down in traffic at the actual club.
Anywho, we got there around 8pm, and found a nice spot on the grass. We spent the next hour ridiculing the other people around us (including the really annoying couple in front of us, in which the woman was like 10 years old and the old people behind us. There was also this ridiculous little girl who was running around to the other little girls, trying to join their families. Eventually the ice cream man came, but it was pretty chilly out, so ice cream was out. Around 9pm it got a little darker, and the bugs came out. I got a few mosquito bites on me from that. The fireworks didnt start until almost 9:30, but it was worth the wait. It was an awesome display, with all sorts of large, cool fireworks. There were these annoying little kids behind us who tried to guess what each firework explosion in the sky looked like. Some of the answers included: “George Lopez!“, “(one of the) Jonas brothers, “Michael Jackson’s car!”, and, my personal favorite, “The Mississippi River!”. Once it was over, we were able to get out rather quickly and headed home.
The rest of the night died down quickly. We had some watermelon and ice cream, and eventually went to bed exhausted at 11:30ish.
All in all, it was a great day. I really had a great time with the family. My only regret was that my bro-in-law Nick wasnt there. I know he would have appreciated the awesome lunch spread we got at the place. Plus if he was there, I may have been able to sneak the Wii down for some nighttime gaming.
Needless to say, it was a very great time, and it was how I would always want my Fourth of July to be…grilling food, being outdoors, and finishing the day with a nice fireworks display.
Hope everyone else had a great and safe day as well!
