A Family Trip to Massanutten
Massanutten Resort
Third weekend in a row that I would be out of town. For just having bought a townhouse I certainly don’t spent a lot of time at home. This weekend the family and I were headed to Massanutten Resort near Harrisonburg, VA for a little rest and relaxation. With everyone’s busy schedules we could only stay the weekend. It was one of the few places that would allow us to rent for a couple of days over the weekend and not force a week long rental.
Nancy and I had Friday off so we slowly got the Jeep filled with our gear with a quick stop at Wegmans to get a variety of beer and we were off. We tried to enjoy the summer sun but unfortunately couldn’t drive all the way there with the top down. As we approached Leesburg the clouds started to darken and eventually opened up with a torrential downpour all through town. Once on the other side things dramatically changed. It was now bright and sunny with only fluffy white clouds in the sky. It made lunch enjoyable sitting outside a Sonic in Winchester. Being such a nice day who would want to eat inside their car?
After a couple more hours driving we made it to the resort but got lost trying to find the house. We got a good look around town, something we both would have avoided if possible. When we finally did reach the house, it was a modern place, best way to describe it. Very spacious with new stainless steel appliances and furniture that looked like it belonged in some high rise condo in New York City. All the rooms were well decorated in the same modern style, with flashes of color thrown in with great effect. It was attention to detail that was lacking. We all agreed it was a nice place but was poorly construction. It is for sale by the way, selling for $388k, I wouldn’t pay that price.
naked ski slopes
The stone facade on the front of the house was not even and hard large gaps in the mortar. The banisters up stairs still had the bar code tags attached at the foot. There were not enough plates for everyone in the house, even thought it could sleep 10 comfortably. The deck looked like it was put together by amateurs over a weekend. The rug was pulling apart at the seams in several places and not properly secured at some thresholds. Having looked at so many houses while buying mine I have started to notice the detail of houses when I walk into them. Again it was a nice place, just the attention to detail was lacking.
We got into the house just after 3pm so we had a long day on Friday. Mostly it was spent lounging around. We all were looking forward to the break from work and the real world. Here we could exploit the quite to our advantage and refresh ourselves. Clear our heads of our troubles. We cooked a kick ass meal that night, flank steak on the grill. Everyone contributed to our first family meal in a long time. We also caught the Skins preseason game against the Steelers, which they won (WAS 17, PIT 13). And indulged in a lot of beer and wine between us. The next morning the counter where we were collection the bottles had a lot of dead soldiers. I couldn’t believe we drank so much that night, but it was totally worth it.
On Saturday we planned on doing all sorts of outdoor activities. Get in some golf, maybe horse back riding, I wanted to go hiking, or visit one of the pools. If you like the outdoors Massanutten is a great place to visit. However the weather did not cooperate with us on Saturday. By the time we finished breakfast the clouds rolled in and it started to rain. It proceeded to rain most of the day, ruining any chance of outdoor activities. Instead, we were stuck inside and played a lot of Texas Hold’em. Nancy swore it was her first time playing, but one round she cleaned my clock and my Dad’s on the second hand. Never played Texas Hold’em huh…..I think I got hustled.
fluffy clouds
As the afternoon progressed the rain finally stopped and the sun decided to make a brief appearance after all. We quickly finished our poker game and headed out to play some golf. We only had time for a quick round of miniature golf, but it was still golf. We could at least check one thing off our to-do list for our trip. Matt was on fire and beat everyone handily by a minimum of ten strokes. The competition was great and we were all glad to get outside for a while. When we got home it was time to start cooking, tonight’s feast would be a marinated pork tenderloin on the grill. Yum.
As quick as the trip started it was over. Sunday morning came and it was already time to leave. We were suppose to be out of the house by 10am, but I don’t know anyone that could be out that early, especially with two kids. Me getting a tech support call for work and another helping the renters at Pat’s beach house slowed our leaving even further. Eventually we made it out about noon and stopped for some lunch at this great BBQ place just outside the resort called Hank’s Smokehouse (pic). I had the rips and pork platter and it was so good. The ribs were so tender and had a great smokey flavor to them.
On the way home we headed across the Shenandoah Mountains via 33 and then up 29 till we reach civilization. It might have been a longer drive then taking interstate 81, but I certainly preferred the view. The sun was shinning and the clouds were dancing in the sky. We had the top down for the entire drive and it was great. Saturday was a wash so we took the opportunity to bask in the sun for a while. We also made a quick stop at La Grange winery near Haymarket for a quick sampling of wine. Some good stuff there, real beautiful setting, and so close no wonder it was packed.
For the last few years we have been getting together at various places (Williamsburg, Wintergreen, Massanutten, Bahamas, etc…) for some time with the family. I remember being a kid and always taking family trips with my Dad and brother to see his family in Wisconsin and other places like Gettysburg. As time went on our family trips went to the way side as me, my brother and Dad made our own paths in life. Now we have come full circle and again going on family trips. I wish I could spend more time with my whole family, that is one reason I appreciate these trips so much and look forward to them each year.
Where to next year?
a motley crew
