Ideas for a Staycation??

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This week we are off for spring break. It is a much-needed break for students as well as teachers. It is so hard to believe that we only have about 30 days left of school upon our return from the break!

I’ve heard many students mentioning varying locations they will be visiting far from home over the break; but maybe you’re doing more of a “staycation” and want to stick closer to home. Make sure to take advantage of the many natural resources we have around Atlanta. There is so much to do, but you just have to get up and go do it! Its easy to talk yourself out of it and think you have too much to do around the house, but once you get there you’ll be so glad you did!

There is so much to see in our area and I will only mention a few. You most likely know about these places but many times we just drive right by them and say…”One day…” I will start with the beautiful Lake Lanier that offers many types of water activities. It might be a little chilly to go swimming right now as the water temperature is 71 degrees, but you can definitely get out and go kayaking, boating, fishing, and camping. There are many campgrounds available. One that is always a big favorite is Old Federal Campground and Day Use Park. If anything just go have a picnic and take walk by the water!

Another fun day trip is to head north up to Tallullah Gorge in Clayton, Georgia. It’s only about a 90 minute drive from Atlanta. Tallulah Gorge State Park offers over 15 miles of fantastic hiking trails, ranging in difficulty from easy to extremely difficult. You will need to arrive early at the park’s interpretive center to request a gorge floor permit. They limit permits to 100 a day. The passes are not available on dam release days so you will need to check the schedule before you make the drive up.

Now if you want to make a few days stay in the Clayton area you can always go camping at Black Rock Mountain Campground.  Take a load off after you’ve hiked and enjoy 42 camping tent sites or stay in 1 of the 10 cabins that are offered. You can enjoy the Blue Ridge Mountains, four hiking trails, hiking around the lake, several waterfalls, and the forest. This is a very popular sight so you might want to try to make reservations before you go!

Now let me say if I am camping there are several items that I always take with me. First off, if you want to shower, you most likely will use a public bathroom with shower house. For the most part they are usually, pretty clean. I always wear sandals when showering, but just to be safe I use Melaleuca Oil.  I add 20-25 drops in a small glass spray bottle and fill the rest with water. After I towel off, I spritz it on my feet and shoes to help cleanse and protect my toes and keep nails looking healthy.

Being outdoors, and exposed to the sun for hours at a time, can sometimes result in lip burns. The minute I get back to camp I put 1 drop of Melalueca oil and my lips to help promote healthy immune function. This is the best treatment I have ever found! Melaleuca oil can also be used for dry scalp. Add a few drops to your regular shampoo and this will help support healthy hair follicles! One last thing you might like Melaleuca oil for is for skin irritation. If you have a break out that pops up, put a drop on it and watch it help skin imperfections!

Another item that is a must have when outdoors and I’ve learned to never leave home without when I am camping is lavender oil. Lavender is the best oil to put on a any skin irritations. It immediately soothes the sight and it makes skin feel better. If you have anything that itches put a few drops on and you will be amazed! It’s all natural and has no side effects! It smells great too!!

I will be heading further north this week. I am off to explore a few campgrounds in Virginia. We are planning on heading up the Blue Ridge Parkway and taking a few detours along the way. I will be able to report back about my excursions next week. We found some interesting campgrounds and some beautiful scenery to check out. We plan to stock the cooler and let the road take us where it will. We will be doing some hiking, biking and fishing!

I hope you have a wonderful, relaxing, spring break!

Naturally, Lisa

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I Interrupt the regularly scheduled program

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Are you ready for spring? Well it’s official, the ground hog says winter will be with us for only 4 more weeks!! Is that exciting or what? It’s so nice to be able to get outside and get a little fresh air and exercise!

The warmer air we had this past weekend has me thinking ahead to springtime and one of my favorite things….CAMPING!! About 8 years ago, after I read Bill Bryson’s,  A Walk in the Woods, I got all fired up to walk the Appalachian Trail. (about 2,500 people every year start off on the trail in early spring) There’s no telling how many dreamers like me there are out there!

If you haven’t read the book you should check it out. It’s a funny read and offers interesting facts about the trail. I highly recommend it, even if you have no intention of ever walking the trail!

The movie was just released this past year too. I enjoyed it, even though the book was better! It is a great movie to rent at Red Box. Throw a dollar at it because it’s well worth it!

So, I am still dreaming of walking the trail even though when I first learned about it, I had never been camping a day in my life. Everyone thought…”It’s a phase….it will go away….She won’t like it…..It will be too cold”…. you name it, they thought it. Well the phase hasn’t gone away!! So in the meantime, I figured I needed to get some gear, since I owned NOTHING for camping!

… I showed up at REI one random day and it happened to be a “garage sale” day!!  They usually have these sales on used equipment 2-4 times a year! I rounded up 2 must haves: a tent and a sleeping bag. I ended up with a 2 person Big Agnes tent. It had been returned since it had a one inch rip in the front screen and get this, I got it for 70% off!! What a steal!! I put a little piece of duct tape on it and it’s as good as new! I highly recommend checking out the garage sale at REI when they have them! Major deals can be had!

The Big Agnes tent has been the right fit for me. My husband (6’2″) and I squeeze into it with zero room to spare, but it will be the perfect size for me alone when I go hike the trail. I’ll have a little wiggle room, it weighs just over 2 pounds, and its is super easy to put together!! Check it  out at the link here. I couldn’t be happier with it and we’ve camped through many a storm with no leaks!

I also ended up with the Big Agnes Mummy sleeping bag. I have to say I like the bag but I feel a little claustrophobic in it. I like to sleep on my side and it’s rather hard to do. You basically have to sleep on your back and lay still. Not the best nights sleep for me. My husband has the primo bag. It’s a Western Mountaineering Ponderosa bag. It’s the bomb! He has plenty of room to move around and it is super warm. If I buy another bag, that is what I’ll buy. I will watch for end of year close outs!

Living in North Georgia is really a perfect location for outdoor adventures. There is so much available to us within a few hours drive. I drove 2 1/2 hours north last weekend and it was spectacular. I went up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, but it was actually closed since they just had the 7th largest snowfall on record, 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately, they expect the parkway to be closed until spring, but the view is still worth heading up there!

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We parked at the barricades where they blocked the road and just got out and hiked up the parkway. It was the coolest experience. There were no cars and it was so quiet up there. There were only a handful of other people hiking. Next time we would like to hike to  Fryingpan Mountain Lookout Tower. Have you ever been there before? Please comment if so. I’d love to hear about it! Also if you have any other favorite places to hike, please comment so I can add them to my list!

It was so nice to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the work week stress and just sit and look out at how beautiful it was. It was so quiet and the air was so fresh and clean. It would be a great place to sit and meditate.

If you like meditating, I’ve included a great blend to put in your diffuser.

Meditation blend:

Also if you read my past blog on how to make your own homemade laundry detergent and are interested in making your own dryer balls, check out  this blog. It is super easy. I hope you try it!

I hope you all have a fantastic week! I will be back with you soon!

Be sure to follow me on Instagram @earthygirlliving

 

Naturally, Lisa

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