Chestnut Oak Lodge

Snow Tubing

2012-01-08T13:59:00.000-05:00

Our family had a great time snow tubing on the 800 foot lanes at Bryce Resort. The weather was mild, but the resort can make its own snow, so the place was packed with skiers, snow boarders and snow tubers. Lots of fun!

Mini Golf at Bryce Resort

2011-09-22T10:05:00.000-04:00

We recently discovered that Bryce Resort has moved its mini golf course to just outside the main resort buildings. According to the web site, it appears to be open on weekends in the fall & spring, with more availability in the summer. We decided to check it out, and the kids had a great time.

We Welcome Birds, Too

2011-09-16T19:55:00.000-04:00

The boys divided out the birdhouse into sections and each boy painted half of the house. We'll see how the birds near the cabin like the boys' style!

The Stream Near the Cabin

2011-09-12T08:14:00.000-04:00

One of our favorite places at Lake Laura is where a stream enters the lake. The kids have a wonderful time hunting for fossils, looking for minnows and wading in the water.

The Cabin and Lake Laura in August

2011-08-11T08:55:00.000-04:00

The Beach Area at Lake Laura is Open!

2011-06-13T09:43:00.000-04:00

Lake Laura in Early Spring

2011-03-04T09:36:00.000-05:00

The Ski Slopes in February

2011-02-25T19:43:00.000-05:00

The ski slopes at Bryce are still going strong! In mid-week, there were no crowds. The ski school was still doing its nomal, wonderful job of teaching and the kids were having a great time.

The Shenandoah River in Winter

2011-01-17T20:01:00.001-05:00

The Shenandoah River is quite popular for canoeing and fly-fishing in the warmer months, but it is still quite beautiful in winter.

The Ski Slopes at Bryce Resort

2011-01-08T20:14:00.000-05:00

Bryce Resort is a very family-friendly ski hill with lots options for skiers and snow-boarders of all abilities. Here are some photos from a recent Saturday afternoon:

Lake Laura in Autumn

2010-11-20T15:36:00.000-05:00

Autumn Leaves

2010-11-17T11:10:00.002-05:00

The Shenandoah Valley is beautiful this time of year!

The Labyrinth at Shrine Mont

2010-09-30T10:05:00.003-04:00

Shrine Mont (less than 5 minutes from the cabin) now has a beautiful labyrinth.

Here's how to find it: "The Labyrinth is located about 1,000 feet to the northwest of the Cathedral Shrine. Either start from the Shrine, and at the goldfish pond, turn right and walk 1,000 feet and you will see the labyrinth in the woods on your left, opposite the campfire circle. Or, walk up the road between the Bishop’s House (Box Hill) and Stribling Cottage. The labyrinth is straight ahead opposite the campfire circle.

The Cabin in August

2010-08-25T06:53:00.000-04:00

Views of the Loft

2010-08-09T17:18:00.000-04:00

We love the cabin's upstairs loft area -- it's a great place to relax, admire the beautiful chestnut oak trees out the windows, watch television, play board games, read, or connect to the cabin's Internet access.

Chestnut Oak Lodge in Summer

2010-07-15T19:34:00.002-04:00

Little Stony Man at Shenandoah National Park

2010-07-08T20:27:00.000-04:00

One of our favorite things to do is to hike in Shenandoah National Park. We hike Little Stony Man at least once or twice a year -- it's doable with kids, although our youngest didn't quite make it to the top. He almost made it, though, and he was certainly proud of his accomplishment!

Scenes from a Walk around Lake Laura

2010-07-05T06:27:00.000-04:00

Shrine Mont

2010-06-08T20:08:00.000-04:00

Our cabin is about 5 minutes from Shrine Mont, a conference center for the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.

Shrine Mont opens in early spring and remains open through the second Sunday in November and houses lots of church retreats, as well as other events.

Shrine Mont is a wonderful place.

We look forward to our church retreat there each summer. However, we are also thrilled that we can enjoy Chestnut Oak Lodge's kitchen and air conditioning even as we enjoy what Shrine Mont offers!

The Water is Fine!

2010-06-07T11:17:00.000-04:00

Our family loves to swim and fish in Lake Laura. Bryce Resort offers boats for rental and provides a swimming beach down by the dam, complete with rafts and a sandy beach area for kids. You can walk to the Resort's beach area following the path by the lake from the cabin (turn to your right once you reach the path), or you can drive to the parking area.

We've provided a variety of water floats & toys for you. Have fun!

A Beautiful Spring Day at the Cabin

2010-04-11T18:46:00.001-04:00

Chestnut Oak Lodge is wonderful in the springtime.

After a long winter, it's great to enjoy hikes, fishing in Lake Laura, and just hanging out on the porch swing.

Happy Spring!

2010-03-22T10:03:00.001-04:00

A View From the Upstairs Loft

2010-03-08T18:38:00.001-05:00

Our family loves the view from the upstairs loft windows. This is just a part of the view, but we think it's pretty special.

Skiing at Bryce Resort

2010-02-17T19:00:00.001-05:00

Since winter is very much present at Chestnut Oak Lodge, we decided to take full advantage of the season with some ski lessons at Bryce Resort. We had some great instructors and had a wonderful time.

Although the slopes have been quite busy on the weekends, we pretty much had them to ourselves on a weekday morning, which was good for us beginners-- we needed all the space we could get!

The Living Room

2010-02-05T14:42:00.001-05:00

This is a photo of the cabin's living room, taken from the loft area above:

Snow, Snow, Snow!

2010-02-01T07:05:00.002-05:00

We enjoyed a beautiful, snowy day at the cabin this past weeekend.

Here are some photos from the various decks of the cabin:

And, here's a photo from a brief walk we took on the road leading up to the cabin:

A Winter Scene at Chestnut Oak Lodge

2009-12-31T18:59:00.004-05:00

Photo taken by Jason Miller

Ski season has started!

2009-12-13T19:10:00.001-05:00

It looks like the ski/snow-tube season is underway at Bryce Resort. Check out the fun on the WebCam!

Shenandoah National Park

2009-11-30T16:51:00.001-05:00

Shenandoah National Park is about a 1 1/2 hour drive from the cabin, through Luray (a great place to have a nice meal before you do some hiking!).

Leaves in Water

2009-11-16T11:20:00.000-05:00

New Bryce Resort Fall/Winter Online Guide

2009-10-28T08:11:00.001-04:00

Bryce Resort, which is just a few miles from the cabin, has published a new fall/winter travel guide. Click to see the online edition (requires Adobe Flash software to turn the pages).

Apples and Pumpkins!

2009-10-25T19:30:00.002-04:00

My family loves to go to Paugh's Orchard, on Route 42, a couple miles south of the intersection of Route 263 and Route 42. We were there today and had a great time picking out pumpkins. We also got apples to make some applesauce this week, as well as a few butternut squash.

Mr. Paugh says he'll have apples through the 1st week of December -- great news!

Lake Laura in October

2009-10-25T19:24:00.003-04:00

Fall Foliage

2009-10-08T17:09:00.006-04:00

Here are some photos of fall foliage, taken last year. This is the view from the cabin's side deck overlooking the lake:

And, a view of the front of the cabin:

We love the cabin at this time of year -- you can't beat the Shenandoah Valley in autumn!

Autumn is Beautiful!

2009-10-02T19:03:00.007-04:00

The view from the kitchen window of the cabin:

The Beach Is Open

2009-06-15T14:55:00.003-04:00

Bryce Resort had opened its beach area for the summer. They have a nice swimming area with a sandy, shallow beach for young kids. They also have a couple of rafts that are great fun to swim out to. In addition, they rent paddle boats and canoes. You can either drive & park at the dam or walk from the path below the cabin. Lots of fun!

Scenes from a Walk Around Lake Laura

2009-04-26T19:12:00.004-04:00

Spring has definitely arrived. Although we enjoy hiking, my son can't wait to go swimming! He enjoyed playing in the water at the various docks along the hike, and he definitely noticed the beach area with all of its canoes, paddle boats & rafts!

A Sunday Stroll

2009-04-19T18:56:00.003-04:00

We enjoyed a burst of spring weather with a Sunday at the cabin. We spruced up the toy collection, refreshed the sandbox, and added a booster seat to the dining room chairs (since the cabin has to fit in with our life, it's definitely kid-friendly!).

Then, we took a little walk around Lake Laura to the boat ramp. It was great to get out and see some of our favorite spots, although the beautiful yellow barn burned down this past week (so in our directions for the path around the lake, wherever we referenced the barn, please look for where the barn used to be).

It was a beautiful day. The first signs of spring have come to the Shenandoah Valley!

Shenandoah Valley Views

2009-03-17T18:45:00.006-04:00

Although my boys might like the animals they can see along the route to the cabin, I love the scenary.

March in the Shenandoah Valley is beautiful.

Shendandoah Cows

2009-03-17T08:55:00.003-04:00

Whenever we go to the cabin, my boys love to have "cow sightings" from the moment we leave the main highway. Of course, there are also lots of horses and even some goats who enjoy sitting in the bucket of their owner's back-hoe, but the cows are my boys' current favorite. The boys are lucky -- there are lots of cows in the area to look at!

Breakfast of Champions!

2009-03-08T19:34:00.006-04:00

We've made my own bread for years but had never tackled cereal, until now. We don't think there's any going back -- it's good & easy!

Here's a very flexible recipe, adapted from the Nutty Granola Recipe from Ellie Krieger, Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger:

Cooking Spray
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup chopped raw, unsalted walnuts (We don't measure, but use between 1/2 and 1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped unsalted pecans (again, something under 1 cup)
1/2 cup maple syrup (We've made it once w/ only maple syrup and another time with some syrup and some brown sugar after we ran out of syrup -- it worked fine both ways)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1 good handful of sweetened coconut (left over from holiday baking -- it's not in the original recipe)
1/2 cup raisins (or craisins, or both)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine everything. Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet and bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer the sheet to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

My family especially loves it served with yogurt (which we have yet to make ourselves).

We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Holiday Baking

2008-12-23T19:51:00.008-05:00

Happy Holidays, everyone! The past weekend my family set up a "cookie factory" in our kitchen and produced lots of goodies which we carted around the neighborhood in my kids' wagon. Since I bake a lot, we made sure that the lodge has plenty of baking sheets, pans, etc... and I wanted to share one of our favorite recipes with you -- it tastes great, is easy to make, and works well my little "helpers." You can't get much better than that!

Chocolate Crumb Bars (a wonderful, easy recipe from Nestle)

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels, divided
1 can (14 oz.) Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional (I often use pecans instead of walnuts, depending on what I had on hand)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.

Beat butter in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in flour, sugar and salt until crumbly.

Press 2 cups crumb mixture onto bottom of prepared baking pan; reserve remaining mixture. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Combine 1 cup morsels and sweetened condensed milk in a small, heavy-duty saucepan. Warm over low heat, stirring until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract. Spread over hot crust.

Stir nuts and remaining morsels into reserved crumb mixture; sprinkle over chocolate filling. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until center is set. Cool in pan on wire rack.

The Ski Slopes Are Open!

2008-11-28T12:11:00.004-05:00

The recent cold weather has a benefit -- Bryce Resort opened its ski slopes today!

Happy skiing and snow-tubing, everyone!

A Busy Saturday with Something for Everyone

2008-11-10T09:29:00.007-05:00

We enjoyed a whirlwind tour of our favorite attractions on Saturday.

We began with a "Introduction to Fly Fishing" class for my husband at Murray's Fly Shop in Edinburg. Now that the cabin is finished, he needs a new hobby! Luckily, Harry Murray is the best person to go to for fly fishing and we are blessed to have him nearby and eager to assist newbies! Jeff had a great time and is eager to sign up for future classes.

While Jeff enjoyed his introduction to fishing, the boys and I had fun at Edinburg's playground. If it was raining, we'd planned to go to the town's very nice library, but the sun was shining, so we spent a couple of hours swinging, sliding, and climbing.

After we picked Jeff up, we went to one of our favorite spots for lunch, Woodstock Cafe & Shoppes. The food is great & they love kids....what's not to love?!

We then headed to the cabin to take a walk by the lake and work off some of the wonderful pumpkin swirl cheesecake that we'd enjoyed at lunch. The trees were "naked" as my older son said, but it was still quite beautiful down by the water.

We then picked up some apples and cider from Paugh's Orchard and headed off to my favorite knitting store, Fibersmythe, in Woodstock before we drove home.

I happen to live near several knitting stores, but I am loyal to Fibersmythe. Not only do they have a wonderful selection, but the owner Elizabeth is a true gem, eager to help with patterns and yarn, and then show you how to actually knit the pattern! She even rescued me one day when my son's special blanket developed a hole and needed to be fixed before bedtime! Perhaps realizing that I was in way over my head to fix the problem quickly, Elizabeth went out of her way to fix his blanket herself. I don't go anywhere else.

So, with our apples, cider, yarn, and plans for future fishing trips....we had a great day.

Lake Laura in Fall

2008-11-08T20:21:00.001-05:00

Peggy's Recipe and Paugh's Orchard

2008-10-28T10:16:00.010-04:00

The Shenandoah Valley has numerous orchards, and we are blessed with a wonderful, family-owned orchard right near the cabin. We stop at Paugh's Orchard (off of 42) whenever we are in the area. This fall, Mr. and Mrs. Paugh have a wonderful selection of apples, cider, pumpkins, mums, and even butternut squash. They've recently expanded their operation and are even offering "pick your own" apples this year.

Earlier in the season, we bought bushels and bushels of apples to make our own applesauce. On our last trip, we bought Gala and Stayman apples -- perfect for apple pies. And, I don't make apple pie without having my Cousin Peggy's recipe close by. Cousin Peggy makes the best apple pie.

I haven't managed to make a decent homemade pie crust yet, but I rely on Peggy for the filling. Here is her simple, but wonderful, recipe:

Sometimes, I make a crumb crust. Other times, I use a double-crust, like last time.

Either way, it's good!

It's a beautful, fall day and more apples are waiting on the kitchen counter. Apple pie, anyone?

Fall Activities for October 25th

2008-10-23T14:17:00.004-04:00

There are a couple of fun events in the area this weekend:

Fall Fest at Bryce Resort is from 10 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 25, rain or shine. It's a day filled with kids’ activities, mountain activities including mountain boarding, grass skiing, and the zip line. If it isn't raining, the day will start with a family hike to Hunkerson Gap at 9am. From 10am to 3pm there will be all sorts of kid's activities in the ski lodge – crafts, pumpkin carving and decorating, and even the moon bounce out back! There will be hot cider and cookies.

http://www.bryceresort.com/events.html

Halloween on Woodstock's Court Square is from 1 -2:30 p.m. on Saturday October 25th. Activities include Trick-or-Treating at Participating Businesses, Mask Making, Pumpkin Painting, Scarecrow Building, Great Pumpkin Contest and MORE! (Please bring clothing for your scarecrows-we will provide the rest.)
In the event of rain outdoor activities will be canceled.
Admission Free
http://va-woodstock.civicplus.com/index.asp?NID=176

What a Beautiful View!

2008-10-23T09:14:00.003-04:00

We love to visit the town of Luray, right near the entrance to Shenandoah National Park. It also offers great food, wonderful shops, attractions like Luray Caverns, and beautiful views like the one above.

Don't Miss Route 11 Chips!

2008-10-22T15:05:00.013-04:00

Our cabin is a wonderful place to relax, reading in front of the fireplace or sitting in one of the deck chairs admiring the beautiful scenery. However, with two young kids, I don't get a lot of "down time" to enjoy that aspect of the cabin. Instead, I get to do lots of fun activities, like visit the Route 11 Potato Chip factory.

Route 11 chips are great, and we are lucky to have a factory with a new retail section just down the road from the cabin. Off of I-81 (exit 269), the factory offers self-guided tours (& lots of samples!).

We checked it out on a dreary Friday afternoon, and my kids had a wonderful time watching the chip-making process from the picture windows around the factory. They also tried out lots of chips, finally deciding that Sweet Potato was their favorite. We bought a bunch of mini-packets of the different varieties to make everyone in the family happy!

Shenandoah Farm Market -- We Always Stop

2008-10-22T14:57:00.004-04:00

Whenever we go to the cabin, we stop at Shenandoah Farm Market on our way (we also stop on our way out of town, too!). Located west of Mount Jackson, on Orkney Grade (Route 263) on the way to the cabin, it has wonderful fruits and vegetables in season. We've also bought seedlings for our garden, coffee, cookies, local eggs for a great price, and lots of other goodies.

But, what we really love is in their dairy section -- they have milk in glass bottles (that you can return for a refund), butter, and ice cream that are all wonderful. We don't miss a visit. Actually, we should start bringing a cooler with us so we can take the ice cream back home when we leave the cabin -- it's that good!

The other aspect of the store that we enjoy is their weekend specials. We've been treated to some great chicken salad, fish chowder, sloppy joes, and other delicious meals that have eased cooking duties and made us all happy!

A Covered Bridge Among Corn Fields

2008-10-19T10:23:00.006-04:00

Off of Route 11, four miles north of New Market and about two miles south of Mount Jackson, lies Meem's Bottom Covered Bridge. The bridge was originally built in 1894. According to this article on Virginia's covered bridges, the bridge was burned by vandals on Halloween 1976 so what we see now is a reconstruction.

Nestled among corn fields, the covered bridge (which is still in use) is worth a visit. My kids particularly liked playing in the water below the bridge!

Directions to the Path Around Lake Laura

2008-10-17T18:32:00.016-04:00

It's simple to get to the path so you can walk around Lake Laura. Of course, you can drive to the main parking lot near the dam (off of 263 and Arnold) and hike from there. Or, you can access the path from the cabin. Here's how:

There is an unmarked public path to the left of our neighbor's gravel parking lot (this is the neighbor whose driveway is located next to our driveway and his house is a bit closer to the lake).

Walk down that path, which veers right and runs parallel to some steps our neighbor installed.

After a few yards, you'll see what we call the "sewer road" because it is a service road for the sewer system. This road is a public path and it also quite nice to walk in the fall and winter. Almost everything down from the "sewer road" towards the lake is public property, so we can use the neighbor's steps for the rest of the way.

Then, you've arrived at the main path around the lake!

You can walk either to the right (towards the beach area) or to the left. The rest of the directions are for walking towards the left because if you have any questions, that's the way they probably will arise. For some reason, the path seems more "obvious" coming from the other direction.

So, turn left and start walking. After a few minutes, you'll walk over a concrete bridge and see a barn. This is the only spot on the trail where my family ever had a problem -- the first time we tried to hike around the lake, we walked up to the barn and the main road. Don't do that! Instead, look to the right as soon as you walk over the bridge. That is where the path is -- it runs right next to the lake and heads towards the boat access (the photo immediately below is looking back from the path, so you can see the barn, path & the water)

At the boat access, pick up the trail across the parking lot. It's beautiful on the far side of the lake so this is our favorite section of the hike.

You'll eventually come to the dam. Turn right and walk across the top of the dam. This is a good place to stop for a snack, if you have kids who need a break. After you cross the dam, veer right and walk up the hill to the public beach area. You'll see the path back towards the cabin running parallel to the beach area, passing the beach area and heading back into the woods.

Happy Hiking!

A Walk in the Woods

2008-10-17T17:09:00.000-04:00

One of family's favorite activities is to walk around Lake Laura. Just a few steps from our cabin, we have easy access to this 2.5 mile, kid-friendly hike.

This time of year, it's a beautful hour spent out in the woods. Of course, it probably doesn't take most people an hour -- we have to take extra time for snacks!

A Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-14T10:39:00.001-04:00

This weekend, we worked on getting the cabin stocked for guests but still made time for our annual visit to Todd's Pumpkins. On 263, in between Mount Jackson and Basye, Todd's Pumpkins is on our list of "things not to miss" in October.

As always, we had a great time picking out our pumpkins. They are now proudly on display on our front porch and will be decorated soon. Then, we'll turn them into pumpkin pie!

Fall Foliage

2008-10-14T10:36:00.003-04:00

It's not just the chestnut oaks that are beautiful this time of year! The maple trees are gorgeous, too.

From the front porch:

From the back porch:

Finishing Touches

2008-09-28T19:57:00.002-04:00

With the cabin mostly finished, we turned our attention to details.... like putting lattice on the front of the cabin under the deck. We've been discussing this task for over a year, so it was great to see it finished. Jeff kept saying how much of a difference it all made. He was right. Even the baby got into the action with his drill. And, it was easy -- we could have done it ages ago!

Introducing Chestnut Oak Lodge

2008-09-24T10:41:00.002-04:00

Now that the major work is done on the cabin, we turned our attention to final details. We need to put lattice on the front under the porch and complete a bunch of little tasks, but we think it's looking pretty nice!

A friend came up with the name "Chestnut Oak Lodge" in honor of the chestnut oaks that surround the property.

We're planning on renting the cabin out when we aren't using it, so Jeff just registered a domain name and is starting to think about web pages, marketing, and all those sorts of things. Stay tuned!