Shenandoah National Park

May 28, 2021 by Cori Dombroski in road trip, travel, national parks

It’s been a couple of years now since I had a National Park Pass, but boy do I miss it!

I added another park to the list when Eric and I were driving back up from North Carolina. We decided against the I-95 route through Richmond and Washington D.C. on a Friday. The Shenandoah region was much more our speed.

We drove through a good portion of the park, and stopped for a short hike to the Black Rock Summit. It took about 40 minutes and the trail was unmarked/a little confusing, but we made it to some great views.

I think my road trip rules are as follows: Always choose the scenic route and stop for as many nature breaks as time allows. Then it was back into the car and off to PA for the weekend.

Long Drives

May 11, 2021 by Cori Dombroski in travel, road trip

I love a road trip. Whether it’s by myself or with others, I feel like a long drive is one of the only times we get to unplug from a life of commitments, responsibilities, and screens (though I do sometimes admittedly and dangerously still check from the road!) Planes are my favorite way to unplug, but cars are a close second. And a solo road trip, for me, is when I feel the most free.

When I told people I was planning to drive from NJ to Georgia on my own, most of their reactions were, “Alone?! That sucks!” The only person who fully understood was one of my yoga regulars. She’s a one-with-nature woman who teaches watercolor art, swims in the ocean in the winter, and wakes up at 5am to watch the sunrise on the beach. She gets it. “You’re going to have an amazing time!” she told me.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

After waking up to see the wild ponies on Saturday, I hopped in the car to drive to Norfolk, Virginia. I’d eaten the remains of my Wawa sub and some Trader Joe’s snacks for breakfast, so it wasn’t a fully planned stop, just somewhere I expected would have a good coffee shop. I was pleasantly surprised. Even on a cloudy day, the cobblestone streets, the boats in the marina, and the spring flowers in bloom were a treat. I stretched my legs and strolled through the street with a latte before heading further on my way.

The next stop was my uncle’s in Greenville, North Carolina. You probably wouldn’t find this exact road trip route on any lists, because I plotted it based on where I had friends and relatives to visit, but I would actually suggest it to any travelers without strict time barriers. As most people would agree, I cannot express my relief at having avoided I-95 most of the way! It makes for a much more enjoyable, “cultural” experience and much less stress and frustration. I loved seeing the clarity of transition from the “North” to the “South” as soon as I hit Virginia.

I got to Uncle Rick’s at 3pm. Thunderstorms were threatening that night, so we headed out to early happy hour for sangria margaritas. This turned into appetizers, which of course turned into dinner. It’s hard to say no when Mexican food is offered up and you’re two margaritas in! We had a nice time catching up and almost beat the rain back home to watch some Netflix movies for the rest of the night.

Sunday would be my longest drive of the trip so far. I had breakfast with my uncle and rolled out around 9am. He made a quiche—yum! Even though it would make the drive a bit longer, I decided to stop in Charleston, SC because I’d never been and always hear wonderful things about it. Now that I have been, it only made me want to come back again!

I stopped at the key destinations: the street of rainbow colored houses (Rainbow Row)…

A Southern biscuit and an iced coffee for lunch. It’s a good thing I don’t live in the south because I could honestly eat a biscuit every day!

I walked down by the water.

And to the pineapple fountain. Pandemic-wise, things felt very much back to normal. The photos don’t show it, but people were out and about and mostly mask-free in South Carolina. I’m fine with wearing mine indoors, and, beyond general hygiene, I mainly feel like whether I get sick or not is out of my hands so I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about it. I’m happy to be back to normal-ish traveling with recommended precautions.

That night, after about 7 hours (an extra tacked on for stopping in Charleston and driving through SC on a Sunday church day), I would arrive at my mom and stepdad’s house in Savannah.

A Southeastern Road Trip

May 07, 2021 by Cori Dombroski in travel, road trip

Last week, I made the drive down to Georgia to visit my mom in Savannah. I was back and forth on whether to take this trip, because my Spring has been hectic with traveling just about every other week, but I finally did it and I’m so glad I did!

I was lured in by the chance to see live ponies on Assateague Island. I almost canceled the trip when I found that the campgrounds in the park were all booked for the weekend. But I waited a day and found openings at the Cincoteague KOA nearby. I stopped in Delaware to do some work and visit with my friend Jesse from school, and then finished up the 4 hour drive.

It was perfect for me. It’s a little more built out—you probably wouldn’t like it if you’re looking for a solitary camping experience)—but as a solo gal camping on my own for the second time ever, it was exactly what I needed.

I was surprised to see it was mostly extended-stay RV campers (they also had the houses above to rent) and only a few of us in the primitive tent camping. There was even bingo and live music on a Friday night. I skipped that in favor of setting up my tent and building my fire on the windy plain.

It was so windy that I seriously thought I was going to end up sleeping in my car for the night. But once I staked down my tent, it held, and my little fire powered me through. Note: the camp store delivers extra wood right to your campsite if you run out. Amazing!

The wind died down by bedtime, and I surprised myself by sleeping (only a little restlessly a full 8 hours through the night). I stayed just long enough to watch the morning sunrise before packing up my tent.

Chincoteague is the southern island, but it’s only a short drive up to Assateague National Seashore. Two tribes of wild horses roam through the marsh and on the beach. Many visitors are lucky enough to see them, but it was possible that I wouldn’t see any that day.

I tried the beach without success, so I decided to drive back to the trails and take a little hike. I knew there was a horse overlook point on the trail, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up and end up disappointing. I decided I would be happy with the nature views, deer, birds, squirrels, and numerous bunnies that I saw close up.

But when I got to the overlook point, there they were! Not many other people were around, so I got to have a quiet solo moment with the horses (and 3 baby ponies!!!) It made for a majestic morning.

I’ve heard that at sundown they run on the beach. Seeing them grazing in the marsh was enough for me! I spent a few moments hanging out on the overlook, then did one more hike to see the lighthouse.

It was a highly recommended check off my bucket list. Then I was off to North Carolina for the next stop…

Rolling through Richmond

August 06, 2019 by Cori Dombroski in travel

Wow, Richmond! I’m in love. I’m sorry to say that I didn’t know about everything that was happening in this sweet city. My friend Nicole moved over here to be on the east coast, closer to home, and I’m so fortunate to have had the chance to visit her in her new place. We’ve both been on a bumpy road the past few years, with lots of moves since we met in 2013, but she seems to have found a keeper! She was hosting three dogs for the week, so that made for a wild time in the apartment, but I happen to love snuggling up to furry friends.

It turns out, Richmond is doing the most for millennials: happy hours on the lawn of the fine arts museum, lots of breweries, cideries, and meaderies, and trendy rooftop bars. All the things we like. Plus possibly too many Confederate memorial statues, which seemed to starkly contrast all of the newness, but… history, I guess.

Going to museums at night always feels forbidden to me, even though it’s clearly allowed. The VMFA was the perfect one to slip around after splitting almost a whole bottle of champagne. (Ok, not almost. Oops!)

We walked all over this very walkable city and settled on a Greek restaurant for dinner. I’m always wanting mediterranean food in the summer months. Then it was off to walk dogs and enjoy a rooftop bar, where we may have gotten hit on by a nineteen-year-old. Who can tell how old anyone is these days? Get those ID scanners out, Richmond!

I was sad to leave in the morning—what an awesome visit with an awesome friend— but it would finally be my last day of driving, and after almost 2 weeks, that was quite a luxury!