There is so much to do and see that it would take a lifetime to do it all. However, Adventures of Abby Girl is all about family travel in the United States.
In this category, learn about awesome family travel ideas such as all-inclusive resorts such as Pine Ridge Dude Ranch in the heart of the Catskill.
Find awesome beaches and climb mountains in Connecticut or learn about family-friendly attractions such as SeaQuest or Museum Village.
Go to Pennsylvania and learn all about places such as Cabella’s or head to Lake George in New York.
You can skip the border into Vermont and learn about some pretty awesome off the beaten path small American towns.
Be aware that we tell it like it is with the good, the bad and the downright hilarious. We always keep it real. No sugar coating. We even might talk about taking the long route and all the things that happen along that route.
So go through these posts in this category and maybe you will be inspired to take your family on some of the adventures Abby girl and her family have been on. Perhaps we will even see you there!
It’s with great excitement, I share that the Get Fit Challenge is back. I had written about this adventure a few blog posts back. We basically have different locations throughout the Hudson Valley and Litchfield County where we have to log workouts. In turn, you have a chance to win awesome prizes.
Noodles getting fit
Our first workout took a lot of motivation for me. My daughter was ready to go. I was not so much. I have been really unmotivated and worn down since my hiker injury beginning of August. We even took our dog, Noodles.
We headed to the first workout location on the list which was the Appalachian Trail. It was cold, damp and windy but Noodles and Abby were ready to go. I carried Abby most of the trip. However, Noodles had a spring in her step I have not seen in a long while. She was running like a puppy again. She even made a group of hikers crackup when she decided to jump in the water by the bridge where the group was observing the swamp. I told them that Noodles was skinny dipping.
This was also an in your face do over hike for us because last time, Abby fell on her face off the boardwalk requiring a doctors visit and a split frenula. It was also the trip where a half a milk knocked over in my car as my check engine light went on.
This time around, was rather uneventful. We met some nice people and encouraged a couple to join the competition. Took some great pictures and had a good workout. We are excited to see where else this challenge will lead us. Highly recommend this section of Applachian Trail!
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Ghosts on hike. This was a memorable hike adventure for us that happened a little while back. Boo Ghosts or as I like to now call it, the Bermuda Triangle of Dutchess County, New York.
So we start driving to our location and my car has just been reset so I should have a couple days before it decides to be stupid again. I get maybe halfway to the location and my light goes on. That is followed by my fan blasting because it thinks my car is overheating when it isn’t. I was at a point where I just didn’t care as I was already closer to the hike than home. I made a quick stop at a garage sale where my child decided to be completely antisocial and didn’t want to talk to the lady. Abby just wanted to get to her adventure.
reading the trail map
Arrival-
We get to Fern Cliff Forest and I get her out of the car. She grabs her duck water gun to walk with and of course, Abby needs her map. We stop for that before heading up the trail. However, halfway up the trail, it happens. She sees the Porta- potty. Of course when she sees the Porta-potty she’s got to go. I avoid them like the plague. She views them as some sort of twisted adventure. Maybe she thinks it will transport her to another land. Instead of entering a closet like in Lion, Witch and Wardrobe, we enter through the elusive Porta-Potty.
I very cautiously open it up because you never know what you’re going to find in one of those things and actually surprisingly, it wasn’t too horrible. She went to the bathroom and I went the bathroom and then we went play by the lake.
I looked at my cell phone and my map GPS tracker was going ape shit haywire. So I just delete that hike and I tried again and it proceeds to keep doing the same thing. I had no idea what was going on but it will not properly recording my hike at all. It just kept jumping around from 1.6 miles to 3.2 mi, 2.64 miles. I knew we only had walked maybe a half mile. It was very strange. This has only happened once before at a summit and did it only once before going back to normal. I could not get my GPS to act normal. Multiple attempts and it just wouldn’t work.
Such a pretty setting for such creepy stuff
I make the decision to stay at the lake and I tried to teach her how to use the water gun but she still couldn’t figure it out. So we played a game of chase where my daughter ran and I went after her with her ducky water gun. She thought it was hilarious. Abby kept screaming ready and that meant game on.
Then we go by this little cabin which just looks kind of creepy right next to the lake. Very reminisce of Jason. My daughter starts saying ghost all serious. She never learned about ghosts from me but had recently been going through a phase with two ghosts she claimed to see around, Baby Ghost and Petey who is Baby ghosts dad. So at first, I wasn’t too concerned.
But, she seemed different this time and really fixated on this cabin. I, for awhile before this even started happening had a very off feeling. So, when my daughter decided she didn’t want to go anywhere near the cabin and personally turned herself back to head to the car, I was done. The feeling was so ominous like something didn’t want us there or something would have happened. I firmly believe in trusting your inner self. So, as the bad feeling got worse, and Abby confirmed my feelings, it was time to leave fast. https://youtu.be/0uPNhocSTSc
Conclusion-
That was one short adventure but there was enough stuff packed into it that I was fine with a short trip this time. We get back to the car and by this point, her sandals were off and she needed to change her wet clothes. But, my free spirited child wanted to be naked. At this point, I didn’t care. I just told her she needed clothes before we went in the store. I just hung her dress off my side mirror so it would dry in the breeze.
Finally, after she helps me put the key in the ignition, get ready to go and she starts yelling. Someone was eating melted dashboard chocolate covering her in it. I take her naked self back out of car and clean her all up. Get her back in the car seat after a short battle.
We drive only minutes down the road and she starts yelling potty mama potty like her life is depending on it. We pull over and i rush to get her out of the car again and onto her little potty. Can I tell you, that all the dramatics were for the world’s smallest poop? This concluded our Fern Cliff Adventure. Now I had to just survive errands. How difficult could that be?
History Facts-
If you are a history nerd like me. I have included some short facts about Fern Cliff Forest below. It might explains the whole ghost thing. Enjoy!
-Land originally belonged to the Sepasco Indians
-Few took interest in the highly wooded, dense land
-In 1900 it belonged to a struggling farm colony.
-In 1912 the main owner died on the sinking of the Titanic. The son inherited the land.
-Eventually, the Rotary received for a forest preserve and game refuge
-In 1964, Brooke Astor deeded the land to the Rotary, stipulating that it must remain “forever wild.”
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Yes, you read that correctly. My name is Erica otherwise known as Abby Girl’s mom and I was the moronic hiker. Four days and today is the first day we truly ventured out since last week. Even one day in the house with an Abby is rough. Beyond that is simply ridiculous. It isn’t just the fact we are trapped at home … We are trapped where I was in bed for three days pretty much not able to function. All because I didn’t follow some very basic hiker rules. Rules that hopefully after people read this story will see are very clear and necessary so that they are not dubbed the moronic hiker too.
It all started last Tuesday
on one of our many adventures in the local woods. I brought the dog and Abby and I got lazy about wearing my boots, bringing a first aid kit or my trusty bandanna. I completely ignored my top five backpacking essentials that are usually are on me. Ultimately this poor decision had horrible consequences.
I figured it’s an easy hike and a mile if I’m lucky … What’s the worst that could happen?
When it happened-Tuesday
Well, my child decided she wanted to rock scramble just off the trail. I checked it first for snakes as my husband always warns us of off-trail climbing because of rattlesnake and copperheads. I went to follow her. However, she was already at the top. I figured I will just go to the side and pull myself. The ground isn’t too bad. Fact, it has rained non-stop recently. So as I stepped, I came down on a jagged rock and slide. So after a bit of her not listening, she decided she wanted up. My adrenaline kicked in as I walked with her on my back and dragged my fat, stubby-legged dog about a quarter mile uphill with blood running down my leg.
Back at the car …
I cleaned it by flushing it with an unopened jug of water and wiped it with a hand wipe. No, no #1, you are not supposed to use hand wipes on a dirty open wound. It can strip the good bacteria. I had the kids both furry and wild in the car with AC on as I did all this. I got in the car and began to drive. That’s when the adrenaline wore off and my leg was just a tad angry. It was also the leg I needed to drive my car. But, I made it home.
Husband advise sucked
My husband told me to use bag balm cause it appeared to be more bruised than anything with some scratches. No, no #2. You need to clean it and put a good triple antibiotic ointment, then cover! So that Thursday, I was not feeling right all day. Off and dizzy. Very tired. By afternoon, I had spiked a wicked fever, horrible sore throat, chills, body aches, dizzy, migraine. So here comes the no, no #3, I consulted my mom’s group for advice. I thought I had gotten a virus visiting my mother in law in hospital since I was told a virus was going around. I decided to ride it out for a bit as I debated.
Thursday
Friday
All-day spent in bed unable to eat. Friday night, I began stomach pains. I’m not sure if it was the Advil I had taken every four hours to keep fever and throat swelling down or the progressing health issue. My house at this point, in the main living area, was almost impassable and my child was going full-on Lord of The Flies.
Saturday morning
I walked into the bedroom and announced if my husband had no other plans, I was going right down the road to urgent care, watch the Abby Monster.
Saturday
At urgent care, I was five minutes early and at the point, standing was hard. Not sure how I drove myself there. They left me sitting on the pavement with back against the front of the building. The doctor strolled passed me and didn’t say anything. I got in and sat. Then I sat some more. For urgent care, a twenty-minute wait isn’t too bad except when you feel like death’s girlfriend.
My Friday Face
I was looked at by a nurse and then the doctor. They really didn’t do much. They didn’t even clean it. She told me to go home and soak it, then scrub it with a washcloth. I’m pretty tough and even that sounded nasty. Especially on a shin and when I did do as they said, later on, I found the one area riddled with infection. I also have a thing about touching my bones. I know, I’m very weird.
However, after lots of comments about the poor state of my throat, not good looking wounds and me screaming in my hoarse voice, I’m going to puke as she swabbed my throat for strep, The doctor concluded from my symptoms that it was bacterial and came from my injury. The strep test was negative. A prescription was sent to the pharmacy and I headed to the grocery store.
The walking dead …
After dragging myself through the grocery store like a character from Walking dead, I went home to pudding. I rested all day and didn’t leave. Abby was freed once to go to the store with her dad.
Finger was feeling left out of the party
Here I sit, Sunday and feel on the mend. I’m on amoxicillin. The doctor said Advil was fine every four hours. However, I switched to Tylenol because I don’t need stomach bleeding too. I was able to go to the store today and did better than yesterday. My house is horrible, the kitchen is scary, and the child best not slam into my leg one more time. Oh, and then today, I tried to clean and slit my little finger open on a cat food container top. I can’t catch a break. I am also tired of nursing home food. Overcooked vegetables, pudding, more pudding, liquids, mushy stuff and I graduated to small pieces of food. The best part has been the multiple milkshakes. So this is my adventure for this week.
Post update
The fever broke and sore throat was improved but the stomach issues and chest pain sent me to primary the next day … I was still having massive internal issues. The doctor prescribed steroids and anti-nausea medication. I lost ten pounds and killed my immune system. In fact, a month after this post, I ended up in the ER with another horrendous sore throat and stomach issues. I was told it was viral. My body was ravaged from one simple hike. I got sick several times after that and fought many colds. Now I take elderberry at first signs of anything. The funny part is, I ended up gaining about 25 pounds after losing ten and feel like a yo-yo. Tomorrow, I meet a new doctor and express my concerns.
fun facts-
Trust your gut
Should’ve gone to ER
Wear the right shoes while adventuring no matter how small or simple the adventure
Always carry a first aid kit
Never get comfortable in your adventuring
If you happen to find yourself in some dumb luck, make sure you have lots of activities your child can do while you heal
Don’t rely on anyone’s advice, especially your husband
Final Thoughts
As always, hope you enjoyed the read. Remember, don’t be the moronic hiker. However, if you do have a moronic hiker story, send it to me and I will add you to this post! Until next time.
I owe a lot of my desire to start this blog and going on adventures to the Get Fit Hudson Valley, challenge brought to the area by Nuvance Health. It was something awesome I could do with my daughter because there were so many locations we could go to log a workout. For us, it has been hiking different spots on the list as we can do that as a team.
don’t forget to stretch!
In a six-week time span, if you can log more than twelve workouts than you can win prizes. I think it was the second round of the challenge, I was picked as a level winner. Thanks to that win, I got awesome innersoles for my boots to keep them going for many more miles as they were worn down.
I then signed up to become an ambassador
After this, we doubled the number of hikes I did. My daughter even became an unofficial ambassador. We love rocking our t-shirts. As an ambassador, we get to post all over social media and encourage others in our area to get fit as well. I love that I can inspire other moms also. Many outdoor locations don’t require any money besides gas to get there and snacks and water for your walk. My daughter has learned and grown both mentally and physically during these challenges too. So much better than sitting in front of a television.
TIP: Bring a water bottle and snacks from home. We got an awesome one from REI. Abby’s trail recommendation snack is Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches.
The Writing Began
After a couple challenges, I became inspired to start writing about our travels and adventures. I figured then I could reach even more people and share our adventure journey. That is how Adventure of Abby Girl was born.
The next Get Fit Challenge begins this fall and I am really excited to visit new locations and become even more challenged with my Abby girl by my side. We are going to be adding a new twist this challenge. Shhhhh, can’t share yet. Another get fit person has inspired us. We have also met some great people and getting out there during the challenges.
Get Fit Hudson Valley
So I encourage everyone reading this to join this challenge if you are in the Hudson Valley or look for one near you. If you don’t have one, start one! Also, don’t forget to look around at other pages on here and subscribe to my blog. I’m also on most social media channels including YouTube! Peace, Love and French Fries
More info about the Get Fit Challenge, visit link below!
There have been several Get Fit Challenges since then. That spring we stepped up to a new challenge of 100 miles in six weeks. We ended up at around sixty. We journaled every week. Each week can be found here as well as a final follow up post of what we learned. Abby Girl completed a lot of the miles herself. So, we continue to inspire and hike on. Spring Get Fit CHallenge should be starting next week. However, with the current social distancing rules, that remains to be seen. We will keep everyone posted via the blog and social media. Follow or subscribe to learn of the upcoming updates and future of this challenge.
Get Fit June 2020 (postponed from April due to COVID Crisis)
The Get Fit Challenge is finally back! It was postponed due to COVID from its original start date in April. However, now it begins June 6th and will last six weeks. The idea is the same where you log so many workouts and when you reach certain tiers, then you’re entered to win a prize for that level. Once again, you must workout for at least thirty minutes.
Some things have changed. There are no locations to actually go to and log in from as many places are still closed or people are still not ready to be out in the world even on trails. It’s also now Nuvance Health and not Health Quest. If you have done this challenge in the past, you might need to re-register. I know my account as well as several other ambassadors was not found.
We personally are looking forward to the workout of the week and of course we will be seeing how many miles we can hike in six weeks. We have to beat our last amount of miles we hiked during this challenge in six weeks last year. Read about what last year’s experience taught us and how many miles we have to beat.
Welcome to the new Get Fit Challenge. Remember to sign-up and working-out. Bikini season is just around the corner.
I love animals. Honestly, sometimes, I feel they get me more than humans. But beyond that, visiting, farms, teach valuable life lessons to little ones as well as a hands-on experience far better than watching about animals on the television. So these place are an awesome hands on educational experience! The list is always growing as we continue our adventures. However, here are a few of the ones we have visited so far in the Hudson Valley and beyond!
We love this farm. My daughter can run free with the chickens and ducks and that alone is awesome. There are also pigs, goats, cows, donkeys, and barn cats to name the main cast of characters. Abby actually kissed one of the goats and gave her a hug the last time we were there. Baby goat season is too adorable for words. If you are lucky, you may even get a chance to interact with the babies! We were one of the lucky ones! They have events there and a summer camp that my daughter is still too young to attend. The last event there, had a bounce house, hay-ride, and vendors. So it had everything. But, we like going during the week when it is nice and quiet too.
They also have a gift shop and their cheese rocks. Any place with awesome cheese gets our vote! I believe our favorite cheese is Lacey cheese.
In addition, this is also another great place for other reasons. They have adorable cows and one that reminds me of Elvis that we have to pet. They have sheep, pigs, chickens, etc. We have fed the pigs from over a high wall. I don’t want to be pig food and you can’t chase the chickens. They also have a lot of cool events throughout the year. We went on a tractor ride at a special event. They also have a lovely butterfly festival too. In addition, Stony Kill has walking trails. We have lovely memories of going through the mud and oh, the epic face plant running on the connector road or mommy doing yoga in their gardens. There is a cute preschool program we have attended a couple of times too.
FYI Here is another post all about the Kid season at the farm!
All I have to say is story-time is epic here. They have a different animal at story-time each week that resides at their farm and last time we were there for story-time, they had a borrow a book going on. Sorry, we need to give our book back. We are a tad behind.
awesome moment
Anyways, their main gig is Alpacas. I love them. They have the best personalities. They also have chickens and ducks, barn kitties and I have seen horses as well here. If I am forgetting any animals, I apologize. The Alpacas have my heart here. Abby can feed them and the chickens and ducks too. My epic disaster memory here is Abby telling me she has to potty and as she said it, she peed all over me in ridiculously hot weather. All I had to put on were these ugly mom jeans from 1985 that were really hot and about two sizes too small in the waist bound for the donation bin. This all happened about five minutes after arriving. Mom tip number 4003-Always pack extra clothes for not only your child but you as well.
We have also done Christmas photos with the Alpacas. You bring your own camera type of deal. They also have wonderful items for sale.
Muscoot Farm and the head butting goat. I bet that got your attention. Muscoot Farm is in Katonah, NY and a very easy fifty-ish minute drive from Poughkeepsie. It’s a great farm to take the children and well worth the drive.
We went on a very unusually warm winter day which felt amazing after being frozen for so long. The grounds were muddy, but still doable even if you still have a child in a stroller. I just recommend one of those off-road strollers.
There are many buildings to go in and learn about farm life of the past including many items on display. Since my daughter has hit the why or what is that phase, we spent a long time discussing everything. Thank you Muscoot for having descriptions with many items so I could look like I knew what I was talking about. Go, mom.
At the farm, there are all your typical farm animals. Goats, sheep, barn cats, horses, cows, turkeys, ducks, chickens, donkeys, etc. The chickens are not roaming around. So no fear of being attacked by a rooster. Yes, it has happened to my daughter and has happened to me a couple of times at other farms. They spur you. I was even legit chased down my road by a rogue rooster with my daughter on my back. Also, at Muscoot there is no petting or feeding of any of the animals. Although one goat did headbutt my child.
There are hiking trails too, but that’s for another day. Also, bring snacks. I forgot snacks and had to go on the McDs mission.
Checkout Muscoot. Enjoy the scenery, learn something new, see the animals. Just don’t stick your head in the pens.
Ridge Runner Ranch, New Paltz New York
Please visit our sister blog to learn about this wonderful horse farm. They have a spring break camp coming up too!
Final Thoughts
Farms are awesome. They are great way to teach children and have a lot of wholesome family fun. Did you also know that there are benefits to children being outdoors? Feel free to read!
