Cappadocia Green Tour

Nazar Tree at Pigeon Valley

The next morning we woke up early to enjoy our complementary breakfast provided by the hostel. Finally it was our chance to have a real Turkish Breakfast. Turkish breakfast usually consists of some variation of bread, eggs, a meat, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, and Çay (tea) of course! We were just happy to have something to put in our bellies. 

Since the day before we had explored Goreme, we wanted to go a bit further away to see some of the cool places in the surrounding areas. The issue is that everything can be really spread out and difficult to find on your own. After looking at all of the different tour packages we thought that it would make sense it we splurged for what is called the Green Tour. We choose this tour because it covered a very large area and took you to places that we thought would be too challenging to find. Also, it included a tour guide, entrance fees into all of the sites, lunch, and all transportation. The tour cost 100 TL (around $40) and we figured that it was a pretty reasonable price considering the tour lasted the entire day. Plus, we knew that we were going to splurge a little bit in Cappadocia anyways.

Pigeon Valley 

The tour started out at a scenic overlook of  what is called the Pigeon Valley. They call it pigeon valley because supposedly the ancient people used pigeon droppings as fertilizer. Besides this fact I don't remember much of what the guide said about this place. To be honest, I kind of space out during these types of tours so I don't really recall much of what the guide said about the area. I do remember that Cappadocia means "Land of Many Horses" or "Beautiful Horses" and that information conveniently came in handy later on. 

Underground City

After getting some scenic pictures we hopped on the bus and traveled 30 minutes out to explore one of Cappadocia's underground cities. The tour guide kept asking us if we were claustrophobic or had any heart conditions which we thought was kind of interesting. After spending about 10 minutes in the underground city we realized why he was asking those questions. The place was really cool and there were lots of enclosed small spaces and tons of steep narrow steps and tunnels. I was feeling a bit claustrophobic & out of breath myself, but don't get me wrong, we had fun!

At one point the tour guide stopped at one tunnel and was trying to be goofy so he kept asking us who wants to be lucky so of course Sam volunteered. There was two entrances to the tunnel and he had Sam stand in the middle of them. He said that if Sam went through the right side he would come out the other side as a women but if he went through the left side he would come out the other as gay. Sam chuckled and exclaimed: "Well, I have always wanted to be beautiful!" as he went through the right side. I don't really think his statement had any historical significance but I guess the guy gets bored doing the same tour everyday so why trying to spice it up. Regardless, it was a humorous moment. 

Also, when Sam was going through the tunnel the tour guide was calling for me to come to the front of the group. When I did he stated, "So what will you think of your husband now!" Ug. It was an awkward moment when I had to explain that Sam is actually my brother. The tour guide was certainly embarrassed but said it wasn't the worst mistake he made. One time as he was taking a picture for a mother and son and kept proclaiming that they should kiss for the camera. Of course he thought they were a couple and not mother & son. Thank god he didn't say that to us!

Selime Monastery

After the underground city we got back onto the bus to head to the famous Selime Monastery, one of the biggest religious sites in the area. Selime Monastery had to be my favorite site in all of Cappadocia, it was absolutely gorgeous and there were so many cool things to explore inside. Again, I was so distracted by the beauty of this place that I didn't pay much attention to what the tour guide was saying about it (sorry guys!) Well, I do remember one thing. Apparently from the top of the Monastery you get a nice vantage point of the area which George Lucas looked at thinking that he may film the Star Wars movies there. A lot of the tour companies will tell you that Star Wars was filmed there but that is actually a lie because it was filmed in Tunisia.

Exploring Selime

But yeah these ruins were the most intact that we have seen and there were so many small chambers that you could get lost in. I think I could have spent the whole day exploring every inch of this place. Well, that is the down side of doing a tour, you have to stick to the schedule. So alas, we were on to the next thing.

Thank goodness the next thing happened to be lunch! Seriously, what a step up after just eating bread for the past few lunches. They brought us salads, bread, soup, the main course of fish & rice, and then finished it with some freshly picked clementines. Our stomachs were very very happy :)

Sweet Ruins

After the lunch we went check out this cool trail in Ihlara Valley. The valley is basically a large gorge that runs between the volcanic rock formations. The guide kept referring to the valley as a canyon and was saying that it is the second largest canyon (next to the Grand Canyon).... but I am a bit skeptical about this. I am noticing that people in Turkey are always claiming that things are the biggest, best, or that they originated here. For example, brunch was supposedly invented in Adana. Indeed, the concept did not exist before the Turks! We were all in hysterics one morning discussing this in Adana. Anyways, back to the Green Tour.

Loving the Monestary

The valley was great! Beautiful scenery of course, just this is the part that also kind of sucked being apart of a tour. There were some many little trails we saw jetting off across the river that I wished we could have explored but we had to follow the pack. We "hiked' (leisurely walked) the trail for a little under 3 km then headed back to the bus.

On the way back we stopped at a swanky jewelery store where were given an onyx demonstration and shown different gems of the area. I mean, of course at the end of the tour that had to try and sell us stuff right! At the end of the onyx demonstration they stated that if someone in the audience could answer their question then they would win the onyx egg that they had made during the demonstration. The question was, what does Capedoccia mean? Hmmm, that sounds familiar. Sam was the lucky one who shouted it out and won the onyx egg! It was only half polished but still it was pretty cool.

View of Ihlara Valley

That demonstration ended our tour and we were brought back to Goreme. Although we were pretty exhausted we decided to try to hike up to a good look out spot to wake up the next morning to see the famous Capedoccia balloons take off. We walked up and up and up until we reached an awesome look out spot which provided a nice view of Goreme.

I am too embarrassed to even write about our dining experience for that night. There were two restaurants in Goreme that we had been joking about basically the entire time. The first one was this random Korean place that just did not make sense in this town. But every time we wandered around Goreme it would just suddenly pop up. So almost every time we were looking for a place Sam would shout out "There it is!" I would get really excited & then realize that it was just that random Korean place.

River in the Valley

The second one was this place called Fat Boys which also tended to be sort of in our faces. We joked about how they must have definitely made this place 100% for the western tourists. Anyways, after looking up different reviews it turns out that Fat Boys is one of the best places to eat in Goreme if you are on a budget. I thought it was ridiculous & am wondering who the heck wrote the reviews, but we decided to go anyways just because it seemed like something we had to do. The food was just alright and actually kind of upset my stomach afterward. So for me Fat Boys = epic fail but an experience nonetheless.

Overlook of Goreme

After eating it was around almost 9 pm and we were utterly exhausted & ready to again crawl into those nice warm beds. The next day we were planning to hike for sunrise to see the balloons so it was best to go to bed early to fully enjoy our last full day in Cappadocia. 

Well, that last day was certainly not what we expected. More stories to come!

xoxo,

Becca  

Cappedocia: Welcome to Goreme!

We woke up after our 12 hour overnight bus sleepy eyed in a complete fairyland. It was almost like the past 4 days was a dream & we have arrived in heaven or something. Or maybe  even a different planet! Goreme is like no other place I have been to. It is a small dreamy town located within Cappadocia (Kapadokya) which is a huge historical area known for its stunning volcanic rock formations.

We arrived disoriented due to the contrast of the big city of Istanbul to the quaint and peaceful feeling of Goreme. Really we had no plans upon arriving to Goreme and no idea of really anything about Cappadocia, so we went straight to an information booth to find out where to stay.

We settled on the Traveler's Cave Dorm (thanks for the recommendation Shanna!) and dropped off our stuff in the hostel. The Cave Dorm sounds like just what it was, literally a dorm style room that was in a cave. Pretty cool actually! Well I am also failing to mention the elation we felt when entering the room due to the fact that we realized we would be sleeping in beds. For the past 5 days (6 for Sam) we had slept on an airplane, chairs, the hard ground, a bus, but never an actual bed! I didn't realize how much of a difference the little things can make (like a soft place to sleep).

After spending some time joyfully laying down in our beds we decided to explore Goreme, get some breakfast, and do some sightseeing.

We decided to check out Goreme's open air museum which is supposed to be a really cool site. The open air museum had caves that you could go in an explore that were still pretty intact. There were also tons of churches with murals from ancient times as well as graves with real bones (creepy yeah?) The open air museum also gave you some killer views of the surrounding area.

After exploring the museum we sat down to eat our Eckmeck (bread) which was also our lunch (pooor college kids). After eating we decided to hike up some more and see what else we could find. We found the Rose Valley which lies in between the Love Valley. The Love Valley is where the very famous phallic shaped Fairy Chimneys are. Although we didn't get to see the Love Valley we did have a blast poking around this other valley though!

I will say that Goreme was freezing compared to Istanbul. We were out hiking around for almost 5 hours and our lips were practically blue. Needless to say it was time to trek back to the hostel & get warm.

After showering and cleaning up we went to get some dinner. We went to this place called Pide Express which is supposed to have the best Pide in Goreme. Pide is basically a narrow diamond shaped pizzaesque food which is delicious! We were very happy with our purchase :)

Pide!

All in all we were extremely happy with the first day in Goreme & actually surprised that we managed to have such an active day after spending the night in a bus. Needless to say we were pumped for our nice warm beds waiting for us to sleep in & excited to see what the next day would bring.

xoxo

Becca

Istanbul: Beauty in Places, Food, & People

Outside of Topkapi

Well, I am only 14 days behind, so here goes nothing:
Istanbul Day 3 & 4.

We woke up early this morning knowing that it was going to be a pretty long day. We had plans to meet up with Sam's professor for lunch but wanted to squeeze in seeing the Topkapi Palace in before doing so. The palace is my favorite thing that we did in Istanbul. I think because I didn't really know much about it before & there was so much to see in there!

We got to the palace a little bit past 9 am when it first opens. I highly recommend doing this! It wasn't too crowded due to the early time. You could tell the difference in the amount of people that were there when it came time to leave (much more). Moral of the story: get there early!

Anyways, back to the palace. Topkapi palace is a MASSIVE place, well it is actually served as the residence of all the Ottoman sultans for about 400 years. The palace itself is gorgeous. The architecture is stunning and there are so many beautiful mosaics, fabrics, paintings, etc. Besides all of that there were also some important religious relics on display. Some of the more notable ones were strands of Muhammad's beard and Moses' staff. We really took our time at the palace exploring all of the quarters and learning about the palace itself. The one thing we did skip on was seeing the Sultan's private quarters because of course they make you pay extra.

Once you make your way to the end of the palace there is a gorgeous overlook of the Bosphorus. Sam and I took our time to re hydrate, enjoy the view, and take pictures. Sam likes to joke that we were "sipping drinks on the sultan's terrance" making us sound incredibly classy. When in reality we were drinking our 1 TL water bottles and just trying to stretch our legs on the white marble steps.


Eventually it was time to leave to go meet Sam's professor. Honestly, I probably could have stayed a lot longer because I enjoyed it so much. Overall we spent around 4 hours there which to me felt like it flew by (Like I said, we like to take our time).

We met Sam's professor close by the Aya Sophia (given it is an easy landmark to spot) and went to a restaurant that claims to have the best Kofte (Turkish meatballs) in Istanbul. We also tried Ayran which is a salty yogurt drink. Kofte = delicious, Ayran... well the Turks love it but I must say I think it is an acquired taste. Unfortunatly no pictures to share of this dining experience.

After lunch we wandered around chatting away the rest of the day. We found ourselves at the Grand Bazaar and decided to have a look around. While there we stopped in a small cafe to try some Turkish Coffee and have some Turkish delights. Turkish coffee is served in a very tiny cup and is very thick and bitter. Sam wasn't a fan but I certainly was. I actually just learned today that Turkish women will sit around after drinking their Turkish coffee and read their fortunes from the left over coffee grounds. The next time I get Turkish coffee I am going to have to give this a try :)

Grand Bazaar

After the coffee we parted ways and Sam and I decided to keep poking around the bazaar. My god this place is massive! We asked around to gauge the prices of most things knowing that when we go back to Istanbul that is when we will actually buy all of our gifts.

After getting back to the house we were exhausted and were about ready to call it a night. Sam was half asleep when I received a message from a friend of a friend named Besir who is living in Istanbul saying that he is in Taksim square and wondering if we would like to meet up. Sam decided to stay back but I went out to meet him. It was a very Trurkish encounter, urgent (lets meet now!), friendly, & hospitable.

Best Baklava!

 I had heard about this place in Istanbul that was near Taksim which is known to have the best baklava in the city. Luckily, Besir knew where this place was and decided to take me there! The place is called Gullngolu Baklava and I thought I saw it in Taksim square so I was surprised when we started walking in the opposite direction. It turns out that the one I saw was just a replica and we were going to the original. It was a bit of a taxing walk (30 minutes on steep roads) but it was completely worth it. The fact that Besir was willing to take me so far was a true testament to his character / reflection again of the kind spirit of Turkish people.

Finally we arrived to a crowded shop which I learned is open most days until 2 am given its popularity with the locals. Let me just say, the hype was real. The baklava there... the only way to describe it is heaven. By far the best baklava I have had in Turkey and I will attempt to find this place again before leaving.

Galata Tower

After our baklava stop Besir took me to his university which is close to Galata Tower. From the top we had an overlook of the Bosphorus. Seriously an incredible site. On the way back he gave me insights on what it is was like growing up in a Kurdish town and having to leave his village at a young age. I was surprised by his honesty and openness to share the intimacies of his life.

The next day was our last (for now) so we didn't want to pack our day to full so I decided to bring Sam to the Galata Tower. Of course we were too cheap to go inside but it still provided a nice view. We walked all the way down to the bottom of the steep street and found ourselves at a ferry port to cross the Bosphorus. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to hop on a ferry, but it is definitely on our to do list once we get back into Istanbul.

After our short outing it was time to pack up and find the Otogar (bus station) to catch our overnight bus into Goreme to see Cappadocia. We decided to leave at 6 pm for our 10 pm bus departure given we weren't exactly sure on how to get their. Thank god we left that early because we spent the next 3 1/2 hours basically in every corner on the European side of Istanbul pretty much everywhere but the Otogar. Alas, we found the bus, purchased our tickets, and got ready for the next exciting part of our journey.

Next stop: Cappadocia!

xoxo, Becca

Istanbul Day 2

Trying French Toast & NH Maple Syrup

The past few days in Istanbul have been absolutely wonderful!

On the first day we shared an american breakfast with our host by making french toast. He contributed some olives so it ended up being a sort of Turkish-American fusion breakfast you could say :) He liked the french toast but was confused by why Americans were making "french toast" and not "american toast". 

In front of the Hagia Sophia

After breakfast we headed up to do some sightseeing! We got our Istanbul Kart & hit the metro to get to where we needed to. I was really surprised at how nice the metro is! I mean it is 1,000 x better than NYC, so much cleaner and calmer. I guess the metro is fairly new so that explains why :) 

We got off at Vezneciler metro stop and sort of just wandered around trying to find the tram. We ended up at Istanbul University which is actually really nice. From there we got a map of the city to help with our navigation troubles. We were able to find the tram but there were a lot of interesting shops along the way so we decided to just walk. As we were walking the Grand Bazaar just sort of popped up! We took a mental note because we knew we were definitely going to return.

Blue Mosque 

Soon enough we arrived to Sultanahmet Square with stunning views of both the Blue Mosque, Aya Sophia, & a beautiful fountain between the both of them. 

We decided to first stop in at the Aya Sophia, because I mean... come on. It is a world wonder and everything :)

Aya Sophia was originally a basilica but was looted during the crusades and then later turned into a mosque after the Ottomans conquered the city. Now it is just a museum which explains why no one was covering their heads when entering. The inside of the dome is massive! There was still some scaffolding on the inside (I suppose some restoration work was being done) but it didn't take away from the beauty.

Inside Hagia Sophia

There are two huge giant symmetrical panels which we read are to date the largest calligraphy in the world. You can take a narrow and dim lit path to the upper gallery to have a view from above. I think this was my favorite part of it. You could also see some of the older mosiacs from when it was a basilica. After taking our time, we decided to leave to check out the next site.

 On the way out a Turkish college student stopped us to interview Sam as a part of her tourist management final. Many of the questions were in broken English but it was fun to take apart of. She asked Sam, "on average how many times do you travel internationally?" His answer: zero. She looked very shocked that this was his first time out of the USA (with the exception of Canada)

Blue Mosque 

After the interview we decided to take a break and sat on a park bench watching the fountain & admiring the views of both the mosque & the Aya Sophia. After the break it was time to explore the the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, or more commonly known as the Blue Mosque. We heard that it would be really crowded so we weren't too sure about going, but I am really glad that we did. It didn't take us too long to get in and luckily I was wearing a turtle neck sweater which flapped up to cover my head (so I didn't need to borrow a scarf). 

Underground in the Basilica Cistern 

The blue mosque was beautiful to say the least. We took the time to sit inside to admire the architecture, rest, and have an opportunity for quiet reflection. There was a section blocked off where people were praying. It is hard to imagine that the Blue Mosque is still a functioning mosque despite the thousands of tourists that I am sure are passing by. I feel that it would be difficult to pray while people are taking pictures left & right.

Medusa

After the Blue Mosque we were determined to find the Basilica Cistern, another famous place very close to the main square. This basilica is famous  because it is the largest cistern that lies beneath the city of Istanbul. This place was so cool!

Inside the cistern are two medusa heads whose origins are unknown. One of the heads is upside down and the other one is sideways which is thought to be done purposely to rid the cistern of negative energy. It is crazy to think that there is this much beauty lying underneath the city of Istanbul as we have heard there are many other places like this, just the Basilica Cistern being the most popular and intact.

After the Basilicia Cistern we were pretty wiped so decided to head back to Taksim Square to get something to eat to wrap up our long day of site seeing. Being in and walking around the main square further emphasized in my mind how cool Istanbul and all of Turkey is. It really is such a mix of East and West old and new.

Flowers near Taksim 

More stories & pictures to come! :)

Kendine iyi bak!
-Becca 

Merhaba from Istanbul!

Hello everyone!

As many of you know my brother & I have decided to travel to Turkey for the winter break to visit one of my best friends Shanna in Adana & also see some of the rest of Turkey too! Our first stop: Istanbul!

We arrived in Istanbul yesterday extremely jet lagged and completely unsure of how to reach our host. We knew he lives somewhere near Taksim Square, the center of Istanbul, so we hopped a bus heading us in that direction. We were dropped off in the square a bit disoriented and unsure what to do next. We went in search of a cafe where I could find some wifi to contact our host.

At the cafe there was nice girl sitting and reading by herself so we struck up a conversation with her. She was kind enough to lend us her wifi.

 One of her first questions was how long we had been in Istanbul. Chuckling, we replied 2 hours. We talked with her for sometime and got our first taste of Turkish hospitality. With the wifi I was able to get the meeting location with the host, but was unsure of how to get there. Although she didn't exactly know herself, this girl walked with us asking directions every few minutes to get us where we needed to go. Such a kind and beautiful soul. I really hope that we have the chance to run into her again while in Istanbul.

View from the flat :)

Finally we met our wonderful host Alper who took us back to his flat. My oh my, what a beautiful view of the city he has! :)

That night we went out to explore the famous area of Taksim to see what it was all about. How can I describe this place? Crowded craziness... but beautiful craziness. The side streets were my absolute favorite with hidden markets, restaurant and shops. We grabbed a quick doner kabab sandwich and continued to explore the area.

After we were feeling tired (jet lag) we decided to walk to a small shop near the flat to pick up some ingredients for breakfast. The shop was 110 steps down from the flat (yes we counted). We were able to get two large water bottles, 6 eggs, a loaf of freshly baked bread, and milk for 7.40 lyra which is a little over $3. Loving Turkey already :)

Sam in front of fancy place in Taksim

We got back to the flat to drop off our groceries to find that the door wasn't opening. We are unsure if one part was accidentally locked or if we were just too tired to get it to work. We tried opening it for awhile and eventually just gave up. We sat outside the door for a little big hoping someone would come by, but there was no luck. Sam actually feel asleep sitting criss-crossed, it was amusing to watch (unfortunately, no picture). We decided to leave the groceries by the door and find someplace warm to wait.

This mishap actually ended up being a blessing in disguise! We walked around more and Sam bought a Turkish language dictionary. We stopped in a small bakery where I was able to get my first Turkish tea and relax awhile. That second outing gave us our second wind! We were also to find cinnamon for our breakfast dish in a spice market. Thank goodness the owner spoke English because we almost bought nutmeg instead!

View close to the flat 

Finally we came back around 11:00 pm after an awesome first half day in Istanbul. We were exhausted but excited for the day ahead where we would get to see the Hagia Sophia and other famous sites in Istanbul.

More to come!
xoxo,
Becca

Wild & Wonderful Mountain Mamas

Starting the trek at Spruce Knob

After getting back to Etown after an awesome summer in Gainesville I didn't want the fun to end just yet. I felt like I needed one last big adventure before starting the next chapter in my life (aka grad school).
So my friends & I decided that we would go on a mountain hiking trip! I have always had this bucket list goal of hiking all of the highest points of each state. I am not completely serious about that goal because right now I couldn't even imagine climbing high points out west, but I do think it is a great way to see the country. So far I have hiked the highest point in Minnesota, Eagle Mountain, and the highest point in New Hampshire (also the highest point in the East Coast), Mt. Washington.


This trip. Oh my. It was a perfect mix of limited planning and spontaneity. We decided that we would hike Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia, Backbone Mountain, The highest point in Maryland, and then Mt. Davis, the highest point in PA.

We started our trip in West Virginia because it was the furthest away & thought we would backtrack after that. West Virginia was so incredibly beautiful! We basically just plugged Spruce Knob into our GPS and blindly followed it. We knew we were near the mountain because our car was climbing up and up and the dirt road continued to get narrower. By the time we got to the trail head it was pouring down raining. There was no turning back now! So we put on our raincoats and strapped on our backpacks & started our hike.

The trail, absolutely beautiful. Also, very long and flat. The hike itself was 9 miles but with minimal elevation. Apparently only 1% of people who visit Spruce Knob actually hike that trail and that was definitely apparent. It was so peaceful and quiet and was really just the three of us out there. We did see a family near the summit who looked like they had been hiking and camping for days. The weather was bipolar and the terrain changed frequently. Narrow paths, paths through grass, river-like paths, and a more open forrest terrain. I loved the diversity on the trail.

"Gorgeous" View at the Overlook

During the second half of the hike we were drenched and absolutely chilled to the bone. I mean it, blue lips and shivering uncontrollably. What was keeping us going was the satisfaction of reaching the top. When we finally reached the top we couldn't see a single thing. We climbed the tower and all burst out in hysterics. All of that work and new view. Kind of like a metaphor for life I suppose. Really though, the view didn't matter because the trail itself was so gorgeous. I think the fact that there was no view just added to the ridiculousness of the trip.

After taking our goofy pictures we came to the realization that we had to get down the mountain somehow. The trail was drenched and it was going to get dark pretty soon. We didn't have flash lights and didn't want to risk navigating through a slippery trail in the dark. We decided it would be best to walk down the auto road because it was also cut some mileage off (6 miles instead of 9). I think we walked a total of 3 minutes before realizing how horrible and miserable we would be during the hike down. We were already cold, but the wind and rain got a lot harsher and this time we had nothing to shield us from the elements. I don't know how it happened, but by some twist of fate a red pick up truck drove by that we decided to flag down. Besides this truck, the summit was completely dead. The truck belonged to a very nice lesbian couple who let us jump in the back and gave us a ride back to our car. Thank god for these lovely human beings or we seriously would have gotten frost bite or something. The couple also informed us that it was supposed to storm pretty bad with thunder and lighting so it might not be a good idea to camp.

View of Seneca Rock from Yokums

We decided to take the couple's advice and find a place to stay. Well, let me tell you. There isn't much in West Virginia. There was only one place which at first we judged pretty harshly but it ended up being great. The place was called Yokums Vacationland. This place had an amazing view of Seneca Rock and ended up being quite the nature vacationland after all!

In the morning we left and decided to check out Blackwaterfalls State Park while we were in West Virginia. AH! More beauty! It was the perfect morning stop before hitting another 2 high points.

Prom Shot at the Falls :)

After the falls, we made our way to Backbone Mountain, the highest point in Maryland. It was rather strange, the base of the trail started just off the highway! It was a steep hike but very short (compared to the day before!) So, it was actually very funny. We were hiking and we thought we had reached the top because there was a big giant boulder. We were confused because there was no sign or mention of it being the highpoint. We shouted down to some other hikers who were below us asking us where the high point was. They replied, "It's down here!". Now, we were surprised because we were much higher up than where the lady was. Then, we realized that we were actually still standing in West Virginia! Crazy right! So we climbed down to reach the "top" of the mountain. Oh my, it was absolutely adorable. There was a mail box with certificates in it stating that you had hiked the highest point as well as a notebook for visitors to sign there name. There was a cute sign, picnic table, and pile of rocks as well. Highpoints take note, Maryland does it right!

Backbone Mountain, Maryland Highpoint

Top of Mt. Davis

After Backbone Mountain, we made our way over to Mount Davis back in good ole PA. First, it was nearly impossible to find and smack dab in the middle of the Amish. When we finally figured out how to get there... well, it was a bit disappointing. The "hike" was a complete joke! It was less than a flat straight mile walk to a tower. I mean, I guess PA is pretty flat, but geez I wasn't even winded! 

All in all it was a great trip filled with adventure, laughs, mountains, and an olive garden gorge on the way back :)

xoxo, Becca