Hit the Road Jack

A direct response to inquires about my recent family trip. Here are the deets to share.

Let me just start off by saying I by no means consider myself a travel blogger, but I am teetering on being the queen of road trips. I haven't been onboard an airplane since 2016, but a girl sure loves to getaway.

Since buying my home in 2017 my husband and I have been particularly savvy about how we spend our coins and have tried investing all the extra ones back into our humble abode. Although I am super frugal (hence the affordable accessory collections, wink wink) I don't like compromising on a good quality family getaway. We figured if we cut out the airfare for our family of three (Fang our fur boy has only become an addition since last year) we could open up our budget. So that's exactly what we have been doing for the past four years, and the experiences have been nothing short of amazing.

Most recently in the age of Covid we looked for wide outdoor spaces that are family and dog friendly since we're way too obsessed with our little beast to leave him behind. We stood within state lines and ventured off just under two hours away to the Catskills. After getting a few snacks at a local farm stand we made our way to Minnewaska State Park. Although the summer climate has dried up the otherwise very appealing waterfall it's still worth taking the mild hike and enjoying the great outdoors and fresh air.

On day two we suited up in our swimwear and set our sights on the Peekamoose Blue Hole (Check the site for permit requirements if planning to visit on a weekend). Advisory: for one bring water shoes for traction if you plan to tackle the slippery rocks. And secondly, be prepared to get the wind knocked out of you at first ice-cold water impact. This, of course, is information relayed by my son and husband as I just sat back and enjoyed the view while taking pictures with Fang and the rest of the gang.

Leap into the fresh cold water from this natural diving rock.

While the photo ops are a must here, take a break from the lense and just breathe it all in. It's amazing that this little bit of paradise is just a short ride away from the busy city.

This creek is part of the NYC drinking watershed, so make sure to grab your things and garbage before leaving!

For the most part, we stuck to the same strip for dinner and road over to Ellenville almost every time, which was a midpoint between our Airbnb and most destinations on our list. We enjoyed our most savory meal at Gaby's Cafe, where the service was great and the owner was kinda confused at how a Bronx family landed in their town on vacation.

Enchiladas Verdes & the reminisce of their house Guac

If you plan on ordering desserts, be warned. Have a buddy system, the portions are huge! Segway to lunch which is at Gaby's sister business, Cohen's Bakery. Equally delicious and it then made sense why the cake portions are so big.

Fried ice cream and monster size cake slices

Day three of our short trip wrapped with an amazing hike up to Sam's Point.

At arrival, we thought we would just hike up to enjoy the vast breathtaking view and work our way back in reverse, but we ended up taking the extra hike down once we got wind that there was a beach further up the path. It's super windy at the peak so prep for some watery eye photos but with a near 360 landscape panorama, it's impossible not to be in awe even with teary eyes. Suddenly it's easy for stress to melt away once you realize how small you really are in comparison.

I'm still meaning to google how there can be a saltwater beach above sea level. There was such an oddity about coming off of the viewpoint and then walking onto a foamy rocky beach. There were random rocks stacked along the shore which made the whole vibe super zen. Following the path down to our initial start point, we stumbled on two mid-1800 homes which were used for berry picking businesses. The frames were pretty intact and there was even a photo reference of an actual occupant back in the heyday.

Finally, just a few minutes out from Sam's Point is another beautiful view off of Cragsmoor Stone Church. With such an amazing picturesque view is no wonder why weddings are held here often. There's so much texture in the landscape that can be viewed for miles and miles and the pink hues pictured here must have been that much more amazing had we stayed around for sunset.

Although our trip involved a whole lot of walking it balanced the weight of all that calorie burning with serenity and relaxation. It was the perfect mental break needed to wrap up our summer.

I hope I answered all of your questions! Shoot me a message in the comments about your own awesome road trips, weekend getaways, or favorite spots.