North Fork Resort: Front Royal, VA

Posted on October 21, 2017 by Cello's Corner | 2 Comments

On our road trip down to Knoxville, TN for the 2017 DockDog World Championship, we did an overnight stay at North Fork Resort in Front Royal, VA.

This was a great over-night spot right on the Shenandoah River!

This campground has lots to offer!

All sites come with a fire pit
RV 30-amp & RV 50-amp sites
Water and Electric sites
Water, Electric and Sewer sites
2 Dump Stations
River front sites

The amenities here are endless! I wish we had more time to enjoy some of the many options!

Bingo
Fishing
Horseshoes
Playground
Volleyball
Propane Refills
Dog Park
Minigolf
Basketball
Tennis
Ball field
Outdoor Stage
Game Room

: Rita checking out the Shenandoah River

: Jenny and Rita enjoying some quiet time on the Shenandoah River

Settling in for the night…

: Limoncello

: Margarita

We were able to do a campfire before settling in!

Taking a walk around the campground before we headed back on the road to Tennessee:

: Checking out the pond

: First time crossing railroad tracks

Each time we stopped to spend the night on our way to Knoxville, we changed the “miles to go” sign on our camper!

Getting ready to get back on the road… but not before a selfie with HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCH!

2018 Bark in the Park: Cape Charles, VA

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Cello's Corner | 4 Comments

This had been one our favorite dock diving events in the past. We loved attending this event in both 2015 and 2016 . We camped at Sunset Beach Resort (another favorite!)

Although were extremely excited to be back a third year in a row in July 2017, the weather this year was just unbearably hot. We tried jumping the dogs, but by the time Limoncello’s came up, the temperatures were a real-feel of over 103 degrees… too hot and dangerous to compete in our opinion.

Hooch

Big Air:

22’8″ 23’5″ 2nd Place Elite Division

Lager

Big Air:

16’2″ 17’3″

Even though the one jump that Lager and Hooch executed put them into the Finals, we scratched our jumps for the rest of the weekend, and forfeited our spot in the Finals. We chose to make the best of the remainder of the weekend, and enjoy the campground with the dogs.

Back to the campground to enjoy some Chesapeake Bay fun!

It sure wasn’t the weekend we thought it would be, and people thought we were crazy to give our spot in Finals…but our dogs’ safety and health come first. We made the best of the hot temps, and enjoyed cooling everyone off in the Chesapeake Bay. A bad storm eventually rolled in, but the outcome was a beautiful double rainbow, and a gorgeous sunset!

Thanksgiving 2016: American Heritage RV Park, Williamsburg, VA

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Cello's Corner | 1 Comment

Happy Thanksgiving 2016 from the Liver Killers!

We camped this Thanksgiving at American Heritage RV Park in Williamsburg, VA.

Our campsite:

View from our campsite:

The weather was nice enough that we were able to get outside a lot with the pups. We went on several hikes:

…and at night, our pack of GLAMpers relaxed in the camper bed …

We liked this campground a lot and had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with friends. We hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving as well!

Comfort Inn, University Center, Fairfax, VA

Posted on June 11, 2016 by Cello's Corner | 2 Comments

Margarita got to stay in a hotel for the first time (the Comfort Inn, University Center) when we made a spontaneous decision to be “Sunday Spoilers” at the Celebrate Fairfax Festival dock diving competition!

Rita did SO well during her first hotel stay! She made herself right at home, and was very content.

Exhausted !

Dock-Dogs-tired when she didn’t even dock-dog! Hahaha!

I am so proud of this little girl and how well she did!

The Empire Splashes Back: Virginia Beach, VA

Posted on May 15, 2016 by Cello's Corner | 2 Comments

The Empire Splashes Back was held at our most favorite facility, Shipps Corner.

Toasting to “Tommy D” with his infamous limoncello recipe

Limoncello:

Big Air:

20′ 5″

19′ 6″

Picture Credit: KJ Photography

Big Air Semi Pro Finals: 20′ 4″

Extreme Vertical: 5’0″

Speed Retrieve: 8.470 seconds

Iron Dog: 2703.33 points

Hooch:

Big Air:

20′ 5″

21′ 7″

23′ 3″ 2nd Place Elite Division

Big Air Pro Finals: 21′ 4″

Picture Credit: KJ Photography

Extreme Vertical: 5’6″ 3rd Place Cadet

Speed Retrieve: 10.830 seconds

Iron Dog: 2555.06 points

Lager:

Big Air:

17′ 2″

18′ 5″

19′ 2″ 1st Place Senior Division

Picture Credit: KJ Photography

Extreme Vertical: 5’10” 1st Place Cadet Division

Rita:

Rita had a good time cheering on her brothers and sister, and hanging out with everyone at the event.

Photo Credit: Karen Cummings

Photo Credit: Pamela Smith

By the end of the event, Rita was pooped!

The Colonies RV and Travel Park, Fort Monroe, VA

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

The Colones RV and Travel Park is probably THE coolest place we’ve camped! We stayed here for the Care-A-Lot dock diving event.

Fort Monroe served as a key defensive site of the Chesapeake Bay from Native American’s use before the settling of Jamestown, to its most recent mission as the US Army’s Headquarters for Training and Doctrine Command until 2011.

Rita is finding Glamping to be fun, and is exploring all over the camper! Here she is in the shower:

View from our camp site:

Around the campground and fort:

: The fort

: The fort

: Fort Monroe Quarters Number 1

: Old Point Comfort Light

: Inside on of the buildings

The campground was very peaceful, and the pups were able to rest well in the camper after each day of the event!

Bay Creek Loves Hooch!

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Cello's Corner | 2 Comments

When we were in Cape Charles Virginia for the Wild Card Event, Hooch was a big hit in Bay Creek!

Hooch made the Bay Creek Golf Newsletter:

View the whole newsletter HERE.

Hooch also made the Bay Creek Real Estate Newsletter!

So proud of this little pup!

Cherrystone

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Cello's Corner | 2 Comments

We camped at Cherrystone Family Camping Resort for Cello and Hooch’s dock diving event in Cape Charles, VA.

site # 636 on Clam Lane

You can see by the campground map, this place was pretty big! It was also right on the water, and although we weren’t able to secure a waterfront site, we had a water view from our campsite:

With just a short walk to the water’s edge, we had a wonderful time walking the pups!

This campground offers cabins, cottages, on site rental trailers, and campsites. Cherrystone also offers many great amenities:

Little Neck Cafe

General Store

Farm Stand

Bait and Tackle Shop

Laundry Facilities

RV Services

Rental Golf Carts

ATM Machine

Free Wi-Fi

We wish we had more time to explore this great campground. We hope to be able to take advantage of some of the great amenities mentioned above at our next stay!

Bark in the Park at Bay Creek, Cape Charles, VA

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Cello's Corner | 2 Comments

Cello and Hooch competed in a Wild Card event, called “Bark in the Park,” held at Bay Creek, in Cape Charles, VA. What a gorgeous and dog friendly community!!

We bought a new canopy – LOVE it!

CELLO:

Cello had an awesome weekend. What started out as an event to continue practicing, ended up with Cello taking first place in the Semi-Pro finals, and also setting a new Personal Best in Speed Retrieve!

BIG AIR:

17′ 11″ 21′ 00″

20′ 08″ 20′ 03″

21′ 06″ 21″ 06″

21′ 05″ 22′ 05″ FIRST PLACE SEMI-PRO FINALS!

SPEED RETRIEVE:

8.325 7.650 NEW PERSONAL BEST!

HOOCH

We entered Hooch in this competition specifically to see if we could get him an additional invitation to the World Championships in Extreme Vertical. Not only did he win First Place in Cadet EV and achieve an added invitation in Extreme Vertical, he jumped a new Personal Best (and on camera!!) of 24′ 2″ and made the PRO Finals (first time ever!)!!

BIG AIR:

24′ 2″ 22′ 5″

23′ 3″ 23′ 4″

23′ 0″ 22′ 11″

22′ 10″ 22’2″

23′ 6″ 23′ 9″ Fourth Place in Pro Finals – not bad considering it’s his first time!

EXTREME VERTICAL:

Starting Height: 5′ 4″

Ending Height: 5′ 10″ First Place Cadet (and an invitation to compete in the World Championships in Extreme Vertical!)

Lake Fairfax Park, Reston, VA

Posted on June 7, 2015 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

We camped at Lake Fairfax Park for Cello and Hooch’s dock diving event at Celebrate Fairfax.

Our campsite (site A-18):

This park was HUGE! It has recreational sports fields, a skate park, and a water park!

Skate Park:

Marina and Fishing Pier:

The Water Mine water park:

How cool is this park?!?! We would definitely like to visit here again some day.

(*some pictures taken from Lake Fairfax website)

Residence Inn, Newport News Airport, Newport News, VA

Posted on February 17, 2015 by Cello's Corner | 2 Comments

Cello and Hooch stayed at the Residence Inn, Newport News Airport location, in Newport News, VA for their Valentine’s Day weekend dock diving event.

This hotel is located close to Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport, Ferguson, Patrick Henry Mall, Peninsula Town Center, Prime Outlets, Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, and Water Country USA. They offer a free grocery shopping service so that you can cook in the full kitchen, which is stocked with cookware, dishes, and appliances. The hotel also has an outdoor BBQ and fire pit, fitness center, indoor pool, coin laundry facility, free Wi-Fi, and free breakfast buffet. In addition, enjoy free Wi-Fi, and a convenience mini-mart inside the hotel.

Even better, this hotel is pet friendly, and has a pet “park” located behind the hotel.

Prince William Forrest RV Campground, Dumfries, VA

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

While participating in the Celebrate Fairfax dock diving event, Cello camped at Prince William Forrest RV Campground.

This campground has paved sites, restrooms, shower houses, laundry facilities, a playground, and a pool. There is even a Giant chess/checkers game in the campground!

If you look at the map, we stayed on site F14

The bathrooms were extremely clean, and the staff was more than friendly. If you stay at this campground, be sure to ask about fire rings – some sites have them, and others do not.

Capitol City Brewing Company, Arlington, VA

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Cello's Corner | 2 Comments

In honor of both Cello and Millie earning a new personal best, Team Millie invited us out to celebrate at Capital City Brewing Company in Arlington, Virginia.

Capital City Brewing company first opened in 1992 in our nation’s capitol as Washington DC’s first brew pup since prohibition. We visited the Arlington location, located at the Village of Shirlington, on Campbell Avenue in Arlington, VA.

We enjoyed some of Capital City’s signature beer and some delicious food from their menu, as we toasted to Millie and Cello!

Cello, Addison, and Millie hanging out at Capital Brewing Company:

Easter 2014

Posted on April 20, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

Brian, Cello, and I spent Easter weekend camping in Staunton, Virginia.

On Easter morning, Cello woke up to her basket and huge bunny left for her from the Easter Bunny!

Cello’s Easter Basket:

Cello’s Easter gifts waiting for her on Easter morning in our camper:

Cello was happy to see that the Easter Bunny did not pass her by in her camper

Cello even had her own egg hunt! Each egg was filled with treats!

Lamb Chop was even hiding an egg!

Found another one in the toy basket!

Brian helped Cello get the treat in each egg as she found them:

After the Easter festivities in our camper, we took a ride onto Skyline Drive. Even though we had been on Skyline Drive before, we had never been this far south on it, and we can’t ever get tired of seeing these views!

After our scenic drive on Skyline Drive, we visited Veritas Vineyard , and then stopped at Byers Street Bistro for some fried green tomatoes!

We had a great Easter Day, and a wonderful Easter weekend trip to Virginia! Hope you all enjoyed your Holiday!

Happy Easter!

Veritas Vineyard, Afton, Va

Posted on April 20, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

Located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Verita’s Vineyard offers a variety of delicious wines. The vineyard grounds are dog friendly, and the setting offers a gorgeous view of the mountains!

The tasting room was really nice and had a cool display of wine corks over the bar:

Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia

Posted on April 20, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

Cello had her first ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway! She had been on Skyline Drive before, but she had never been on the Blue Ridge Parkway! The Blue Ridge Parkway spans 469 miles and connects the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive. Construction began in 1935 in Cumberland Knob, near the North Carolina/Virginia state line. The parkway was completed in 1983.

Natural Bridge, Natural Bridge, Va

Posted on April 19, 2014 by Cello's Corner | 2 Comments

The Natural Bridge is located in Natural Bridge (Rockbridge County), Virginia. It is one of the oldest tourist attractions in the United States, and is included in several “Natural Wonders of the World” lists, designated a National Historic Landmark, a Virginia National Landmark, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Natural Bridge was amazing to see. We enjoyed sitting down for a while and taking in all it’s beauty.

Brian got lots of kisses from Cello at the Natural Bridge!

Rockbridge Vineyard, Raphine, Va

Posted on April 19, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

Rockbridge Vineyard sits on a hill at 2,000 ft in elevation in Raphine, Va. The wine maker has worked in wineries in Germany, California, and Virginia, before buying the land to have his own vineyard. The tasting room is actually inside the barn!

The wines here have won many medals including Best in Show in the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition, Best in Show in Town Point Competition, and has also won the Virginia’s Governor’s Cup twice.

We did the white wine tasting list – and each one was delicious.

Cello is waiting patiently for an oyster cracker – or maybe her own glass of wine? She is the “legal” human-age of 21 now 😉

After the wine tasting, we enjoyed a glass of wine before heading out to our next adventure!

This tasting room had a neat concept for the ceiling too…

Wade’s Mill, Raphine, Va

Posted on April 19, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

Wade’s Mill is a working flour mill built in the 1700’s. The mill was built by Captain Joseph Kennedy, an early settler of the Shenandoah Valley. The Kennedy family owned the mill for about 100 years before it was bought by James Wade, whose family operated the mill for the next 4 generations.

Cello and Brian outside of Wade’s Mill:

Wade’s Mill is now officially registered as a historic place:

Wade’s Mill is one of the few remaining flour mills that actually still produces flour exclusively on mill stones. While we were there, the current owner was milling!

The bottom of the mill has a store where you can buy all the goods milled at Wade’s Mill. We bought some polenta, grits, and pesto bread…YUM!

This mill provides flour, grits, polenta, etc for the local restaurants.

Byers Street Bistro, Staunton, Va

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

Byers Street Bistro was the perfect place to grab a bite to eat while exploring Staunton, Va!

They were super dog friendly (even brought water bowls out for the pups!), and the food was absolutely amazing!

Cello, Brian, Brandi and Guinness entering Byers Street Bistro:

I had the fried green tomato appetizer and shrimp and grits (couldn’t resist some good southern menu choices that we can’t get up here in Southern NJ!)

Cello and Guinness enjoyed themselves and were very well-behaved:

Redbeard Brewing Company, Staunton, VA

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Cello's Corner | 2 Comments

How could Cello resist stopping at a brewing company named after her Daddy 😉 With Brian being a “ginger”… we couldn’t resist stopping at Redbeard Brewing Company , located in the historic Wharf district of Staunton, Va. It is Staunton’s first downtown brewery, and they specialize in “small batches of big beers.”

Here is Cello with her Papa Redbeard 😉

Ox-Eye Vineyards, Staunton, Va

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

Ox-Eye Vineyards is located in the historic Wharf District of Staunton, Va. The Vineyard was named after the Ox-Eye flower that grows in abundance on the owners’ farm.

The tasting room is in a building that was originally built in 1904 and used as an office for a local coal and lumber business. The building also served as a scale house for horse drawn coal wagons. The loaded wagons would pull up under the building’s archway to be weighed by the Fairbanks scale.

Barren Ridge Vineyards, Fishersville, VA

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

While camping in Staunton, Va, we visited Barren Ridge Vineyards right after we did some

“spelunking” at Natural Chimneys in Mt. Solon, Va.

Barren Ridge Vineyards is located in Fishersville, Va on a former apple orchard. The winery makes 14 different wines, many of them award-winning. The tasting room is a converted 1890’s apple barn. The owners preserved the original structure of the barn, and it’s wooden beams. The ceiling in the tasting room is constructed of the original barn’s wood…it was really neat!

We enjoyed doing their wine tasting, and being able to have Cello in the tasting room with us:

The tasting room was really nice:

Our friends Brandi and Stan, and their dog, Guinness, also enjoyed the wine tasting:

After the tasting, we enjoyed a glass of wine overlooking the vineyard:

Natural Chimneys, Mt. Solon, VA

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

During our Easter camping trip, we were lucky enough to have visited Virginia’s Natural Chimneys. Natural Chimney Park is located in Mt. Solon, in Augusta County, Virginia, along the North River. There is a campground located at the park with a pool, playground, and hiking trails. Natural Chimneys Park is also home to one of the largest jousting tournaments in the Eastern United States. The tournament has been held annually the third Saturday in August, since 1821!

It’s pretty amazing that the Shenandoah Valley was once the floor of an inland sea! The “chimneys” formed from limestone that began to accumulate under the sea during the Paleozoic Era (some 500 million years ago!!) … the seven “chimneys” that stand at Natural Chimneys Park in Mt. Solon, Virginia tower an amazing 120 ft, and have caves within them. While visiting the chimneys, Cello had her first spelunking expedition!

Jenny and Cello at Natural Chimneys:

Let’s go spelunking!

Brian and Cello entering the cave!

Friends Brandi, and her daughter, Payton, entering the cave:

Thank goodness for iPhones, and camera flashes…it was DARK in there!!

Jenny and Cello taking a rest after our first-ever cave exploration:

It was amazing to learn the history of this incredible natural formation. The chimneys and the cave we were in is something I will definitely never forget!

The historic town of Staunton, Va

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

Looking at the AAA magazine one evening, an article caught my eye about a small town in Virginia ranked one of the best small towns in the United States… Staunton, Va. We decided that this would be a great place to camp for our annual Easter camping trip.

Staunton is a unique and quaint town made up of 5 historic districts. There is great architecture and unique shops and eateries to enjoy.

Staunton/Walnut Hills KOA, Staunton, VA

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Cello's Corner | 2 Comments

Looking at the AAA magazine one evening, an article caught my eye about a small town in Virginia ranked one of the top 20 small towns in the United States…Staunton, VA. After doing some research, and having never stayed at a KOA before, we decided to give Staunton/Walnut Hills KOA a try for our annual Easter camping trip. Not only was Staunton/Walnut Hills KOA in close proximity to the town of Staunton, it is also located between the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountain ranges on the site of a former walnut plantation…pretty awesome!

Our campsite was right on the lake, and was spacious and clean.

Around the campground…

We are the third camper in from the left.

The campground had a fenced-in dog run, so of course we broke out the “Chuck-It,” and let Cello run like the wind!

The sunsets we saw from our campsite were amazing!

We got to see and do some really incredible in and around Staunton, which you will see in upcoming posts!

South Forty Camp Resort, Petersburg, VA

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Cello's Corner | Leave a comment

March 2013

On our way home from Myrtle Beach, we decided to try another stop-over location. We stayed the night at South Forty Camp Resort. It was a quick visit, just to get some sleep before continuing on our travels home. I forgot to take a picture of our campsite at this campground – but here were our views from the campsite…

Cello's Corner

The Adventures of One Amazing GSP

Tag Archives: virginia

North Fork Resort: Front Royal, VA

2018 Bark in the Park: Cape Charles, VA

Thanksgiving 2016: American Heritage RV Park, Williamsburg, VA

Comfort Inn, University Center, Fairfax, VA

The Empire Splashes Back: Virginia Beach, VA

The Colonies RV and Travel Park, Fort Monroe, VA

Bay Creek Loves Hooch!

Cherrystone

Bark in the Park at Bay Creek, Cape Charles, VA

Lake Fairfax Park, Reston, VA

Residence Inn, Newport News Airport, Newport News, VA

Prince William Forrest RV Campground, Dumfries, VA

Capitol City Brewing Company, Arlington, VA

Easter 2014

Veritas Vineyard, Afton, Va

Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia

Natural Bridge, Natural Bridge, Va

Rockbridge Vineyard, Raphine, Va

Wade’s Mill, Raphine, Va

Byers Street Bistro, Staunton, Va

Redbeard Brewing Company, Staunton, VA

Ox-Eye Vineyards, Staunton, Va

Barren Ridge Vineyards, Fishersville, VA

Natural Chimneys, Mt. Solon, VA

The historic town of Staunton, Va

Staunton/Walnut Hills KOA, Staunton, VA

South Forty Camp Resort, Petersburg, VA