Adventure Taker

In addition to the Mardis Gras of the Carolinas, I’ve got some fun adventures happening this month! This weekend, I’m going to the beach with my friend Ashley and some of her friends. I have no idea what beach we’re going to but it’s somewhere in NC … I’m all for a girls’ weekend at the beach no matter where it is And next Friday, drag bingo is coming to Raleigh! My friends and I have been talking about going to this for awhile, and are finally going. This month’s theme is “Icon Bingo;” I imagine there will be Marilyn Monroe and Cher lookalikes in the mix. Amazing!

My February is turning out to be quite the interesting month … stay tuned for pictures and recaps!

I’m really excited because today I bought my ticket for Castle Carnevale! Going to this festival has been a year in the making. I was supposed to go last year but it was the same weekend I moved to Raleigh, so I had to pass HOWEVER, I’m definitely going this year!

My friend Courtney and I found out about this completely by accident. We were on a mini road trip to High Point and were leaving the Doll & Miniature Museum (creepy place, FYI) and found a brochure for the Castle McCulloch. We decided to go check it out, and found this gorgeous castle in the middle of nowhere, NC. No one was around, so it felt like we were trespassing. We explored inside, and found a flier for the Carneval party. And one year later, we’re going

From the pictures on the Web site, it looks like the event will be a Renaissance fair/rave/Halloween party/Disney theme park. Aka it’s going to be absolutely insane – and I’m really excited to experience it in all its glory Now (and this is such a girl dilemma), I need to figure out what to wear; I don’t exactly have a lot of medieval costumes hanging in my closet (which I think is a good thing).

Here’s the description from the site: “Imagine arriving to an evening sparkling with promise surrounded by beauty, where the magic of anticipation is carried on a heat wave of flashing smiles, delighted laughter and exclamations of wonder! Castle Carnivale invites you to experience the decadence of Mardi Gras in a festival fantastic enough for the Carolinas. Sizzling entertainment will set the mood and enticing Carnivale costumes bring a bare-as-you-dare bohemian attitude!”

Don’t worry, I’ll share pictures Here are some pics of the castle from our trip last year to give you an idea of what the castle looks like:

T-minus 12 days and counting …

I did last Wednesday night

Here’s the story: I belong to the I’ve Always Wanted to Try That! group on meetup.com, which is a group that plans all kinds of random adventures, from paintball to hiking to going to a Thai restaurant. A couple of times, I’d seen that they’d had pole dancing classes. In the spirit of trying new things, and for my own curiosity, I decided to sign up for a class.

We met at Aradia Fitness and there were about 15 of us in the class. We started by learning the “sexy walk,” did some stretching and floor work, and then learned a routine on the pole. The class was so much fun! Once we had been there for a little bit, everyone relaxed and got into it. Learning the routine was a blast too; my absolute favorite move was called the Fireman’s Spin, and you can see a video of what this move looks like here. And just to prove that I actually went, here are a few pictures:

Posing for the camera

The Fireman's Spin!

To me, pole dancing (for fun, not for ca$h money) is all about empowering women to feel good about their sexuality. Every woman in my class had her own style and embraced it in her own way. We all had huge smiles on our faces and left feeling fabulous. I’d absolutely go again, and may have already …

At the end of December, my family went on a mini vacation to celebrate my dad’s 60th birthday. He’d always wanted to stay at the Mount Washington Resort, a Victorian inn at the base of Mt. Washington in NH, so after Christmas we crammed way too much luggage packed up our car and headed to the great outs’mores (see photo of my sister Allie’s amazing t-shirt below).

Uncomfortably crammed in the backseat:

The Omni Mount Washington Resort (I loved the custom Coke machine!):

The inn was gorgeous, and we had so much fun! Allie is the best partner in crime, and we had a blast. There are lots of activities to do there (skiing, ziplining, tubing) but we all just relaxed and didn’t do that much! We “rock climbed” outside of the Cave, a 1920s prohibition-style speakeasy, made friends, were served milk & cookies, danced a ton, made a late night trip to the outdoor swimming pool and celebrated my 25th birthday.  I’ll let the pictures do most of the story telling

Look, it’s a massage fit for an Adventure Taker!

Allie found this hilarious t-shirt at the inn; it sort of became the theme of the trip:

We all had so much fun that I think this will become an annual trip

I pronounce r’s, don’t wear flannel, have all my teeth and eat things besides lobster and blueberries. So most people can’t tell I’m from Maine right off the bat. Here’s a typical conversation I have with people once they find out:

Them: “Wow, you’re from Maine? I’ve never been but would love to go; I hear it’s beautiful there.”

Me: “You should go! There are tons of great things to do there.”

Them: “Yeah, maybe I will. Wait, isn’t Maine a part of Canada?!”

There ARE tons of great things to do and see in my home state (and no, it isn’t a part of Canada. Brush up on your geography people!) These are some of my favorites; maybe they’ll inspire you to venture up north and experience it for yourself

Top of Bald Mountain in Rangeley

Outdoors: Maine is great for people who like being outdoors year-round. In the winter, Sunday River and Sugarloaf are the two biggest ski resorts in the state and are for beginners and experienced skiers. Cross-country skiing is one of my favorite winter activities; it’s like running on skis – super awkward at first, but a great workout! In the summer, it’s all about going to the beach (ocean or lake), outdoor festivals and concerts, lobster bakes … and contrary to popular belief, it gets really hot in the summers! For one week every summer, my family rented a cabin in Rangeley, a small lake town in the middle of the state, which is a popular travel destination for Mainers (aka a lot of tourists don’t know about it).

Shot taken while cross-country skiing

Summer sunset on Rangeley Lake

The famous L.L. Bean boot

Shopping: Freeport and Kittery are great for outlet shopping. Plus, the original L.L. Bean store is in Freeport, and going there is an activity in itself! You can take a picture with the massive boot sculpture, climb the rock wall, watch the trout swim in their indoor pond … it’s an adventurer’s paradise, and it’s open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Old Port area in Portland is great for more upscale shopping. The cobblestone streets are lined with art galleries, clothing boutiques, book stores and coffee shops, including my new favorite one, Arabica Coffee House.

Adventure: L.L. Bean also has an Outdoor Discovery School that provides the guides and supplies for adventures including kayaking, skiing, snowshoeing, weekend trips … I haven’t done one yet but believe me, it’s on my to-do list Acadia National Park and Baxter State Park are great spots for hiking, camping and enjoying natural sights. Baxter is also where I had my death-defying hiking trip this summer, and is a great spot for adventure seekers!

Portland at night

Dining and drinking: Portland is the best place to check out for good eats and fun nightlife; here are a few of my favorites:

• Una Wine Bar & Lounge. One of their drinks comes with an edible flower!
• Bull Feeny’s and Grittys , 2 pubs where I have mini high school reunions every time I go
• Foreplay for their cheap jello shots. Enough said.
• Fore Street. Swanky restaurant with delicious eats.
• The Grill Room, The Front Room and The Corner Room.  This trio of restaurants are run by the same owner. I’ve been to The Grill & Front Rooms and highly recommend them.
• Grace. Want a little religion with your dinner? Located in what used to be the Chestnut Street Church, this is the new hot restaurant in Portland.
• O’Naturals. This is a natural and organic fast food restaurant – amazing! I used to work at the Falmouth location, and every time I’m home I MUST make a trip to this place. Seriously, the food is delicious, and there’s always a looong line.

Odds n ends: The Big Freeport Indian (or Big F***ing Indian ) is definitely a random site.  It’s a massive statue of a native American that’s at least 3 stories high. It used to be a landmark for a store called Levinsky’s, which has changed into a wine bistro – good decision in my opinion Right next door in Yarmouth is the World’s Largest Rotating Globe, which takes 18 min to rotate one time around. And apparently there’s a Paul Bunyan status somewhere in Bangor, which I’ve yet to discover!

The BFI

So hopefully, you’ve seen something in this post that will inspire you to venture north and experience Maine for yourself. There are many adventures to be had in Vacationland!

Last night, I crossed item #1 off my bucket list: I did karaoke alone!  We were celebrating Charlotte’s birthday, and after dinner at a Mexican restaurant, we went over to Jax Sports Grill. As a group, the girls sang Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (a natural choice), and then Charlotte, Annie and I sang Step by Step by NKOTB. After 2 warm up songs, I was ready to go solo.

Back in junior high, my friend Chelsea and I memorized all the words to Shoop by Salt n Pepa. It was the perfect song choice for my karaoke debut! It got the whole bar going and was definitely a hit I think I’ve found my perfect karaoke song.

Can I get some fries with that shake-shake?

On your mark, get set, go, let me go, let me shoop

Here’s the original music video if you want to learn too (c/o YouTube):

I came across this article today of the 50 greatest travel books of all time c/o @MatadorNetwork. I’m always looking for new books to read, and obviously love to travel, so it was a great find. I wanted to share it with you, and add a few of my faves to the mix. Some of them are about traveling, and some are set in/about foreign countries (which makes me want to travel).

• A Walk in the Woods and Neither Here nor There by Bill Bryson. So funny I would actually laugh out loud, which got a bit awkward because I read them during my lunch hour and I’m sure my co-workers were wondering why I was laughing to myself. His friend and co-traveler Katz is outrageously funny. A Walk in the Woods inspired me to hike the Appalachian Trail, which after my death-defying hike up Mt. Katahdin may not even happen …
• Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin. Shows that one person really can make a difference, in a big way.
• How Soccer Explains the World by Franklin Foer. Studies soccer teams in various countries and shows how the teams reflect social and economic conditions in their countries. I was a sociology major – make sense now why I liked it?
• The United States of Europe by T.R. Reid. Explains how and why the EU was formed, and how it’s becoming a super power. My favorite chapter was about the euro, and how it was the most successful currency launch in human history.
• Sarum by Edward Rutherford. I ADORE his books. I’ve also read Princes of Ireland and have Rebels of Ireland on my bookshelf. Sarum spans 10,000 years and follows five families through the generations. It’s incredible to see how the country and family evolves over time. I also enjoyed it because I’ve been to Stonehenge and Bath, which is the area that used to be called Sarum. These are big books but are great for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. It’s a goal of mine to read every one of his books – wish me luck, I need it!

What are some of your favorite travel books? What books get you in the mood to travel?

I was halfway up Mt. Katahdin when I decided I’d had enough. I told my dad I needed a break, sat down on a rock and promptly started crying. Completely taken aback, my dad asked, “Kath, what’s wrong?” “Dad, I really don’t like this. I’m really afraid of heights.” “You’re scared? But I thought you liked heights; you’ve been paragliding!”

Let me back up. In August, I went home to Maine for a vacation, and my dad and I had planned a camping and hiking trip to Baxter State Park so we could hike Mt. Katahdin. I’d been inspired by A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, and wanted to hike part of the Appalachian Trail. Plus, I love camping but don’t have any equipment – or friends who like to do it. My dad, however, is Mr. L.L. Bean and loves the outdoors; it was easy to get him to go with me.

Mr. L.L. Bean himself

The morning of our hike, we got up early and were on the trail by 7:30. It started off just fine. There was a pretty waterfall to look at, and the trail wasn’t too steep. However, everything changed once we broke the trees – that’s when the rock climbing began. The rocks were jagged, narrow, and also on a ledge, so if you slipped you were going over the edge. And, my dad told me, this part of the hike lasted about 2.5 miles, so it wasn’t going to be over soon.

The start of the Katahdin Stream trail

Now, I consider myself a pretty adventurous person, but it’s important to know that I don’t like heights. At all. Sometimes I pretend that I’m ok with them, and do crazy things like go paragliding, but I’m really just pretending to be brave to save face.

So there I was, terrified on a mountain in Maine, trying to convince myself I’d be ok when all I wanted was for a helicopter to come pick me up and safely deposit me at our campsite. Two things kept me going. First, the thought that hey, my dad likes me and probably wouldn’t have me do something that he thought would kill me. Second, and maybe more powerful, was a family with two young boys that were hiking around us. The youngest was practically jumping over the rocks and showed no fear; the idea of a seven-year-old beating me was too embarrassing! I reluctantly picked myself up and started climbing again.

The hike was beautiful, especially the view at the top. Unfortunately, I was so freaked out and focused on getting off the mountain that I hardly took any pictures The ones I took are pretty ominous though, which helps prove that it was a scary experience!

Looks intimidating, doesn't it?

We made it to the top!

Surprisingly, going down was better than going up, but not by much. Definitely had a few more freak out moments, and was ecstatic when it was all over. From start to finish, it took us 8.5 hours to hike the Katahdin Stream trail. I was sore for days! The next day, we met my mom and sister and spent a few days on Monhegan Island, and while we did go hiking there too, I’m happy to say it was nothing like Katahdin!

The hike was 100% out of my comfort zone. I’m glad I did it, and even have a “I climbed Mt. Katahdin” sticker to commemorate the experience, but I have zero desire to ever set foot on that mountain again!

Have you ever had a similar experience? Maybe not with hiking, but something that was so out of your comfort zone that you didn’t think you could do it?

The waterfall at the start of the hike

A natural swimming pool near our campsite; made for an excellent shower after the hike!

Marker inside the park. Yes, please keep it beautiful