Babymoon in Virgina

In January I purchased a Groupon deal for a 4-day Carnival cruise around the Caribbean for us. A couple weeks later one of their ships crashed and sank on the coast of Italy, and we found out that pregnant women are not allowed to sail past their 24th week, yet they were all booked before I hit that mark.

Then I decided to use the refunded (thank you) money for a week in an all-inclusive resort, but the best deal available was in the Dominican Republic and I was convinced by loving family and friends that booking a trip to the DR around 30 weeks pregnant with my medical history may not be a smart decision.

So what to do for a romantic vacation before the baby is born???? After the year we have had and what's ahead with a newborn, we deserve a vacation, right?!?!?!

We decided to split one, expensive, week-long trip into two shorter and cheaper trips that would only be a couple hours away from home and our doctors!

The first of the two we used this past weekend at a wonderful Bed & Breakfast, the Inn at Riverbend on the New River near the Virginia/ West Virginia border. I wanted a romantic, relaxing trip, and this Inn definitely delivered! The room we booked was very comfortable, the view of the mountains and river was extraordinary and uninterupted, and the food they served was satisfying and inventive.

We didn't take too many pictures, because we were more concerned with enjoying our trip than chronicalling it, but here are a few to give you an idea of how idyllic this place was:

But it wasn't all strawberries, sparkling cider, romantic movies, and luxurious breakfasts. I am married to an outdoorsman, after all, and we were in the mountains!

Mountain Lake Resort:

Did you know that the movie Dirty Dancing was filmed in Pearisburg, VA (where we were!), at a resort called Mountain Lake? Neither did we! I really like that movie and grew up watching and quoting it with my sisters. I was on my mission in NY when Patrick Swayze died, but I stilled mourned, and even make this onesie in my etsy store: 

So when the innkeepers told us that the film location was a working resort nearby we decided to check it out! 

Unfortunately, the resort sits on a fault line that shifted below the grounds so the iconic lake

 has drained and dried up! So sad, right? Ben couldn't believe how property value

probably tanked after that. 

We drove around back and walked around the perimeter of the dried-up lake and the old horse/ boat barn:

Cascade Falls

We also took a few hours to hike a 4-mile loop around a gorgeous waterfall and the stream it supports:

It was Ben's goal, in life and on this hike, to try and climb on as much as possible. 

Cascade Falls: 

That hike was manageable but difficult for me. The 2 miles to the Falls were over a really uneven trail covered with downed tree trunks and large rocks and got pretty steep, so I had to be really careful how I stepped and take many breaks because of the hip pain I've been experiencing. The whole loop took us over 3 hours! But Ben was so understanding and always asked how I was feeling and suggested we stop often. Thanks, hon :)