Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

Hello All!

Happy Monday!  I was going to blog last night but...I was too tired after a long day of driving and road trippin'!  Weird how driving makes you tired...,right?  

Anyway...I'm here to tell you all about our anniversary trip and the excitement that it brings!!  We were SOOO excited for it as it was our first real vacation since being here in CT!!  We've had trips to NYC and Boston and other places, but those were over the weekends!  This was a REAL trip because we actually took a day and half off work (big whoop, right)!  Anyway, surprisingly enough, the 3.5 days before our trip FLEW by (I'm telling you....living out here is busier than anywhere else, especially in the West) and it was time to go to our trip!

Richy got me so beautiful mini-roses as a surprise right before we packed up and left.  We thought about taking them with us, but decided against it, even though I wasn't able to enjoy them for long.

We got everything arranged with Bilbo early in the week, or the weekend before.  A SUPER nice guy named Jay, from DogVacay.com watched Bilbo for us.  It was great because he only charged 20$ per night so the whole trip only cost 80$ boarding him.  The only downside was that he lives in Bridgeport which is kind of like the armpit of Connecticut.  It was our first time there when we dropped him off and the roads are just WEIRD and hard to navigate through.  It's also about 30 minutes away in the wrong direction (north, instead of west towards the Poconos).  But it was all good because Bilbo ended up having a LOT of fun!  He was very responsible with Bilbo and sent pictures throughout our trip to update us.  It was really considerate of him.  He was very friendly and professional!  If he didn't live in Bridgeport, we'd use him again!

Anyway, before dropping him off, we took Bilbo to the dog park in Westport to tire him out.  That is probably the best one around because they have this.

That's right.  It's exactly what it looks like.  A doggie drinking fountain.  It's pretty much the best invention ever.  The only problem it creates is a mud puddle right next to it...which I guess is kind of a big problem.  Anyway, Bilbo loves it.  He's always so parched after playing and romping, so it's perfect.

It was also perfect that we took him there because Westport is on the way to Bridgeport and he was pooped in the car after that.  It's always a pain when he's being a pill in the car and whining and stuff.  But when he's tired, he just lays down in the back and is quiet.

Of course, right after we dropped him off we started missing him.

But - we were pretty excited about our upcoming adventure!

We have been listening to Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton for our road trips.  I actually started it in the car on the way out here (Rich unfortunately didn't have a CD player in the truck...I listened to like 4 books on CD), but didn't finish.  Anyway, if you ever choose to read it or listen to it - it is GRAPH-IC.  Much more so than the movie!  There's a few parts that I really squirmed listening to....Dinosaurs eating people *shudder*.  You've been warned!

It took about 3 hours to get there.  We were expecting a cabin, but it was just a regular old B&B - we were the only folks staying in a Jacuzzi suite however.  I really shouldn't say it was regular...it was far from that.  It was our first time staying in a Bed and Breakfast and if you haven't ever it's wonderful!!  I highly recommend it!  It really puts continental breakfast to shame!

Here's our bed...it was huge.  We're not used to sleeping in a King size...

I got a little cold not being able to sleep right next to my husbands warm body!  It was nice to be able to spread out a little though.

Here's our Jacuzzi with a fire place!  We went to a local Walmart that was like 10 minutes away (the Poconos aren't as remote as I thought they'd be....it's all fairly civilized...just a much less population) to get some bubble bath (which...was very hard to find. I had to ask 2 employees to finally find it) and when we returned we saw that the sign posted on the side of the Jacuzzi said that we couldn't use it!!!  We put in one cap full of the stuff in anyway...but it didn't do much.  We still enjoyed it though.

I thought the faucet was really pretty and fancy!

We felt very relaxed after soaking in that tub - I want one in my future house!! (and I WILL use bubbles in it!!)

Before we went settled in in our cozy Jacuzzi cottage, we went for a little stroll on the beach by Lake Naomi. It was pretty romantic because it was right when the sun was setting and made for some beautiful pictures!!

Breakfast in the morning was delish!!  The cute B&B lady was super lovely and Mrs. Weasley ish and took our orders!

Bit peeky, eh?

Our table (each table) had a jar of wildflowers in it.  So pretty and so cute.

I ordered french toast with sprinkled granola.  Seems like a little bit of a weird combo but it was SO GOOD!  The bacon was perfect too!  It was such a tasty filling breakfast which was perfect for the day we had planned.

The above pictures are proof at how cutsie the B&B was.  It was just so cozy and...I'd stay there every day of my life if I could.  Maybe my house will be decorated like that someday.

We knew we wanted to do some hiking in the Poconos but we weren't sure what.  Mrs. Weasley gave us a little pamphlet with nearby hikes that we could check out.  We decided to go on the Boulder Fields hike.

As you can see....it's just a field of boulders.  Upon first glance, it doesn't seem that special.  But - how did they get there?  Why are there so many?  It's probably a good mile or so and how did they all get there??  Aliens?  Natives?  Who knows!

I used to hike with a "hiking stick" when I was younger all the time.  I typically don't anymore but Rich and I had a good reason for having a little extra support (and protection) on the trail.  The hike said 3.5 miles and I was thinking..."probably round trip".  We were dummies and didn't bring water with us, but I thought that we could do 3.5 miles fine without water.  But it was definitely 7 miles round trip!  We were very tired and hungry when we were done!  Always bring water!!

Here's a panoramic pic of not even all of it.  It was huge!!

There were a few other families there, but luckily Rich snapped this one when they were hopping elsewhere out of the shot.  If you ever have the chance to go here - I recommend it!!  I've never seen anything like it.  It's a National Natural Landmark - it just there an no one knows how or why!  It's bizzare!  It's weird!  it's SCIENCE!!

I couldn't resist!!

Anyway...I'm getting to the BEST PART of our trip.  So on our way to the Boulder field as we were hiking along we went through many different kinds of "terrain".  There were parts of the trail that were very "piney" and felt as if we were hiking through the Rocky Mountains, there were a few parts that were "meadowy" and there were several parts of the trail that were "jungly" and we felt like we were literally bushwhacking our way through the trail!  It was awesome!   We were about half way through the trail, I was in front, Rich was behind and we were talking about something (as what usually happens whenever you go hiking).  I couldn't see too far in front of me because the trail was so bushy and so windy that every turn was a surprise!  As I was leading the way, I suddenly saw a creature in front of me....

My first thought was that it was a dog - naturally.  I have a dog and so it's the animal I have the most exposure to.  But as I saw it I instantly new that it wasn't a dog - it was bigger, fuzzier and more BEARISH!!  Because it was a BEAR!!!

Fight or Flight instantly took over (anyone who knows me knows that I'm much more of a flighty person) and I turned around and said "Oh my gosh there's a bear!!"  I practically walked right into Rich, who was then noticed the bear and said something like "whoa!!!" and then followed after me!

I kept walking (not running strangely...trying to stay calm...and I also started to pray) and Rich stopped behind me.  He started clapping and yelling - remembering that that's what you're supposed to do if you encounter a black bear!!  Sure enough the bear ran off and Rich said he saw another big bear go lumbering after it!!  TWO BEARS!!!  AND THEY WERE LITERALLY RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!!!  I almost walked into it you guys!!  I swear it was like only 6 feet (or closer) in front of me!!  

Needless to say, I was all jumpy and uppity, but we pressed on.  Clapping and making loud noises every so often to "scare off" any wildlife (mainly bears!!).  That was also the real reason we found hiking sticks - protection.

This is our SECOND bear encounter since being together.  The first time we saw one we encountered 2 bears (a mother and cub) on the Spanish Fork Peak trail in Springville.  Luckily they were pretty far away, otherwise we could have been in serious trouble!

I told Rich that the time has come that we should invest in Bear Spray.  2 encounters is enough to know that we're bear magnets!  Don't ever think "it won't happen to me" because I'm living proof that it DOES HAPPEN TO ME!  It's a HUGE rush but also super scary!!

Anyway...that was the most exciting part of the entire trip.  Our way back from the Boulder Feild was uneventful and bear-less.

After our hike we were famished and parched so we went to eat at this wonderful little place called Sitko's Farmhouse.

IT. WAS. AMAZING.

Honestly, I was a little worried it would be questionable food based on the way it looked on the outside (a little run down and literally in the middle of nowhere) but wowzer!!  It was incredible, home-cooked food.  Rich got a chicken finger meal (totally hand made...nothing pre-frozen and deep fried about it) with homemade baked beans and mashed potatoes and gravy.  I sampled everything...it was DROOL-WORTHY!!  And I ordered the Chef's Salad.  I didn't know what to expect but I didn't expect this!

The boiled eggs were pink!  it was magical!!  I think they were pink (and had a little extra flavor) because they must have been soaked in Beet juice.  (Schrute Farms must be nearby).  It was delicious!!  It had deli style ham and turkey cut in strips and rolled up in it, and cucumbers and cheese and it was just...incredible.  It was so filling just....if you're ever in White Haven, PA GO TO SITKO'S FARMHOUSE!!  You will NOT be disappointed!!

After that,we headed towards SCRANTON, PA and stopped at place called Seven Tubs.

I don't really know why it's called Seven Tubs...maybe because it's the LOOONG waterfall that pools in seven different places??  I don't know, and we never found out because we were very weary from the days activities and wanted to get to our hotel (EconoLodge - whaaat!!).

It was STUNNING though.  Super pretty!!

We stayed at EconoLodge which looked like a DUMP from the outside, it totally looked questionable but in all honesty the room was pretty nice.  We had another King size bed and for the most part it wasn't anything special...but it was clean and it was a place to lay our weary heads.

In the morning - we set out to find all of the OFFICE things that there were to see in SCRANTON!!  We were super excited but as the day went by we felt a little underwhelmed by the city.  

We started by visiting Lake Scranton.  In season three, Michael takes The Office clan to Lake Scranton for "beach games".

Below are pictures of the REAL Lake Scranton.

There were lots of friendly squirrels and chipmunks.  One chipmunk almost crawled onto Rich's toes!!

It turns out that there isn't even any real beach access at Lake Scranton.  It's just a big trail that people can walk around (or run around, there were quite a few people jogging and getting in their morning exercise) the whole lake.  It's about 3.5 miles around (as you can see in the first picture).  There was no sign that said "Lake Scranton" there were just HUNDREDS (I swear) of those little white posters stapled to the surrounding trees that said "Welcome to Lake Scranton".  We found a little trail that lead out to a small beach.  There is no way that Michael and all of Dunder Mifflin could have played beach games - let alone walk across hot coals - at the REAL Lake Scranton - although it was fun to visit!

"I don't know how to be normal" - Rich Wilkins

Truer words have never been spoken by him.  After a year of marriage THAT is certainly true.  But you know what?  Neither do I!!  I guess we're meant to be!

Then we went to find the Steamtown Mall.  Michael takes all the women of the office to Victoria's Secret for "Women's Appreciation" and lets them get whatever they want on his check.

The Steamtown Mall is a very tiny and pretty depressing mall.  So is the whole town for that matter.  It's honestly pretty run down.  As we walked around Lake Scranton we thought it might be a great place to live - but after driving around all of Scranton we decided strongly against it!  It's not really all that The Office makes it out to be.

Anyway...the Steamtown Mall... it was kind of tricky to find because it was much smaller than we were expecting!  It felt like a mall when we went inside except literally every other store was closed down!  I was secretly hoping that there might be some kind of "Office" store in the mall, but we had no such luck!  We discussed the idea of leasing one of the closed down stores and opening an "Office" store for people like ourselves who were curious about the real Scranton!  The idea was short lived after we realized that the Office is over and the buzz about it has probably died down.

The original Scranton sign is on display in the mall.

This sign is one of the only actual real things that was actually in Scranton during the filming of The Office.  Turns out that literally ALL of it was filmed in LA on a set made to "look" like Scranton.  But this sign shows up at the beginning of every office episode.  When John Krasinski (Jim) got the part in the show, he and his friends drove out to Scranton and made video driving in with footage of this sign.  The signs have since been replaced with new ones, but the original is forever preserved in the struggling Steamtown Mall - thank the heavens they have it!  It's probably keeping the few stores left in business by bringing Office obsessed foreigners like ourselves in for business!  I'm not even exaggerating..it really is struggling!  I wouldn't be surprised if it went out of business entirely within the next few years.  The food court only had 2 open restaurants, the rest were closed down!!

The rest of Scranton is pretty much just like any other town.

There's residential areas (we may or may not have been hunting for Pam and Jim's house)....which actually kind of make you feel like you're driving through San Francisco, except less beautiful.  It's SUPER hilly!!

And there are busier, trafficy, traffic-lighty parts!  oh wait...does that say MIFFLIN AVE??  As in DUNDER MIFFLIN!?  You bet it does.  We looked for a street called Dunder...but found it was non existent.

After hanging out there for a little while, we had lunch at a place called Coney Island Lunch (not sure where it got that name) see selfie below...

...it was cutsie and diner-ish!  After that we went to Alexander's to get our massages which were DIVINE!  We got full body 60 minute couples massage and it was just so lovely and relaxing!  I highly recommend it if you've never had that done - it's just SOOO relaxing!!  I think it will be an every anniversary tradition!

We stopped at Cooper's Seafood - another famouse Office site where Michael take Holly to dinner to try to rekindle their love.

The whole place looks like a pirate ship and was super hoppin' when we went!  It reminds me of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland.  It smelled like fish and seafood and salt!!  

Can you tell which photo is the Office footage and which one is footage from our life??

We didn't actually eat at Coopers (the Yelp reviews were kinda mixed), but we did check out the gift shop for any kind of Office paraphenalia for a souvenir.  There was a shirt there that said,

"There ain't no party like a Scranton party cuz a Scraton party don't stop!" but it was branded with Cooper's logo as well, which we didn't want.

We went BACK to Sitko's for dinner (a 40 minute drive away)  because it is THAT GOOD and took these pictures!

Rich ordered the same thing as the night before and I had an enormous Philly cheesesteak sandwich that I couldn't finish.  I'm telling you - go to Sitko's and your life will be changed.

That pretty much sums up our trip!  It was  BLAST and it was suuuper relaxing!!  It is now 12:18am and Rich has to be to work early in the morning because he's visiting NJ for work!

Love you all!!  Nighters, until next time.

Please enjoy this link to an Office clip from which this blog post gets it's namesake.

Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.