Dark Hollow Falls

As Halloween quickly approaches, the weather gets colder. I sit in my room pondering what to do on this chilly, fall day. My room has the perfect view of the woods and the beautiful combination of fall colors. The wind has blown a few of the yellow leaves off of the trees, but it creates a beautiful site as they glide ever so elegantly to the ground.

Leaves at my house.

Just watching the leaves makes me travel back to old memories. I have this fond memory of walking in the mountains alone down a horse path. The site I saw was like something from a painting. The trees were parted and both sides were filled with yellow, orange, and red leaves. As for the ground, well, it was covered in leaves. It seemed so peaceful and for a moment time stopped.

Where is this place I refer to?
The Shenandoah National Park is located near Front Royal. There is a small fee to enter into the park, but I can assure you it is completely worth it. This time of year is pretty quiet, so not too many tourists. The exciting part is looking out at the gorgeous site of fall. It truly is picture perfect. Take a picnic basket with you because there are not many places to eat or get water.

What is my favorite place to hike and sit around?
Once I enter the park I always head straight for this waterfall called Dark Hollow Falls. Sounds enticingly scary for Halloween, right? It is a steep climb up and down, but my suggestion is head past the waterfall and deeper into the woods. This is where you will see picture perfect scenery. Unfortunately, there are no pets allowed on this trail.

Have a safe journey to Dark Hollow and beware of the werewolves that haunt the woods!

Scare Your Pants Off

Due to the Halloween spirit I decided to travel into the world of horror movies. Have you ever found yourself questioning almost every scenario in horror movies?

Even Scream likes to carve pumpkins!

Lets start by breaking down the appeal of the genre. I watch the genre a lot during Halloween because I feel it has enough of a scary vibe to keep the spirit of Halloween going. On the other hand, scientists’ say that psychologically it releases built up or repressed emotions. In my opinion, I think we just love to have the pants scared off of us.

What are key elements in horror flicks?

• There has to be some sort of hero or main victim. Due to this main victim’s decisions many people close to him/her will be killed.
• The main victim must be isolated. The isolation is done mentally and physically (i.e. separate him/her in the woods).
• The main victim will become panic-stricken and will end up in deeper sh*t.
• The main victim ends up backed up against a wall and does not sacrifice him/herself. This leads to the secondary victims to start dying off.
• Usually, the end is when the main victim fights back. Some horror flicks allow the main victim to win while others have no hero and everyone ends up dead.

So what else do I have to question?

Well, recently I watched Scream IV. The movie was cool, but it made me realize in almost all horror flicks:

• There are never any parents at home with their kids.
• Nobody owns dogs.
• People rarely fight back when attacked.
• My favorite is the fact that someone always gets out of the car, which makes the killer’s life easier.

What are some suggestions for films to analyze?

Human Centipede, Scream IV, Black Sheep (weird & funny horror), An American Werewolf in London, Dawn of the Dead, Halloween, and Creature From the Black Lagoon

Why do you watch horror flicks?

October Fun

As I walked outside with my cup of coffee, I noticed an orange leaf fall to the ground in front of me. I picked it up and looked around. It is October and fall is in the air. What should you do to enjoy October? How about you travel back to your childhood years.

1/2 of my family

When I say travel back to your childhood I am not talking about costumes, but pumpkins. Every year my family travels to a pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins to carve. It becomes an all day event at the Belvedere Plantation. We bring the kids so they can ride ponies, make scarecrows, pet farm animals, enjoy corn mazes, and of course, travel to a field of pumpkins to yank one off a vine!

Me carrying all the pumpkins for $26.99!

There are many farms that allow people to enjoy the festivities of October. The farm my family goes to is located in Fredericksburg, Va. called the Belvedere Plantation. There is a small fee to get in, but the festivities are free. The pumpkins are not over priced and if you carry all you can 3 steps, then you get them for $26.99. I have been stuck carrying all the pumpkins 3 steps for 3 years now.

My advice is don’t be scared to still be in touch with your childish side. Carving pumpkins is a fun activity and when you are done you can bake the pumpkin seeds! Click for a recipe! Remember to take a break from your busy lifestyle and have a little fun!

Do you have any good fall ideas?