living well one day at a time

 

 

 

My favorite companies to utilize while searching for accommodations when traveling are Airbnb and Hipcamp (click those links and you’ll get a discount if you’re a first time user, no pressure). For those of you that don’t know, Airbnb offers quirky homes in local settings that are often a much better deal than a hotel, and Hipcamp is essentially the Airbnb of camping, boasting private listings of everything from primitive sites, to RV spots, yurts, and small cabins. One of my dearest friends Jessica and I were having a conversation recently about upcoming trips, and she shared a link to this Tipi Airbnb that was too magical to not book. The Blue Ridge Mountain Tipi ended up being everything we expected and more.

Here’s why:

 

 

 

That’s right, a tipi. Thanks to the amazing host Sara and her husband, it’s fully winterized and includes loads of awesome amenities like a sleep number bed, coffee maker, heater, electricity, and a sweet outdoor area to cook and lounge.

 

We arrived Friday evening and were greeted warmly by Sara with a tour of the land, tipi, and an introduction to the nearby animals. The tipi and bathhouse had everything you could possibly need, including a hammock, cooking utensils, and tea. We unpacked and began exploring, with the intent to feed the animals and see a killer sunset before dinner.

 

                  

 

We grabbed some grain, turned off the electrical fence, and hung out with llamas, cows, goats, horses, and donkeys that were pretty determined to eat everything we could offer.

 

Sean fed one of the cows who is named Dinner (the owners could never bear to send him to slaughter, which I clearly commend as a vegan), that was rescued from a hairy situation. Immediately after this last photo was taken, Dinner ripped his dinner out of Sean’s hand.

 

 

At some point during feeding this little guy a carrot that I had packed from home, and following guinea hens around for a photo op, Sara’s gracious father in law Randy and his wife Linda stopped by to babysit the kids at the nearby farmhouse.

 

He had an International Metro work van that was as broken in as it is charming. We instantly struck up a conversation, and he explained that he recently built another Airbnb on the land by hand that is a Hobbit House inspired by The Lord of The Rings (geek alert), complete with a wooden door and landscaping that is shire-esque.

 

I repeat: it is a legit Hobbit House.

 

 

We jumped at the opportunity to take a ride in the Metro down to the Hobbit House and it turned into a beautiful view of the sunset over one of my favorite mountain ranges, the Blue Ridge Mountains.

 

 

We retired back to our equally magical accommodations, stoked up a fire in the pit, lit some lanterns and votive candles, and commenced to making a garlic-y kale red lentil marinara pasta that was a perfect touch for a cool evening. The meal wasn’t photographed because we scarfed it down, and some things should just be enjoyed rather than photographed, am I right?

 

 

It’s hard to plan the perfect trip, but being in a beautiful setting surrounded by a starry sky, silhouettes of mountains, a crackling fire, immeasurable love and good food is pretty damn close.

 

 

The next morning, we took a brief spin on the surrounding trails while we had our morning cup of Joe.

 

 

Before we knew it, the clouds grew dark and the rain began to poor. This forced us to seek shelter in our tipi for a long morning nap. By forced I mean it was a great decision.

 

 

Whether it’s getting away for one day, one week, or one year; do it. Explore outside of your comfort zone either in your own awesome company, or the company of those that you love to be around. You won’t regret it.