Away We Go: Lost River Vacation

 

This past weekend, we packed up our hatchback and headed 2 hours to the woods in Mathias, West Virginia to stay at a tiny home rental. Lost River Vacations is deaf owned and operated and currently hosts one tiny home (endearingly called The Acorn) on 23 acres of private land. Currently, home #2 and #3 are being built and is slated to open next year. Aside from this getaway being secluded and in the woods, it is dog friendly, which we loved and appreciate very much.

We had come across Lost River Vacations randomly over the summer after booking our stay at Rivergreen Cottage. We were looking to get away in the fall and while Getaway House was long on our list of places to visit (since Lady!), the Virginia location felt like it got too popular to feel like a secluded getaway. And so you can imagine our delight when we came across this tiny home rental.

With COVID19 Yangkyu and I took extra precautions to go away. We have been sheltering in place since March and have gathered with friends only minimally (just three times since March - I guess being introverts helps!) and after meeting them (in groups of no more than 3) we made sure not to go out for two weeks following. We are avid mask wearers, use wipes, hand sanitizers, wash our hands and use anti-bacterial sprays regularly. And while we wanted to stop by a few places on our way to the tiny home rental, we ended up going straight to our destination and stayed put the entire weekend. I had my books (there is also a good collection of books in the tiny home, too), Yangkyu had his research project to work on and Momo had her treats. We also brought board games and yummy food, we had WiFi connection to watch the news and our favorite shows and we took advantage of the private trail right on the property that was marked in pink. During the evenings we stayed fireside using their beautiful Solo Stove and talked about anything and everything. We really had everything we needed right on the rental property and while it would have been nice to venture out to Lost River State Park and stopped by Wardensville, we decided it would be something to do next time.

I also think it's important to support local businesses during these tough times and found out late that you could order things online at the Lost River Trading Post and pick up curbside. It would've been wonderful to stop by and also the farmers market as well. Perhaps this is the only regret from our stay.

One of the things that Yangkyu and I have been seeking since our trip to Zion National Park has been the night sky. We were a little disappointed when the stars weren't as big as we had expected at Zion (I think we might have gone in the wrong season), but saw some pretty amazing stars when we were at Rivergreen Cottage. But the ones we saw at The Acorn were beautiful.

There is a clearing just a few feet away from tiny home where the view of the sky isn't blocked by tall trees and each night we were gifted with big beautiful stars. 

This was Momo's second overnight trip since she joined our family almost two years ago. And since our last trip, we added a couple of new things to make these trips more enjoyable for her.

One was a foldable travel kennel for the car ride. Momo isn't too fond of drives. Well, actually, I think Momo isn't fond of riding in the car alone because in the past when she used to ride with Noah and also our foster dogs she was completely ok. Since July though, when Noah crossed the rainbow bridge and she has been solo-ing it, she's having a hard time.

While we relied heavily on CBD oils, they just weren't doing the trick to at least take the edge off. She has just become highly nervous and anxious. I did realize though that she sought comfort in closed off spaces and so I had gotten her a pet cave for the living room (because at one point being in the living room in the evenings spooked her out). So going off of this concept of caves and closed off spaces, I thought perhaps a travel kennel would be helpful for her. And it definitely did help along with some calming supplements we used to give her when she first joined our family (at that time she was nervous of being upstairs - now it has completely flipped where she loves the upstairs but doesn't like being downstairs - nervous Nelly, this one).

She didn't need the calming supplements while at the rental but she did love her kennel and we are pretty happy with the purchase. 

And finally, I'm not sure if the coat made for a more enjoyable experience for her but we had groomed her just before the trip and to make sure she wouldn't be too cold, we picked up a cute little buffalo plaid wrap coat for her. Momo's body is a little weird where a small sweatshirt/sweater is too small and a medium too big and so we always get wrap coats, which work best for her bigger chest/girth and shorter legs. 

We are grateful for places that are dog friendly. It allows us to enjoy getting away and enjoying the outdoors with our dogs. And since beginning to adopt older dogs some with manageable medical issues, being able to go away with them and having a relaxing time has been greatly appreciated.

What has been even more special about The Acorn was how incredibly clean it was (it is also new, opened in 2019). It is maintained very well but I also assume that it can only continue to stay this clean and beautiful because renters continue to use it gently and are mindful of leaving it the way they found it. 

Thank you for a wonderful stay Lost River Vacations. We hope to be back and enjoy the tiny home to enjoy during all the different seasons. 

Lost River Vacations // website // Instagram // Facebook

I lifted this language off of the Lost River Vacations website (About us page) and thought it was important to share. 

Many people don't know much about the Deaf community or Deaf people. Maybe you know the ABCs in sign language, or have seen Nyle DiMarco somewhere, or watched one of the recent movies with Deaf characters. However, let's be honest here. Unless you have really had first-hand experience with a Deaf person, your reaction is one of pity, to say, "Oh I'm so sorry!" Many hearing people cannot fathom what it must be like to live in a world without sound. We're here to tell you it's really kind of cool.

 

We have something called Deaf Gain, which means that our visual perception among other senses is enhanced. Maybe it's time the world stopped seeing us as people to be helped, people to feel sorry for, and started realizing how awesome we really are. Lost River Vacations is just one of many efforts to reframe the Deaf community, and to expose the larger craftspeople. Our website and logo were built by Deaf designers. The artwork on our walls was created by Deaf people. The photographs and videos on this site were taken by Deaf people. We are Deaf.

 

Below, find the profiles of the three owners of Lost River Vacations. All three are already owners of their own business, and are strong believers in entrepreneurship and community empowerment through investing in our community. The three owners are Gallaudet University Alumnae and are proud to be both Deaf and American Sign Language users.