CAMPING MANTRA

Camping is a purely subjective and personal experience. While for some, it provides an escape from the busy schedule of mundane life, for others it might represent the “holy grail” – the utmost passion in life, while few would argue that camping is a way to explore your fascination and admiration for Mother Nature. But everyone would agree on one single point, that is, camping is fun. Whether you are out on your own for a wild camping experience or a part of an entourage from school or college, or on a family camping trip, the ultimate aim is the same: to have fun. With warm and crackling campfire, story-telling, delicious s’mores and the fun of sleeping under the stars (mostly, inside a tent, but still, it counts!), camping has an all-encompassing experience of peace, laughter, connect to nature and satisfaction of the soul.

Of course, every coin has two sides. A camping trip gone wrong is exactly that side of a coin one never wishes to see or experience. A single matter can end up ruining the whole trip. It can be sudden rain or hailstorm, a bad choice of place to set up the tent, inefficient hiking plan – there are so many variables that may go wrong. But when everything goes according to plan, the trip becomes a life changing experience.

Do the right thing…

Coming down to the basics, there are a few sure shot steps to follow while planning out a camping trip. For one, you need to have a clear and crisp plan, starting from choosing the campsite, to the route for hiking, etc. A lot depends on the location. Mountainside, lake, river, forest – whichever spot you choose, the beauty, silence and the magnificence of it all is bound to mesmerize you. Camping not only makes you appreciate Nature’s beauty, it also has a cleansing effect on your soul. Secondly, you have to pack as compactly as possible. There is nothing worse than having to carry multiple heavy backpacks and other luggage. Rely on Nature for things like food, water, etc. After all, you are going camping to experience Nature at its best, so, you HAVE to come to terms with the fact that material comfort is not absolutely necessary during this time. Another step to ensure that your camping trip is a success is to always respect your surroundings. Be a part of the Nature around you. That way, you will feel completely at home even in the middle of nowhere.

Being one with Nature…

Personally speaking, I use this time to stay away from technology as much as possible. Being that close to nature, alone or with friends or family, one automatically learns to appreciate oneself as well as others. The hard work from hiking all day, and then spending the night in front of warm campfire with loved ones in laughter and fun, truly makes you feel alive. So, anytime you feel the need to get back to Nature and get in touch with your unburdened and true self, plan a camping trip to your favorite locale.

It’s hard to believe August is already here and the kids are getting ready to head back to school.

Prior to everyone getting back into the hustle and bustle of athletics, band and other extracurricular activities, take some time to reconnect with nature by going camping with your family.

 Wilderness Presidential Resort is located in the middle of several historic battlefields; 40 miles south of Washington D.C., between Culpeper and Fredericksburg, Virginia.  Come and experience the magic of camping in one of our beautiful log cabins, vintage RVs, tent camping sites, or bring your own RV.  We provide an extensive array of amenities on property to make your stay more enjoyable.  Call one of our reservation experts today to make the most of your summer at Wilderness Presidential Resort – 

“Because You and Your Family Deserve the Best!“

Pool Myths and Urban Legends

I’m going to switch things up a bit and start with some fun, did you know? Tid-bits!: Did you know that in 45minutes of swimming you can swallow 1-2.5 tablespoons of pool water? In that pool water contains: 10million microbes of hair, 8million microbes of saliva (in just one drop), 140+ BILLION microbes from nose, skin, mouth and fecal matter. YUM-OO!

I’m sure there are a lot myths that you’ve heard or even told someone else about swimming pools or swimming in general. Well I’m here to hit that piñata and watch all the facts spill everywhere!

MYTH #1: I think this is the most popular urban legend: “IF YOU PEE IN THE POOL THERE’S A CHEMICAL THAT WILL TURN IT BLUE!”

Not only is this very false it’s just silly. I can understand the reasoning that someone came up with this – peeing in the pool is gross! So someone wanted to try and stop them from doing it by scaring them into thinking everyone would see you pee in the pool. But have no fear—there’s no such chemical!! You can safely pee in the pool with no chemical dye to rat you out………however is it really safe to do so? Find out next….

MYTH #2: “I can pee in the pool because the chlorine will kill it”

Mostly everyone has done it and even Michael Phelps admitted to doing it during long practices. But 2 wrongs definitely do not make a right. Peeing in the pool can pose an even bigger threat than just “there’s now pee in the pool”. When Uric Acid, found in urine, combines with the chlorine in the pool it can create 2 byproducts: Cyanogen Chloride and Nitrogen Trichloramine, both of which are extremely hazardous for healthy swimming—they can affect many, many organs and even the central  nervous system. Plus if we have everyone peeing in the pool, then the chlorine is going to divert all of it’s time trying to kill/disinfect what is being introduced than other germs that also pose a risk to swimmers. So just by taking a leak into the pool, you’ve now introduced a potentially extremely harmful chemical combination into the pool but also unnecessary germs. Take regular restroom breaks and please don’t pee in the pool if you enjoy having healthy lungs, central nervous system and a healthy heart!

MYTH #3: “If I can smell the chlorine, the pool is clean”

I admit, before I knew anything about pools this is exactly what I thought. Even in some cases, I enjoyed ‘the smell of a pool’. If you are like me then I am about to tear your world apart. If a pool you are about to swim in has a strong chlorine odor, RUN AWAY. That pool is not clean and in fact, the chlorine is most likely very low. Urine, sweat, fecal matter, saliva, beauty products and other compounds combine in the pool with chlorine [ammonia and nitrogen] to create chloramines—which are the source of that strong “pool smell”; you’ll more likely experience this with indoor facilities. When there is a high quantity of chloramines not only is the ventilation of that area in question but also the condition of the water itself. To test for chloramines you can use DPD test kit or your nose! It isn’t that hard to find out if there a significant amount of chloramines present—you can even take a handful of water and smell (try to avoid taking any water in the nose!). Shocking the pool and having a good ventilation system are ways to remove chloramines.

MYTH #4: “My eyes are red and painful, there’s too much chlorine in the water!!”

If I had a nickel for each time I heard this while working…….it’s not true! The reason for irritated eyes and/or skin is not caused by the chlorine level but in fact, the pH level and chloramines present. Again touching on bather hygiene, it’s best for your own health but the health of others to shower before entering the pool to reduce the byproducts of disinfection that create chloramines. Safe pH levels to swim in is usually 7.2-7.8. Most will generalize and say that since 7.5 is right in the middle then that’s the most safe to swim at. That is not necessarily true. Chlorine is a lot more effective closer to 7.2 and 7.0. However most bathers will notice eye and skin irritation around 7.0. If your eyes and skin have a bad reaction after being in a swimming pool, check the chemical levels and try to smell around for a strong chlorine-like odor for chloramines—they are the culprit!

MYTH #5: “You need to wait 30min—1 hour after you eat before you can swim or else you’ll get a cramp and drown”.

It’s been theorized that all the blood needed for digestion will go straight to the stomach and deprive your limbs of proper blood flow and they will essentially stop working and you will drown. Man oh man……..just ridiculous! There’s really no research that proves that if you swim immediately after eating that it directly causes cramps that will stop your limbs from functioning. Cramps can happen at any moment during physical/recreational activity. It can however, cause some nausea. If your body hasn’t properly digested all that you took in during the adult swim break—your body will direct most of the blood to your extremities leaving you with minor stomach irritation and possible vomiting. So if you were to wait before entering the water after snacking, it’s to help calm your stomach before vigorous activity that could result in you swallowing pool water and maybe even save the facility from having to close for a biohazard contaminate in the pool.

That’s enough for now I suppose……. Keep an eye out for Volume II of Ruby’s Pool Myths and Urban Legends! And as always, thank you for reading and hopefully learning. Continue to follow me every Tuesday for more helpful tips, info and stories on how to make for a safe and fun life around water.

Cheers!

Welcome! I am so glad you’ve decided to come back and learn even more! I’ll continue to keep this as entertaining and informative as I possibly can. So to start, another fun fact about myself: I was the mascot for the Riverbend High School homecoming football game in 2011. Don’t cheat the Bears!

WHILE SUMMER MAY BE GONE…THESE TIPS APPLY YEAR ROUND FOR SAFE SUN EXPOSURE!

Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Melanoma…..OH MY!! I think you may have a hint on what we are going to discuss today. Skin Cancer. Why such a tough subject? Well as a pool manager one of my many concerns for myself, my aquatics staff AND patron is skin safety! Now, most of my expertise is geared more toward aquatics safety, water chemistry and pool equipment but that doesn’t mean I can’t lay down some facts and information on you about skin safety and cancer prevention!

There are several ways to help prevent the most common cancer in the United States. Most of which, being pool goers, you may not like so much.

#1: AVOID THE SUN LIKE THE PLAGUE! easy right? Well not quite….. Try to avoid prolonged sun exposure or cover exposed areas of the body to the sun. If avoiding the sun seems just so ridiculous to you, then you’re not alone. I have some more tips up my sleeve. Avoid the sun during peak hours usually from 10:00am—2:00pm. This is when the sun’s UV rays are the strongest. Delay your visit to the pool until it starts to cool down and your skin will thank you (and you might even avoid the capacity crowds, score!).

#2: I scream! You scream! We all scream, for SUNSCREEN! Wearing SPF 15 or higher sunscreen on a daily basis can reduce your risk of certain skin cancers by almost 50%! I like those odds, SPF 30+ even better! One bit of information I try to tell my aquatics staff that you need to apply sunscreen 20-25minutes BEFORE you expose your skin to the sun. I’ll let you soak that in (literally). When you apply sunscreen just after arriving to the pool it is quickly washed off with that first splash into the water. Giving sunscreen some time to soak into your skin will prolong it’s effectiveness and will help avoid loads of oily buildup on the waters surface. It’s a win-win! You also need to re-apply sunscreen every 2 hours (yes even if it is labeled sport or water resistant).

So parents—please please please don’t lather up your kiddos seconds before they jump into the pool…you have a chance to prevent skin cancer AND can help prevent gross sunscreen buildup in the corners of the pool. Much like the outside clothing, the buildup lowers the chlorine’s effectiveness and makes it difficult to breakdown and filter out without having to add more enzymes to the pool

SUPER TOP-SECRET STORIES AND INFORMATION FROM THE DESK OF THE POOL MANAGER THAT WE ARE NOW TELLING YOU SO THAT MAKES THEM DECLASSIFIED. . . . . . . . . AND OTHER HELPFUL TIPS

First, welcome to my first blog post! My name is Ruby and I am the Sports and Aquatics Manager at Wilderness Presidential Resort. I’ve worked with WPR since I was a junior in high school in 2010. Fun fact: it was my first job! I started in the Recreation department before moving over to Aquatics. I also manage and train the guides at the Adventure Park, so it is safe to say my job is fun! In February 2017 I was awarded the Dr. Frank Pia Lifesaving Award for a deep water rescue I had performed and sustained a life for in August of 2016. Well, enough about me, and more about outside clothing in the pool—yippee!

How many times have you packed up the car with screaming kids and you can’t wait to let them burnout all their energy at the pool, only to be told you can’t get in the water because of your t-shirt? If this has happened to you at a pool then keep reading, it will be worth it…….I hope. Unfortunately I will come off as the villain in this story because I have been that lifeguard that tells you “you can’t get in with that” but hopefully I can change your mind in just a few short paragraphs.

The “no outside clothing” rule isn’t just a rule to annoy and make your life harder. In fact, its sole role is to make life easier! Clothing that is not swimwear can cause an imbalance in water chemical levels, create a cloudy pool, transport water/airborne pathogens, and even harm pool filtration equipment, YIKES!!How is that possible you ask? Excellent question. Absorbent material can break down in the water and the fibers can clog equipment. Clothing that has been dyed like t-shirts, jeans or other apparel can bleed into the water and make the chemical levels drop. Chlorine has a tough job to disinfect and sanitize bacteria and other various wastes in the pool, so adding in dyes from clothing and fibers from broken down shirts just make for a world of trouble.

Now I know what you’re thinking, how can my t-shirt disrupt so much and destroy pool equipment when I’m only swimming for a couple of hours? It’s true, if we only had ONE person a day get in the pool with a cotton t-shirt life wouldn’t be so hard. However, it’s the dozens of people every few hours trying to get in the pool with unauthorized clothing that make things a little difficult. Don’t worry, I’ve brought proof. Below are pictures of only 1 month of filtration on a pool. What you see are those broken down fibers of absorbent clothing and denim. It took a group of 4 people 3-hours to completely clean these filters. Yes, we can’t catch all offenders of this rule however we can do our best to try and minimize and hopefully eliminate this contamination.

I’ll leave you with some helpful info so you and your friends and family know what is considered “swimwear”. Nylon and lycra are the best options for swimming in and is what most swimwear is made out of. The following items might cause a lifeguard to tell you to change or remove before swimming/are not considered approved swimwear: denim, cotton, bike or other compression and sport bottoms, leotards, male/female undergarments, sporting apparel, t-shirts, polos, regular diapers, etc. If you or someone in your group are susceptible to sunburn or has had issues with skin cancer in the past— I understand and most definitely take that into consideration. Please wear an appropriate non-absorbent t-shirt to swim in (they even make some that have SPF in them!) and please apply sunscreen every day.

Thank you for reading and hopefully learning. Continue to follow me every Tuesday for more helpful tips, info and stories on how to make for a safe and fun life around water.

Cheers!

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR SOMETHING FUN TO DO WHILE STAYING AT THE RESORT? DO YOU LIVE LOCALLY AND NEED SOME FUN IDEAS FOR THE KIDS JUST FOR THE DAY? WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED!

ALL NEW! KNOCKERBALL®

Knockerball® is an all-encompassing, protective, safe, single chambered ball of air with inner handles and shoulder straps that enables you to almost literally defy gravity. Warning: Two or more will make you laugh till your sore!

Contact the Gym to make a reservation to GET IN THE BALL! (540) 972-7433 ext. 8

BONFIRE NIGHTS – EVERY FRIDAY THROUGH SEPTEMBER 8, THEN SATURDAYS THROUGH OCTOBER 21!

Join us by the Lower Lake Marina each Friday during the summer for a FREE bonfire activity! We will even provide the  marshmallows for roasting – just bring your own roasting stick. Bonfires start around dusk.

Great for ages 5 & up! Get geared up and get ready to embark on an exciting adventure while you soar through the trees! We host Night Tours each month so you can try the Course in the dead of night.

WILDERNESS PRESIDENTIAL RESORT IS FEATURED IN VISITFRED.COM’S “TOP 10 REASONS TO TRAVEL TO THE FREDERICKSBURG AREA THIS SUMMER” COMING IN AT #6! CHECK OUT OTHER TOP TRAVEL ATTRACTIONS IN THE AREA.

Our deepest condolences go out to the friends and family members of Becky Mays, a long time member at Wilderness Presidential Resort. She is survived by her husband, Randy and son, Brian. The Mays family was known for their festive decorations for Best Decorated Site and Golf Cart in last year’s Fourth of July Weekend and again this Memorial Day Weekend.

Our prayers and thoughts are with the Mays family.

REBLOG FROM VOLVO CARS FREDERICKSBURG – THANKS A BUNCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT! CHECK OUR THEIR WEBSITE AND GREAT SAVINGS ON VOLVO CARS TODAY!

Don’t Miss the 10th Annual Car and Bike Show at the Wilderness Presidential Resort

Published on: May 24th, 2017

What do bikes, cars, and wilderness have in common? They are all coming together for the 10thAnnual Car and Bike Show at the Wilderness Presidential Resort. The event will take place on June 3rd, and it will contain hours of fun for the entire family. As an added bonus, the proceeds will benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. It’s always nice when you can have fun and help a good cause at the same time.

The Scoop on the Event

Basically, people can fill out a registration form, pay $10, and enter their bike or car into the show. Spectators can come to the resort and view all of the vehicles for a mere $2. You won’t just be there to look around, though. You’re going to be a judge, too. That’s right. This event has spectator judging, which is a cool twist. The top 5 bikes and 15 cars will win trophies, so give it some thought before you cast your ballot. You just might be the tiebreaker.

There will be more than just cars at this show. There will be a 50/50 raffle, so buy a ticket to try to win the prize. There will also be refreshments and a DJ at the event. There won’t be any alcohol, though. This is a family-friendly event, so you don’t have to worry about alcohol ruining it for everyone.

The Resort

Since the event is going to take place at the Wilderness Presidential Resort, you might want to check it out as well. Consider staying the night so you can get the full experience. The cabins are really cool. They look like rustic log cabins from the outside but expect to be surprised when you open the doors. Each cabin has all of the finer comforts you expect when you stay at a resort, including Wi-Fi. Oh, and there is also a fireplace inside of the cabins, so that is a great touch.

This place is also home to some fun outdoor activities, especially hiking and fishing. It’s so peaceful and quiet out there that you can get lost in your thoughts while casting your line or hiking along the trails. If you just need some time to get away from it all, you will love it at this secluded resort.

You are going to see some cool cars at the car show, but that isn’t the only place around that has exciting vehicles. Volvo Cars of Fredericksburg in Fredericksburg, Virginia, also has a ton of top-notch choices. Stop by the dealership before the car show and pick out your own best in show. Then, you will look like a million bucks when you go to the car show.

Blog Credit: http://shop.volvocarsfredericksburg.com/10th-annual-car-and-bike-show/