Weekend Retreat: Little River Bluffs

[There is life outside of New Orleans]

Yesterday we accpeted an impromptu invitiation to spend the day at a cabin in Folsom, Louisiana. Located just over an hour north of the city, this quiet area includes rental cabins for people just like us who need to take a step back from our busy lives and breathe.  Though we're on break, with only scattered work days, this week has taken its toll on us, so the proposition couldn't have come at a better time.

Though the trees were much different than those you'd find in Michigan, the woods still felt the same. Kayaking the small, shallow river & jogging the trails, I felt like I was back home. Nothing but the the sounds of insects and David Gray to keep me company. 

We arrived first thing yesterday morning to our friends putting the finishing touches on a fantastic brunch. After washing down our eggs and bacon with orange mango mimosas, we talked for hours in the screened in porch. A short but heavy downpour cooled the area and provided some  pretty background noise as we all shared war stories about teaching and life. 

After a few beers and a gourmet grilled cheese (our friend knows her way around the kitchen) we parted ways for a bit: hubby caught up on college football, adorable new couple took a nature walk and I grabbed a friend to hit the river with me. Though the journey started with me capsizing, I laughed it off (thankful my beer wasn't lost) and paddled away. Feeling the need to warm my now chilly bones, I went for a 3 mile jog around the compound to explore. 

Before saying farewell, we filled our bellies with spicy chicken chilly and perfectly brown gooey biscuits. The day was complete and we were ready for home. 

[View down the bluff to the river]

[The inside was all that you'd expect from a cabin in the woods...but this view! Just can't beat it]

[This gusty tropical downpour brought some amazingly refreshing smells into the cabin's porch where we were looking on with awe.]

[Before long, the sun was beckoning us out of the cabin]

[Time for some solo exploration]

[IF ONLY I had trails like this close to me. 

I guess I had to choose: nature or city. Can't have it all, girls.]

We learned the logistics and cost of reserving this cabin (or one closeby) for the weekend and have decided this is a perfect retreat when the city starts to nag again.  Good to know the Folsom cabin is in our back pocket.