Issue link: http://hvparent.uberflip.com/i/681165
6 Hudson Valley Parent n June 2016 Publisher TERRIE GOLDSTEIN tgoldstein@excitingread.com Editor FELICIA HODGES fhodges@excitingread.com Executive Assistant to the Publisher BRITTANY L. MORGAN bmorgan@excitingread.com Media Advisors MARY ZAK mzak@excitingread.com CHRISTIE OLIVIER colivier@excitingread.com Community Liaison PAMELA PERRY pperry@excitingread.com Traffic Manager PAM SOSCIA psoscia@excitingread.com Intern COLLEEN THORNTON Layout & Design ENGLE PRINTING also publishers of MY TripPlanner.com family MY TripPlanner.com family baby The HUDSON VALLEY G U I D E Hudson Valley Parent is published monthly by: The Professional Image Marketing & Public Relations Inc. 174 South Street • Newburgh, NY 12550 Phone: 845-562-3606 • Fax: 845-562-3681 hvparent.com This publication is copyrighted by the publisher. Reproduction without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Hudson Valley Parent welcomes submissions, although we cannot accept responsibility for work submitted nor guarantee publication. A MEMBER OF B ecause warm weath- er is just around the corner, I've started making plans for a sum- mer trip. My family's usual haunt is Lake George - one of my most favorite places to be. We normally do all the touristy things - like riding the Minne-Ha-Ha around the lake, taking on at least one roller coast- er at The Great Escape amusement park and hitting all the gift shops and special- ty stores on Canada Street - but a few years back, we decided to try something new: horseback riding on an actual trail. My trusty steed was a very gentle horse named Bella. It was my first time on a horse, although I had been around them before via a friend's family stable in Philly. In other words, I'd brushed horses, fed them and even cleaned stalls, but I'd never actually ridden one because...well...I was afraid. And when I climbed onto Bella's back, I understood exactly why: sit- ting atop a saddle on this adult horse put my head about 10 feet off the ground! Plus, once the horse started walking, the saddle actually swayed a bit from side to side. Yeah. What I realized, though, is that horses are incredibly sure-footed creatures. The trail we took was rocky and muddy from the rain it'd gotten a few days before, but Bella never wavered and kept right on keeping on, up the rock-strewn paths, through the mud and across rushing streams. He (yes, Bella was a fella) became my four-legged hero, because if I had I been asked to walk through all that carrying something on my back, I surely would have turned around. And of course it was a blast! Save for the near- death brushes with the brush (a spindly tree branch almost sent me flying when it gently whacked me in the torso), I had a thoroughly enjoy- able time communing with nature - and my trusty steed. I guess the lesson to be learned from it all is that not taking a chance on something new can po- tentially make you miss out on some pretty cool things. Want to put on your own adven- ture hat and try something your family hasn't before? Check out our 2016 Travel Guide. Filled with lots of great events and exciting places to go in both the Hudson Valley and the Capital District, it may be the perfect starting point for a season full of fun. We've also got you covered with information on family-friendly sites for summer outdoor enthusiasts, quirky (but fun!) places to spend a family day and even lesser-known spots just waiting for you and the kiddies to come and play. If we missed any of your favorites, let us know by dropping a line to editor@ excitingread.com. For me, riding Bella and being so far from the earth as we trudged up hills and over dales was a teeny bit terrifying, but sometimes you have to feel the fear, step out of your comfort zone and do the daggone thing anyway. Perhaps this year, I'll try parasail- ing... Have horse, will travel FELICIA HODGES Editor's Journal