Welcome back to the DigiKast! Sorry, it’s been a while, we have been under construction with our life since the last update. For starters, we moved to Pennsylvania. I wish I could say we purchased our dream home out in the countryside, but that hasn’t happened yet. We are striving to get there…. but, in this economy?? It feels like since 2019 life for The DigiKast has been a Sisyphus Simulator. Multiple roadblocks and setbacks since the cruise last year has us changing up our timetable for things we want to do in life including our housing plans. And I know our story isn’t unique, we are all in this “post"-pandemic struggle together.
Anyway…. Watch our YouTube videos if you’d like a little bit of insight. Also, if you want to learn about how to get over on the timeshares racket and hack your vacations…. watch our YouTube videos. We go into more detail about that.
But really though… We actually went to Deep Creek, Maryland in 2023 as a family trip. To be respectful of our family’s privacy there wasn’t much footage posted from the trip. However.
The highlights:
We saw a family of bears. Sherry was traumatized.
The wildlife other than the bears was great, fun to see, good for the kids.
Staying “Mountainside” is cheaper than “Lakeside”, so we ended up driving up and down the mountain quite a few times. If you go in late spring/summer it is just as scenic.
This year we are hanging out with friends that are a bit less photophobic, so you can expect to see a few special guests on our videos in the coming weeks. The major difference we noticed on Day 1 was that in early spring it is NOT as scenic. The leaves on the trees are still down and there are not as many evergreens in the areas where we are alongside the other rental properties. There is something to be said for how quiet and serene it is though. After the first night’s sleep I can say that it was dead silent around the house. Pitch black dark, too.
While we were unable to utilize our DigiKast Budgeting Hacks (TM) and timeshare benefits to get the best pricing the location we are staying at is very well furnished and accommodating. It is a 4 bedroom 3 bathroom modern cabin. The interior is an open concept living room, family room, and kitchen combo. The downstairs hallway leads to two master suites. One has an attached double door bathroom and the other has the bathroom inside. Queen beds, full showers, spacious kitchen, fireplace, tv, and washer/dryer combo. Upstairs there are the other two large rooms, one with two full size beds and the other with the queen. They share a smaller bathroom and it’s pretty straight-forward. No frills upstairs, but the wooden accents all around do make everything feel cohesive and cozy. Outside there is a wraparound deck, grill, fireplace, jacuzzi, firepit, foosball table, and a small fountain water feature. It is very nice!
The cabin, while cozy, does feel a bit sterile. I imagine it was built specifically to be rented, as it doesn’t show any signs of being lived in at all. I suppose that’s a good thing. We don’t have to be concerned with breaking any family heirlooms or anything like that.
As always when traveling with a group it can be a challenge to pick all inclusive activities and meals. It is good to have a party that is keeping all that in mind. We look forward to making it through this weekend with all smiles and good memories.
Fast forward about a month and change later.
Overall, it was a good trip! We made it through with no drama but we would like to emphasize the importance of being present when spending time with friends in the the great outdoors. Take advantage of the spaces you have access to. If there’s a firepit or fireplace take some time to sit around it and enjoy your company. Sit in the hot tub and catch up with old friends. Go down to the lake and relax with your family. Make the most of your 3-day-weekends, week-long getaways, 300-mile-roadtrips, and extended vacations with your loved ones.
Now that we’ve done Deep Creek in Late Summer and Early Spring it will be nice to try it in Fall or Winter. The variety of amenities we’ve seen gives us a bit more experience and an idea of what to expect when we are in the planning stages of our next trip out to Western Maryland. Peace up in the grill and love the world.