August 2017
August 2010
Showing posts with label Linville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Linville. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
A Fall Camping Trip
We took the RV to the mountains this past weekend. We had a lovely time and really enjoyed the fall colors. I forgot to take the big camera, but found it nice to not have the distraction. I did manage to
take this picture with my phone.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
4th of July Camping Trip - Part 2
Jonah woke up at 7 a.m. despite the late evening. It was still quite cold so Kelly roused himself and took Jonah to go get more firewood. Meanwhile, Elisabeth and I cuddle with every blanket we have on top of us. Kelly returned to get breakfast going and I got up and sat by the fire. We had a nice breakfast and freshened up (no showers at this campground), cleaned up breakfast dishes, got the dogs situated, and tidied up the site. By the time we did all that it was nearly 11 a.m. (all food related items must be tucked back in the car due to bear issues).
We drove to a trail head that would get us to the first waterfall overlook at Linville Falls. We strapped Elisabeth to Kelly, while Jonah walked the whole way, nearly half a mile, by himself.
Jonah managed to make it there and back on his own two legs. He started asking to be carried the last 100 ft which was a bit steep. I motivated him with the thought of candy and that seemed to be all he needed.
From there we went down the road to Linville Caverns. It was fairly inexpensive and Jonah enjoyed the stream inside stocked with trout as well as the total darkness when they turned out the lights.
Afterwards, we took a leisurely drive back the campsite and drove a little longer to allow both kids a chance to fall asleep in the car. Some friends of ours were in the area and despite horrible phone signals we managed to tell them where our campsite was located. We had a nice afternoon visit with Amy and Tom. The kids continued to sleep in the car almost that whole time. It was Great! That two hours was the nicest of the trip, just getting to hang out at the camp with friends and a break from the kiddos. Here's a picture of Elisabeth trying to wake up and our visitors. The dogs love Tom and they were on their best behavior for him.
When Amy and Tom departed, we got things ready and left for Spruce Pine for fireworks. I had been told the celebrations would start downtown at 5pm. Well at 6pm it looked like a ghost town except that I spotted a firetruck across the river on a ball field and firemen with augers. We found our way over there and hung out at the park right next to where they were setting up the fireworks. The kids got to play while we waited for dark.
We drove to a trail head that would get us to the first waterfall overlook at Linville Falls. We strapped Elisabeth to Kelly, while Jonah walked the whole way, nearly half a mile, by himself.
Jonah managed to make it there and back on his own two legs. He started asking to be carried the last 100 ft which was a bit steep. I motivated him with the thought of candy and that seemed to be all he needed.
From there we went down the road to Linville Caverns. It was fairly inexpensive and Jonah enjoyed the stream inside stocked with trout as well as the total darkness when they turned out the lights.
Afterwards, we took a leisurely drive back the campsite and drove a little longer to allow both kids a chance to fall asleep in the car. Some friends of ours were in the area and despite horrible phone signals we managed to tell them where our campsite was located. We had a nice afternoon visit with Amy and Tom. The kids continued to sleep in the car almost that whole time. It was Great! That two hours was the nicest of the trip, just getting to hang out at the camp with friends and a break from the kiddos. Here's a picture of Elisabeth trying to wake up and our visitors. The dogs love Tom and they were on their best behavior for him.
When Amy and Tom departed, we got things ready and left for Spruce Pine for fireworks. I had been told the celebrations would start downtown at 5pm. Well at 6pm it looked like a ghost town except that I spotted a firetruck across the river on a ball field and firemen with augers. We found our way over there and hung out at the park right next to where they were setting up the fireworks. The kids got to play while we waited for dark.
We walked across the river to the street pictured in my last post and got some ice cream and then decided to relocate the car and watch the fireworks from a parking area there. The fireworks started about 9:30 and went for a full 30 minutes. They were right over us. It goes in the family record books as one of our best Fireworks viewing ever. Kudos to the town of Spruce Pine. This was Elisabeth's first fireworks and she did not like the loudness at first. She sat in Daddy's lap while he held her ears, but by the end she was cooing after every blast. Jonah got bored after the first 15 minutes and started asking for food and drink.
Back at the campground the night was much warmer than the previous nights. The kids went to bed easier and we all slept well if not long. The next morning started off nice but turned drizzly so once again we had to pack up the tent in the rain. At least it wasn't pouring like our last camping trip. We took a leisurely route toward I-40 and drove along the shore of Lake James. We stopped for lunch in Marion and then made it home by 5 pm Sunday.
Back at the campground the night was much warmer than the previous nights. The kids went to bed easier and we all slept well if not long. The next morning started off nice but turned drizzly so once again we had to pack up the tent in the rain. At least it wasn't pouring like our last camping trip. We took a leisurely route toward I-40 and drove along the shore of Lake James. We stopped for lunch in Marion and then made it home by 5 pm Sunday.
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| Taking a break at a rest area |
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
4th of July Camping Trip - Part 1
We wanted to "get away" over the holiday weekend, but found ourselves struggling to decide how best to do that. We wanted it to actually feel relaxing (it's all relative when you have two little kids), and not "break the bank." We finally decided a few days before the 4th that camping seemed the least stressful option. The vet kennel that we usually use was booked due to our late planning, so we had to take the dogs with us too. We managed to get the car loaded by 8 a.m. Friday morning including the car topper. We had breakfast on the road and ended up making it to the Linville Falls campground off of the the Blue Ridge Parkway by 12:30. We made it just in time, as there were only a couple of first come first serve sites still available. It turns out that one of the remaining spots was perfect for us - fairly flat and grassy and right next to the restrooms. Our spot was in the open sun, but we got a canopy in anticipation of rain. Here's a picture of our setup:
Once we got the camp set up, we made some lunch and just hung out for a bit. Jonah loves hanging out in the tent and throwing the bedding around and jumping on the air mattress - which drive mommy a little crazy! At least I didn't bother putting the sheets on.
A little later, we decided to take a drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway in hopes the kids would go to sleep. We also wanted to scope out some local 4th of July Celebrations for the following day. The kids fell asleep as expected and we decided to check out this little town called Spruce Pine. In true mommy fashion, I packed warm clothes for the kids but not for myself, so we stopped at the local Walmart for a cheap jacket and asked about the local celebrations while inside. We drove into the old part of town to check it out.
We enjoyed a leisurely drive back to camp along the parkway.
Back at the campground, Jonah and daddy went to a ranger program on snakes while me and Elisabeth hung out at camp and started dinner. The temperature through the day was perfect. It was sunny, breezy and cool. By the time the sun started setting, it was getting chilly. After dinner, Kelly got a fire going and then we ate some s'mores. Delicious!
We had a great day, but the night was difficult to say the least. Bedtime is hard when camping in a tent - Jonah doesn't want to go to bed and Elisabeth is used to white noise which I decided not to bring. On top of that she starting cutting a tooth. So we didn't get to bed until after midnight and we didn't sleep soundly due to the baby and it was really cold. We found out later it got down into the 40's. Kelly chivalrously gave me his only long sleeve shirt (he did have long underwear though) and we both still froze. I also kept worrying about Jonah who kept wriggling his way out of his sleeping bag. If he would just stay in there, I knew He at least would stay warm.
Once we got the camp set up, we made some lunch and just hung out for a bit. Jonah loves hanging out in the tent and throwing the bedding around and jumping on the air mattress - which drive mommy a little crazy! At least I didn't bother putting the sheets on.
A little later, we decided to take a drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway in hopes the kids would go to sleep. We also wanted to scope out some local 4th of July Celebrations for the following day. The kids fell asleep as expected and we decided to check out this little town called Spruce Pine. In true mommy fashion, I packed warm clothes for the kids but not for myself, so we stopped at the local Walmart for a cheap jacket and asked about the local celebrations while inside. We drove into the old part of town to check it out.
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| Historic Spruce Pine |
Back at the campground, Jonah and daddy went to a ranger program on snakes while me and Elisabeth hung out at camp and started dinner. The temperature through the day was perfect. It was sunny, breezy and cool. By the time the sun started setting, it was getting chilly. After dinner, Kelly got a fire going and then we ate some s'mores. Delicious!
We had a great day, but the night was difficult to say the least. Bedtime is hard when camping in a tent - Jonah doesn't want to go to bed and Elisabeth is used to white noise which I decided not to bring. On top of that she starting cutting a tooth. So we didn't get to bed until after midnight and we didn't sleep soundly due to the baby and it was really cold. We found out later it got down into the 40's. Kelly chivalrously gave me his only long sleeve shirt (he did have long underwear though) and we both still froze. I also kept worrying about Jonah who kept wriggling his way out of his sleeping bag. If he would just stay in there, I knew He at least would stay warm.
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