Day 32

About 3am I woke up to some solid lightning and thunder so I scrambled out of the tent for a bathroom break before the storm. Using my Poltergeist weather predictions I decided the storm was about 10 miles away so I closed up the tent and waited. After about 15 minutes with still no rain and the thunder seeming to be on the other side of us, I counted again and determined it was 17 miles away. I was thrilled we'd missed another storm especially right before we pack up!

We all got up pretty early this morning as we were anxious to leave this campground behind. We were careful not to jinx the next one though! Dave jumped into the car to drive to our next spot - SO nice! We headed toward our next spot - Mt Pisgah. We had to stop at an overlook because of the cool clouds over the mountains this morning. We are getting so spoiled with these beautiful views on our drives!

But up first was the Folk Art Center on the parkway. There were some very unique crafts and beautiful art. Nothing like seeing some amazing work to make you feel like an kindergarten artist at best! There was a man doing a demonstration on the making of kaliedescopes which was fascinating. He told the kids to search for Pringle can kaliedescopes and make one themselves at home. Dave was excited about eating 3 cans of Pringles!

It's Laney's camera day so she spotted quite a few flowers to capture just outside the building. She's getting better with every shot!

Dave was hoping to support the park and buy a long sleeve t-shirt so we made sure to stop at the Blue Ridge Visitor's Center next. There was a giant map of the parkway on the wall and the kids loved finding all the spots we'd stayed over the last month.

There were a couple activities for the kids they enjoyed. Ryan built an arch but she was pretty grumpy so I had to assist with her smile. Brayden and Laney built views of the things they would like to see. Of course Brayden's involved food and a town in the background!

Laney played with the camera for a little while taking shots of all the flowers planted around the center. And this was happening in the parking lot while we were waiting. It's like having an annoying older big sister around with Emily sometimes!

Our next stop was laundry so we could make it through the end of the trip. The kids were especially unhelpful as there were two adorable mascot dogs to play with. While we were there I investigated our next spot only to find out there were showers at our next spot. Hot showers. All the adults were doing a happy dance while the kids gave us mad faces and rolled their eyes. I reeled in my excitement though in order to not be disappointed. There were levels of showers at campground and I was just hoping this was going to be one of the higher ones.

I also took a minute to search for the best ice cream in Asheville. According to The Google, Ultimate Ice Cream was the best so we jumped in the car to find it. Luckily it was directly on our route back to the parkway so we took that as we were meant to go there for sure. They had a nice blend of regular and unique flavors. I tried an IPA flavor but didn't think I could eat a whole scoop so I opted for the Manna Banana to support the local Manna Food Bank. Emily opted for the Bing Cherry Goat Cheese that I almost picked. The others stayed safe with Dreamscicle and Cookie Dough.

We arrived at our last site to a mostly full campground with nicely secluded spots. We'd gotten exactly what we'd wished for - a site close to water, close to CLEAN bathrooms, with nice HOT showers. There weren't bugs to annoy us constantly either! What a way to end a trip!

The kids were most excited about our next outing so we made the executive decision to ignore the dark clouds around us and go to Sliding Rock. This stop had been on my list every time we'd gone near Asheville and we were finally actually really going!

I can only say we had an absolute blast. The water was freezing but all of us slid down many times with screams each time we hit the pool. We tried all the different paths down and recommended the best to each other after catch our breath. The lifeguards left and we stayed for another 30 minutes before finally deciding to head back for dinner. If we had time this was definitely going to be a stop again before we left!

Dave and I made dinner while the kids explored all the paths around our campground. They were back in training to be wild children. We could hear whistling all around us as they communicated new paths and wildlife. They were having a blast!

We bought some firewood but had to have a funeral before the fire. In one of the bear boxes a little weasel was dead so Emily doned some gloves and pulled him out. He was so small and cute now I want one for my birthday.

I made a nice fire for the kids to finish off the marshmallows and Dave and I to relax with a beer. We were enjoying our new spot but realizing we were missing the quiet of our empty campgrounds. It reminds me of the difference of going to Disney during Spring Break versus during September - a completely different experience!