Day 33

All of us were excited to start the day today as rafting day was finally here. Dave had booked us a trip down the French Broad River a few weeks before and we'd been talking about it ever since. It was in the afternoon so we had just enough time for a short hike.

We chose Frying Pan because it was short and because I thought the kids would enjoy climbing the old fire watch tower at the end. We also chose to park on the road close to the end. What we didn't choose was another straight up hike! We were all winded by the time we reached the top but poor Dave hadn't been hiking with us all these weeks so he was especially beat. I started a game of Contact for the kids to keep their minds off their tired legs but it worked for me too!

They had the access door to the actual tower locked but the view from the stop of the stairs up was beautiful of course. Dave decided he didn't trust the integrity of the tower and immediately went back down. The rest of us stayed for a little while trying to spot different mountains and roads then we came back down too.

It was Brayden's picture day be he decided to hand off the camera to Laney as we were going down because she spotted some neat flowers. She's getting a lot of practice!

We had some time to kill before our arrival at the rafting place so we decided to head into Asheville for lunch first. We ended up in West Asheville which Dave and I immediately thought we needed to go back to soon. We've been in the downtown and Biltmore areas so much we didn't even know there was so much there too! We decided on Asheville Sandwich Company and were highly impressed. Who doesn't appreciate a sandwich with the fries ON TOP!!

We made it to the rafting company with time to change before we were sent to watch the instructional/disclaimer video. Our guide did a great job of inserting a lot of humor into his talk but Evey wasn't thrilled with the all she was hearing. I told her she most likely would not fall out of the boat and wouldn't have to worry but it was good that she knew just in case. I'm not thinking she was believing me at that point!

We had a fun drive down to the river and were on the water within a few minutes of meeting our guide, Hadley. Dave and I were positioned in the front, Evey and Laney behind us, Ryan and Brayden behind them, and Emily in Hadley in the very back. We went down the first tiny rapids to test all our listening skills and to give Hadley a chance to see how strong of paddlers we all were.

The first couple sets of rapids were Level 2 and fun with the last one getting Dave and I pretty soaked. We went by Turtle Rock and Dave was able to tap him with his paddle for good luck in keeping with tradition.

At a calm section Hadley offered the option for all of us to swim so we all jumped in quickly to enjoy the frigid water. It did not take our breath away but it was very cold! Dave stayed in the boat to help Hadley get us back in once it was time.

We switched spots with Ryan and Laney to give them a chance up front. I was a little nervous for them as the second section of rapids were mostly Level 3 so they really needed to be tucked in to stay in the boat. On two of the rapids Laney bounced up and into the boat to save herself. Before we knew it the trip was over and we were back on the bus. Definitely too short!

The drive back to the campground was quick and we were all pretty dry by the time we got back. I headed straight to the showers ready for a super hot, super long shower. And it was definitely the best one of the trip. I'm not a long shower person but I have definitely turned into one for this trip!

After a quick dinner we headed to the program about native plants. We learned a lot about the history of the plants in the area according to the Cherokee and early settlers. While I certainly wouldn't use some of the plants to cure what they claimed it was definitely an interesting and fun program.

It was bedtime by the time we got back to our site and we were all pretty tired from the day anyway. I pulled out my secret weapon for sleeping after having a rough few days next to a snoring guy - ear plugs.

Day 30

It was between 2:30am and I suddenly realized why the guy was screaming the night before. A screech owl was having a conversation with its prey or a predator for about 10 minutes. It was a cross between a cat screaming, a hawk's cry, and fingernails on a chalkboard. I'd never heard it in the wild and it was definitely an experience. At least this time I wasn't angry and could go back to sleep after a few minutes. Definitely not something to scream about.

Today was the day to go pick up Dave so I got up and updated the blog. It started sprinkling so I checked the weather and noticed there was a pretty big storm on the way. I woke the kids up and we got on the road for Asheville. It was early but I knew I wouldn't have a problem finding something fun to do there.

We were on the road so early the fog hadn't quite lifted so we all were excited to see the view at the first overlook  we passed. We'd decided to name these mountain islands while back and finally had an opportunity to capture a fitting picture of them!

The fog on the road was pretty thick as well and Brayden decided the best was at the end of the Twin Tunnels so we went through them a few times for some pictures.

I used the rest stop app on my phone to find the nearest rest stop and headed that way. Being from Pensacola with only one interstate I misread which interstate I should be driving on and ended up going about 10 miles out of the way. Once I got back to the correct interstate I ended up going the wrong direction and another five miles out of the way. We finally made it to the rest stop and lugged our clothes and bags into the bathroom. We tried out best to transform our stinky camp bodies into something we could walk into an airport with.

With our rush to leave the campground I left all our bowls and spoons at the campground in the bear box. My planned breakfast of yogurt and granols turned into a family tub of yogurt with granola poured on your bite. The kids thought it was hilarious!

We had a little time after all my detours so we headed to Vortex Doughnuts. We ended up about one minute from the second u-turn I'd made earlier. Always an adventure! One of my favorite things about Asheville is all the art surrounding us. The kids loved this mural on a building next to the cafe.

We hopped back in the car and shoved some delicious sugar in our mouths. I knew he wouldn't be hungry but we grabbed one for Dave too. I knew we'd get in trouble if we hadn't!  We headed toward the airport and everyone was all smiles. We'd been counting down the days for awhile and the kids were really missing him.

I chuckled and shook my head as we passed the rest stop where we'd changed earlier and got off at the next exit for the airport. Nothing like zig zagging all over the city! As we were heading toward the stairs in the parking garage I got a text from Dave that he'd landed - perfect timing! In about 10 minutes we were all giving him hugs and talking over each other in our excitement to have him with us. I'm sure he was a little overwhelmed!

Since Dave had already eaten we headed straight for Trader Joe's for all our regular snacks. The kids were sad when they realized their favorite Vanana yogurt wasn't in the cooler and there wasn't an empty spot for it. Seems I'm going to have to make it at home from how on. Hopefully mine will measure up!

Our next stop was one of our favorite restaurants there - Asheville Brewery. We'd eaten there four or five times but my GPS took us to the original location we'd never visited. We'd definiely have to make this one a stop next time as it had a movie theater inside as well - fun!
Dave sent to the kids with a couple dollars to the arcade while we relaxed and had our favorite Asheville beers. After four of us were full the 13 year old finished what was left on everyone's plates. He's a bottomless pit!

We made it back to the campground in the late afternoon with just enough time to set up the second tent before the daily rainstorm came. Evey ducked into the tent with the kids and Dave and I ducked into ours. It was our chance to catch up on all that's happening at home as well as those 97 things I needed to tell him since we'd left.

The rain finished just in time for dinner so while Brayden and Dave through the football Laney and I made a pile of quesadillas. Ryan was the photographer assigned to capture the football toss - she took more than 150!!






We'd been sitting most of the day so once dinner dishes were put away we walked around the campground and played.  The kids wanted to go back to the amphitheater to do some crazy kid improv so we watched them play a few rounds until we couldn't stand the gnats anymore.







It started raining again just before our regular bedtime so we quickly brushed our teeth and slipped back into tents. Dave and I played a few rounds of Nertz before he practically passed out on the cards. Seems he was excited to see us this morning too as he'd been awake since 3:45am!