As with the last few forecasts the rain didn't last quite as long as predicted. By the time I woke up at 5:30 it was gone so after enjoying the quiet for a few minutes I got up and started packing and preparing for the drive.
Once the kids woke up everything went much quicker and we made it to the showers before 7. The tent was pretty muddy and this was our last chance for real showers for awhile so we took the chance to get squeaky clean.
The kids were excited for this day as we would finally be meeting up with Emily & Otis. After about 2 hours we stopped for gas, snacks and the kids started part 1 of The Lord of the Rings movie.
We stopped at the first overlook with a great view for a quick picture and ended up staying for a few minutes to help take pictures of other people. We were surrounded by motorcycles - a sure sign of an awesome drive the kids remembered from all our trips.
We wanted to stop at every overlook but decided just to slow down and peek at the view. We would never make it to our rendezvous point if we kept stopping! We ended up at the Humpback Rocks Visitors Center about 15 minutes early so we went in and learned a little about the Appalachian culture, shopped, and grabbed a bunch of maps, schedules and of course junior ranger materials!
It was beautiful outside so while I looked at all the maps and schedules, the kids started their junior ranger activities. There are 10-12 sheets they will be able to grab along our journey down the parkway to complete. The lady mentioned the lack of rangers on staff for completing the books and swearing the kids in, but I'm hoping she was just talking about her visitor's center only.
Otis, Emily, and Evey pulled in just as I'd finished reading about our first stop. The kids tried hard to match memories with faces as we chatted then decided to head on to our campground. It was another 55 miles down the parkway and we wanted ample daylight to get settled.
For our stay together we had sites situated right next door at each campground. It would be so nice for the kids to be able to have Evey along with them for the month!
Within minutes of us both setting up the thunder and rain started so we hung out under the trees and the back of my car catching up while the kids played. Laney and I had grabbed a big pack of water guns at our last resupply so the kids were soaking each other! We also picked up a giant frisbee orange slice that was a big hit, especially for frisbee-challenged Laney.
We were all exhausted and the Clarke kids were getting grumpy so after a quick dinner of pesto pasta and Georgia peaches we all got ready for bed and tucked into our sleeping bags. The gentle rain started within a few minutes and became our lullaby for sleep.
