Day 25

Today our plans were just to hike at some point. I knew I needed to get the laundry organized but other than that we had a pretty free day. I updated my trip notes for a little while in the morning then started breakfast once the girls got up. They have been working on making wrapping paper for Dave's Father's Day presents they get to give him when he joins us.

The campsite I moved to closer to the river was about a 50 yard walk to the car. To make things easier we had a bear box next to our site to store food, cooking supplies, etc. When we moved in I put our cooking bin and stove in there since that's the biggest pain to move in and out of the car for every meal. To my suprise this morning a tiny mouse was staring up at me from a tiny little nest in the corner of the box. I think we both startled each other and before I could say anything he'd run out of the box through a hole the size of a quarter!

The girls searched for him for a little while before giving up and continuing with their projects. I was glad I hadn't stored any food in the box for sure. But I was positive he would be back!

We went back down to the river after eating and everything was cleaned up to explore a little bit. The girls captured a bunch of minnows and created a little pool for them to hang out. They didn't want to hurt them - just to be able to watch them for a little while.

After a little while we came back up to our site so I could organize the laundry. The kids went over to Emily's site to hang out with Evey probably so they wouldn't get roped into helping sort clothes! I took the opportunity to continue cleaning the car a little bit. Emily's tent sits on the roof of her SUV so we travel together once we are all set up. Which means we have to make room for 6 people in my car each time. Just wait until Dave joins us!!

Unbeknownst to me the kids were starting a business while I was moving things around. All the girls have been whittling off and on for most of the trip and today was no different other than they added a little fishing line to the mix to create some stick men. I think I ended up buying three but they were "Buy 1 for free, get 2 free" today only so it didn't break the bank! Meet Jimmy!

Pretty soon they became bored with the lack of customers so Ryan challenged herself to do three cartwheels in a row. Which turned into horse races, chicken fights, and long jumping. Emily and I took the opportunity to read and enjoy the sunshine as well as the peace between the kids because they were having so much fun. The games ended once Ryan got hurt so we decided it was time to eat lunch, get dressed, and head to the trails.

Today would be our first hike to waterfalls on this trip so it would be a nice change of scenery. The first part was pretty easy since we were mostly descending. The Upper Falls were very pretty but we have become waterfall snobs over the years. We did find out at this very spot some Native Americans killed a group of men because they were concerned the men would tell a rival tribe they were in the area. Linville Falls and the neighboring community were named after the man leading the party.

We continued on to a few viewpoints for the Lower Falls which were much more impressive.You can see the Upper Falls at the top of the picture. If we had another day at this spot I would have loved to have hiked into the gorge to see the Lower Falls up close.

We stopped by the Visitor's Center on the way out for post cards and giant bug identification. As creepy as this guy looks he's actually harmless and only alive for a couple days.  Ryan discovered a tree with different years noted in it's growth. A year we remember - 2004 with Hurricane Ivan - was noted for 8ft of water inside the Blue Ridge Visitor's Center. Wow!

By the time we returned to our site I had just enough time to cook and put all the cooking supplies back into the bear box before the afternoon storms hit us. We ended up eating in the tent, playing cards, then reading & playing Legos while the storm passed.

We had a break just long enough for us to get ready for bed before the rain started up again. It was a light rain though that could barely be heard above the sounds of the river just outside our tent. A perfect night for sleep!

Day 13

I had a little bit of a restless night in the hammock with trying to keep my ears open for calls from the tent. Several times I woke up in pitch black darkness listening to the night sounds. No wildlife, but I did hear coyotes way far off. While I was comfortable all night, sleeping in the hammock was much easier after backpacking 15 miles!

I woke up and decided to catch up on writing as I'd discovered we had limited 3G in the campground - yay! Without being too connected I could definitely upload entries to the blog and text Dave occasionally. Weather updates might be necessary as well as we were expecting rain for the next few days.

We planned first to head into the town this morning to check out the farmer's market. After I made a pile of pancakes we got ready and headed into town. The market was just about the smallest we'd ever seen, but we picked up some beautiful produce! The strawberries were the deepest red I have ever seen and boy were they sweet! I had to buy and extra carton because the kids ate them standing right there!

When we'd parked all the kids spotted an tiny chocolate shop that also happened to be open so of course we had to go there. The man gave all of us tiny samples of their hot chocolate and even though it was warm out it was delicious!! I bought everyone a truffle and they were gone practically before we could share. I tried the Mayan with deep dark chocolate and a kick of cayenne at the end, salted caramel for Laney of course, and mint for the others. We vowed to try to make it back for their homemade chocolate popsicles before we left the area.

We got the scoop on a few local places from the chocolate guy so we headed to one store but got sucked into a bookstore for the better part of an hour. I'd finished one of my books and was looking for another one to read before Dave joined us. I had a Dean Koontz book but was thinking I might save it for when he joins us so I don't get too spooked. We ended up with a tiny book for me, a book for Laney and a comic for Brayden.

On our way back to the campsite we stopped at the Rocky Knob overlook to check out the view. The smog had settled in quite a bit but it did still look beautiful with mountains forever. The kids and I decided to hike up the next morning to see if the view was better from the trail.

Ryan and I started lunch while listening to thunder and watch a storm roll by. Every time I looked up the storm seemed to be moving past us but the thunder was definitely getting closer. We cooked and cleaned up as fast as we could expecting a downpour at any minute. The wind was starting to whip around us so we made the kids run around and play while they still could. We were thinking it was one of those afternoon showers that only last about an hour but we weren't really sure.

Once the drops started falling all the kids and I ducked in our tent and Emily retired into hers. We read and read and played until the rain finally slowed a couple hours later.

We tried scalloped potatoes to replace Ryan's favorite baked potatoes for dinner but they were underwhelming. We're definitely missing the freshest meals in the woods! The mini lettuce we'd bought at the farmer's market however was divine!!

It was supposed to rain for the next 2 nights so we walked the whole campground tonight to continue our tradition. No crazy wildlife this time around though!

Day 12

We woke up this morning ready to pack up and move on to our next spot. Ryan had a dollar burning a hole in her pocket that she'd found the night before so she wanted to hit the camp store. I didn't want to burst her bubble that she would find anything less than a dollar! We walked to 2 different stores and she really wanted to buy the Pop Tarts that were the only thing less than a dollar but I talked her out of it. She claims she doesn't like having money in her pocket so she needs to spend it. Yeah, I have that problem too.

The visitor's center wasn't quite open yet so I took the kids for the short Elk Run hike before they openend. Not a bad selfie on the trail!

We all took turns reading the interpretive signs along the way. The kids and I had learned over all the trips about all the different invasive species affecting the national park's trees. This is the first park we'd learned that a tree had been completely wiped out - the chestnut tree. Saplings still appear from the roots underground but they are taken by blight.

The kids also have been working on their junior ranger sheets so they wanted to stop back by the visitor's center. The BRP junior ranger program is a little different than all the other parks we've been to. At each center kids can pick up one sheet for their folder. Once they complete a certain number of sheets they get a plastic badge, then a certificate, then a cloth badge, then a pin. Laney's sights are on the pin but that would mean completing all 10. She's on her way!

We had our longest drive of the parkway ahead of us - a whole 2 hours! This was the part I'd been really enjoying about the trip - less driving and more camping. I'm not sure the kids are sold yet as they have been working through some boredom in the woods, but I strongly believe it's good for them. And as a bonus, I've had more volunteers help cooking than I've ever had!

While the kids were playing their DS's I was listening to NPR and heard the news about Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. I don't like coming out of the woods, but definitely not to news like that. In an effort to save batteries I've been turning off computers and phones so this year we have been seriously disconnected.

We made it to our next site a little later than expected because of some construction. The Clarkes were pretty hangry by the time we got there so while they set up the tent I made a snack lunch. The girls and I walked the garbage up to the entrance, grabbed maps, and checked out the events in the nearby town. We were expecting rain so it would be nice to be busy in town instead of getting wet!

All the kids decided to read and play while I puttered around we finished setting up our sites. Laney found a great reading tree and the other three read for awhile then decided to play with Brayden's Legos.

Evey was super interested in sleeping in our tent with the kids so I set up my hammock with the tarp and moved in. I finished my book and could have definitely taken a nap, but I decided it would be good for me to be sleepy instead of restless in the hammock for the night.

All the kids enjoyed reading in their own private area this afternoon!

After a few games of backgammon we made some soup and salad for dinner then the kids brought out our glow stick swords we'd grabbed the day before. It was time to duel for the rest of the night!

I felt like I was back at home listening to sleepover giggles and chatter as I snuggled into my hammock for the night. This was just another great thing about having friends camping along with us this trip!

Day 11

Today started early before the sun. Laney was having trouble staying on her mat and off my head. Then she had to pee. Then she needed help zipping up her sleeping bag. After a bird just barely started chirping I gave up and headed outside to write. The down sleeping bag I'd purchased for my backpacking trip a few months ago was just perfect to keep me warm while I caught up on the last few days.

Today Brayden and I decided to go to the National D-Day Memorial in the town close by. Our hosts had recommended it but all Brayden needed to hear was the word D-Day and he was hooked. That kid has a fascination with World War II for sure. Apparently this town lost more men per capita that any other in the country. We were going to find out more today for sure. Laney decided to join us and Ryan decided to stay with Emily and Evey for the morning.

After about a 15 minute drive we pulled into the D-Day Memorial and were impressed by the sheer size of the place! We'd heard the survivors of the war in the community made it their life work to create a memorial for the friends they'd lost as well as so many others that lost their lives that day and in the months after.

I can't even begin to do the memorial justice by describing it here so I'll just leave you with pictures. It was a somber, sobering, patriotic, inspiring, and heartbreaking experience.

Brayden thoroughly enjoyed the memorial and at the end we realized the day before was actually 6-6-18 - the anniversary of D-Day. We couldn't decide if it would have been better or worse to visit the day before.  We stopped by the gift shop to buy a couple books and support the memorial. Brayden and Laney loved the WWII era posters so they each bought one of those too.

We decided to stop by Walmart for a quick resupply and the visitor's center to see if Brayden's water bottle turned up. Somehow he ends up losing his water bottle on our trips! No luck with the water bottle but once we got back we did make a delicious lunch and headed back out toward the town for the ice cream we'd spotted a few days back.

The little store was crammed full of all kinds of homemade everything but the kids wouldn't let me browse. We all picked out our different flavors - peach for me, Emily & Laney, banana for Brayden, cantaloupe for Ryan, and strawberry for Evey. Delicious! We picked a shady spot to enjoy our ice cream and called Dave since we had pretty good service. I'm sure he doesn't appreciate us calling when we're eating ice cream and he's at work!

When we arrived back at the campground we headed back down to the creek for our last afternoon.

It's hard to tell with nothing for perspective, but this bullfrog was seriously bigger than my hand. Evey was determined to catch him but he had other plans.

The others were back to roll and run down the hill. Laney wore long everything so she could roll down the hill this night too!

Back at the site I got everything organized from our resupply and ready for our drive the next day. We had an easy dinner and once we were ready for bed we decided to start a new Clarke tradition. We all walked the entire campground before bed and were treated to quite the examples of wildlife!

Earlier when Ryan and I took the trash to the dumpster we spotted a doe with a new fawn. We couldn't get over how adorable they were! On our walk we spotted another doe that let us walk right past her on the other side of the road. Whatever she was eating must have been very good!

About 15 minutes later when we had almost reached our campsite I did the mom-protection-arm-block to all the kids as there was a 4-ft snake laying in the road just in front of us! We walked around it and I whispered for Emily to come down out of her tent to see.

Brayden spotted the rattler so we were definitely looking at a nice-sized rattlesnake. He was frozen and very patient while we all shined our lights at him and ogled. Needless to say the kids were attached to me for the remainder of the night!

Day 10

The weather at Peaks of Otter has just been wonderful, especially at night. One of our favorite things is to get all bundled into our sleeping bags in the cool night air and the temperatures here have been just perfect! The kids don't even want to get out of the tent in the morning!

We all slept in this morning since we'd all covered our heads to keep warm. We made some gouda grits for breakfast and got ready for a big hike. I invited everyone to climb Sharp Top Mountain with me but I only got one taker.

After we bought tickets for the bus for everyone else, we started up the mountain. It was to be 1.5 miles of a strenuous climb to the top. My partner climbed like a champ and impressed quite a few of the hikers we passed.

At one point we were snaking around some large boulders when I heard a sneeze ahead of us. I said, "Bless you!" ahead and kept walking. Then as we came to a small opening around a big boulder we saw a beautiful, sweet little deer enjoying the vegetation. She kept her eye on us but let Ryan take quite a few pictures and we let her be after a little while to keep going up.  We never did see a human around us, so maybe I blessed the deer after her sneeze?

The last 500 feet were the toughest with steps as far as you could see to a turn and then another set as far as you could see. But before we knew it we saw Brayden peeking over a rock and we were at the top! We exchanged wildlife stories (they'd seen baby birds and a bear) and explored all around the top.

See turtle rock?

There were remnants of a fire in one area and I entertained the idea of sleeping on the top of the mountain some day. There was a shelter with a fireplace that I thought would be perfect with a few down sleeping bags. And to wake up to a sunset up there would be absolutely breathtaking!!

I was trading partners for the hike down so Ryan gave Laney her backpack and we headed to the trail. On the way up there was a side trail to Buzzard's Roost that we'd seen from up to so Laney and I headed that way for a quick look. It wasn't near as spectacular as the top so we kept on moving down. We encouraged everyone on their way up and were shocked when we were passed by someone running down. We were having problems staying stable just walking down!

Ryan showed me the baby birds in the nest once we got back down. I'm not sure how four babies fit in the nest but they seemed happy except for us watching them!

Evey was itching to get back down to the creek so we make a quick picnic lunch and walked down. There was a lake below us at the lodge so we found a trail through the campground and walked to the lake. The creek was fed by the lake so we make it there without too much trouble.

The kids weren't up for much exploring today as they mostly played on top of a giant rock. We'd been talking about hearing bullfrogs at night so Evey decided she needed to catch one. I found a spot of sun to warm up in while they all hunted around. When I came back there had been a sighting and there were all kinds of plans being made to catch him. Lucky for him he was much quicker than they were evading them 3 or 4 times.

The kids and I checked out a building we'd heard about at the farm the day before. It was called Polly's Ordinary and was a stop for travelers and teamsters along the mountains for "ordinary" things like food, horse corral, and lodging. This place would absolutely qualify as a tiny house these days. I'm not sure how she fit more than a few extra people in there!

When we went to leave he was back at his sot so Ryan tried to catch him. He swam right by her under a rock and when she tried to grab him from there he shot out and back into the deeper water. No luck today!

We all came back to the campground and settled down to read for awhile. I taught Laney how to play backgammon and all the Clarke kids played 3Up 3Down several times before I finally decided to make dinner. Once the site was clean we headed back down to the lake to walk the trail around.

It was getting cooler and the sun was just about to hide behind the mountain. We've been seeing this pitcher-type plant on our hikes and can't quite figure out what it is. We're hopeful a ranger will know when we see one.

Around the last bend of the trail the kids spotted a giant hill that had just been mowed and they were rolling down before I even got there. They ran down and rolled down for the better part of a half our while I watched the sun dip below the trees.

Staying in the middle of the mountains means this is about the best I can get for a sunset picture here. The lake was beautiful tonight!

There was a man fishing at the lake that had caught his third fish since we'd been there as we were leaving so the kids popped down to check it out. I was exhausted after this day but I faithfully read a chapter from our book before we were all knocked out.