Day 23

The night before I told the kids to start packing up their tent when they woke up. I assumed they would wake up around 7:30 as they have been but not today. When I got back from talking to Dave about some house decisions all was still quiet at our site except for some very annoying Stellars Jays trying to eat Ryan's bag of rocks.

We were supposed to meet Lola and Grammie at the beach this morning to be on our way into Oregon. Of course we were late but the Grammie got to catch up on some phone calls while we enjoyed the beach once we got there. The horrible mother I am made the kids go wash their feet in the ice cold ocean since we hadn't showered in a few days. Their feet were beyond camp brown color.

Within a few miles from getting on the road we were in Oregon! The girls enjoy time in the car when Brayden rides with Grammie. Besides the obvious no brother celebration they also have started listening to the 6 Minutes podcast for kids. We are close to halfway through now. It's a mystery that we are all glad we waited until all episodes came out. Each episode has a serious cliffhanger the original listeners had to wait a week to resolve!











Our scenic road took us past some very interesting rock formations but Grammie couldn't begin to fit her RV to park so we went into the town of Gold Beach and piled everyone in my car and went back.

Our first stop was the Oregon Beach. The wind was blowing the sand just right for natural soft dunes. Soon after we stopped at the Natural Bridges. This is definitely on my future hikes list!

The next stop was Arch Rock where we learned about some of the local birds. It was nice to finally be able to bring Lola on a trail now. Dogs have not been allowed on trails in California because of the wildlife. Arch Rock is where I added kayaks to my list for the next time I'm here.

A few days before Brayden spotted a brochure for a wild safari park in Oregon right on our way to our next city. The kids were excited because today we were actually able to go! Our first stop inside was the petting/feeding area where the kids were very popular! I didn't get a single picture of Brayden feeding anything because a deer ate his food in one bite!

Ryan made a friend with a baby goat! He just kept following her around even though she was out of food.

Next the kids went in to pet a lynx. This little guy was very unpredictable and playful. He climbed up the legs of the girls that went in before them!

Baby animals are always a hit in our family so we visited the nursery next. The first baby was a cavy. He wasn't a baby but he had a baby girl in his room with him. This guy was basically a giant guinea pig.

The ferrets came out next. My kids hold these guys all the time at the pet store and instantly want to bring them home. This guy was still half asleep I think so he was very relaxed.

Eclaire the skunk was next. She was a baby skunk that had been de-scented. She had the sweetest little brown face and the softest fur.

Lucy the possum was brought out next. The handler said anyone 13 and older can hold her so I begged Brayden to try it but he refused. Grammie takes care of these guys all the time at the Wildlife Sanctuary and we probably release 5-6 on her property every month. But she still couldn't convince him. The girls wanted to hold her of course but were just under 13. So I held her. She was super gentle and sweet like a little baby and much more fluffy than the possums Grammie brings home!

We all got to pet 13-week old Phyllis the groundhog next. We'd seen these guys all over the midwest on our trip a few years ago so it was fun to actually be able to pet her.

Last and definitely my favorite was Groot the 13-week old raccoon. Anyone 13 or older could hold her but Brayden refused again. The girls were grimacing at me. If only they were 2 months older! She was fascinated by just about everything and just wanted to touch it with her soft hands. She pawed my ring then my shirt and the straps on my backpack. She loved feeling all of Grammie's necklaces.

Ryan's goat found her while we were learning about the raccoon and why Laney couldn't have one as a pet like she wanted. I have my list of hikes and places to return with Dave, the girls have their list of pets they want. And it's a long list!

One of the handlers had a 3 month old Siberian Brown Bear out so we all pet him next. He was 100% focused on his bottle the whole time. I just wanted to scratch his little fluffy ears so bad!

And Ryan's goat found her again.

Last up was the serval. The kids all handed me their phones to get pics with so I only got a few with my camera.

Ryan grabbed my camera to make sure she could get a good picture of her goat friend before we left. If I had looked the other way I think she might have smuggled him out with us!

About 45 minutes later we made it to our very busy and crowded campground. There is definitely a difference between camping at a national and state park but this one was more like a city park with super close sites and hundreds of them all crammed in together.



We decided on a quick dinner of sandwiches and salad before I made all of us take a shower. We were all pretty stinky and I knew we would feel much better after. By the time we got back to Grammie's spot she already had a fire going for us.







Going back and forth from Grammie's site we'd watched a girl meticulously write out the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody in chalk on the campground road. I think she might be destined to be a teacher!

We talked and played a game before the girls and I went back to our site to bundle up and read. It was a pretty warm day but I could tell it was going to get cold tonight!

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!

Day 21

It was a a challenge to sleep for all of us last night. There was a section of sites that seemed to be all camping together having a great time with music pretty late. The kids and I were laughing remembering our late night neighbors singing karaoke in Pennsylvania. We were just thankful it wasn't that again!

Today we were going to try to hit all the best spots for hiking. After my initial research on hikes along the parkway I purchased a book that has really been indespensible for planning the best outings for us. Evey isn't really up for hiking so today we were looking for the most bang for our effort.

Our first stop was the Linn Cove Viaduct. We were actually fortunate everything in this area was open today as up until a few days before the road and all the trails had been closed for inspection and repaving. The viaduct is the iconic road in most pictures of the parkway with it's long curve around the mountain tucked into the trees at both ends. Our hike underneath and around was fun with lots of cool caves and rocks to climb over.






Our next stop was Rough Ridge to take the Tanawha trail south for a 360 degree view on a rock. This trail is different as it has been built mostly over an around some of the sensitive environmental plants in the area. There were beautiful arched footbridges and boardwalks taking us to the overlook. The trail was very busy which always reminds me it is a not-to-miss trail but also to try and pick these trails on weekdays instead.



The first viewpoint was beautiful but there were so many people we kept moving after a few seconds. There were people sitting on rocks jutting out a little higher that we decided to target. The hike was a climb but nothing we couldn't handle.  The second viewpoint was even better with those mountains that seemed to stretch forever.

Here is our view of the viaduct a few miles away!

The third viewpoint there was only a spot for Emily and Evey since there were a few other people there so we tried to find a bit of shade while they made Father's Day phone calls.

With so much success hiking with Evey we decided to take a short drive into town. Brayden had spotted a place with 40 different kinds of milk shakes the day before so we thought it would be the perfect post-hike snack. Emily also needed to pick up batteries and ice so it was a good excuse to make the drive. We also took the opportunity to call Dave for Father's Day while I had service in town (but we didn't tell him about the shakes!).

By the time we got back to the campground it was pouring down rain so we all raced to our tents and tried to dry out. We played cards to pass the time and I dominated in 3Up 3Down as well as Sorry Revenge. I was close to giving up as I hadn't won any of the games in weeks!

Once the rain slowed I walked down to the boat dock to check on kayak rentals. Our water kids were excited about the opportunity to get out on the lake and explore! I don't have any pictures from the outing as I was nervous about bringing my camera or phone but we all had a great time exploring all the little inlets of the lake and spotting some enormous bullfrog tadpoles. Some were as big as an egg!!

Next up was showers. It felt like a month since we'd had showers but we were suprisingly not as stinky as I'd imagined when planning the trip. Or maybe I'm just used to the smell! It sure did feel great though!

It was dusk once we were finished so the kids snacked for dinner. I have no idea how they could possibly still be hungry but they are all three bottomless pits these days. They must be growing like crazy!! Our deer made her daily visit to us so Laney took a few more pictures of her. Then Laney and Brayden tried to beat Brayden's and my record with the frisbee while Evey and Ryan caught fireflies. We repurposed a peanut butter jar for a collection jar. I think they must have caught 50 before letting them go for bedtime!