Day 9

It was quite chilly this morning so I snuck out of the tent and made hot chocolate for us to warm up. The morning of Day 9 we celebrated our first day without rain! Only to discover as I was getting cool weather clothes out from the bottom of our bags that we'd had a breach in the cargo bag that holds all our duffel bags on the back of the car. All our shorts & t-shirts were packaged in ziploc bags so I pulled out all our jeans, leggings, and long sleeve shirts to go straight to the laundry bag. They all smelled like they'd been wet for a few days so there's no telling which storm they soaked up the rain - if not all of them!

After breakfast I covered my head with the cargo bag and spotted quite a few tiny holes and a few about the size of an eraser. They were holes all the way through but I would imagine they were enough to invite the water inside. Luckily on a previous trip I had purchased waterproof seam sealer so I got to work doctoring all the holes. It was supposed to dry overnight but after about an hour in the sun all seemed better. I don't think I'll really know for sure until the next storm though!

Fortunately the closest town was only 10 miles away so we headed there to get all our errands knocked out in one morning - post office, grocery store, and laundry. While we were running around the little town I noticed the D-Day Memorial our hosts had mentioned at our last site. I made a mental note to check with Brayden to see if he wanted to go.

After laundry we were all starving so our next stop was Azul - a local made-to-order Mexican stop. My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach but we all enjoyed our meals and I found a delicious local beer too! Our grocery stop wasn't quite as fruitful but I grabbed a couple things that would last us until our next big stop.

On our way into town we saw several peach and blackberry farms and even saw a place with peach ice cream. We were planning to stop on the way back but Emily and I were chatting and I apparently missed a turn. Once I noticed nothing looked familiar I turned on my GPS and we ended up taking some serious back roads to the campground. No peach ice cream today.

Evey had been begging to go to the creek nearby so once we got back and the kids grabbed their water shoes we headed down to the picnic area with a lovely creek running through it. The kids of course had a blast exploring and taking Ryan's spy class entitled "Stealth".

I enjoyed the quiet sounds of the water and watching the kids while Emily dug around the rocks releasing trapped sticks and leaves. I definitely have decided I want to end up near water with lots of sound. I always say a solution to grumpy kids is to get them to water, but it might be for me too!

Once we made it back to the campsite the kids had a quick snack dinner and we made a fire. Emily had a stash of peanut butter cups so the kids made s'mores with them while we ate them straight up! Then Evey brought out the Oreos and we were all on a bit of a sugar high right before bed! Brayden crashed pretty quickly so it felt like he and I were taking care of two drunk Clarke girls until they finally fell asleep!

Day 8

Well we have continued our streak of rain every day with rain most of the night. At least it was a lullaby for the kids while I worried about things that were open or left out. We hadn't expected rain tonight so I went through all the things out at the campsite in my head to make sure I knew where they were. I jolted up as I realized I hadn't checked the big clothing bag on the cargo tray which the kids had opened to put their laundry in before bed. If they had left it open (which was a strong possibility!) the rain would be currently pouring into my clothes bag.

I poked my head out of the tent and shined my flashlight on the bag. It shined back at me so I assumed it was the ziploc bags reflecting the light back to me. After a few choice words I climbed out of the tent and ran over to the back of the car. It was closed and I realized the reflection I saw was just the puddle of water and I was soaked. I ran back over and jumped inside the tent sulking at my damp state with a few more choice words.

It took awhile to go back to sleep after that but it turned out I was able to cover my head and sleep in. The kids still weren't up when I got up so after getting changed I took a little while to write until they woke up.

The Dunlaps were getting their breakfast ready and some of their campsite things packed away. We had some hearty oatmeal and were packed up shortly thereafter. Emily is getting used to packing and unpacking their very cool setup so we headed to the creek for the girls to plant some painted rocks. The flowers were still there so we talked about how hard it must be for the guy to travel by himself.

Before long we were saying goodbye to Otis and back on the road headed about 30 miles south to our next spot. We went up and over a mountain and enjoyed some beautiful views along the way.

We reached Peaks of Otter campground before noon and were set up shortly thereafter. I noticed at the comfort station that the restored farm I wanted to visit was only open today or the day before we leave so we opted to pile in the car and find the trail to the home.

The hike was about a mile up a small mountain past the ruins of an old hotel which was now a beautiful meadow. We entered the woods for the final climb up to the farm.

The farm itself had been occupied by three generations of the Johnson family raising upwards of 35 kids there. They had many of the aspects of the Appalachian farms we had visited before - the Spring House, the Apple House, gardens and orchards. There were photo albums we flipped through that were fascinating to see. There were two park service volunteers who shared many of the stories they knew about the family, the community, and the timeframe.

The kids really enjoyed all the games that were set out as examples of what I child might receive for Christmas or make themselves. There quite a few The Clarke children hadn't seen before! My favorite was the 1850 version of lawn darts!

After learning a bunch we headed back down the mountain to return to the campsite and finish setting up. I grabbed some fire wood from the country store as the temperature at this spot was SO nice! I would imagine we are quite a bit higher in elevation.





We played all kinds of games before and after our delicious dinner then made a warm fire. When Evey and I took a trip down to the dumpster she found a helpless little butterfly so she adopted it for a little while with Laney and they tried to keep it safe.

The kids really roasted marshmallows with this fire and we all talked about how nice it was going to be to be snug inside our sleeping bags this night!

Day 7

I woke up and wrote this morning waiting on the kids to wake up. Ryan was first up with her morning smile so we headed to the comfort station listening to all the woodpeckers finding breakfast. It was still raining so we had leftover pancake peanut butter sandwiches for a quick breakfast then headed over all piled into Otis's car to the camp host's site for donuts and juice.

The Deacons were a couple I would aspire for Dave and I to be one day traveling all over the country and enjoying the parks. We noticed on the side of their RV their North America sticker map was completely covered except for the state of Hawaii. Mr. Deacon said he was still watching for the tunnel or bridge every time they were close because the state receives federal interstate funds!

After awhile other campers joined us and we learned short parts of everyone's lives. Campers are a unique bunch with so much in common once they chat a minute or so. It's also very interesting to listen to stories of where they've been and their favorite spots to add to our list!

The rain finally stopped and the kids begged to go back to the creek so we went back to our site to grab their water shoes and go explore. They enjoyed searching for minnows and crawfish but the girls especially enjoyed mothering Brayden with his hurt finger. They showed him exactly where to step and helped him find a good walking stick to help with balance. At first he wasn't going to go in, but after I strongly suggested he try he was so glad he did. They ended up walking the entire length of the campground plus much more.

As I was walking back to our site to drop off shoes and sweatshirts I noticed our friends were leaving to head north. These two guys had met on the road and decided to caravan north for a little ways and spend them together. I waved and wished them well on their journeys to Maine. When I went to check on the kids at the creek near their site I noticed two bunches of daisies tucked in some roots by the water. It turns out the older guy had just lost his wife and I assumed he'd left them to honor her as they had made this journey together in years past. So sad.

With rain expected in the afternoon we opted for a bigger lunch in case it was a rainy mess to cook for dinner. The kids have become bottomless pits with all the energy they are expending! After lunch I took all the kids to walk a couple trails a few miles down the road.

The first trail was called The Trail of Trees with small signs identifying all the trees in the area. The kids taught Evey how to play Pooh Sticks on one of the bridges and we continued on to the overlook.

Next up was the Lock Trail that I was looking forward to. We walked under a the bridge across the James River and learned how there were locks built from Richmond to just past this area for transporting goods. The goal was to make it to the Mississippi but the railroad beat them to it. The kids got a real up close look at a very small version of the locks we'd been to up north.

Under the bridge we noticed small birds popping in and out of nests tucked into the corners of the structure. Except for the noise of cars, what a great place for a home!

The kids begged me to stop back at the waterfall for them to explore the rocks again. We stayed for more than an hour looking for snakes, fish and enjoying the warm weather and cold water. When we were walking across the rocks to leave Ryan lost her flip flop and Evey jumped in to the rescue twice to grab it. I'm not sure we would have been able to get it otherwise!

Once we got back we broke out the card games. We taught Evey 3Up3Down and Otis joined in as well. Then we played Exploding Kittens with Brayden narrowly winning at the end. We learned the Dunlaps are cutthroat card players!

Ryan, Brayden, and Evey were ready to try fishing again so once they had all the gear ready (with much supervision from Otis) they piled back into his car to try their luck. Laney, Emily, and I stayed behind to get organized for leaving the next day. Laney stayed behind to begin a painting and read. The temperature was beginning to drop so Laney and I brought back some firewood to the site.

With all the rain much of the wood seemed wet so I whittled off pieces for started and found some dryish kindling. I worked on the fire for the better park of 45 minutes but the wood just wouldn't catch. Otis added started, Emily added starter and that would burn, but the wood just wasn't catching so the kids "roasted" marshmallows as quickly as they could before the starter went out.

After we put pjs on and brushed teeth we put just about everything away for the night and slipped in the tent. I read another really long chapter about a mechanical genius who kept everyone's skates and we went to sleep laughing.

Day 6

We were up early after a great night's sleep with very little rain throughout the night. It was pretty hot and humid so I think we all slept on top of our bags. I made a big batch of pancakes for breakfast with yogurt and strawberries. I will never hear the end of the Vanana-yogurt-wishes as they settle for plain old Trader Joe's vanilla.

Once we were cleaned up the kids put on their water shoes and we headed to the creek next to the campground to climb around. As all the adults talked with some full-time traveling dudes, the kids scrambled around the slippery rocks exploring the creek.

The ever-cautious Brayden sat with the adults for awhile until I handed him the camera to capture the events on the creek. All the kids ran up at one point claiming they had found their pet for the trip. Once we compromised to have him only for our timem at hte creek, Laney ran to grab a little bowl from our site for his temporary home.  They carried this guy all around the creek for the next hour for his field trip.

I visited the kids at the creek after a little while to take a few more pictures. Just seconds after this picture was taken Brayden slipped on some rocks and by the way he was looking at his hand when he got up I knew we'd be taking a trip to see a doctor. Luckily we all believe it is just a pinky sprain so I taped it to his ring finger and even though it felt weird he did say it felt a little better.

I fed the kids a quick snack lunch and Ryan and Brayden piled in Otis's car to go fishing. Laney, Emily, and I opted for a 3-mile hike down to the lake. Laney can walk for days and once I told her we'd be crossing the creek and going under the road a couple times she was excited.

Emily and I chatted a lot along the way and we made the hills easier by teaching Emily how to play Contact. We even got to wish a girl happy birthday as we walked by their neat celebration in the woods.

We found the fishing people by the lake having a snack. We were greeted with, "Guess what we caught?!" follwed quickly by, "NOTHING!"

The kids walked us down to a little spot with rocks and a waterfall. The kids enjoyed exploring and climbing all around the area. At one point I spotted a snake that had caught a fish so we followed it to see what kind it was and watch it eat. He was a teenager but with the fish in his mouth we couldn't really see the shape of his head to tell what kind he was.

Emily and I decided to hike the 3 miles back to our site while Otis piled the all the kids in his car. Within 10 steps of entering the woods, the downpour started. It was 3pm in the South so we should have known better. The rocks were more slippery, the roots were more slippery and we became way more slippery! We made it back in record time though feeling squeaky clean like we'd just had a shower.

We waited a little while for the rain to stop but it wasn't letting up so we all decided to head to a nearby town for dinner. I set our GPS to a random Italian spot and we were on our way. The drive was nice through a little tiny town. Once we pulled into the parking lot I noticed the restaurant was in a strip mall so I wasn't thinking it would be the best place to eat. We decided to go inside anyway and instantly felt underdressed and out of place. If we hadn't already felt that way the hostess asking, "How can I help you?" instead of "How many for dinner?" should have given it away. We opted for a Chinese place a few doors down and felt much better!

We were all starving and the food was delicious so all our moods changed dramatically. We took the opportunity to do a load of laundry to dry out all of our wet clothes and shoes as well. And of course on our way in Brayden spotted an ice cream spot so we stopped there before heading back to our site. The kids were thankful we'd finally found an ice cream spot and kept reminding me it was crazy it had taken so long!

As we headed back through the mountains, we were treated to a beautiful sunset displayed along the range. Being down in the woods we don't get to see the colors like this as a backdrop to the mountains. I'm hoping at least one of our next sites is near the top!

Once we reached our site we got ready for bed and read another chapter of the book. We were ready for a good night's sleep as the temperature was somewhat cooler this night with the rain. We did decide however that Chinese food wasn't good for Ryan's stomach as there were all kinds of noises coming from that side of the tent!

Day 5

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 made it to Waynesboro around 11:30 and made our first laundry stop. This was day 1 for our friends so we wanted to be in sync with them for laundry too. While our clothes were spinning I walked down to Little Caesar's and ordered a pizza for us for lunch to save a little time. We were still a little early so we made a quick resupply stop before hopping on to the Blue Ridge Parkway at mile 0.

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. 

Day 4

*** We are without power and cell coverage for the better part of the month so updates might be infrequent but I'll still be writing if I can!!***

The only plans I had for this day were to hike the trails at some point. So often our days are over planned with programs and activities that it is very nice for the kids to experience boredom to see what they come up with. This morning they opted for logic puzzles and story telling while I cooked some cheese grits.

Our night was quiet except for what sounded like a fight between a racoon and a couple of ducks in the middle of the night. It didn't last long enough to annoy and keep us up though.

After a few rounds of story telling I set up my backpacking hammock for a spot for the kids to be away from each other or for me to write. This morning Ryan and I got in to edit pictures of the past two days. I would love for the weather to be dry enough to sleep in it again! Brayden and Laney meanwhile had an epic chess match.

Once we filled up our backpacks with water we hit the trails. The campground trails basically looped all around the peninsulas of the park and to the entrance. it was obvious it had been awhile for the kids as they wanted quite a few breaks. Or maybe they were just excited about new snacks!

Once we got to the entrance we noticed another trail up the mountain so we decided to walk that loop as well. This was a much tougher climb with little information plaques along the way to teach us about all the trees in the area. We played "Contact" along the way to keep spirits up as the temperature was rising about as fast as we were! We all noticed quite a bit of evidence of bears so it was also a good distraction along with causing quite a bit of noise.

After hiking around the last peninsula we made it to the picture spot close to our site. We made it back to our site for a quick lunch and settled in for a bunch of games. I was mentally getting everything organized for the next day so we could leave early as we would be meeting Otis and Emily around lunchtime after our 4 hour drive.

Brayden and Ryan opted to paint for awhile while Laney hid in my hammock to read so I updated the blog for a little while. After a chess match with Brayden I pulled out the making for dinner. About halfway through preparations our next door neighbor warned us about a storm approaching so I put all the sides back into the car. The temperature kept dropping and dropping and the wind kept picking up but optimistic Jen was still hoping it would blow around us.

As I would get each thing put away into the car I would risk trying to break down something else or finish some other task before the rain. Once everything was back in the car the kids grabbed their bowls and ducked into the tent. Right before I got in the campground host drove by reminding everyone they could use the teeny tiny bathrooms as a shelter which freaked the kids out a little bit. Within 15 seconds of me getting in the tent and zipping it up the downpour started. Then came the lightning and thunder.

One good thing about this site was the cell coverage. I could at least see what we were in for. The storm that was happening looked to be the worst. There was a forecast for severe storms overnight but I didn't see much on the radar. Once there was a break we ran to the bathrooms then grabbed my laptop to watch a movie and a raincoat in case I needed it to pack up in the morning.

The movie took everyone's mind off the incessant rain for a little while at least. Once my laptop died we decided to get some sleep while the rain was gentle. The prediction was for rain until early morning then a break right about the time we wanted to pack up. We were all just hoping for no lightning and thunder.

Day 3

I woke up last night around 4:30am to the sounds of animals. Our neighbors that had so hastily left the in the rain had left their tent and supplies at their site. There was a bag on their picnic table that now I assumed contained food as something was digging through it and taking parts into the woods.

I knew we were safe as we hadn't cooked since the first night and our site was totally clean so once it became quiet again I was able to fall back asleep. To dream of bears.

Once I woke and saw it was a little lighter I got up to write and let the kids sleep. I forgot my jacket in the tent so I retired to the car to keep warm and dry. The campground was quiet except for the birds who kept trying to tell everyone it was morning even though it was so foggy and gray.

Once I finished, I started packing up as much as I could without completely pulling the kids out of their sleeping bags. We only had a four hour drive today so I was looking forward to a fun, easy day.

When the kids woke up we talked for a little while then decided to pack up the tent. After everything was rolled up and packed into the car we all got to work on taking down the tent. Within seconds from us lowering the tent to the ground the downpour started. We were scrambling to get the tent rolled up and stuffed into the bag without getting completely drenched. It seemed the faster we worked the more soaked we got!

By the time I got into the car my clothes were dripping so we headed to the showers to deal with all the mess and warm up. We all showered and laid out our towels and sweatshirts throughout the car to see if they would dry and got on the road.

Today we had a 4 hour drive with two quick resupply stops. We all had a piece of fruit when we left so by the first rest stop we were all starving. The rain had mostly stopped so we decided to have a breakfast picnic while I updated the first 2 days of the blog.

Traveling with these three for more than an hour means lots of DS games and races. During this part of the trip the girls were talking in baby voices for about an hour. At one point Brayden looked over at me and said, "Don't those voices the girls are using annoy you after a little bit?" and I replied, "SO much of what you guys do can be annoying if I choose it to be." I think he wasn't sure if he should be offended that he could be so annoying or actually realized that he could choose his reactions to things.

After about an hour we stopped in Knoxville at our favorite spot for groceries - Trader Joe's. The kids were excited to stock up on all their favorite things they only get a few times a year. Dave isn't so excited to see the debit card transations during our trips though!  We made a beeline to the yogurt first for their all-time favorite item - Vanana yogurt. They all stared at me with angry faces because there wasn't any. There wasn't even an empty spot and they were out of stock. It was as if they had stopped carrying the flavor. Oh, the devastation.

We continued around the store grabbing all the favorite snacks and easy dinner ingredients. Then we hit Walmart for batteries and quarters and got back on the road to our next spot. We knew we were close to Bristol once we started seeing signs for the Bristol Speedway.

Ryan was excited to see the speedway except she was thinking it was a fun museum with slides and things to climb like her favorite in St Louis. Instead we drove past and turned onto our route with all kinds of trucker switchback warning signs. Sounds like a fun drive to me! Considering we only had about 15 miles left and it was going to take us 30 minutes we knew we were in for a treat!

After tons of braking and turning we reached our next park - Little Oak Mountain in the Cherokee National Forest. In years past we have hit so many of the popular national parks that it is sometimes difficult to find a place we haven't seen. This little campground is tucked up on a lake created by a dam managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority with quiet, secluded little spots. The kids have pretty much outgrown the playgrounds they used to rate so we now opt for more quiet and outdoor options.

Our spot was situated on a little peninsula with a nice view of the lake and easy access to the trails. We met our neighbors and were set up in no time. We had one of the kids' favorite Trader Joe's meals for dinner - veggie burgers on pretzel buns.

And this is what happens when the kids play with the camera while I cook!

Once the sunset glow started we took a walk around our little peninsula for a look at the water. The ducks were telling us goodnight as we watched the sun duck behind the mountains.

After all was cleaned up we slipped into our pajamas and read a chapter from our new book - The Middle Moffat. The kids were giggling through the whole first chapter so I'm thinking we might have another great summer trip book! We were very thankful to go to sleep to gentle wind instead of rain this night.