Overlanding NC Mountains

We had our second family overlanding trip this summer and spent our time traveling across North Carolina. This time, we were able to get all of our gear into the truck thanks to some great upgrades. The kids were gone the week prior and Smalls and I were busy prepping. We started our trip out with a trip to urgent care as Mediums and SnackPack came home with poison ivy. Then we were off! We drove the Blue Ridge Parkway from the end at Great Smoky Mountains National Park t mile 469 and stayed at Julian Price Campground mile 296 outside of Blowing Rock, NC. We were lucky to have only 1 closure due to maintenance and the detour was quick.

The views all along the BRP are amazing and it was so difficult not to stop at every overlook. We stopped and had lunch–sandwiches–out of the rooftop tent before finally making our way to camp at dusk. We set up with Mediums in the hammock, Talls and Snack Pack in the tent, and Smalls and I in the rooftop tent.

Camp Julian Price was great. The first night we had reservations at A23. The campground has loops A-F. All of loop A is by reservation only. The second night we stayed in loop B17 which was a first come, first serve spot since we had only reserved 1 night. It was on a trail that led to the hot showers. Loops B, C, and D have some that require reservations and some that are first come and first serve. Loops E and F are for RVs only. There are bathrooms and water at each loop but the only shower is in loop D. There are lots of great trails in the park and it is close to the AT. We saw some hikers coming off the AT the camp there for the night. It is only a lake. You cannot swim there but there are canoe rentals and you are allowed to bring a kayak. I loved that we were about 15 min from a town to get gas. Also, Grandfather Mountain was close. I would definitely stay here again.

The next morning we had to move our campsite due to reservation and then we headed over the Grandfather Mountain to do the mile high bridge. This requires an advance reservation as well. The park was pristine. It would have been truly spectacular if the weather would have cleared up. As it was, we really could not see anything. There are lots of trails there as well but they were pretty strenuous and we didn’t think the kids would really enjoy it. We did go to the wildlife habitats and stumbled into a private tour of the elk. They have animal encounters every 30 min to an hour. Carolina, the black bear, would not wake up to join. Afterward, we headed back to camp to relax. Just as the kids were setting into their tent and hammock, a huge storm came up. Smalls’ 15 year old Big Agnes Emerald Mountain SL3 gave into the water and flooded. It was an amazing tent for him for a long time but the waterproofing wore out. A tear or 2 was shed.

From there, we had work to do. We have to figure out the sleeping arrangements for 2 kids. the hammock was fine, the under quilt got a little wet on the bottom–but Mediums was set for the night. Snack pack had never slept in a hammock before, but was excited to give it a try. Smalls set up hammocks for the other 2 kids. About that time, we found that a mouse had gotten into our Decked drawer system and soy sauce had been spilled. We got to work on another project to secure all dry foods in the locked boxes inside the drawers and wash everything. The camp host came through checking to ensure that everyone was safe from the storm. Apparently, a tree fell on the ranger’s car and before they started cutting it up, they had to be sure no one else needed help. Again, great campsite! We all got hot showers and ate dinner. After such an eventful day, we had bratwurst, corn, couscous, and smores. Off to bed we went. Around 1am, Smalls and I awoke to some serious thunderstorms. We were terrified that the kids were getting wet or scared. It was so loud that Smalls and I could not hear each other talking if we were not facing each other. Our canopy filled with water and broke. We called the boys to check on them but did not get a response (cell signal was spotty). Finally, we went back to sleep. When morning came, we got out to assess the damage. The kids had no idea there was ever a storm!

After packing up a wet camp, we headed south to Lake Lure, NC. Before checking into camp, we went on another adventure. It was a first for Talls and Snack Pack to go zip lining. We arrived at Canopy Ridge Farm Tours. This tour has no age limit, it goes by weight only. Children in various weight categories either have to ride tandem for all rides, 1/2 of rides, or ride alone for all. There are 6 zip lines here that reach speeds of 35 mph. At this location, there is a little hike in between each zip line so you are not tethered together the entire trip and you can change the order that people ride. We had awesome guides as well. This was another big hit with the littles.

From here, we went to check into our campsite at Hickory Nut Falls Campground. This was a different kind of campground for us, but we loved it because it was convenient to everything, had a covered porch, and was next to the creek so that we could play in the water. Talls chose to sleep in his army tent while Mediums and Snack Pack stayed in their hammocks under the covered porch. That night, we enjoyed good pizza at La Strada while overlooking Lake Lure Beach. We all slept great!

The following morning, we headed to Chimney Rock Park. The weather was perfect. We cheated and took the elevator to the top. Gorgeous views! There are tons of great hiking trails there, but the kids were not up to it.

Next, we went to cool off at Lake Lure Beach and Water Park. This is a public beach area with a splash pad and 2 water slides for $10/adult and $8/child. There are other additional things you can rent here including boats, kayaks, SUP, and canoes or even a 1 hour boat tour. This was definitely the kids favorite activity of the day.

https://www.lakeluretours.com/beach-2.html

We chose to stop in town at Chimney Rock Village to get ice cream and enjoy it while we strolled and climbed along Rocky Broad Riverwalk. The kids hopped back in the creek. We played for a bit and finally went back to camp. I used the laundry facilities to make sure we had clothes for the rest of the trip. The kids went to the playground and ended up playing with a bunch of other kids staying at the campground. Everyone took showers. The facilities here were kept clean and the staff was helpful. Plus, we were 5-10 min from everything. I would definitely stay here again!

We woke up to wish our oldest a happy 11th birthday! We packed up camp and headed to Canton, NC for his birthday surprise–tubing on Pigeon River through Pigeon River Outfitters. We set out at 11 am. It was still a little chilly but we quickly adjusted. It lasted a few hours with us stopping along the way. It was a pretty calm ride. There were so many trout. Afterward, we had lunch at the brewery next door. The food was great! It was more than just your normal pub fare. We learned afterward that you can get beer from the brewery to take with you tubing if you want.

https://www.pigeonriveroutfittersnc.com

https://www.bearwatersbrewing.com

For our finale, we went to Cosby, TN to do something we never really considered doing: hiking with llamas. Steve took us for a 1 mile hike on a trail around his property that he blazed himself. Everyone had their own personal llama to hike with and we got a background story on each. They were so docile and well adapted to people. It was so awesome!! I highly recommend!

https://smokymountainllamatreks.com

We found something to eat and headed in the direction of home while looking for campsites with availability. We stumbled upon Rose Creek Campground just outside of Franklin, NC. We had a great time here also. Smalls and I both forgot to take pictures. They have a pool and everything was exceptionally clean. I learned they are recently under new ownership and have done a great deal of renovating. We met some great people while we were there. We would have liked a little more space between campsites, but thats because we are usually one of the few people staying at a campground or we camp off the grid with no one else around. There is also tubing and gem mining close by. We had to get the kids back to their other parents so we didn’t stay around to explore.

That is a wrap for our summer vacation 2021.

Home

Our Wedding

After Smalls and I decided to introduce the kids to each other, things were going great! We were all spending a lot of time together which involved driving between each other’s houses. We had an agreement that we could not stay overnight unless we were married. Then the pandemic hit. Smalls and I both have full time jobs that require us to work outside of the home. And then we had 3 school aged children that had to be home schooled. The back and forth quickly got out of hand and we found ourselves modifying our work schedules so that one of us went in early, family covered the middle, and the other worked late. It was exhausting and stressful. Smalls said, “I think we will have to get married.” While we loved each other and the kids very much, we really weren’t in any rush to get married. Shortly after, I agreed with him and we began to get all the documents together to apply for a marriage license. The kids were happy and our families were thrilled at the idea. Smalls ordered us rings online and we started telling family and friends about the upcoming nuptials. When we went to the courthouse to get the marriage license, we had to give a date in the next 2 weeks that we would get married due to Covid. We knew that we would get married at home with Smalls’ stepfather officiating, but that was it. Smalls suggested the next day–it was a Saturday and we had all the children. That was it. A few months earlier, Smalls had given me a blue lace dress for when we would get married–thinking it was at least 6 months if not a year away. I wore the dress. We let the kids choose whatever they wanted to wear. My sister-in-law brought over a toilet paper cake. My niece and her friend that had been helping to keep the kids wore bridesmaids dresses from when her mom got married. My mother-in-law brought over a bouquet from her garden. Our officiant and witness wore their N-95 masks and gloves. We had family watching from the windows and my parents on FaceTime. We had an absolute blast!

After all the fun was over, the kids had to go to their other parents houses and I went to work for a bit. That night, I got to come home to my wonderful new husband and we had nachos. Things did not go how we thought they would, but it was perfect for us. Marrying him is the best decision I ever made!

Black Rock Mountain State Park

Cabin Style

We rented a cabin at Black Rock Mountain State Park this past spring. I booked it about 6 months in advance. Black Rock Mountain State Park is easily one of the most beautiful state parks in Georgia. The views are amazing. You can choose to do some of the hikes–a few are pretty strenuous or drive to the overlook at the visitor’s center.

Our first stop was in Clayton for dinner at Rumor Hazit. Try the Rainbow–its delicious! Clayton is only 15 min or so from Black Rock and has good restaurants and cute shops. I also recommend Outdoor 76 for any shoes or fun shirts plus they have home-brew. Before checking into the cabin, we sat and enjoyed the sunset at the overlook by the visitor’s center.

    Had we known our view from the cabin was just as beautiful, we would have gone our porch for sunset.

    The next morning we had a good breakfast and went to shop at the visitor’s center and play for minute at overlook. The views never get old there. Since the kids have been a little difficult to convince on the more difficult hikes, we set out to find some easy trails with big payoffs. AllTrails can be a little interesting.

    First stop was Mud Creek Falls in Sky Valley. What we didn’t realize is that Sky Valley is not just a city but also a country club. After meandering through the country club, we found the trail which has the main waterfall at the parking lot but also has a trail that follows along the creek and surprises you with houses that pop up out of nowhere. It was really pretty. The trail came out to the highway with a covered bridge that you cannot pass. We had a good laugh and headed back to the car.

    Everyone was getting hungry again-big suprise-so we went back to Clayton and had really good burger and wings at the Universal Joint. Because I’m always trying to find a unique animal experience, I insisted on going to Goats on the Roof. We enjoyed feeding the goats and some yummy nitro homemade ice cream. We kept seeing people pull up dressed interesting and carrying instruments. Finally, we got the see the flash mob style Stampede drum line with the Seed & Feed Marching Abominable. It was so fun! We found out that they typically make an annual stop at Goats on the Roof and we just happened to catch it. Because of Covid, the band was unable to play so they formed the Stampede drum line.

    With full bellies, we took a sleepy drive over to Minnehaha Falls. Its another short, easy trail with a big payoff. The trail is 0.4 mile and the only significant elevation gain is the stairs at the beginning. It is a rooty trail. The kids put their feet in the water and we enjoyed the scenery. It is definitely a popular spot.

    We wrapped up the day sitting by enjoying sunset on the porch and then hanging out by the fire with smores.

    Sunday we took our time getting packed up and stopped by for one more delicious meal in Clayton at Fortify Pi. Next, we hit Hemlock Falls on the way home. Its a 1.9 mile out and back trail that follows along the creek to a waterfall. It was gorgeous the entire way! It was a pretty easy trail with a slow, gentle incline and camping along the way if you’re interested. This is arguably one of my all time favorite trails. The kids loved it too!