Pisgah / Day 2

On day two we found frigid temps, Tasha's look-alike, Justin's hidden talent (bocce ball!), and a gorgeous view at Hooker Falls. In all, the impromptu trip was a nice preview for the one we actually already had planned for October. The only question that remains is, how much colder will it be when we try this again a month from now? Camping always involves the luck of the draw, and this weekend we happened to draw overnight temperatures that seemed much lower than usual.  The weekend started out warm enough, but quickly drifted from comfortable, to chilly, to cold, to daddy-better-build-a-fire-FAST. Our October destination is not as far from home, and is also not as elevated... and so I think we'll be okay.  Yet and still, it might be time to browse the internet for a thicker sleeping bag and another pair of long-johns. Better safe than sorry.

Pisgah National Forest

Three years? That can't be right. I kept flipping through the blog looking for the hole. Looking for that mystery camping trip that I must have overlooked. But there wasn't one because, despite my disbelief, it had really been three years since our last camping trip. Wow. It just seems impossible that we would have shelved something that we love so much for so long. But I guess no one does it on purpose. Life happens, to-do lists get longer, and passions get pushed to the back of the line. The good news is, three years beats the pants off of never. And so here we are... back on the trail with just a moment's notice. And we were quickly reminded that they don't call it the great outdoors for nothing.

On today's agenda: Looking Glass and Sliding Rock Falls. Fun times. 

Puddles

For all the times that we tell our kids, "Don't step in that puddle!"... sometimes you've just gotta let kids be kids. Thank God for rain boots, strong laundry detergent and extra rinse cycles.

Bike Trek

We finally sprung for a bike carrier.  As much as I've flirted with this purchase for years, it probably didn't make sense until now.  However, we are officially up to 4 (out of 5) independent riders.  So far, we've racked up three times and made a day out of our family bike ride.  It's been awesome.  I'm totally baffled by the endurance of the little ones (not that I ever gave them a choice of stopping or slowing down), and I guess the not-so-little-one too (I think Venesa shot me a dirty look every mile and a half or so).  Our latest excursion was a seven mile loop from Kalmia to Sonic (yes, we stopped for ice cream) to Lawton park.  Naomi kept her end of the bargain with harmonica music accompaniment, Jasmine didn't miss a single opportunity to splash through a puddle, and Justin didn't run into any mailboxes.. this time.