Family Vaca Part II

After a night in Nashville, we were on the road again. (I'll try not to break out in Willie Nelson....)

Our destination was a cabin on Roan Mountain near Bakersville, NC. This cabin was said to be remote and a mere 15-minute drive from the Appalachian Trail. Being the mountain lovers that we are, we were extremely excited to explore the Smokey Mountains.

Before I go any further, I must ask the Smokeys to forgive me. I always envisioned you being second-rate compared to my beloved Rocky Mountains. But I was terribly wrong! You are breathtakingly beautiful.

We took the scenic route on our way to NC and took the time to stop for photos along the way.
I knew I was in the country when I saw this:
The boys saw a creek and had to try it out.
Yep, it was chilly, but we were thrilled, because WE MADE IT!


The house we rented greeted us from the road ahead:

And we climbed out of the car as fast as our legs would carry us.

That deck pictured above is where you could find us for the next several days.

See the view from the deck:

What's not to love about that view?

And the temperature?
Heavenly! It never climbed above 64 degrees while we were there. A mere 40 degrees cooler than home.

Someone asked, "What did you do on vacation?" My answer was, "A whole lotta nothin'."

And it was perfect!

We chilled out, right Jack?
Some of us drew the mountains.
Some of us cooked, but it wasn't me.

Ladies, he's taken.

I did wash the dishes, however. It wasn't such a bad task with my pet humming birds that stopped by to visit the kitchen window.

Rick also played the guitar, an activity that he loves but doesn't get much time for at home.
The boys ran, ran, and ran some more. They were made for this.
My favorite spot was this:
I spent hours in that swing enjoying three books, the cool breeze, and the view. Occasionally, I'd snag a boy to love.

And, of course, we ate a lot of junk food, such as S'mores. Some of us tend to wear our food.



I suppose such a slow-paced vaca might bore some, but it was such a welcomed change for us. But we did do some hiking, which I'll share about in Part III.