As many of you know, Evan and I graduated from Appalachian State University, which is right down the road in Boone. Even though we met in Apex, college is where our love story really began. We dated all 4 years in college and then some. So, every time we re-visit this area, it is so special to us. So many memories and traditions here. This is probably our most favorite place to visit together.
We arrived on Wednesday afternoon and stayed until Sunday mid morning. On the day we arrived, we just enjoyed each others company while allowing the boys to play. The best part about this cabin is the porch. It is a long enclosed porch that is child proof on all sides. A perfect place for the boys to play with their trucks.
Evan made a bench to go with the little table that Lynn decided to put on the porch for the boys to eat at. It made a perfect kids table. The first night the boys ate dinner on the porch and decided to test out the new bench. It worked great. Good job Evan!
This porch comfortably fit all 8 of us with room for more. Every morning, the first thing Ethan would want to do was go play on the porch!
On our first full day, we all went to Grandfather Mountain. Evan and I have been here a few times, but we wanted to take the kids. For those of you that have never been, it is equipped with a little zoo, museum, hiking (which we didn't do with the kids), plenty of picnic areas, and of course, the mile high swinging bridge. Well, it doesn't swing anymore...which is probably a good thing. :) First, we visited the zoo. We happened to see the bears at a good time which Ethan enjoyed. We were lucky enough to catch them during feeding time.
After the zoo, and wandering around a bit, we decided to pick a place to enjoy our picnic lunch. We found a great spot near the top of Grandfather, with a pretty awesome view.
After we ate, we decided to explore a bit.
View from the top of the area where we ate lunch.
Little one did some exploring of his own.
We did not get any pictures on the mile high swinging bridge...Ethan had reached his limit. It was a quick trip over the bridge and back. Maybe next time. They say on a clear day you can see Charlotte from the mile high bridge. I never have- but then again I don't think I've ever been to the top on a crystal clear day.
On Friday, we left Ethan and Shane with Aunt Joss and G-dad while the rest of us hiked to the top of firetower. This is basically a 5 mile hike up the mountain to an old tower which you climb to the top for a pretty amazing view. Big thanks to Aunt Joss and G-dad for staying behind and playing with the little ones! It was SO nice to get a break. Here are some photos from our hike. All I can say is WOW. It was breathtaking. All the years we've been up here, and we still manage to find new treasures every time.
And finally at the top of firetower!
A side note- that morning it was around 50 degrees, and very windy. When we started our hike it was 59 degrees. So, hence the sweatshirt. I did finally warm up at the end. Don't let Evan fool you. He was freezing!
After our hike, we enjoyed lunch at Woodlands. Woodlands is a tradition in our family. If you have never been....GO! It is a delicious BBQ place- with all the home made sauces. Hushpuppies, sweet potato fries, coleslaw, banana pudding, ect. Need I say more?! Next time you are in the area look it up!
Since the day we did our hike was July 4th- we celebrated that evening with a good old fashioned cook out. And smores of course!
Ethan says "Happy 4th!"
I tried really hard to get a picture of me and Ethan in our red white & blue...but it didn't turn out so great.
I was very excited that my sister and her boyfriend also happened to be camping a couple of towns over in Todd. So, we were able to spend some time together. They visited us at the cabin for a few hours, and also met us for lunch at Woodlands.
On our last full day, we ventured into good ole Boone. You can NEVER go to the mountains without a trip to App State. We spent our afternoon on King street and did a little shopping. I wished we would have taken some pictures with Ethan on campus...I'm hoping that we can do that sometime in the near future. That evening Evan went with the crew to the fireworks show, and I stayed behind with Ethan. I didn't mind, since Ethan and I needed to catch up on our beauty sleep anyways. :)
On our final morning, we packed up, said our good byes, and ended our trip with a stop at the new Cracker Barrel in Boone. As Evan said- it's probably a good thing they didn't have this when we were in college- or we would have put on WAY more than the freshman 15.
All in all, a good trip. We are excited to continue the tradition of taking Ethan to the mountains with us. What a special place for our family to continue to make memories.
Go Mountaineers!!!
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