Carolina Blue Ridge

2 Years, 23 Weeks



Steep roads and sharp turns.  Miles and miles of twisting, slithering country roads. Untouched forests of tulip trees bordering fields of corn and tobacco plants.  Acres upon acres of farmlands, cows meandering in flowering meadows.  Baptist churches dot the roadsides; cemeteries providing final rest for their former parishioners.  Trees acquiesce to the changing of season, their leaves beginning to show the slightest hues of fall colors. A glimpse of white-tailed deer and wild turkeys disappearing into the thick, protective brush; delicious rainbow trout caught fresh from cold mountain waters.

And the view?

They don't call it the Blue Ridge Mountains for nothing.  They truly are blue.  And spectacular.  And breathtaking.  And seductive.

We had the pleasure of spending this past week in North Carolina, along with Lolo and Lala, who accompanied us to help with the kiddos.  After our beach trip to Panama City with our friends last July we wanted to do another home rental vacation, this time to the mountains of NC.  So we researched and found this magnificent luxury cabin in a secluded community in Traphill, a small [and I mean really small] town about 2 hours north of Charlotte.  We loved the pictures on the website and knew it would be a bit of a drive away from the closest town, but the views and the price cemented our decision to go with this one.  Little did we know truly how much of a trek it would be to get there!

Our home for the week!

But let's start with the trip up.  Our rental week was from Sunday to Sunday, so we planned to leave very early Sunday morning in order to get there by 3 pm, as it was a 10 hour drive according to Google Maps.  But then I started thinking that I really didn't want to drive 10 hours straight, or make that 12 or 13, with all the gas and food and rest stops along the way.  So we decided to break the trip in half and spend Saturday night in Savannah, GA.  We told my parents of our plans, and invited them to stay with us in Savannah and then we would caravan the rest of the way on Sunday.  So they obliged, meeting us there for dinner and then sharing a hotel room with us for the night, which would prove to be a sleepless one with Maddy waking up and staying up around 4 in the morning.  Of course that would keep Tangie and I up, along with Lolo who is the lightest sleeper I know.  It was a very groggy morning as we started the second leg of our trip up.

Pulled out of the garage to a rainy afternoon.
Thank goodness we were able to borrow the Grodacks' car topper.  We had a lot to bring!

Brae finds a home for her puppet.

The girls get comfortable at the hotel in Savannah.

Time to head back to the room!  Brae doesn't seem too pleased.

They were just chatting up a storm down the hallway, despite our pleas to whisper.
Probably woke someone up.

Before getting back on the highway we took my parents on a quick tour of the city. Savannah has such history and charm, and is one of the most romantic old cities in the South, in my opinion.  Tangie and I had fallen in love with the place when we first visited it while we were dating, even stumbling onto the movie set for The Legend of Bagger Vance with Will Smith and Matt Damon, so yes we had some fun memories with this place.  We also visited it with a couple of friends for a long holiday weekend just before we got married, so it had been over 9 years since that last visit.  Anyway, a truly remarkable city.

Known for its large oak trees, monuments, and city squares.

River Street, next to the Savannah river, has plenty of quaint shops and restaurants.

We caravanned the whole second leg up to the mountain cabin.  The place was in a very rural town called Traphill.  No, not even a town.  Maybe a municipality.  And even that's a stretch.  We knew the house was going to be a bit of a drive from any kind of modern civilization.  But then again, maybe that  was what was so enticing about the house.  It was so secluded, basically hidden atop a mountainside.  It was located in a 500 acre gated community with only 9 finished homes, complete with luxury amenities like granite and stainless steel, 2500 sq. ft. with 3 bedrooms and 3 baths, pool and ping pong, and our favorite, a fantastic 2nd story walk out deck to soak in the views!  And we got all this for only $900 for the entire week!  I will admit though, as we left the highway and started our 45 minute drive through the countryside, culminating in an incredibly steep gravel incline the last couple miles, I was like, "What in the world did we get ourselves into?!"  A cold front was coming across the mountains, and the visibility was inhibited by the mist and fog.  But once we saw the property and cabin we knew we were in for a treat.

Keeping entertained in the morning while we get ready.

Going over the Savannah River overlooking River Street to cross into South Carolina.

A quick lunch at Wendy's.

We're at the home stretch!  3 more hours to go!

The 2nd and 3rd floors of the cabin.

A stocked fridge.  We swung by Walmart for last minute supplies and groceries.

A stocked pantry as well.

Dinner with the grandparents.

We knew from the weather forecast that the first 2 days there would be overcast and rainy, with Tuesday having a 100% chance of rain all day.  So we decided to venture out on Monday, planning to hunker down and spend the whole day inside the cabin on Tuesday.  We drove about an hour and a half east to Winston-Salem, where Wake Forest University is located.  We had originally planned to take the kids to a children's museum there, but then found out en route that they were closed on Mondays.  So Tangie researched on her phone for some other indoor options and came up with the science museum there, so we pressed on.  It turned out to be a wonderful place, so much better than our science museum here.  And the best part was that since we are members of the Orlando Science Center, we were able to get free admission into their museum, only paying a $1 fee per person for the new dinosaur exhibit.  $5 for 3 hours of entertainment for the entire family?  Awesome!

First morning up and just hanging around!

Lala and the twins check out the clouds.  We wouldn't see our view until Wednesday morning.

Making breakfast in the kitchen.

All loaded up in the minivan, heading to Winston-Salem and the Science Museum.

Baa Baa Black Sheep, have you any wool?

Checking out the ducks...

and the deer.

Kohl gives Maddy a little push around the grounds.

Mommy and Maddy being silly girls.

Checking out a big python!

You like my collection?  I love how they put the heaviest animals at the very top!

They loved the fishing activity.

Worn out!  On the ride home.

Steak and veggies, ready to be grilled by

The Grillmaster!

Sitting with Maddy on the deck, the fog had completely reduced our visibility of the mountains.
It really did feel like we were in a tree house!

At least they were all in good spirits!

Mommy holds a meeting as to what to do for the rainy day. 

I took this picture with all of us in it with the reflection.

They wanted to stay outside for dinner.

Capped off the evening with a little ping pong downstairs.

Like I said, Tuesday was a stay indoors day.  The clouds covered up the mountain range, and we felt like we were in a tree house, as all we could see were tree tops around us.  We couldn't even go outside to enjoy the deck!  But what we did enjoy was the gas fireplace, the ping pong table, the wi-fi, the Disney channel, the food, and the company.  And we were so ready to get out and do something on Wednesday!

Helping Lala clean up the suds.  Dish soap and dishwasher soap are not interchangeable!

I had the kids color some rocks.  That took about five minutes.

View from the balcony.

Found this little yellow box turtle on a walk around the cabin.

Braelyn would dub him "Silly Willy" and he would become our pet for 1 day as he disappeared
from the enclosed deck!

A little clearing up by early evening gave us a glimpse of what was out there.

Lolo looks out from the house.  I loved the A -frame design of the great room.

Our view from the kitchen.

The girls goofy and peering inside.

A late night Skype chat with the Isidros in California.

A couple of things we wanted to do while up there was to go trout fishing and gem mining.  We decided to go to Grandfather Trout Ponds in Boone to hit two birds with one stone, as they had both activities available on their property.  So we drove out through the winding countryside for another hour and a half to spend the day there, hoping to bring home fresh catch for dinner.  They had a couple of ponds there stocked to the brim with rainbow trout of different sizes, all ready to bite at the corn or worm bait that was provided.  The water was directly from the adjacent mountain stream, so we knew the fish were pretty clean.  And we had pretty good success:  All 3 kids caught a fish each with their poles, I caught one and Lolo caught 2.  We would have caught more if the price had not been $7 per pound; our 6 trout cost $82!  Talk about some expensive fish!  But that also included entertainment, which we were, especially with Braelyn's reaction to catching her trout!  Afterwards we all did some gem mining and sifted through a $15 bucket of rocks to find some gems like sapphire, emeralds, amethysts, and rubies.  We had a late lunch at Blowing Rock, a popular lookout garden with some incredible views, and then drove back to the cabin via the Blue Ridge Parkway.  This was a scenic highway with lots of overlooks of the mountains and the valleys below, through state parks and untouched forests, finally arriving home in time to have some delicious trout, roasted on the bonfire, for supper!

Our view, finally!  Oh happy day!

We saw our first wild deer right here, on the road about 50 yards in front of us.

Grandfather Mountain, as it resembles a sleeping giant.

Grandfather Trout Farms.

The twins starting to fish.

Maddy with her catch.

Braelyn trying to get away from hers!

Kohlden peering to see what he caught with his rod.

Lolo and I with our haul.

Starting to do a little gem mining.

An activity the whole family enjoyed!

Wished she caught one this big!

And then everyone wanted to ride on it...

Sacred Indian legend, this place had spectacular views.

Family shot.  Maddy was upset about something.

Great spot for lunch!

The vistas driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Starting the bonfire for our first fish roast.

Mommy reads her Kindle while the twins lounge about.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen I was making pan fried Bourbon trout!

The cabin at night.

A trout feast for sure!

The girls getting ready for bed.

Children down for the night, the adults spend some quality time together!

Thursday was activities day, so we hung out and around town for some recreation.  Lolo and I got up early to go play tennis at the Elkin rec center, and ended up driving around for an hour and a half because we got turned around on the winding roads and got lost, having to resort to calling Tangie who guided us there via her phone's gps!  We played (okay, he played ~ I got killed) 3 sets and then by that time Tangie and Lala arrived with the kids to play at the playground there.  We switched vehicles and Tangie and I went out for an afternoon date, leaving the kiddos with the grandparents.  We had a quick lunch at a local Thai restaurant, then headed back up the mountains to play golf at Stone Mountain Golf Club, a beautifully located and very picturesque course about 8 miles from the cabin.  It was a tough round, with tight fairways and huge elevation changes, the golf cart pathways were steep and perilous, one time even popping a wheelie when starting it back up on an incline!  The weather was amazing, sometimes cool enough in the shade for a sweater, but perfect for dinner outside on the deck.

Playing together on the slide.

Kohl helps Brae up.

Mommy about to tee off hole #1!

Had to take a picture of the sign.  It was so true!

A gorgeous mountain course.

They still had pieces of old homes there, like this chimney from the early 1900's next to the women's tee box.

We had one of the workers take our picture.
There were no other golfers there; they had all played their rounds in the morning,
which meant we had the entire golf course to ourselves!

Amazing views from each hole.

Back at the cabin, the view was pretty spectacular itself!

Perfect weather for dinner on the deck.

Goofy and sassy at the same time.

On a walk in the woods below the cabin.

Time to head back up for

a bonfire and s'mores!

On Friday we took a short trip to Stone Mountain State Park, where we had a picnic and did some exploring at Widows Falls, a series of small cascading waterfalls and streams. The water was freezing, as expected, but the kids loved picking up the small rocks and splashing them everywhere.  I commented on how the stones probably hadn't moved several inches in millions of years and then here comes some kids that throw them around several feet!  We explored the waterfall, climbing on some rocks and boulders around the area.  There was a pretty hairy moment when Lolo, who was holding Kohlden, slipped while trying to cross an area where the water was rushing through. Had he not grabbed onto a low hanging branch with his free hand, he and Kohl would have slid down at least 50 feet of slippery rock slide down to the pool below.  Luckily the branch held both their weight, as I rushed to first get Kohlden and then helped Lolo regain his footing!  We searched the water for some wildlife, finding some water bugs and snails, and finally spotting and catching a crayfish, before heading back.  Dinner would be round 2 of more fire roasted and grilled trout.

Picture of the cabin from the gravel road by Tangie on an early morning walk.

Can you say Fall is here?

On the rocks checking out 

Widows Falls.

Lolo trying to reach for Lala.

Picnic on the rocks.

Um, why are you taking a picture of me?

I found a nice place to rest my head.

Exploring the stream for rocks and wildlife.

Can you tell whose legs are whose?

About to catch a crayfish.

And here he is!

Braelyn wanted to bring him back to the cabin but we said no.

Kohlden just content watching the trees go by.

Sunset through the trees.

The twins pretending to be asleep in Brae's bed.

Sabbath started a bit low key.  We had a pretty big breakfast, with pancakes, omelets, and cinnamon buns.  Lolo and Lala took a morning walk around the cabin and explored the area while we got the kids ready for the day.  They stayed behind while we took the kids to Doughton State Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  We drove around with the windows down and saw some more beautiful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, even stopping by a local winery to see their farm and wine collection.  We even saw a very old cemetery by the side of the road, which Tangie investigated.  It looked like it was a family plot, since most of the headstones bore the same surnames.  She even found one where the individual lived from 1850-1883, so yeah, that was a very long time ago!  Then we drove back down to the playground in Elkin, with a quick stop to see the large pumpkins at the Pumpkin Festival they were having in the middle of town.  We let the kids play for awhile before heading back to the cabin, for our last dinner of hotdogs and pineapple over the bonfire.  We would spend the majority of the night packing and putting our things together for checkout late the following morning.

Sharing some love and hugs.

Pretty neat, the bridge is actually part of the Blue Ridge Parkway as it goes over country roads.

Old family cemetery plot.

Lived 160 years ago!

Another view from the Parkway.  The mountain with the bare rock face is Stone Mountain.

Talk about some major pumpkin pies!  And check out the huge watermelon on the back of the the black truck! 

Oh, and there's more!

I'll have the...

This was downtown Elkin.  A happening place for sure.

Thumbs up for the see-saw!

Sharing a chair and some laughs.

Pineapple roasted over an open fire is delicious!

Another front came over the ridge that evening; the wind was whipping up and down the mountainsides.  The treetops swayed back and forth, which made the sound of the wind blowing through that much louder.  I took a moment to stand on the deck, thankful for a railing to hold on to.  We awoke to a brilliant sky and much chillier weather on Sunday. I apparently had turned 36 years old overnight and was looking forward to spending my birthday inside our minivan driving for 10 hours straight!  We had an 11 o'clock check out time, so we took our time with breakfast and packing.  Lolo and Lala had left just a tad bit too early to go down to the tennis courts to play; we would meet them for lunch at a Hibachi Buffet restaurant before all heading back down to Florida.

Parting shot.  Packed and ready to drive out.  We had a blast at this house.

Kohl gets settled in with his book.

We got stuck behind this tractor for a couple of miles.  Slow movin'!

Birthday lunch at the Hibachi Buffet!  At least their sushi was decent.

The drive down was uneventful, arduous at best.  We definitely took our time, making several stops to get supplies and even visited a Trader Joe's Grocery (like a Whole Foods) in Charlotte.  The people who shop at TJ's are all fit and healthy, as they shop mostly organic and wholesome foods ~ I commented to Tangie that I felt right at home!  The kids all did okay; we put on a couple of movies on the dvd player and kept Brae busy with highway sign games for prizes.  We changed them into their pajamas after supper and then started our last leg back home, which was going to be a good 5 hour stretch.  We had forecasted an arrival time close to 2 AM and knew that they would have to fall asleep in the van for part of the night.  I was starting to get real tired as we passed Jacksonville, and we still had a good 2.5 hours left, so we stopped by a rest area for restroom breaks and so I could get a caffeinated beverage.  That helped me the rest of the way, us arriving home 30 minutes earlier than expected.  However, the caffeine did not help me afterwards, as I was wired after transferring the kids to their beds and unloading the minivan.  I think the last time I saw the clock it read 4:20; my head would be in a fog the entire next day.

Checking out the pumpkins at Trader Joe's.

Brae fashions some clown glasses she won playing a highway game.

So we're back to the daily program.  Braelyn was excited to go back to school and see her friends; on the opposite end Tangie was not really looking forward to going back to her clients ~ October and November will be very busy months for her.  We're settling in with having the Grodacks in the neighborhood, as we must have seen them almost every day this week.  Back to our housework and errands.  Back to reality.

Wednesday was Adventurer's Induction Service ceremony.   Here with our Bergherm and Grodack friends. 

This week's Costco run!  Maddy just loves wearing sunglasses, even indoors.  Such a fashionista!

Randoms:

Oh good, I'm so glad I didn't bring mine when we went to play tennis!

Got a car in your yard?  Mow AROUND it!

Brae's rendition of herself.

25K on the Sorento already!

Cows:

The hairy kind, 

and the dairy kind!

Quotes:

• We had brought a jackfruit to enjoy on our trip.  The kids loved eating it, especially Kohlden.  When his ran out he went over to where Lolo was eating his:

           Kohl:  [to Lolo]  "I want more jackfruit."

           Me:  "Say 'Please, Kohlden!'"

           Kohl:  "Please Kohlden!"

• On Thursday Tangie woke Braelyn up to go to school.  Her response was a groggy "Nooo!  I was in the middle of a dream.  And you DESTROYED it!!"

• The twins are still trying to develop their speech, and are having a little difficulty pronouncing some of the sounds.  For example, Maddy can't say the "ck" sound, as in "lock", when she says it "lock" becomes "lot".  And "rack" becomes "rat".  Kohl, on the other hand, can't seem to pronounce the "L" sound, and it comes out sounding like a "Y".  Here was a funny exchange:

           Me:  "Kohlden, say lucky."

           Kohl:  "Yucky!"

           Me:  "No, no.  Say L-L-LUCKY."

           Kohl:  "Y-Y-YUCKY."

           Me:  "Okay, say yucky."

           Kohl:  "Gross!"

           Yeah, I guess that's the same thing!

Have a great week!