Way Down Yonder in the Hollow Tree

I feel like I should share our mountain trip we took last week, since it was so much fun.

Day 1: We left in the van with just our camping gear, and a plan to meet a realtor in Asheville, NC by the end of the week. We decided to wing it, since our vacations usually end up being rad that way. We went to the Springfield Brewing Company for dinner that evening, and got to hear a live band. By the time we arrived to our "campground" area, it was very late, and very dark. Our gas light came on, and we were sort of lost in the wilderness because we couldn't see any signs with directions. Not only was it a little spooky being in the woods, but since it was a wildlife refuge, there were like thousands of deer all grazing around us in the fields, on the roads, surrounding our van... After making several U-turns, we found what we thought was the campgrounds and pulled into a spot  The next morning a park ranger stopped and told us we weren't even in the campgrounds, haha! But since we were packed up, he told us to be on our way and don't bother even paying for the night!

Day 2: Left Big Springs camp and road-tripped through the rest of the Ozarks, Illinois, Kentucky, and half way through Tennessee. We tried to check out breweries in Nashville, but nothing was open that afternoon. But we were able to find a nice campground in the mountains and set up while it was still light out. I played fiddle for entertainment, we enjoyed wine, ate cheddar brats made over the fire, and took hot showers that night.

Day 3: Drove through the Smoky Mountains and on into North Carolina. Things were starting to look beautiful! Oh, and all those wildflowers! We were in Asheville by 3, so we walked around just exploring the city and all it had to offer. Can't say enough about all the shops. Super interesting! I found an awesome tea/salt/herb shop and of course had to get some Ginger Turmeric, and Cinnamon Plum teas. We rode on a trolley to get a feel of the area. Saw a little bit of the Biltmore village, but didn't get to see the mansion. Then we went to Wicked Weed Brewery, and discovered it's amazing selection of craft beers. By the way, Asheville has over 14 breweries and it's even a smaller city than Lawrence! Anyway, Wicked Weed.. I got a cool cucumbeer. Ted got some type of cherry/pepper beer, and a mint julep flavored one. We also found a community co-op store that was pretty much identical to the Merc. That night, because it was raining, we caved and got a hotel room.

Day 4: We met with the realtor, Tom. He got to ride along in our crammed van with all the pee/poop/barf/normal kid stuff happening all day long. We saw 6 different farm properties that day. The 3rd one was up by Marshall, and it was an old abandoned vineyard that we really fell in love with. We're still talking about all the awesome things we could do with it. Later that night, we ate burritos at Mamacita's, and enjoyed people watching. We found a KOA campground for sleeping at.

Day 5: This is the day we were all starting to get exhausted from travel. The morning started out a little rough (probably because we ate at Waffle House...haha), and by the time we got to the first property Max had a huge diaper blow-out. Had to do a total outfit change, and remove the car seat insert. Tom lent us one of his signs in the back of the truck and a spray bottle to get everything cleaned up in the middle of a pasture. We still owe him one! We saw a mountain farm with an amazing waterfall river up by one of the national forests. The very last farm we saw that day was also one of our top picks. It had a bunch of old barns on the property, a river that you had to cross by a really cool bridge, and plenty of cleared land that could be turned into gardens. Finn fell asleep in his carseat, woke up because he peed...Briggs had to poop and we finally convinced him to go outside. We started heading back west and got about an hour down the road when we realized we forgot the baby backpack carrier in Tom's truck. Ugh! So Ted dropped me and the kids off at the campground, and drove back to Asheville then had to drive back to us. It was just a long day..

Day 6: We were camped right beside the Appalachian Trail, and decided to hike part of it to a place called Midnight Hole, which is a waterfall and swimming hole. The hike was just what we all needed. The river was ice cold, but Briggs and Finn both got in for a couple seconds! I got talked into jumping off a rock into the ice pool. My entire body turned bright red and stayed that way for a long time. Thanks post pregnancy hormones.. By the time we got back to the campsite, it had just started to sprinkle. We barely got the rain fly on the tent when it started to storm. Our tent isn't the most water-proof, and we started getting wet. We used almost all the towels and dirty clothes to mop up the pools that were forming in the tent, and huddled together in the very middle where it was still dry. We waited about 2 hours, then decided to pack everything up and get a hotel for the night. We drove to Knoxville, TN and spent the rest of the evening doing laundry, and enjoying the hotel's luxuries.

Day 7: Drove most of the day, and ended up back in that same campground in the Ozarks that we stayed the very first night. We actually set up in the real campground this time though, and were right next to the river. We got to swim in the not-so-icey river, and were having a good ole time, until Briggs saw a snake in the water. I was too scared to get back in, but the boys just kept on swimming, even little Max! He had a blast.

Day 8: We got to visit my favorite seed company, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, and explored the little village. I bought a sun bonnet like the prairie gals wore in all the pioneer books, and got some seeds for our garden in Houston. We didn't have time to see Laura Ingles Wilder's old house, but I did convince Ted to drive through an Amish community. We met a huge group of horse and buggies with guys in straw hats that had just got done working a field. It was great! You know how much I'm fascinated with Amish culture :) We had lunch at the Springfield Brewery again, then got back to Lawrence by late afternoon.

Now we know a little more about the area. Asheville isn't really the city for us, but it's a really cool place. We really like Marshall, and the smaller towns around Asheville. They were still really hip and progressive, but not as touristy. Not sure it we'll buy anything yet, but we'll definitely be back.