Today we ventured into the great smoky mountains national park. Along with everyone else in a 10 state radius. We drove through the whole park but were really only able to do one hike. We hiked clingmans dome, only half a mile (not including the trek to the trailhead from the car), but very steep. The views from the tower at the top were rewarding, and we had the fun experience of standing in two states at the same time….
Veterans Day is a holiday we celebrate in our family. My husband served, as well as his father, 2 of his brothers, currently 3 nephews, my father, my uncle, and my grandfather, who was a full bird colonel in the army, serving in both WWII and the Korean War. This year, far from home, it was still a day I wanted to remember. We ended up in Cherokee, NC. This Veterans Day was special for them because they were…
Today was a little nostalgic. We came to the end of our days on the blue ridge parkway. If you have never driven the blue ridge parkway, it is an otherworldly experience. It is 469 miles of 2 lane road, maximum speed 45mph. It is completely uncommercialized. Not even any gas stations, you have to drive down into a nearby city. Every mile is full of beauty. Changing leaves for us in the fall, but I am sure all seasons…
Today was a rough day. Our whole family was discouraged and sad, having woken up to the election results. We spent the first half of the day holed up in the rv, in the parking lot at Walmart, in Asheville, NC, the kids doing their junior ranger books. I just didn’t want to face the world. We finally dragged ourselves out and back onto the blue ridge parkway. We didn’t have the time (or heart) to do much, but then…
Today I had dedicated to learning some about the Amish religion and culture. We had overnighted at Walmart, and I was shocked to wake up to this: horse and buggy stalls (occupied!) in the parking lot! Little did I know this was about as close as I would get. We headed to the city of Berlin, OH, where there is a modern Amish home they give tours of (and buggy rides). But not today. I did get to cuddle some…
So, the national parks system setup this reward system in Dayton: visit 6 aerial history sites and get a free teddy bear. And guess what? My kids are ALL IN. After yesterday we had logged (and really visited) 4: the wright brothers museum, the Huffman airfield, the USAF museum, and the National aeronautical hall of fame (located inside the USAF museum). This morning we quick-drove-around to log the last 2: the Paul Dunbar house (the poet colleague of the wrights)…
Sometimes our goals or new events that pop up keep us from staying on track for our trip. In this case, it was both. We came back to Dayton, OH today because we didn’t feel like we had seen enough. Plus Aunica had heard they were doing a really fun activity for young women at church. So, here we are. Today we toured the National Museum of the US Air Force. Deon was really excited about this one, as he…
Funny nickname for Cincinnati, Ohio. In doing some research, there seem to be some disputes as to origin, and as to whether they have the right to claim this title at all, or if it belongs to another city. I wanted to visit the Underground Railroad freedom museum, but I only wanted to bring the girls. Mainly because I didn’t feel the boys could maintain the site deserved. The subject matter was heavy, we we have covered slavery, so it…
This will cover two days, as the first day is Sunday, and I don’t have any pictures. We can’t seem to get and stay healthy, so our church experience was a bit truncated. We all went to sacrament, but Deon and the 3 youngest went back to the rv. We met some very nice people, and Aunica was invited to attend a youth fireside at the bishops house, which she did. It is so nice to feel welcome. Monday we…
I was so excited reading about Connor Prairie, outside of Indianapolis, Indiana. Bonus that it happened to be their free day of the year. This living history museum is broken into different areas, depicting different eras. There was a 1836 village, a 1863 civil war site, a hot air balloon ride, a Native American village, and a barn with animals. My favorite area by far was the civil war site. It is a recreation of DuPont, Indiana, a day after…