Mother Nature at Her Best

I learned a lot about mother nature during our mini-vacay over the 4th.  She can be very beautiful, but she can also be a big pain in the butt.  We traveled to Blowing Rock, NC which is a charming little mountain town that has great views of Grandfather Mountain.  We had lots of good BBQ (a must when you are in the Carolinas), scenic hikes with great views, and some good times just sitting and relaxing around a fire.

Here's a few things I learned:

1.  Always make sure to bring bug spray.  The cabin we stayed at had a great fire pit where you could enjoy a nice big fire and roast marshmallows and such.  However you can't really enjoy it if you are dodging mosquitoes, ants, or gnats the whole time.  I had bought some from Nolan, but I actually was the one who ended up using it.  It was an all natural kind that really just smelled like citrus...it definitely did the trick!

2.  Don't walk in the dark from the fire pit back to the cabin.  I had done this a few times, but the last time I decided to grab the flash light.  Yeah good thing because a snake slithered past me and right underneath one of the wooden chairs by a tree! Oh and did I mention it was poisonous?  Yeah it was a copperhead....let's just say that snake didn't live to see the sunrise...thanks to my trusty husband.  Ugh I just shiver thinking about it!

3.  Did you know that if you put a flashlight up to your forehead facing out that you can see the reflection of spider eyes?  Ummm yeah I thought my husband was kidding but seriously if you do this you'll see a million spiders in the grass.  Again shivers...and double yuck.  I had no idea so many were always scurrying around!  Try this trick and report back...you might not look at your lawn the same ever again.

4.  When a cabin says "secluded" you better know that means you are in BFE.  Our cabin was really nice however the 2 miles of switchbacks and dirt/gravel roads made me wonder if this place even existed.  My small SUV had no idea what it was getting itself into and needed about 3 car washes after we left our lovely in the cabin in the woods.  Just be sure not to get snake or spider bitten because I'm not sure if you could make it to the hospital in time. 

5.  Don't go to an outlet mall near a small tourist town.  Just don't do it.  This outlet mall was a relatively small one, and it was INSANE!  You pretty much couldn't walk into a store without bumping into people...let alone navigate a stroller.  NOTE TO SELF: don't go to an outlet mall over a holiday weekend!

Now to the good part...the photos from the trip!

Nolan getting ready for his hike up the mountain!

Nolan riding his first horse!

Nolan playing with ducks for the first time.

Nolan completing his second hike of the trip on Grandfather Mountain!

Nolan testing out our huge bed at the cabin.