Our New Usual: NC Road Trip: Bryson City

We took our first road trip with the kids this year. With Dan traveling to North Carolina we thought that would be the perfect destination. Two weeks (to make the 13+ hour drive worth while) and a few cities later we're back we can say... things went great. Even the ride, really.

We survived the ride by starting at 6pm the first night and driving until 1am. This meant that the kids slept during most of the first chunk (wait.... Myles slept most of the first chunk. Miss Nora, who was more excited about sleeping at the "whoa-tell", didn't fall asleep until almost 10) With an over night in Indiana and more driving with stops for gas and food the kids were starting to lose it about 45 minutes away. I had to sit in between their seats and hold each of their hands. We were all very happy when we finally reached our first destination of Bryson City, North Carolina.

We were very pleasantly surprised with our cabin. Even though we saw pictures of it online, you never know what you're exactly going to get when you open the door. It was identical to what we saw online. First off, it was wonderful to stay in a house rather than a hotel room. We could cook, they had room to play, they slept in another room from us... all great things.

For now on, I think I'll just tell the story through captions.

When we first walked up to the cabin we saw these

Adirondack chairs for kids. Myles spent lots of time

pushing them around using it as a walker and Nora liked

to lounge in them like Mom and Dad.

This was the view from our cabin if you looked left.

When I said we were staying in the mountains, I really

meant it.

The first full day in Bryson City, we went

to a local river where lazy river tubing is

huge. But first we walked up the

mountain to see a natural waterfall

that cascades down the side of it.

Nora takes a closer look.

And they both peek over the railing to see where the
water goes.

A nice couple offered to take our pictures as a family.
I always appreciate being able to get a family picture taken.

Heading back down the mountain to
get our suits on. Time to splash in the
river (and cool off... man it was hot!)

Steep pathway to push the stroller up and down.

There were many of these flowers floating in the river.

The water was freezing but she still
wanted to go in. Dan opted to sit on the
rock while Nora just kept dipping her
butt in until she got used to it.

Myles preferred to splash...

and finally they both felt comfortable sitting down.

Dan took Nora out by the current. The river wasn't deep
but, as I mentioned, people rent tubes for $2 and go down
the river so the current moves you. Hang on tight, Nora!

Me and the kids.
Do you like my farmer tan on my legs?
You can tell I get most of my color while
outside with the kids and walking the dog.

This was by far Myles' favorite part of
our rental... the oven drawer. He was
constantly pulling that drawer open and
emptying its contents. Entertaining.

Time for a popsicle on the porch.

And then of course a bath in the sink to rinse off all
the drips from the popsicle before bed.

Once the kids were in bed, it was time for a treat for
us. It was absolutely beautiful to watch the sunset over
a glass of wine each night. So peaceful and serene.
Now we really know what quite sounds like.

Sunset over the mountains.

The second day we visited "The Road to Nowhere".
The government took over some land from some people back
in the 1940s. They promised to build a road from where they
were moving them to back to their original homeland so they
could visit the graves of their ancestors. To this day, the
road abruptly ends, hence, the road to nowhere.

You can walk through the tunnel they built but shortly
after you're through it the road turns to a gravel pathway
which is often used for horses now.

She's excited to walk through the tunnel.

We set up our tripod and took another family portrait.

When we got back to the car a horse trailer was unloading
10 horses and getting them ready for a ride in the woods.
She could have stayed there and watched the entire time
but we forced her to leave. The highlight for her... seeing
a horse poop. "Yeah, lots of poopy!"

In Nora's mind, the best part of
downtown Bryson City was the old
train car they have.

It was hard to get her to stop driving the train so we could
finally eat lunch.

We had lunch at this sandwich shop.

She blew some bubbles before nap time.

And then we relaxed and enjoyed
the break.

Up and ready to play!!

Front of our cabin.

The swing was a big hit. I'm very thankful
they had it!

We were able to enjoy this hot tub almost every night.

Headed back in town for ice cream
after dinner.

Myles and Nora played at the train station. There's
something they really love about going up and down ramps.

This was the road leading up to our
cabin. Very narrow. Thankfully, we
never encountered another car coming
down while we were going up or I'm
not sure what you'd do.

Mountain Mist was the name of our cabin.

Best buds.

Enjoying the view together.

Our final day we went to another local river, technically an
island, called Oconaluftee Islands Park.

This was Dan's favorite day in Bryson City (and probably
Nora's too).

The water was very warm, shallow, and
clear.

Nora spent the entire time picking up
rocks and throwing them.

Myles didn't care for the water today
(nor for the remainder of the trip) but
he was content sitting on Dan's lap
with his feet in the water.

Me and Missy

Guenther family in the mountains one last evening.

The rain moved in after dinner but it
didn't stop us from having fun!

Nora painted many pictures while
Myles played in the oven drawer and
explored all the cupboards, again.

The storm moved out after the kids were in bed.

The forth of July was our day to check out.
We got everything cleaned up and packed so I snapped
a few pictures of what the cabin looked like.
This was our bedroom. There was a bathroom behind me
and a walk in closet to the right which is where Myles
stayed (door open so he was able to get good air... no
worries, everyone).

Great living room. If I panned to the left, you would see
the kitchen. And behind me was a hallway with another
bathroom, another bedroom and the laundry room. Having
a washer and dryer was great. I did all our laundry before
leaving so we'd have less to do when we got home.

There was a street festival celebrating America's birthday
that we attended before making the trip to Durham.
As soon as we got there the train was pulling out of the
station. Nora got to sit on the bench and wave at
all the people as they went by.

Then she got to ride a train herself. I really thought she
wouldn't like it once it started but she did great. As a
matter of fact, she asked to ride again as soon as she
got off.