Let me start with wishing Texas State Parks system a happy 100 years! After Governor Pat Neff’s mother donated family land to the state of Texas to be memorialized as a public park, he was inspired in 1923 to begin the search for and acquisition of more Texas land to be transformed. By 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt took notice and enlisted the CCC workers of the “New Deal” to lend a hand. In 1937, Mother Neff State Park officially opened as Texas’ first state park. We visited this park before I started blogging and we thoroughly enjoyed it, so I might add a post for nostalgia this year. 🙂

2023 started a little slower than I would have liked for park visits, but at least half way through, it looks like we’re picking up some momentum! The kids and I snagged 3 days to hit Lake Somerville State park before I started on the much needed ceiling renovation for Wanda. We also had an awning upgrade to test out. And with the record breaking heat we’re experiencing this summer… it was needed for camping the last week of June!

Lake Somerville State Park is split across the lake in 2 separate units with a 13 mile trail connecting them. I chose Nails Creek Unit for being smaller and its reputation of being more quiet according to Facebook group reviews. I was pleasantly surprised at the park’s availability on campsites (thank you, heatwave) and reserved what looked like a mostly shaded lakefront spot.

We spent most of day 1 just getting there and setting up. Sometimes a 3.5 hour drive just turns into 5 haha. The awning went up without a problem and we were immediately so grateful for it! It came together from leftover parts of the carport kit I used to build our chicken run and attached it to the awesome kayak rack my dad installed a couple years ago giving it a nice height. I just love when repurposed items serve their purpose well! Big props to my Eagle Scout Hubby for creating our easy to use and adjust guy-wires too!

The boys took off for the lake while I got dinner stuff ready and sight casted at carp (aka “giant goldfish) for about an hour. After we ate, we drove to the fishing pond and the boys chunked some more lures. We also saw snake #1 there. We finally found it comfortable to sit at the picnic table by 8:30 that evening and played Uno until dark while watching deer get a drink from the lake.

The kids slept until 8:30 the next morning while I tried to convince some presumptuous sparrows they didn’t want to build nests in our stuff. We would spend the rest of the time there continuously blocking them from tubs, bags, buckets, and chairs! They were fast little builders and would get a nest started in what seemed like only minutes! We just kept moving the clumps to tree branches and then would block off the access they had found. We also tried out a new breakfast hack that morning and loved it! We figured out one whole box of Kodiak pancake mix combined with one 16oz bottle of water makes just the right amount of pancakes at the perfect thickness to satisfy everyone’s hunger for the morning. I appreciate the protein and better ingredients in this mix versus the regular “shake n pour” variety we had used a couple times before.

We tried out another fishing spot, where the boys found snake #2 that appeared to have been pulled up in someone’s cast net causing them to abandon it. While we usually pick up other people’s trash in an effort to “leave it better than we found it,” I didn’t want any part of whatever snake was in there and the we decided best for the Park Rangers to handle it. The boys moved on to trying some fishing while Ashlyn found a shady spot to sit and sketch. It didn’t take long for the heat of the day to hit us and we moved on to hiking a 1 mile roundtrip trail to check out an observation deck overlooking the lake. It was a little anticlimactic, but we enjoyed the shaded stroll through the trees.

Back at the camper, we packed a lunch and headed out of the park to the other side of the lake to check out the Birch Creek Unit. This area had a much larger boat ramp and day use area. There was a marked area for swimming as well and some people were partaking, but the water didn’t look appealing enough to us. After eating lunch at a shaded picnic table, the boys and I briefly ventured out on the fishing pier that had previously sustained damage but wasn’t repaired yet. That’s where we spotted snake #3!

On the way back to our campsite, we stopped at Kovasovic’s Country Store/ Meat Market and scored some pan sausage and summer sausage to take home and some huge bacon wrapped jalapeno’s that I grilled that night for my dinner. The kids each picked out a pint of Blue Bell and demolished them. We hung out in the camper from 2pm-4pm that day playing cards and cat napping then spent the rest of the evening lounging in hammocks.

Because we were late to get on the water the morning before, Archer and I committed to setting an alarm and got up with the sun to give the fishing one more try before we left. We were literally 5 minutes too late to the spot I wanted and a boat was already there pulling fish up out of what I imagined was quite the “honey hole.” Archer wasn’t too thrilled watching them while having no results ourselves, but we tried our best for an hour before going back to camp, eating breakfast and breaking everything down to head home.

We had a great time outdoors despite the heat wave, but there really isn’t much draw personally for us to return to this park. It is the first park we’ve been to with a large amount of equestrian amenities. Most of the trails are marked for equestrian use, including the 13 mile trail that connects the units and features primitive campsites along the way that are equipped with horse corrals. Large group campsites and individual size campsites with horse corrals are located in both units as well.

This park also broke our record on number of snake sightings while camping! We definitely kept our eyes on the ground/water and on a swivel the whole time and we were happy they were always at a distance.

-Lindsay

On March 7th, we had our first warm and free day of the year and jumped on a day trip to Lake Corpus Christi State Park. We had been saving this park for exactly this occasion and loaded the car up with our fresh water fishing gear ready to see a new park finally. After just a little over an hour drive, we arrived just in time for our picnic lunch.

We found a nice shady area with picnic tables on the bank of the lake near the boat ramp and day use area. After we ate, the onslaught of casting and reeling and changing lures every 5 seconds began, haha. But I can’t give them too much grief, my bobber and bait sat untouched the whole time as well. It didn’t look like the folks on the pier were having much luck either, so we chalked it up to a day for just fishing and not catching.

We loaded back up in the car and set off to explore the other features of the park. There are 2 simple trails in the entire park, but quite a few camping loops and around 20 nice look cabins. Some of the water front campsites looked lovely and were large enough for campers, but only provided water hook ups.

After our tour of campsites, we drove up a bluff to check out the CCC built pavilion. The structure is stunning! We’ve seen a number of these buildings by now, but each one has its own character that makes us respect the thought that went into each design. This one closely reminded us of the pavilion at Lake Brownwood State Park with its upstairs lookout and promenade leading to the lake.

Our final stop was a cute natural designed playground and to my surprise, the kids enjoyed some pretend play for quite while.

We enjoyed out daytrip to this park. I’m glad its easy to get to on a whim. A simple weekend camping trip would be fun too. The water isn’t our kind of “swim-able” but I would like to try fishing some more.

-Lindsay

Another training opportunity had come for Nathan in December of last year and this time they were sending him to San Diego for a week. Obviously, all of us tagged along this go around to take in the sights of such an interesting city. We would have most of Saturday and all day Sunday with Nathan, then the kids and I would find fun during the day Monday before meeting Daddy for dinner and then we would head back home Tuesday while he finished out his class the rest of the week.

We started out with a 6:30am flight Saturday morning on December 3rd. The older 2 haven’t flown since they were under 4years old and this was Archer’s first. He took to sleeping on a plane effortlessly and everyone found take off/landing exciting. Thanks to an uneventful flight and 2 hour time change we were collecting our rental car before 11am.

We headed to Coronado Island first for lunch and brews at Coronado Brewing Company. Nathan had collected a list of breweries to hit prior to the trip and picked this one for me because of its fun mermaid logo. Our brewpub style lunch was awesome and the beers were yummy as well. Re-energized, we found the nearest beach so all of us could put our hand in the Pacific Ocean. The kids found some shells and collected sand for our ornament collection. While I tried to selfie all of us, a group of military men ran by (very Top Gun style at that) and one stopped and offered to take our picture!

It was time to check into the hotel, so we left the island and hit a grocery store in the city for some snacks and breakfast food since the hotel that was hosting Nathan’s training didn’t offer one. After we checked in, we headed out one more time to visit Bay City Brewing. After some rounds of Uno and a flight of beer, we decided a sunset on the West Coast would be the perfect end to day 1. A quick google search for a beach led us to “Dog Beach” where I had a Field of Dreams Moment and had to ask out loud if I was in Heaven. I don’t know if I had ever seen a more joyful collection of dogs literally living their best lives. There had to be 50 or more running off leash on the sand, through the water, chasing, and zooming everywhere while their humans stood in clusters and chatted. While there were a handful of hardcore surfers in the water, the beach was covered with others doing what we had come to do; just watch the sunset.

Our full day after a 3am wake up left us whooped but satisfied. We went back to our hotel and I walked next door to Jack in the Box for our dinner in the room.

Sunday started off early and busy as well. Today was the day the kids had been asking for years. Today we were going to LegoLand California. Not just the some Lego Discovery Center… THE Legoland. This has been on the kids list like Disney is for other kids. On our way to the park we stopped at La Jolla Beach and saw the seals and sea lions…along with all the PEOPLE swimming and diving with them! Never mind that the water is frigid…. I don’t think I could trust those wild animals. Some were getting incredibly close to the recreationists. But we definitely got the “been there, done that” experience.

We arrived just as the park opened at 10am and stayed until they closed at 6pm. We rode everything that was open and walked the entire place twice since we went back to ride the favorites one last time. The kids walked out asking when we would be coming back lol! It exceeded their expectations and while I was mildly disappointed with the lack of thrill rides (the fastest roller coaster in the park was closed down) the incredible amount of genuine Lego built creations themed throughout the park was impressive. Our 3 favorite rides were Emmett’s Flying Adventure, Deep Sea Adventure and The Dragon Coaster. Emmett’s was a well done 4D experience with a giant IMAX screen and riders were stacked 4 stories tall in their seats with their legs dangling. Deep Sea was a submarine ride with a scavenger hunt along the way. The Lego creations under the water along with the live sealife made for a beautiful ride. The Dragon was the only roller coaster type ride open and while it was too much for Archer, the older 2 rode it numerous times. While I can say with certainty that Legoland is a one and done experience for us, I am so glad the kids got to mark this off their bucket list.

Completely exhausted from the very stimulating day, we managed to hit another brewery, Rouleux Brewing, on the way back and enjoyed a tasty meal in a quiet restaurant before an early bedtime.

For our solo day on Monday, the kids and I hit the San Diego Zoo. Now I was the one pumped! The kids were excited as well, but Mom was ready to geek out at one of the best zoo’s in the world! It took us 8 hours to see the whole thing and we were blown away! Every section of the zoo felt and looked like you were walking the actual ecosystem with elaborate landscaping and then you would just happen upon an animal. Everything was exceptionally clean and every level of staff member were incredibly friendly.

Our final stop was the newest addition of a children’s area and I was smitten with the nature theme of the massive area. We couldn’t help but carefully play in the “Tree of Life” splashpad. But no worries if we had gotten wet…there was an area with full body blow dryers beside the bathrooms!

I would be at this zoo on a weekly basis if I lived in San Diego! Just to hike it! I visited the Sydney Zoo in Australia as a kid and thought I had seen the best of the best then. San Diego matches it if not beats what I remember about Sydney.

We met Nathan back at the hotel just as he was getting out of class and we finished our whirlwind California trip with dinner and drinks at Ketch Brewing Co. The kids and I uber-ed Tuesday morning to the airport and had a fantastic travel day even though it was long with a couple hours layover in Houston before our final stop in Corpus. Traversing airports, flying and plane changing solo with the kids and how well it went got me excitedly thinking about new travel abilities! Only if it wasn’t so dang expensive!

I’ll admit I carry a typical Texan attitude about California. But, I LOVED San Diego. Weston went on and on about wanting to live there one day and we basically told him to join the military then lol! I’ve been told since the trip that San Diego is it’s special place within the stereotypical Californian setting, so while I’m not running off to visit L.A. or San Fran anytime soon, I could definitely go back to SD.

-Lindsay

We had one stop left on our West Texas adventure and even though we shortened the trip by a day, we were able to easily change our day use reservation for a much anticipated swim in one of the most unique pools in Texas.

We decided on lunch in Balmorhea beforehand at what looked like 1 of 3 options, but La Cuevo de Oso was some really good TexMex! Beyond that, the town was really interesting. The San Solomon Springs that originates in the pool at the state park has been channeled alongside the road feeding into the surrounding farmlands and continues through the town. The bubbling water and numerous bridges over the canal were so quaint!

The week long rains had made it a little chillier than expected, but we were optimistic to enjoy the consistent spring fed 72* water until we started seeing the storm clouds moving in as we approached the park. Ashlyn, Weston and myself bee lined for the bathroom to change into swimsuits as soon as we parked with thunder already in the distance. Archer and Dad decided 72* was still too cold without sunshine. Our inaugural plunge was aptly off the high dive and we were able to get a couple rounds in before lightening was seen.

A lifeguard confirmed we all needed to clear out and I took the unique opportunity to gets some pictures of the dam system and of the entire historical CCC built pool without people in it! I cannot wait to come back on our way to Big Bend one day! We definitely needed more time and the campground that was undergoing renovations should be ready for us by then!

We waited in the pavilion for the worst of the storm to pass only to catch up with it once on the road getting hailed on before getting to our final hotel night in Fort Stockton. The last leg of the trip home the next day was uneventful and we arrived home grateful for the experiences but ready for rest.

The weather really wreaked havoc on the 2nd half of the trip, but we still experienced so much and I will remain forever thankful to have had this time with my kids and Dad.

-Lindsay

This will be the shortest blog post for a State Park I will likely ever write. Although the once wildly popular tramway has been closed since 2018 due to safety concerns and the entire park (visitor center and hiking trails) has remained closed since covid shutdown, it remains listed as one of TPWD’s 89 parks. So visit it, we must! and we visited as much as they would let us. The gate. hahaha I highly recommend a google image search to enjoy what it was like in it’s prime. Sorry we missed it.

-Lindsay

After a rough final night of wind and rain pounding the camper at Hueco Tanks, we weren’t as excited as we could have been for the scheduled 2 nights of boondock camping in Franklin Mountains near El Paso. Thankfully, the close proximity and early departure from Hueco Tanks gave us ample time to just get there, scope it out and adjust as necessary. We arrived a little after 10 am and were quite surprised by the massive mountain range randomly jutting out of not only the middle of the desert, but a sprawling city as well. The park is situated pretty well at the top of the range and the road there was more like a commuter highway running at high speed with quick elevation gains and very little switchbacks.

We agreed that we would at least check in and see what conditions were like at the campsite. The forecast was dismal again for that night, but optimism got us this far. I knew ahead of time that we would not have connections to electricity or running water (only latrines available in certain areas) as the park operates as more of a day use facility, but we were already equipped with the gear from boondocking at Guadalupe Mountains. However, once we got the camper backed into our gravel pad on the side of the mountain, the wind was already pounding at 20+MPH and rain was on the way. AND we had been at this for 7 nights already. We left the camper, drove 20 minutes down the mountain to a Whataburger (which is still bewildering to me how close the city is) and had a meeting on how to proceed over some much deserved burgers and fries.

The decision was made that we would return to the park and explore for the day, enjoying a hotel that night before starting our journey back East cutting the trip a night short. Our last night was already scheduled to be a hotel after a visit to Balmorrhea and Dad was able to change that reservation. Once back at the park and perusing the trails map, we settled on taking the hike up to view the “Aztec Caves” to be the most worthwhile. Even though it was only a little over a mile roundtrip, it was quite a direct hike maintaining almost a 45degree angle all the way, haha! Our legs were still mad at us from 6 days before!

Nevertheless, we made it to the caves and enjoyed the views within and looking out.

After our hike, we hooked back up to Wanda and headed back down the mountain for the final time. We hit another state park in El Paso (more on that in the next post), and checked into the hotel to get cleaned up for that night’s dinner plan – the haunted Monteleone’s Italian Restaurant. And while no-one in our party had a solid encounter, we thoroughly enjoyed the food and unique ambiance.

Franklin Mountains is a one of a kind park. Surrounded by city and all of the noise, lights and amenities that comes with it, yet still very rugged and off grid. The camping would have been a unique experience that I kind of regret not having, but did I mention it ended up raining again that night? Yea. We were over that. However, all that ruggedness makes for a superb “city park” for folks looking to get into some nature for the day and El Paso is lucky to have it.

-Lindsay

The next stop on our trek farther west was a small state park known for ancient cave paintings and natural water retaining pits in granite hills. The hills formed 30 some odd million years ago as an igneous intrusion (blobs of magma that formed under ground and eventually became exposed through erosion), and the same continued erosion created the hollows on the surface known as hueco’s to the Spanish. The first traces of human presence through pictographs and artifacts dates back to the Paleo Indians and has maintained being a sacred site to various groups through history to today’s Native people. The place definitely has a “vibe.”

Because of the fragile ecosystem and history in the area, access is closely restricted. Almost half the park isn’t accessible unless with a guide. Weeks before our arrival, I booked our campsite and daily passes over the phone with an onsite park ranger. Once there, we were required to watch an orientation video detailing the rules of the park. Each day before hiking in the self guided area, we had to check-in at the headquarters, check out once we were done and then were to remain at our assigned campsite until the next day.

The campsites are large with awesome awnings over the picnic tables and large tent pads. If there is a next time, I scouted some even cooler sites that back up to the hill and cozy up under boulders! We spent the rest of the evening setting up camp and managed to eat dinner before the rain rolled back in.

The next day, we explored the open access area. When we checked in, we were offered a cryptic “map” that would lead us to some of the more popular pictographs in the park. It took effort on everyone’s part to cipher the riddles, but we did eventually make it to the cave and checked out hueco’s along the way.

Once in the cave we forgot about the frustrations of the map and literally laid there in awe of the “masks.” The people of Jornada Mongollon group are credited with this art. They were the first to create a village at the base of the hills ceasing their ancestors nomadic ways. They managed close to 700 years there before series of drought made the huecos unsustainable. We spent some time picking out favorites and discussing who or what they were representing.

That evening we managed to get through dinner and Dad made some adjustments to his tent in time for it to pour again. I guess we can be grateful it wasn’t coming during the day.

We met our tour guide the next morning and set off to see the exclusive pictograph sites. We started at an area with Apache art work from the 1600s that also displayed “historic graffiti” from the mid 1800s scrawled over much of it. The area was used as a stagecoach station during that time and people got bored, I guess. Our guide explained that while much restoration and laser removal of graffiti has taken place in the park since the 90s, anything over 50 years old is considered historic and must remain untouched. Even if it is destructive to previous history.

After that location, we got to see some evidence of Desert Archaic people art dating back to over 2 million years ago! Its shocking any imagery is left, but the combination of minerals used to make the paint and a weathering effect doing the opposite of what you would think, some images remain. One could ponder a long time what exactly they were trying to depict, but the truly astonishing image is a hand print! When our guide pointed it out, no one could see it other than some color on the rock. But, through the powers of technology in a handy dandy app on her phone that detected pigmentation….bam! Caveperson handprint! Wow!

On the way to the last location, we passed some areas where a ranching operation owned the area starting in 1890s and made “improvements” for water retention. El Paso county took over the land on behalf of historical societies in 1956 after the family put the property on the market. After a decade of debate on who the land should belong to, El Paso gave it to TPWD and it became a state park. Local Native tribes still have special access to the sacred land for ritual practices and the last area we went to is still in use.

Our final stop was tucked under a serene outcrop alongside a small pool of water. The outcrop displayed the most modern art work from the Tigua Tribe also known as The Pueblos. They are still an active culture in the area and practice coming of age ceremonies on the site. But their ancestry dates back to the 1600s. Part of their history entailed scouting and guiding Spaniards. One of the images on the rock that they commonly use represents a “way home” and they would often draw it while travelling. That one became my favorite of them all 🙂

Our last night was rough. The rain blew in shortly after we returned to camp that afternoon and behind the rain the wind pounded the rest of the night. I was worried about the canvas most of the night and it was shocking Dad had a tent left. We packed up quickly that following morning feeling pretty worn out and water logged.

Weather aside, this park is in my top 5! The work that TPWD is doing to preserve it is commendable. They are still having to remove graffiti, but at least their protocols are making it easier to catch and prosecute the trespassers. Beyond all the astounding history and geology, there truly is something sacred feeling about the entire area. I guess millions of years of people being drawn to it speaks for itself.

-Lindsay

After hiking to the top of Texas the day before, heading underground the next seemed like the only sensible thing to do! Dad had visited as a kid and still had vague memories of the experience, but it was brand new for the kids and I. I had my reservations about visiting something so “touristy,” but the whole experience was streamlined and crowd maintenance was efficient. We reserved a time slot online 2 days before and we simply showed up before hand and checked in that we were in fact there. We ate our lunch, poked around the gift shop and explored the indoor exhibits until our entrance time. You had the option of starting at the elevator and going straight down then hiking up and out or reversing the order. We opted for some downhill hiking since the previous day’s uphill experience was still with us haha. After a brief orientation with a ranger about staying on the path and not touching formations, we made our descent.

The beginning of the caverns are litter with piles of guano and are quite pungent. Peak season for the Mexican Freetail bats had just ended, but a few full timers remained and a viewing of their evening emergence was a possibility later on. The park hadn’t resumed it’s ranger guided tours yet post covid. Instead, we rented audio guide handhelds. They were easy enough to use and all of the points of interest were clearly numbered for reference, but it was still slightly disappointing as Dad remembers the guide from the past visit as really adding to experience. Also, there are certain areas you can only access via guide that we didn’t get to see. But, the audio was very informative and did its best to be entertaining.

We continued to follow the paved path, taking in the unique and beautiful structures and listening to interesting history until we came into the Big Room. There, you could take a cut off to the elevator and exit or go the longer loop around the perimeter that ceased to be handicap accessible and see more structure. Obviously, we opted for the maximum experience.

Photography in the caverns was allowed, but quite tricky. Dad got better pictures than I could, but it really all comes down to, “you just had to be there.” Nothing will compare to laying your own eyes on it. My favorite “exhibit” was the area called Fairyland. It is covered in short stalagmites that resemble little “people” each with their own characteristics. You could stand there for hours and keep seeing something new. Ashlyn compared everything to food appearances. Archer theorized that the whole thing was made out of clay by some master architect and Weston wasn’t as interested in the main attractions as he was in shining the flashlight he brought in the all the dark corners looking for something new.

We moved through the tour slowly and hit every location on our guide, but still only managed to spend about 2 hours down below. We wanted to make it to 5 o’clock in the caverns so we could see the bats emerge after. But it was only 3:30 and a stormy cool front was making its way into the area. We opted to stay ahead of it and made our way to the hotel in Carlsbad. Our caverns visit was originally going to be a day trip from our camping location in Guadalupe Mountains, but the pending forecast and the previous nights struggle to sleep made us pack up camp and take it with us to Carlsbad. Glad we did! We enjoyed dinner out and rested well while it poured overnight.

Visiting the caverns is definitely something that should be visited at least once. I mostly feel like I am one and done with it. However, a new adjoining cavern was discovered in the mid 80s that is still only accessible by approved scientific researchers while they explore its pristine and unique ecosystem. If Lechuguilla Cave ever opened to the public, I would be persuaded to see what is going on back there. The kids would go back tomorrow, though!

-Lindsay

Yep. We have now been there and done that. After carrying the goal of climbing the tallest peak in Texas around on a bucketlist for years, we did the dang thang.

The park was actually stop #2 of a 7 park, 10 day trip that we had planned all year with my newly retired dad to tackle with us. We started October 1st with an overnight at Monahans Sandhills State Park. Second visit for us, first for my dad. The kids were thrilled to be back there and I questioned if starting the trip off covered in sand was the best idea haha. Thank goodness for the parks excellent bathhouses.

The drive from Monahans to the national park the next day was quick and easy and we were set up in our “parking space” by noon. There is no electrical access in this park, only water. RVs park side by side in a parking lot and tent campers have a trail to some pads. There is a bathroom with flushing toilets and one sink as well as a dishwashing station. They also have a water bottle filling station that is filtered. We were aware of all the “boondocking” that this trip would entail ahead of time and Dad came armed with a solar panel, rechargeable battery and a portable refrigerator. So we had lights, charged phones or cold food! All while being good neighbors not running a generator constantly. The weather also stayed just right being 70 and sunny during the day with 40s at night that a good layer of blankets and warm clothing handled.

After getting the camper settled, the kids and I were restless and decided to tackle a hike to Devils Hall which also trailheaded at our campsite. We would be pushing it to get it done before dark, but it seemed doable. My brief research noted there was a large section of the hike where the trail was a “pick your own path” through a creekbed. Not really a big deal, we’re used to a rocky creekbed…except this was a BOULDERED creekbed that took a long time to traverse and was quite the effort. We made it to the first attraction along the trail, “Devil’s Hole,” and took in the crazy geological structure.

The trail beyond was more creekbed and I couldn’t tell how much farther we had to go with the limited trail map provided on line. It seems National Parks are geared towards hikers having handheld GPS capability than just going by a paper map with marked distances. Sooooo after gauging how long it took us to get to that point and still having to make it back, we decided far enough and turned back. Our neighbor later told us we were looking at another mile to the hall and that would have definitely put us back after dark and very exhausted before our big hike the next day. oh well.

We were on the trail to Guadalupe Peak by 7:30am Monday morning. The crowd in the park was fair during the week, but lots of cars had shown up in the pre dawn hours to get started. I’m going to just let pictures tell the story of what we traversed for 6 hours up and 3 hours down with an elevation change of 2,940 feet for 4.2 miles one way to put us at 8,750 feet above sea level. 🙂

It was intense, long, strenuous and could’ve gotten the better of us a few times. But it was also beautiful, historical and adventurous. We saw people give up and turn around with only a mile to go. We also saw people running up and lapping us. The way back down was quicker, but quite painful for all but Archer lol! The kid is built for distance and can keep a pace unlike anything I’ve seen. We were constantly calling him back to us or to at least wait!

The next day, we visited a historical homestead in the park and got a great view of the entire span of trail and peaks we covered.

All of us decided we are “one and done” with this feat. Tackling such a challenge with my dad, who has obviously had a huge hand in teaching me how to take on the hard stuff, along with my own kids made the victory even more special. Maybe, just maybe, they will want to haul their own kids up there one day and *maybe* I’ll do it again then.

There is definitely more to Guadalupe Mountain National Park than just the peak. The mountains are covered in geological marvels and 100s of miles of beautiful trails. One could spend weeks there exploring. The visitor center has a ton of fascinating information on the geographical and geological history for the area and then to see evidence of it in person is remarkable. I wouldn’t mind going back and making it all the way to Devil’s Hall at least!

-Lindsay

**I’m going to try some major catch up on posts the next couple of days. I’m 8 behind haha!**

At the beginning of March, Nathan was sent to North Carolina to attend a week long class for the new role he took on at work. And I was able to tag along! The kids spent the week in Houston with their grandparents and I took myself sightseeing everyday and had datenight with Nathan each evening. It was a fantastic time! Aside from the air travel. Which, at this point, I’ve mostly blocked from my brain so its whatever.

We landed in Asheville on a Monday and hit a couple of breweries (of which there are more than 50 in a relatively small city) having some tasty beers and food before the 30 minute drive to Lake Junaluska where the hotel and Nathan’s class were.

Tuesday morning, Nathan started his class and I took the day to sightsee locally. Lake Junaluska is a small resort community built on a man made lake bordering Waynesville. The area had summer camp and retirement community vibes and the hotel we were staying in was one of 2 on the lake and was the older of the 2, but carried more charm. But in some ways it reminded me of the hotel from “The Shining” lol! I enjoyed strolling the 3.5mile paved trail around the lake and was back at the hotel for some rest before heading out to dinner with Nathan.

After going into Waynesville the night before for dinner and seeing its cute, walkable downtown; I spent Wednesday’s afternoon checking out shops and had a yummy lunch at local brewpub.

Thursday was my biggest adventure day yet! I got up and out early and drove about 40 minutes into the Smoky Mountain National Park and did some serious hiking! I entered the park via the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and drove the Newfound Gap Road up and over the ridge of the Appalachian Trail, into Tennessee to access the trailhead for Chimney Tops. The drive alone was an adventure with the narrow roads, sharp turns, tunnels and intense elevation change. Empty water bottles in the floor board were crushing in on themselves! The Chimney Tops Trail came up as one of many points of interest for the park when I was researching hiking, but I chose it along with Alum Caves due to their relatively short mileage and accessibility. All other park roads were still closed for the winter and other POI’s would be quite a hike in. Chimney Tops was under 4 miles round trip, but was a doozy due to the constant elevation gain. But I made it and thoroughly enjoyed my break at the top watching the “smoke” move through the mountains. The trek down was 10 times easier although just as daunting due to the angle, but I enjoyed the scenery a little more.

Making my way back to North Carolina, I drove to the next trailhead already pretty tired, but curiosity of the cave made me head out again. This trail would be 5 miles roundtrip but didn’t have much elevation change. Unfortunately I didn’t make that destination. The hike was beautiful meandering along Alum Cave Creek, but the fatigue won and I turned around under the 2 mile mark. I did get to see and walk through an awesome washout in the mountain side and that satisfied my cave craving just fine.

I got back to the hotel that evening just in time for dinner and rewarded my muscles with some cold beers.

Friday was my last solo day and it was entirely spent at Biltmore Estate in Asheville. I walked the gardens until my 11 am tour time and spent the next hour in awe of the grandeur and history of the manor. The audio guide was thorough and entertaining. I thought about dedicating an entire blog post to this one experience, but will instead leave it as a photo dump and the recommendation to add it to your list. 🙂 It came highly recommended to me by a few people and after experiencing it I’m glad to say, “been there, done that.” The entire experience is grand and most appreciatively structured for hot tourist destination.

It was finally Saturday and after Nathan aced his test that morning, we were free to sightsee TOGETHER for the rest of the day as we didn’t fly back until Sunday. I had spent the week coming up with all the outdoorsy things we could do…mostly in the Smoky Mountains and the day had finally come annnnnddddd we woke up to a blanket of snow with more falling. That, of course, lead to road closures and the National Park being closed. Whomp Whomp. Nathan was determined to put his Texan driving skills to test on snow covered roads and found an opened route to the north of the mountains that would get us into Tennessee. We got into Sevierville; had lunch at a cool little tap room/cafe, then we went into Smoky Mountain Knifeworks and after some gawking, came out with a pocket knife for each boy and a bracelet for Ashlyn that actually had her name on it.

From there, we drove through Pigeon Forge into Gatlinburg enjoying both the natural snowcapped scenery as well as the gaudy tourist attractions. Pigeon Forge seemed like it was trying to be the Las Vegas of Tennessee. We did some walking along the main drag of Gatlinburg, enjoyed a brewery there and impulsively ducked into a “museum” of famous cars. lol! We both got a kick out of it and enjoyed the photo ops. Google Maps led us back to the hotel via some cool but questionable back roads, then it was time to rest up for our travel day back home.

This area definitely made the “got to bring the kids back here” list. We would probably stay on the Tennessee side that trip. They would enjoy Gatlinburg and Momma needs to see that cave still! We’re so grateful for our support people holding down the fort and yay for work sending us Nathan awesome places 😉

-Lindsay