Spring 2012 Trip

For some reason I never reported on our trip last spring with our two eldest granddaughters, Hannah and Hope. I was sure I had made several entries here but for some reason they aren't here. We began our trip by heading north through Florida and Georgia, stopping at RV parks more than we would normally because we now had four people on board. Our first 'stop' was in Franklin, NC, to take them mining for gems...they found some, not many, and none of any real value, but they did have fun. The next day, we took the girls to Cherokee, NC, for the Native American sites and the village where they were able to participate in several of the activities at a Pow Wow. The next day we spent a day at Santa's Land just outside Cherokee before heading over the mountain into Tennessee then Virginia. We spent hours slowly creeping through the Virginia Safari Park where they were able to hand-feed numerous wild animals. While in Virginia we visited the Green Valley Book Fair where all those great bargains are! We then headed to my nephew's house to spend the night in his driveway (they had no idea we were in the area and had gone to visit her family in New Jersey for the weekend). No matter, we found the electric outlet and none of their neighbors called the cops. My family had a reunion at the local Isaac Walton League Park south of Browntown, VA. and all the kids had a great time fishing in the pond. Cousin Maggie won the prize for the biggest catch of the day. We toured the Skyline Caverns, ate frozen custard, spent days at the local public swimming pool, ate frozen custard, and enjoyed our stay. We camped at Big Meadows on the Skyline Drive, went into Luray to spend the afternoons at Lake Arrowhead, then returned to Big Meadows to sit on the side of the road to spot the deer grazing. The girls were able to get really close to them by crawling through the grass. We also spotted bears; in fact, one cub ran into the side of the rental car as we were headed into town on Browntown Road one afternoon. The car wasn't damaged and he loped off apparently unhurt. The girls entertained their 94-year-old great-grandmother with several songs they learned from the radio. The weather was getting rainy, so we took the girls to Kings Dominion outside Richmond for a couple days....the weather then cleared up and they rode one roller coaster 20 times. On the return home, we stopped at Stone Mountain, GA for a few days. There's more to do there than I expected...