October 14, 2021

We’re at Misty Mountain Camp Resort tonight. It’s a really neat place! Our camp site is very large and wide, so that’s really nice. We’re right on a creek, the boys had a lot of fun in there this afternoon. 

There is a huge inflatable bounce thing in the ground and 2 playgrounds across the way. All the kids had fun on the bounce, especially Kjersti. She looked so adorable flying in the air bouncing on it, and tumbling down. The boys loved it too, Kaden and Caleb and Leo were playing “football without a football” for a good while, which basically meant they were just running at and tackling each other. The girls and the younger kids loved playing Red Light, Green Light on it too. After dark it has colorful lights that came on and projected on it almost like a dance floor would. 

We grilled hot dogs and roasted s’mores for dinner. The boys disappeared afterwards and had taken flashlights to some other side of the campground where there’s gem mining or something. Landon and Paul went to find them. We sat around the campfire for a long time and the kids just played with their cousins and all had a great time. 

This morning we drove a few hours from the truck stop we slept at last night and went to Natural Bridge State Park. It was really neat! It exceeded my expectations (it’s so nice when that happens.) The short hike down to it was beautiful, maybe the most I’ve ever seen. There was a waterfall running down a hill on the side of the wooden stairs and path the whole way, and the prettiest moss and wildflowers and interesting looking old trees all along the way. 

Then we got to the bottom and the natural bridge was huge, much bigger than it looks in photos. A sign said it’s 50 ft. higher than Niagara Falls. We walked around and looked in the water. There were different sizes of fish swimming in it and something that looked like a small lobster, maybe a crawfish? We took some photos & admired it all for awhile. 

We also found George Washington’s initials inscribed on the stone. 

What really boggles my mind is how the heck he got up that high over the water to carve them. But then again how the heck did he explore and survey so much land in the uncharted wilderness and create maps of it either. All of that boggles my mind actually. And makes me wish we hadn’t lost quite so much nature & survival skills as a people group. 

The walk back up the 137 stairs was much more strenuous, but maybe more beautiful because you could see the waterfall and its surroundings better. It looked something like what I imagine hiking the mountains in Norway in the summer might look like. 

We had lunch in the RV in the parking lot and then drove an hour to our campground. The Myers were here waiting for us, and all the kids ran right off playing together and haven’t stopped since. It’s 10:30 now and our little two are asleep, need to get the big two to bed as well. 

Tomorrow the plan is to go to Monticello and then an apple orchard.

My least favorite part of camping is all the dirt everywhere. I don’t like it on the floor, but I hate it in my bed. 

My favorite parts of camping are exploring new places, being together as a family, planning fun meals, seeing extended family, experiencing nature, visiting places with history, & relaxing together. Being away from home just seems to make it easier to sit and do nothing but enjoy each other’s company. 

The Cruise America RV we rented last year had a much bigger trunk storage space & windows on the top bunk. 

This RV has better suspension Landon says, which is by riding on the back bed does not feel like we’re on the Knight Bus, nor do I feel like I’m risking our lives by doing so. Given the choice I’d pick the better suspension for sure. 

My dream RV would have a nice shower, laundry, & a full size fridge. But we’d happily buy one like someday too ☺️