Sunday, July 4, 2010

Camping in the Great Smoky Mountains

When I was growing up, no matter where we lived (and we lived in a lot of different places since my dad was in the army), we always managed to take a vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains.
I love the feeling of security that comes from being wrapped in a blanket of mountains. The expanse of open sky where I live now always makes me vaguely uneasy.

(Perhaps I have a latent fear of aliens from outer space finding me and carrying me off to do research on my brain. Don't worry, they'll only find lots of useless information about yarn.)

Anyway, we drove the Bompey Bus to our campsite in the Elkmount area, where we immediately set up a tent to house our other "necessities".
Camping is, after all, about "roughing it". Having to watch TV outside is apparently our definition of "roughing it".
Aware of Gabe's wandering proclivities, I decided to ensure that he stayed in our campsite. I don't think he appreciated being my containment policy.

(Look closely and you'll see the leash attached from his harness to the clothesline.)

It is a commonly known fact that a parent can buy expensive toys for their children, but their children will still prefer a cardboard box. In my son's case, it was rocks.
Er, excuse me, "GEMS".

Since we were roughing it already, we decided to really go rustic and eat a delicious meal at Calhouns. Calhouns is famous for their ribs, although Peter wasn't exactly sure what he thought about eating them.
I think he managed to catch on to the idea quite quickly.
Ah yes, we were definitely roughing it.

4 comments:

Explore-Science-Beyond-the-Classroom said...

Oh Rachel please don't be mad but we sold the Bumpy Bus two days ago!! Dad called Boo to tell her but they have been playing telephone tag. So glad we got to take the kids to the mountains. We definitely have to do that again to keep the tradition going.

Rachel said...

Did you just use the word "proclivities" in a blog post? I am most impressed.

Looks fun! We haven't been camping in a while, and I always want to go, until I remember all the work involved...

WELCOME TO TuttleTime! said...

Love the Asian string music...goes well with my movie selections this weekend. :)

I love the picture of Gabe playing with a bottle, near the road attached to a dog lead. Oh the memories he will have!!!

Wishful Acres Farm said...

Lol.
Yep, reminds me of the week I spent backpacking in the Ozark mountains with everything I needed for 7 days in the pack on my back. All my food, clothes, tent, sleeping bag, ...t.v. Lol, NO!
This reminds me of Nate, who went out behind my back and bought an air mattress for our camp-out this weekend. No! This from a former boy scout!!!
Camping should be roughing it, lol. Remember, we once slept in caves...
Just kidding, rachel, and thanks for the laugh.