Grandfather Mountain

Trevor and James discuss the scenery

while we picnic

James was ready with his

bow and arrows

Trevor stops for a snack of

blackberries while we were hiking

With Lilly back in school and this being the last week of summer for the boys, I wanted to do something special with them. We haven't been to the mountains this summer because we have just been too busy. We love going over there, it is one of my favorite places. I gave Trevor some options of how we could spend the day and let him choose what he would like to do. He picked Linville Caverns and Grandfather Mountain.

We left around 8:30 AM and headed west. It only takes a little less than 2 hours for us to reach the Blue Ridge Mountains. Our first stop was Linville Caverns. The caverns feature a small stream that runs through and there are beautiful rainbow trout that live inside the cave. The walk through the cave was magnificent. We saw many wondrous things such as stalagmites, stalactites, and even a few bats! There is also a 250 feet deep "bottomless lake" that you can walk out over on a metal grate. I actually skipped that part, but Trevor and James were first in line!

After our exciting adventure in the cave, he headed over to Grandfather Mountain for the rest of the afternoon. Upon arrival, we ate our picnic at the overlook area. The background scenery was unbelievable. It is so beautiful up in the sky! After lunch, we hiked over to the main attraction at the mountain, the Mile High Swinging Bridge. We had quite a walk, but it was nice being out in the woods and up in the mountains. There is also a nature habitat that features black bears, bald eagles, deer, and cougars. We made our round through the nature habitat and ended up at an ice cream/fudge shop. Of course, we had to stop for a break and a little snack. After we revived ourselves, we decided that we would do a little more hiking. We hiked along the trail called "The Woods Walk". Trevor and James did more investigating of the woods, trees, rocks, sticks, and insects more than anything. They had to climb every rock that we came to and pick up every stick that lay on the trail. They both had a great time in the great outdoors!

After a long day of visiting with Mother Nature, we headed back home. We stopped for dinner and finally made it back around 9:00 PM. We had a long, full day but nothing could have made it more perfect. I was so happy watching the two of them connect and bond with each other and with myself. It was a day that will be treasured forever!