Burnsville, NC

A couple weeks ago we went to North Carolina for a quick visit with my family before Luis started the new semester.

The drive from Atlanta to North Carolina is one of my favorites, I know that sounds odd.  I think the state line leaving Georgia, entering South Carolina is one of the prettiest state borders that I have driven through. Seeing all the boats on the massive lake and the mountains surrounding the lake is so nice. I just want to grab a kayak and jump in.  The border of South Carolina and North Carolina is pretty neat as well.  I love that all of a sudden mountains appear and  you start driving in between these huge mountains, up winding roads and of course down winding roads when heading back to Georgia.  It entertains me.

I love all the farmland that surrounds the mountain where my family lives.

My family took us to a nearby river to cool off and hunt for river glass.

and the river glass…

For a future mosaic project.

The best part of the trip, sitting around a campfire and telling stories and laughing with family.

I am looking forward to our next road trip to Charlotte, NC in a few weeks.

Waking Up in the Mountains @ Green Mountain, NC

Luis and I woke up on our first day on the mountain at my uncle and aunt’s cabin at 6:00 a.m. to watch the sun come out and shine on the mountain views that surrounded us.  It was easy to wake up early with all the different birds that were singing their songs.  It was so lovely to wake up to their sining rather then my alarm clock.

Unfortunately, with all the rain on Friday this Saturday morning view was nothing but mist.  We were in the clouds, which was pretty cool.   The view is of the Blue Ridge Mountains and could be seen from the porch of my uncle and aunt’s house.

So, instead we watched my uncle Eddy play in his garden.  You could see the cabin we stayed in peaking out from the left side of the picture.

The cabin we stayed in is located on the same property as my uncle and aunt’s house.  My dad’s house is only a few steps down the mountain.

I couldn’t believe all the flowers we saw on our way to North Carolina, all along the side the roads and all around my families houses on the mountain.  Atlanta seems to have less and less flowers as summer nears, but here, the flowers were abundant and some I have never seen before.

Luis and I were amazed with not only the flowers, but all the foliage since the last time we came to visit around Christmas time in 2008, since it was winter time the trees were all bare and the colors were mostly brown.  Even though we enjoyed the winter look, we really love the springtime scenery that surrounded us on this visit.

We spent the morning on the porch with the family while waiting for the mist to disappear. Aren’t these kids the most adorable kids ever?  They are my second cousins, Adan and Sophia.

Around 10:00 a.m. the sky became more clear so my cousins and my aunt took Luis and I for a hike on Mount Mitchell.

Yep, this post only covers the first few hours of our first day. Hey! It was a long day, until tomorrow!  =)

Heading towards Green Mountain

I was able to leave work a little early on Friday and hit the road to head to the North Carolina Mountains.

Once we left Atlanta, the mountains started to spring up.  This is where I started to get excited.

Half way we stopped into a BBQ place in South Carolina on US-25 called Huntin’ Camp BBQ and Grill.   We chose to have the BBQ buffet for $10.00 instead of ordering off the menu, that way we could sample a little of everything.  It was a cozy place, and it felt like a place more for the locals as everyone knew each others name.

Right after the restaurant there was a roadside farmers stand which I had to stop into, it was too cute to pass up!

We picked up some peaches and Frog Jam then hit the road again hoping to get to Green Mountain before sun down.  My fear the whole way there was to get to my father and uncle and aunt’s house in the dark.  Then my dad called and told me it was raining bad.. great!  Darkness and rain, I was panicking.  Mostly because driving up a mountain still scares me a little, with all the winding roads and crazy fast drivers, and especially in the dark since  the mountain does not have street lights, nor is the road up to their house paved.  I know, I worry over silly things.  We arrived at dusk in the rain. Luis was able to find the house with no problem, and our truck made it up the dirt road without slipping.  I was a happy camper.

When we walked into the house I had a surprise! My uncle Eddy’s daughters were there, who I have never met before! We all spent hours in the cabin telling stories until our eyes couldn’t stay open.  And when we woke up the next day, we had the most amazing sight.

Until tomorrow, day one with the family.