We Survived

We survived The Wilderness Cove Campground Experience 2011.  It's been a few weeks since we've been back but I finally got around to sorting through the 200 pictures we took while we were there! Be forewarned, this is a picture heavy post!

No way were we over packed. Adam brought a window A/C unit. 

Friday we ended up leaving the city late.  We stopped once to sit down and eat and then we spent about 30 minutes lost because our GPS was loosing signal in the mountains.  We got to the campground around 10:00PM.  Quickly we realized how out in the middle of nowhere we really were and the men took off in search of beer after being in the car for 2 plus hours.  Chelsea and I made the beds air mattresses and took the little boys on a "nature walk" walk to the bath house to let them burn off some energy before it was time for bed.  Just as we got them to bed it started to pour rain and we were so grateful we had decided on the primitive cabin option versus tent camping on this trip!

{Cabin #2.  What a beauty}

{Sleepover Central}

Saturday morning we were up and at em'.  We had breakfast around our campfire and then loaded the bus to head a mile up the river to tube.  The boys were so excited.  Ryland tried to get in his tube on land and had everyone laughing.  Despite a few family feuds about paddling while in your tube and getting stuck on rocks, it was a great time! At the end of our ride,  Chelsea abandoned ship and let her tube float all the way down the river in case some stranger wanted to experience all the fun we had.

{The boys got right in when we woke up on Saturday}

{The Green River was literally right out back.  The boys loved it}

{Chelsea will teach you how to dance} 

{We ended our tubing trip right at the cabin}

We changed out of our bathing suits and packed up the car for a ride in to  Saluda for a small hike up to Pearson Falls.   Pearson Falls is a 90ft waterfall maintained by the Tryon Garden club.  It was pretty cool to see! And it was great for family photo ops.

{The hike UP}

{Pearson Falls}

{Mike, Chels and Ryland}

{The Harvey's}

Our big plans to cook dinner on the campfire were quickly forgotten when we stumbled upon a quaint little BBQ restaurant in town.  We were all starving and by the time we got back to the campsite, cooked and ate it would have been hours worth of work and everyone would be cranky and starving.

{Green River BBQ}

Once we got back to the cabin the boys wanted to play in the river so I suggested to Chelsea we put out chairs in the middle and let the boys swim.  The river is dam controlled so in the evenings its maybe 6" deep in it's lowest point and maybe 3ft deep in the deepest point.  Once we were out there, Mike and Adam decided they would just build a small mountain of rock out of the river and we would start a new campfire.   It was getting chilly and although I have to admit at first I was a little skeptical, it was sooooo nice to get to sit in the river and have a fire.  When the sun went down it was perfect.  The boys splashed around and we made some s'mores and put them to bed.  The adults hung out for a few more hours and then we all hit the hay.

Sunday morning I think Adam was the most anxious to get home.  None of us had showered in two days.  Aidan took off to Sunday school at the campground while we packed up the cars and the campsite and then we all headed home!   I literally hit my bed when we walked in the door and slept like a rock for two and a half hours.  I felt better when I woke up but the next day my body was aching! I think I worked out some muscles I haven't in a while!

I had a blast and would definitely do it again. Chelsea and I  have made a list of things we would do differently to make things go a little bit smoother and the time of year we think would be perfect.  Looking forward to our trip next year!!!