Time spent in nature is time well spent

(double click on slide show for larger view of pictures)

We just spent a wonderful, relaxing vacation in the mountains of NC at my parent's getaway cabin. It seems a little strange to call it a vacation...it is more like "going home" since I was born and raised in the mountains. I think of a vacation as visiting a place you've never been, but it was more like I was revisiting some places that I haven't been since I was a child and it brought back some great memories!

The first day we went tubing down Deep Creek. It is the perfect mix of fast and slow moving waters. The tubes are a lot fancier than when I was a kid! They have seats, handles, backrests, and cup holders. Tubing is great because it is good, cheap fun. For 4 adults and 4 kids we only spent 20$ for a full day rental of 6 tubes (the little kids rode with adults). It has been a long time since I've felt the cold mountain water and there's something so wonderful about a cool mountain stream in the woods on a hot summer day!

The next day we visited the Oconoluftee visitor center and mountain farm museum. This is a great, free place to visit if you are ever in Cherokee, NC. The kids loved it. The museum is small, but very interactive and hands-on. The part they enjoyed the most was the little living mountain homestead that has been recreated on this beautiful property. It had a log home, barn, orchard, apple house, corn crib, smokehouse, pigs, chickens, a great big garden and much more. You can read more about it here.

Our biggest adventure was going to the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in Graham Co., NC. This is an amazing forest that, through preservation efforts, is one of the few remaining tracts of virgin hardwood trees in the Appalachians. Some yellow poplars stand 100 ft. tall and have a 20ft. circumference! They aren't the redwoods, but they might be some of the biggest and oldest trees that you can find on the east coast. The one downside of the hike is that many of the trees are dying so there fallen trees everywhere and the trail at times is quite narrow and steep and not always easy to navigate with little children; however; the hike up the trail is well worth it once you reach the top of the loop! The kids found some amazing treasures on the trail: the largest snail and millipede that I've ever seen! The trees stood towering and had absolutely amazing root systems. One trail essential, in my opinion, is a nature journal. The kids drew some amazing pictures that I will share in a later post; it is just so wonderful for them to observe and record what they see. It teaches them to notice beautiful details in nature and furthers their connection with God's amazing creation. Here's a little more info. about this amazing forest.
Outdoor fun is the best kind of fun. We always love our time spent in the mountains and in nature. here is a link to how spending time in nature is good for restoring our attention and our souls.