We had a very memorable Thanksgiving holiday. After our efforts to convince family to come and visit failed, and our subtle hints at being invited somewhere didn't work, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I wanted to do something fun and memorable--so we went camping. And believe me--it was both FUN and MEMORABLE!
We got packed--which is a process in itself--and headed out on our adventure. And believe me, we were PACKED. The car was loaded with stuff--bedding, clothes, coats, food, cooking supplies, tent, even a turkey! We headed to Cades Cove. It is a beautiful area in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It is a very popular spot and I thought this would be a good time to visit without fighting the crowds.
We got there, just in time to get everything set up, gather wood for a fire and roast some hotdogs before it started to sprinkle. It wasn't too bad and it was still fairly warm--it was 80 degrees that afternoon as we were driving down and probably 70's when we were setting up. It was nice. It cooled down as it started to rain and got colder as the night progressed. Well, the rain didn't ever let up--it rained buckets all night. We got in the tent and were in bed for the night by 7:00 PM. The rain was loud and it was windy! The kids were nestled all snug in their sleeping bags while visions of burnt marshmellows danced in their heads. No one got much sleep. One of the fast rules of camping is that you have to at least stay for two nights--the first night you sleep bad--that is just given, and the second night you sleep good--in comparison to that first night anyway. Also, the two night rule applys due to the fact that you go to so much effort getting everything packed and the tent set-up. It's just not worth it for one night.
The next day we awoke to more rain. It rained SO much. I believe that the drought in TN is over. No problems now with water shortage. At least not in Cades Cove. You just watch--this spring will be a great year for wildflowers due to a wet and rainy season (or should I say weekend) in the fall. Just send the DeBry family camping and your drought problems will be solved. (Maybe we could hire ourselves out as resident campers to that senator in Georgia--we could camp on those church steps where they have been praying).
Well, David went in search for some wood--we had put some under the tarp, so we had a bit that wasn't wet. He got the fire going and boiled some water for oatmeal and hot chocolate. That sure hit the spot. Now what--it was too cold and wet to be outside. We loaded in the van and drove around Cades Cove--it is an 11-mile loop--a beautiful drive with old churches and homes were people used to live. We saw lots of wild turkeys, deer and oh yeah, we saw a bear on the way in. Parker spotted that.
Now it was time for lunch--THANKSGIVING DINNER. David put the turkey, potatoes, carrots, celery and onions in the dutch oven before we left. I had made some cranberry sauce and bought some rolls and pies at the store. This is the way to do dinner--especially for me--I am not too fond of cooking. The food was amazing. The rolls did get a little soggy in the rain though.
After dinner we were all wet and cold again. We did have deer in the campground--lots of them, running around and having "fun" together. Grace though they were "hibernating", we had to explain that they were mating. That was one of the memorable parts. It was still raining and the tent was cold and there was no way to get dry. So we piled in the car again, cranked the heat and went for a drive. Our wet clothes were hanging all over in the inside of the car, drying out. We drove to Gatlinburg and went to the visitors center. They had a nice museum, gift shop, and movie about the park. Most of all it was dry and warm. We then went back to camp, we had a nice big fire and had fun talking and poking sticks into the flames (why is that so fun and irresistable?). Then we made sleeping arrangements and went to bed. Remember, this is the second night, so tonight we were going to sleep good. We did, but it was VERY cold. We woke up to ice crystals on top of the tent and it was snowing. At least it had stopped raining. We basically packed up and headed home. We had such a fun time. Here is a song that we came up with (on one of our "warming-up drives") about our fun trip.
The Twelve Days of Thanksgiving:
On the 1st day of Thanksgiving my true love gave to me:
A turkey in the Dutch oven
On the 2nd day of Thanksgiving my true love gave to me:
2 pumpkin pies
3 cups of cocoa
4 hours of sleep
5 frozen toes (or 5 burned fingers--Peter burned his fingers)
6 sweet kids
7 wet sticks
8 inches of rain
9 hours of driving
10 (I don't remember--I'm sure it was funny, though!)
11 wet socks
12 clothes drying
What a fun time. We got home Friday and rented a couple of movies and enjoyed being warm at home for the rest of the weekend. I think we'll do it again. Any takers for next year?
We got packed--which is a process in itself--and headed out on our adventure. And believe me, we were PACKED. The car was loaded with stuff--bedding, clothes, coats, food, cooking supplies, tent, even a turkey! We headed to Cades Cove. It is a beautiful area in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It is a very popular spot and I thought this would be a good time to visit without fighting the crowds.
We got there, just in time to get everything set up, gather wood for a fire and roast some hotdogs before it started to sprinkle. It wasn't too bad and it was still fairly warm--it was 80 degrees that afternoon as we were driving down and probably 70's when we were setting up. It was nice. It cooled down as it started to rain and got colder as the night progressed. Well, the rain didn't ever let up--it rained buckets all night. We got in the tent and were in bed for the night by 7:00 PM. The rain was loud and it was windy! The kids were nestled all snug in their sleeping bags while visions of burnt marshmellows danced in their heads. No one got much sleep. One of the fast rules of camping is that you have to at least stay for two nights--the first night you sleep bad--that is just given, and the second night you sleep good--in comparison to that first night anyway. Also, the two night rule applys due to the fact that you go to so much effort getting everything packed and the tent set-up. It's just not worth it for one night.
The next day we awoke to more rain. It rained SO much. I believe that the drought in TN is over. No problems now with water shortage. At least not in Cades Cove. You just watch--this spring will be a great year for wildflowers due to a wet and rainy season (or should I say weekend) in the fall. Just send the DeBry family camping and your drought problems will be solved. (Maybe we could hire ourselves out as resident campers to that senator in Georgia--we could camp on those church steps where they have been praying).
Well, David went in search for some wood--we had put some under the tarp, so we had a bit that wasn't wet. He got the fire going and boiled some water for oatmeal and hot chocolate. That sure hit the spot. Now what--it was too cold and wet to be outside. We loaded in the van and drove around Cades Cove--it is an 11-mile loop--a beautiful drive with old churches and homes were people used to live. We saw lots of wild turkeys, deer and oh yeah, we saw a bear on the way in. Parker spotted that.
Now it was time for lunch--THANKSGIVING DINNER. David put the turkey, potatoes, carrots, celery and onions in the dutch oven before we left. I had made some cranberry sauce and bought some rolls and pies at the store. This is the way to do dinner--especially for me--I am not too fond of cooking. The food was amazing. The rolls did get a little soggy in the rain though.
After dinner we were all wet and cold again. We did have deer in the campground--lots of them, running around and having "fun" together. Grace though they were "hibernating", we had to explain that they were mating. That was one of the memorable parts. It was still raining and the tent was cold and there was no way to get dry. So we piled in the car again, cranked the heat and went for a drive. Our wet clothes were hanging all over in the inside of the car, drying out. We drove to Gatlinburg and went to the visitors center. They had a nice museum, gift shop, and movie about the park. Most of all it was dry and warm. We then went back to camp, we had a nice big fire and had fun talking and poking sticks into the flames (why is that so fun and irresistable?). Then we made sleeping arrangements and went to bed. Remember, this is the second night, so tonight we were going to sleep good. We did, but it was VERY cold. We woke up to ice crystals on top of the tent and it was snowing. At least it had stopped raining. We basically packed up and headed home. We had such a fun time. Here is a song that we came up with (on one of our "warming-up drives") about our fun trip.
The Twelve Days of Thanksgiving:
On the 1st day of Thanksgiving my true love gave to me:
A turkey in the Dutch oven
On the 2nd day of Thanksgiving my true love gave to me:
2 pumpkin pies
3 cups of cocoa
4 hours of sleep
5 frozen toes (or 5 burned fingers--Peter burned his fingers)
6 sweet kids
7 wet sticks
8 inches of rain
9 hours of driving
10 (I don't remember--I'm sure it was funny, though!)
11 wet socks
12 clothes drying
What a fun time. We got home Friday and rented a couple of movies and enjoyed being warm at home for the rest of the weekend. I think we'll do it again. Any takers for next year?
2 comments:
Okay, you and David are officially the superheroes of parenting. All of that sounds like incredible fun, if you are a kid! I'm very impressed that you also had fun and are considering doing it again next year. Wow, dutch oven Thanksgiving dinner sounds AWESOME! I think my favorite part would have been coming home, being warm, and watching movies!
OOOOhhh,WOW! That sounds terrible-- it's nice you could enjoy it regardless of the weather. What a fun memory.
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