Off the Grid

We spent the past four days off the grid. Thursday and Friday were quite unplanned; Tropical Storm Michael knocked us out of power. We got it back late Friday, and we were incredibly thankful Mom never lost it! We had somewhere to go to charge and for Brad to work. Some places near us are still out of power, though. NC was just not prepared for this one.

Saturday and Sunday, though, was a planned excursion. We've been going at break-neck speed, and we really needed some time. So...we headed to the mountains. I found a great little campground that was central to everything we wanted to do.

First stop: gem mining:

 This might be my favorite photo bomb ever:

 We managed to find some great gemstones! We may even get some cut and made into jewelry.

We finally got smart and just packed all of our food for the weekend. We didn't have to spend time searching or wondering if Brad would get sick, and it was lovely. We ate our picnic lunch by the little creek by the mine, and then we continued the Bower apple picking saga.

A few years ago, we went to great orchards a little late in the season; the picking was slim. Last year, we went to a highly type-A orchard where you were told what four trees you could pick from after you were driven there on the hayride--no wandering. Brad announced the next time we would go early and go pick on the side of a mountain where we could wander. I found the perfect spot:

 There was great views at this orchard, but there were not apples. Please note my terribly amused husband:

 A blight cleaned out the orchard, but they did have live music and great orchards for hiking:

 And they had bought apples from another orchard, so we did purchase apples, and we did pick our bag!

After all that excitement, we checked into the coziest cabin:

 It was much larger than we thought, and we were grateful for the fireplace in the chilly evening and morning:

 This little camp ground was absolutely perfect! We never heard another person, and the kitchen was nicely equipped and so well-organized that even I didn't feel the need to reorganize cabinets. We had no internet, which meant we all truly disconnected from the world and connected with each other. Bliss.

Once we were settled, we set out to go fishing:

 I was shocked by how well the kids were casting by the end of our foray.

 It helps the world's best daddy did a nice refresher course:

 And he caught the first fish:

 And Issa caught Phil:

 Phil was a pesky fish that kept stealing my bait. Issa was just fast enough on the hook-set to get him!

At dusk, we headed back to the cabin for a cozy meal and board games. With all the fresh air, we were in bed by 9:30!

Saturday morning, we woke up to a drizzle, which made muffins in the cabin by the fireplace all that more perfect. Thankfully, the rain stopped for the highlight of our weekend:

 We got to do a trail ride! Evan rode Nigel, who was super easy going if not a little sluggish.

Issa rode Blaze, who was a gem.

 They had never been on a trail ride before, and they loved it!

Brad was on Cherokee, who was great as long as he was the second horse. I got to ride Buttercup, who had a mind of her own, which meant I actually got to do far more actual riding than the rest of the crew. It also means I awoke to some muscles I haven't used in a while! I've done a lot of riding, but never on a mountain. The views were incredible, and it's a very different feeling riding up and down like that! I can't wait to do it again.

We came back in time to settle back in and adjust to a bit of reality, but I have no doubt the mountains will be calling us again soon.