The best in tent camping....

North Carolina or bust!

1st of all this trip was the first time Rob and me had been back to NC since we met there. (special!)

We had decided to go down for time at Lake Junaluska first and then from there we would go camping. The weather was perfect, campground was wonderful, and of course the time together was priceless.

Southern VA

Lake Junaluska

We left the Lake on Sunday afternoon and headed southwest to Franklin, North Carolina where Standing Indian Campground is located.

Almost there

Setting up camp! This was the first time we ever used our Lantern, Rob did a great job!

Can you tell it's morning?
First time using our stove, it was a little hot for the pancakes- opps!
Rob, definitely, the man of the coffee.
Perfect!
After breakfast we headed out to check out some of the trails.

Rob was looking at our mileage

This was the stream not far from our tent, the sounds we went to sleep by.

Relaxing after a little hike around.

One of my favorite pictures of Rob from this trip. Full relaxation mode!
Suppertime, again I love the peaceful look on his face!

Day 2:

Yes that is me, it's morning, what can I say??

Our breakfast.

Rob was VERY impressed with my campfire cooking skills, I told him my Dad was a GREAT teacher.

Nothing like camp coffee!

After breakfast we headed out for a day of hiking.

The white blaze (the white rectangle on the tree) is the official blaze of the Appalachian Trail.

Smoky Mountains

5,500 feet, we have gone up 2,000 feet from the campground.

Going down.

Can you find the monkey face?

By the time we returned to camp we had gone over 12 miles. It was a beautiful day.

Rob making popcorn, it was delish!

Wednesday morning breakfast, I thought my "toaster" was genius!
Mmmm camp coffee!
Packed and ready to go.

On the drive home we took a beautiful drive out the back way. Rob mentioned a couple of times, "This is why I wanted this truck, so I can drive on roads like this."

Sparta, North Carolina

What a wonderful trip we had. Full of new adventures for the both of us. Rob was great about trying out a stove & lantern that needed gas instead of propane. We both had brought ideas about how tent camping should go, and I can say that we both enjoyed the time SO MUCH! As we drove home we talked again about the blessing of having a teammate that enjoys to relax in the same way, truly a gift from God. We look forward to the next tent outing......