Family Road Trip On the Blue Ridge Parkway

Several weeks ago, we all got cabin fever and decided to take a day trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway. I (Andy) packed up all of my photo gear, and Rachel packed up the two kids and everything we would need for a day in the car. Surprisingly, that was a lot.

About an hour or so down the road towards Boone, N.C., we found a little pull-off by a beautiful creek. At first, we just thought that I would take Christopher down for a look. But as soon as his feet hit the shore, he immediately and without hesitation plunged right in up to his knees, even though he had pants on and it was only about 50 degrees outside! It was definitely a proud Daddy moment for me.

So we decided to picnic down by the water and enjoy the sun, the stream, and the changing fall colors.
















Rachel fed Christopher bites of a sandwich in between his rock throws. If anyone ever needs someone to throw rocks into a creek 8-10 hours per day, he's your man.

















Kaela stayed bundled up in her seat, happy to be getting some fresh air.















After watching Christopher for awhile, I couldn't resist getting in the water with him. Plus, he was already wet, so Mommy couldn't argue. =) Christopher stayed in the water for over an hour, and he still wasn't cold. I love the kid.























While we were parking, we ran into someone that told us that there was a hidden path to a waterfall on the other side of the road. Still only an hour into our trip, we decided it would be worth going to see. Christopher had soaked his shoes and socks, so he went barefoot in his dry clothes.















The four of us at Trash Can Falls, so named because when the water runs high some crazy people go off the falls in a trash can. Christopher was disappointed that I wouldn't go in the water with him again.

As a highlight, I had placed all of Christopher's soaking wet clothes and shoes on top of the van to dry in the sun, and we all forgot about them when we left...so Rachel had fun running back along the road picking everything up after we started driving away.
















After putting some miles behind us in order to get to the Blue Ridge Parkway, we finally got on near Boone and drove around the back side of Grandfather mountain. Although we were a few weeks behind peak fall colors, there were some amazing shots to be had at the higher elevations, where the colors change faster. Here Christopher wanted to have his sunglasses on in the evening sunlight. He told us he was a "cool dude!" And he is.
















This particular ridge was on fire with the colors of fall. We love fall here!
















Shot with the wide angle. This is similar to the view at the top of Grandfather Mountain, but without the required climb. Kaela appreciated that.























And finally, on the way back, Christopher got to have his car seat turned so it faced forward! He was very happy to join the rest of the forward-facing community, and we were happy to be able to keep a better eye on him. Notice the bare feet because his shoes were covered in mud and soaking wet.

Christopher called Gramma and all of his Aunts on the way home, because it was Aunt Alison's birthday. It was kind of a strange phone call, because he would alternate between singing "Happy Birthday" and "You are my Sunshine" for everyone, and screaming "POOP! POOP! POOP!" at the top of his lungs while laughing his head off. I'm thinking he may in fact be a 50/50 genetic mix between Rachel and I, as many had feared.

We love everyone and continue to appreciate and feel your prayers as we continue to try to manage everything. Stay tuned...we'll get caught up soon!