October 2020 - Pisgah National Forest & back down to Florida

Virginia - North Carolina - Georgia - Florida

October makes a full year since we got married and left on our honeymoon adventure.  It was pretty cool to be back in Virginia to celebrate that milestone. 

When we arrived at Dad's, we were greeted by the new ruler of the house - Ronnie! Two stray kitten brothers had wandered up and decided to adopt my dad. The Ronster now runs my dad's place, and his brother Cooper is getting spoiled at Diane's. They're cuddly, silly, and ridiculously photogenic.

At first Ronnie was afraid of the dogs, but he warmed up to them pretty quickly!

Fall in the Appalachians is gorgeous - one of the reasons we chose this area & time of year for our wedding. 

Nearby Whitetop mountain is the perfect place to take in the fall colors and get some fresh air. We loaded the bikes into the back of Dad's van for the slow and curvy 40 minute drive up the mountain, and found very limited parking at the top. (There are a few shuttle companies that will drive for you and drop you off, but due to Covid we weren't interested in being on a crowded shuttle.) We were rewarded with 17 miles of mostly downhill bike trail through some of the most beautiful scenery around. 

The trail was a lot of fun and fairly easy. A big part of it follows a clear stream with plenty of picturesque waterfalls and benches to stop and rest. We had a great time coasting down the mountain with Dad and Koby. 

About halfway down, we sat by the water for a nice picnic lunch and watched the other bikers roll by.  It took us a few hours to make it back down to Damascus where we parked our truck. Koby and I waited with the bikes while Kyle & Dad drove back up to the top to get the van. 

While catching up with Grandma, we asked if she had any projects she needed help with and she surprised us with a big one! She'd just bought a house to renovate and needed help knocking down an old chimney. With a ladder, a thick metal cable, and some leverage, we got it down and broken into pieces for hauling away. 

Grandma made us her famous chicken & dumplings and I made a wool Precious figurine for her.

I made a pickle playing bass for my dad.

We spent some time in Dad's recording studio - Kyle had a blast playing on Dad's amp! and we got to see the newest Pickle video before it was released! 

We always enjoy watching the bees and butterflies in Diane's flower garden

And, tried a new recipe - Breakfast Pizza!

Another bittersweet goodbye later, and we were headed south once again. 

We spent our anniversary (the 19th) near Asheville, NC, in Pisgah National Forest. The clear stream with waterfalls, mossy rocks, and sparkling mica fragments reminded us of our visit to Nantahala National Forest. 

We found crawfish and newts in the shallow pools.

The sound of water flowing and wind through the trees was so peaceful. 

The road we were on only had a few sites big enough for travel trailers, and we drove past them since they were pretty crowded. We ended up parking next to a tent site and had a pretty rough time turning around without going further up the mountain.

Made a cute little mushroom

We left Pisgah National Forest on the 22nd, heading to Concord Hunt Camp near Monticello, GA. 

Dirt roads lead to a flat open area, with a rough loop at the end and a few shooting targets.

During our down time there I needle felted a Totoro and a set of Rick & Morty heads.

We wanted to push through and get to Florida in time to vote, but incoming hurricane Zeta changed our plans. We drove halfway instead, which got us to Cusseta where we used to live, and we stopped for the weekend at our old stomping grounds - Riverbend Park.

Passed the old house!

After Zeta cleared we drove the last few hours to Wilderness Landing Park. We'd camped here earlier this year (and got kicked out when it shut down due to Covid). There were recent reviews that it was open again, and it was right near Pensacola where we had things to take care of. WLP is free, and really big so there was plenty of room for everyone to spread out. Khaleesi was really excited to see the beach again, and we had a great time walking the beautiful nature trails. 

We did not, however, enjoy the swarms of mosquitoes...

Running from mosquitoes

Khaleesi on the beach - living her best life

*If you are reading this in the email version, make sure you go to https://telastravels.blogspot.com/ to see the full post including videos!*

September 2020 - Family Time!

Illinois - Indiana - Virginia

We started the month with a visit to my home town - Aurora!

My sister Katrina and brother-in-law Myke let us park in their driveway for a few weeks, and we had such a great time visiting with them! It'd been 2 years since I'd seen my sister and catching up was long overdue. We were also able to visit with my brother Nathan and my mom! After so long on the road it was comforting to have a reliable and convenient place to park and relax. We had everything we need with us in our camper, so besides taking up their driveway, I was relieved not to be invading too much of their space. My nephews were doing e-learning from home too, so I was able to get lots of priceless quality time with them.

Khaleesi was especially thrilled to see her buddy Chop. 

Kyle was also thrilled to see Chop.

I even made a needle-felted mini Chop

The weather was perfect for a small family cookout over labor day weekend. We barbequed on the porch and played corn hole in the yard.

My brother got out the foam swords and everyone had a great time battling each other. (Except for Kyle breaking his toe!). After everything settled down that evening, Kyle and I were sitting outside on the porch with my brother-in-law Myke. Suddenly, a car screeched down the road, jumped the curb, and flew through the air landing inches from a neighbor's house!! 

We jumped up and started running toward the car to see if we could help. As we got closer we saw two guys getting out of the car, carrying what looked like alcohol bottles. They were fleeing the scene. The neighbors had all come out of their homes and one started chasing the guys. An older woman called the cops, and when they showed up we gave them our descriptions of the men and what we witnessed. 

pictures from the damage the next morning

Whenever I visit my mom we almost always end up baking something. My favorite memories from the holidays are of us experimenting in the kitchen together. I was really excited to help her with a few ideas she had while we were in town! 

I also made a HUGE change this month. I got the most drastic haircut of my life! I have always had super long, thick hair, which gave me headaches and was constantly in my way. I was beyond ready for a change, and my mom offered to pay for me to go to her stylist. It was a bit scary to take that huge step, and I was definitely nervous, but once that first ponytail was cut I started laughing. I feel so much lighter and way more free with that weight off of my shoulders!

Two feet!

My favorite part of our visit was taking my sweet nephews biking and fishing in the Fox River. 

Mom even came out and fished with us!

Nate caught the biggest fish

Mykey caught his first fish ever! and his second!

I got one too!

My awesome brother and brother-in-law helped us replace our worn out awning too! 

Thanks, guys <3

Before we left, my sister made her famous lasagna for us and even an extra pan for the road! It was such an awesome visit, and as always it was really hard to leave.

Thanks, Sissy!

But, we had to get down to Florida so on we went. After leaving Aurora, we did a quick one-night parking lot stop at a Cracker Barrel in Lafayette, IN. We got there after they closed so take-out dinner wasn't an option, but we were able to order take-out breakfast including hot coffee which was really handy before getting back on the road.

Our next stop was in the Hoosier National Forest, at Saddle Lake Rec Area. It's a small gravel loop in the woods down the road from a lake that costs $5 a night. No reservations, and you self-register when you arrive. We stayed in the last site, #13 which was one of the bigger ones with a nice grassy area for the dogs. The woods were really thick and we got almost no sun for our solar panels. 

We tried out our new portable grill and were really happy with how it worked. You can actually pick it up and move it around while it's hot which is pretty nifty.

We were only about an hour away from Fort Knox at this campsite, so we took a day trip driving tour! - We saw Kyle's old barracks, and the creek where he used to fish, and I loved listening to his stories and memories as we drove through.

We stopped at Sonder springs nature preserve & Camp Carlson Army Rec Area.

After our short stay in Indiana, we drove about 6 hours through Kentucky and made it to Virginia!

We pulled into my dad's driveway at dusk. It had been a long and winding drive through the mountains and we were so tired. We found him out back grilling a pork loin, with a nice fire going in the pit. It was such a welcome feeling after a long day, and a long year! Almost a full year had passed since we left here on our honeymoon adventure, and it felt so good to be back in Virginia.

*If you are reading this in the email version, make sure you go to https://telastravels.blogspot.com/ to see the full post including videos!*