in an attempt to spice up our life a little, and not sit around all weekend in this stupid house, we made a semi-spontaneous decision to head to boone with the fam. and then we also made the decision to have me go up a day early to have some alone time without the fam.
my first stop (aside from a pit stop in wilkesboro) was the mountain thread company in blowing rock, where unbeknownst to me beforehand, there was a huge clearance sale. so, i did what any other quilter would do. i abandoned any self imposed budget and went all in. i chatted with the owner for a bit, and agreed to lend my quilt influencer brand to her instagram, posing with my purchases.
i actually didn’t take any pics of most of the rest of my day. i went to a second hand outdoor gear store. and a first hand outdoor gear store (footsloggers) where i scored some clearance hiking pants. i scouted a few places to hit up with the kids and derek when they arrived. perhaps another fabric store maybe. and then i checked into the hotel. for dinner, i tried a greek restaurant that was within walking distance of the hotel and it did not disappoint.
in the morning, i had a hearty hotel continental breakfast, a lovely chat with a fellow guest, and then headed off for a solo hike. a lot of the area is still pretty damaged from hurricane helene, so i opted to drive across the border to tennessee to hike a little section of the appalachian trail.
it was a perfect day, with signs of spring finally popping up. i literally only saw 10 people for the entire 11 miles (5.5 in and 5.5 out). unlike my usual hiking excursions, i took my sweet time, stopping to savor all of the views, the wildflowers, the bright green moss, and the silly looking fungi. clearly, since i was all alone, i also spent a good amount of time to set up the tripod and take staged action shots. check out my new pants! i’ll spare a play by play commentary, so here’s a bunch of photos.
here’s some screenshots of the details and statistics of the hike. it was basically about 11 miles and 2600′ elevation. a good little workout. i had hoped for some solitude at the top, but i made a friend and ended up chatting with him for a good amount of time. so, i guess i need another hike soon, to get that solitude thing.
i rushed back down, stopped at the hotel to shower, change, remove a tick (!!) and then meet up with the family. we had dinner at the come back shack and i definitely overdid it like i am wont to do after a long hike but it was so good. and then we went to see the new minecraft movie. i would love to give a review but i definitely fell asleep as i am also wont to do, post-hike or not-post-hike. we piled back into the hotel, for a good nights sleep. in the mornings i was reminded of the trials and tribulations of family travel, when i awakened at 5am and everyone else slept until 8 or so. i’ll plan better for next time. eventually hazel woke up and joined me for breakfast. she loves a good carb loaded breakfast full of normally off-limits food items.
we were originally going to do some more hiking in the area, but scrapped that plan and just did a little shopping and walking around. anna and i went back to the fabric store, where we purchased a TON more fabric. i don’t even know where i’ll put it all. we did the tea shop, some toy stores, and various gift shops. and all of the consignment clothing shops. anna had some sweet finds, including these 1987 pleated corduroys for $5!!
there were also many stops at outdoor stores. and alllll of the app state gear stores because anna thinks she might be interested in going there. i will allow it. then there was the antique mall. i wanted all of the pyrex, but holy moly. $$$$$. i did “rescue” a crocheted granny square blanket and an E.T. glass, both more in my price range.
did i mention that spring is springing. i love it.
we ate at mellow mushroom. i love that place.
ike and derek and hazel left that evening, for a number of reasons. anna and i planned to go hiking the next day, but the weather wasn’t really cooperating. so we wandered around town for a bit, scoping out the app campus, and then got on the road home.
anyways. that’s the exciting tale of our family trip to boone.
it is becoming abundantly clear to me that our days of traveling as a family might be coming to a close. sigh.