Mountain Time

We went to Pisgah National Forest this Wednesday. I remember going there as a kid and wanted to take the kids up. There is plenty to do up there and it costs very little. I called my dad and asked him about directions to the picnic area we went to as kids. After getting the directions we packed up the car the next day and headed over. Needless to say we missed the turn and had to backtrack about 15 minutes, but it was a good chance for the kids to try out the dvd player in the van. Clara loves it. We got there and I showed everyone the picnic area, which by the way has changed since I was last there over a decade ago. Does that mean I am old now? The picnic tables were made out of huge pieces of lumber. The place where me and Matt would build a dam is gone. The river even looks the same. The cool part about the picnic area is that the river splits near there and there are two streams. The one next to the picnic area is fairly calm, cold as ice but calm. If you cross through it to the other side you will see a rock cliff and a pool beneath. Most kids like to go up and jump off into the pool which is fairly deep. I jumped it as a teenager. There were some kids and teenagers jumping it. Clara decided that she wanted to jump it. She asked me and I told her we would go up and check it out, I knew that she would not go. I did not want to crush her spirit. The cliff was about ten or twelve feet from the pool. I was impressed that she even suggested it. She took a Zoe tube with her up there. We made out way up the cliff to check it out. She said she wanted to jump, but better judgement ruled the day and we decided to hold off until she was older. Also some rangers came by and suggested she not jump. The weired part was that they were dry, and to get to where they were you had to cross water. She got off the cliff with her pride intact. Just going up there took a ton of courage and I am proud of her for being brave.

Then we went to sliding rock and she and I both slid three times. The second time we both went under water and she freaked. I thought she would not go a third, but did and went under again. That was it for her. Thank goodness, because I was freezing at that point.

Finally we stopped at Looking Glass Falls. The girls liked seeing the falls I think, but were tired so we did not stay long. The only pictures we have are at the falls. It was too hard to wrangle the kids and keep a camera dry anywhere else.


Looking glass falls


Clara and Lindy in front of the falls.


Me and the girls in front of the falls, picture courtesy of ten second delay shot. Kelly was with Charlie who was sleeping in the car.