Monday, September 1, 2014

A Little Piece of Paradise

Mr. R&R and I just returned from an absolutely wonderful, relaxing, and very much needed trip to the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.  I thought I'd share a few photos from the trip - although I didn't take very many. So, grab a seat by the fire, crack open a beer (I recommend an Appalachian Trail Pale Ale from the Nantahala Brewery), and enjoy!

We rolled into Louisville, KY in the midst of a rainstorm that can only be described as 'biblical', checked into our hotel, and met up with my lovely friend April for dinner at a nearby brew pub - since Mr. R&R and I were slightly terrified of ending up like this car!  


By the time we parted ways with April, I already felt at least 50% less tense/up tight when I left home that morning.  In my opinion, hanging out with friends is one of the best ways in the world to de-stress!

The next morning we were up bright and early and back on the road.  Over the course of the next several hours, we worked our way through the rest of Kentucky, Tennessee, and finally into North Carolina.  I was so excited when we checked in at the rental office, stopped at the grocery store, and finally navigated the winding road up to the cabin.


Over the next few days we hung out on the porches reading books, hiked, kayaked, and caught up on lots of lost sleep!

Hiking the Road To Nowhere Trails:





Hiking in the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest - complete with 400+ year old trees:







Kayaking on Fontana Lake and the Nantahala River - followed by a short swim in some of the warmest, cleanest water I've ever experienced!  I didn't even care that record-sized fish have been pulled from that lake and there were a couple of little bitty fish hanging out where I jumped in!  (Thanks to Mr. R&R for the pictures since I didn't take my camera and/or phone out on the water.)







And of course, there was plenty of beer-drinking, book-reading, barbecuing, and staring at the beautiful view!