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Hebron Rock Colony | Bouldering in Boone, North Carolina

October 25, 2011 0

We are back from our Fall Family Trip to North Carolina – we had a fantastic time. One of the main activities that we planned for our trip was hiking. We made sure to do at least a couple of hikes every day. Some of the hikes were leisurely strolls through the mountains, others were more intense – like the bouldering we did at Hebron Rock Colony in Boone. Bouldering is Eben’s favorite type of rock climbing and I have to admit it is very high on my list.

Hebron Rock Colony is the perfect place to take active children since it is great for crawling, jumping and climbing. Hebron Rock Colony offers a long slope of giant boulders embedded in the river – this creates numerous small waterfalls and swimming holes. [It was definitely too cold to swim on this trip.] Hebron Rock Colony is well off the beaten path, it isn’t a hike that tourists know about – so you most likely will not see that many people there. When we went we were the only people there the entire day – it was great!

We didn’t realize this hike was going to be as intense as it was, it was a little tough to maneuver with Noodles [our Pug] and my camera. Note: Noodles loves to hike, however she did NOT appreciate this hike – she had a look of horror [above] on her face the entire time and we had to carry her for most of it.

If you are an active family with children old enough to climb on their own, this would be the perfect bouldering hike for you. It is a little dangerous, so I wouldn’t recommend very young children, elderly folks or anyone who doesn’t have at least a small amount of hiking experience. Also, make sure to wear excellent hiking boots with great traction – you will need it.

How to get there:

Take Highway 105 from Boone and turn left at Hound Ears Club on Shull’s Mill Road. You will see a fantastic old church on the left, take a right on Old Turnpike Road. Take the gravel road for about 7 minutes, if you are not looking for the trail head you will miss it. Park along the road where it curves sharply to the right. Follow the trail into the woods to the right, it is about a 10 minute walk to the river. 20 feet before the river, you will see a small path cutting up the hill through thick underbrush, it’s a difficult trail along the side of the mountain, in about 10 minutes, you will come out at the boulder field in the river. 

6 Ways To Have Eco-Friendly Fun This Fall + Our Fall Family Trip Plans

October 18, 2011 1

Every October, we take our annual Fall Family Trip to the North Carolina mountains. It is the closest place that we have found to South Florida that really gets Autumn. Our itinerary includes all of the fall activities that we miss from living in the west. I thought it would be fun to share some of the activities that we did on our trip last year, as well as plans for our trip this week. These 6 fall activities are eco-friendly fun for the entire family, and can be done anywhere, read on to get started.

#1: Fall Foliage
This is hands-down my favorite part of our Fall Family Trips – fall foliage. There is just something about spending a cool, crisp day, hiking through beautiful brightly, colored fall leaves. We like to take time to collect some of the beautiful hued leaves to bring home to press and preserve. And I can’t forget the Woolly Worms – they are a fun addition to our fall hikes, along with picnic lunches every day. Mr. Sweet Greens has several hikes planned for our trip, I can’t wait! 

#2: Pumpkin Picking
This has to be Eben’s favorite part of our trip – the day at the pumpkin patch. There is a particular pumpkin patch – well off the beaten path that we visit every year. In fact, I don’t even know the name of it, but Mr. Sweet Greens knows the way – so we are good. Many of the pumpkins are a pumpkin-gourd hybrid so the shapes, colors and textures are fantastic and these pumpkins last forever. We had ours on our front porch past Christmas last year.

#3: Get Spooked
Another fun family activity is the corn maze, I think this year we will attempt it at dusk, I think this would add a spooky element that would be tons of fun. Other options that we are considering is a spooky hay ride in the countryside or a ghost tour through one of the old towns.

#4: Farmer’s Market
Boone, North Carolina has a fantastic farmer’s market that is very large with a fantastic selection of goods. Last year, we arrived too late in the day, so we visited a much smaller farmer’s market in a nearby town. It worked out well because the smaller farmer’s market was more quaint – there were a lot of artisans selling their handmade goods. I bought all of the boys in my family, handmade slingshots as holiday gifts.

#5: Spooky Stories by the Fire
This year when booking our log cabin for our Fall Family Trip, Mr. Sweet Greens made sure the cabin had a large working fireplace in the family room. [Last year, it was in the kitchen] This way we could continue our spooky story tradition while snuggled up on the sofa. Plus, spooky stories told in a cabin deep in the woods seems even spookier, right?

#6: Carmel Apples
Every year, we always remember to pick up a caramel apple or two as we stroll around in the evening. A trip to a small candy shoppe is always fun for everyone, and I try to remember to pick up a treat or two for the holidays.

Is there anything else we should do on our trip to North Carolina? I would love your suggestions.

photo credits

First Farmer’s Market Of The Season

October 17, 2011 0

Hello, Friends. How was your weekend? I almost forgot that our Farmer’s Market started on Saturday. Luckily, Mr. Sweet Greens reminded me in time – so we didn’t miss the fun! The Farmer’s Market season in Florida starts in October and runs through May – which is fantastic because we get to enjoy local, fresh foods all fall, winter and spring. There was a great selection this year and I was happy to see that almost all of our favorite vendors came back for another year.

There were a few vendors selling local vegetables and fruit – which was great considering it is early in the season. Mr. Sweet Greens was excited to see all of the different fruits and vegetables that were available.

There is always a fantastic selection of fresh, organic herbs, spices and teas – the aroma is amazing!

And the baked goods were unbelievable – it was hard to decide what goody to choose. Breads? Sweets? Both? Eben had to get his usual – hand squeezed lemonade and homemade cider donuts.

We couldn’t resist picking up a bottle of local Florida honey for our tea. Fantastic.

Does your community have a fall farmer’s market?

How We Are Spending Our Day Off

September 29, 2011 0

A couple of days ago, Mr. Sweet Greens and I went paddle boarding to an area that we had never been before. We came upon a hidden estuary that had a water opening just large enough for our paddle boards to fit through. We paddled around and quickly released that this estuary was home to hundreds of corals, puffer fish and jellyfish. Thankfully, we were on our boards or we would have been stung over and over again. It was amazing to watch the jellies pulsating – I wish I dared to take my camera on the open water.

Today, I we are going to take another paddle board adventure. Eben doesn’t have school today and it is Mr. Sweet Greens’ day off. How fantastic is that? I woke up super-early to get all of my work done, so that I could spend the day with them.  I don’t know where we are going, what we will see or where we will end up – but honestly, that is part of the adventure for us. We are going to take our snorkeling gear, that way when we see something cool, we can leash our boards and jump in to get a closer look. I am grabbing my board and gear and heading to the ocean.

How are you spending the day?

photo via USFWS

Dreaming Of Our North Carolina Autumn Trip

September 13, 2011 0

Do you remember our trip to North Carolina last autumn to see the leaves change color? The mister surprised me – for our 12 year anniversary, we are taking another trip this October. We are so excited, especially Eben (yes, we are taking him on our anniversary trip – he is the most important part of our love!) He can’t wait to pick giant pumpkins in the pumpkin patch, stroll through the corn mazes, admire woolly worms, take amazing hikes and munch on caramel apples at the farmer’s market. Can you blame him?

I grew up in a log home in the mountains of Utah, so taking an autumn trip and staying in a log home is very important to me. I want to share those memories with Eben – and North Carolina is so close to us, it is so easy to jump in the car and drive to autumn – since it doesn’t come to us in Florida. Ha.  And I GUARANTEE that Mr. Sweet Greens will be talking of building one of these the whole way there!

Do you have a special trip that you take every autumn?
I would love to hear about them.

photo credit

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