Fun in the Mountains

On Sunday, Trey decided not to go into work and to spend the day with us, his lovely family! Around lunchtime, we were bored and wanted to do something together since it was so pretty outside, so we decided to drive up to the mountains and do some sightseeing. We printed off the directions from Map Quest(couldn't live without them) and headed out of G'ville. We were heading to Ceasar's Head State Park to find some waterfalls and to go exploring in the mountains. From the look of the map from Map Quest, we didn't have far to go. Wrong!!! I'm not sure when the last time they updated...they sent us on a wild goose chase! Anyway, after going up the mountain on a one-way gravel road with no guardrails (Thanks Map Quest), we finally made it. It was crowded!!! Everyone must have had the same idea as us. We went into the little Park Ranger store thingy to grab some maps and get information about the trails. We also asked the Rangers some quick questions about the waterfalls and if the trails were long, hard, etc. She told me the trail we would enjoy the most was the Raven Cliff Falls Trail. Sounded good to me, so I guess I missed the part about it being a moderate/difficult hike. The only part I heard was that it was 2.4 miles ONE WAY!!! Trey, being all bad and stuff, said, "Oh, that's nothing! We can do that no problem at all!" I guess I was blinded by the thought of my husband being Macho, and agreed. (Although, I don't really remember agreeing to the 5 mile hike!!) First, though, we wanted to see the lookout point from Ceasar's Head to Table Rock Mountain. It was absolutely gorgeous. It is known that the Cherokee Indians named Table Rock because they believed the spirits to their tribe meet there for dinner. Plus, it really looked like a table. So, after lots of pictures, we were heading on our hike.

Table Rock Lookout from Ceasar's Head State Park

Family Photo Op!


Our hike began really good and I was thinking that it was really neat how we were spending time together as a family. We came upon all kinds of beautiful trees and leaves and the kids were in awe of all the fall colors. At one point on the trail, we came to an area where a tree had fallen over the pathway. So, the kids decided to play around on it for a minute, which was a good thing, because I rested! I snapped a few pics of them "monkeying around!"



I hate to admit that even I tried hanging onto the branch like a monkey. Although, I didn't hang very well. I think there may even be a picture somewhere, but I have no idea where it would be! (Hint:RECYCLE BIN!!) Anyways, after I almost broke my hip, we went back to the trail. The rest of the hike UP the mountain was pretty uneventful. After about an hour and a half, we made it to the waterfall! It was a beautiful lookout area, but I was somewhat disappointed...it was further away than I had imagined. After hiking that long, I wanted to be able to touch the darn thing if I wanted to! But, anyhow, it was AMAZING!

Raven Cliff Falls



Look at all the colors!



So, we rested for a few minutes before we started the hike back to the car. The trip back was a lot easier since we were going down hill most of the time. I think the idea of this even put a little pep in my step! All afternoon, all of us had been stumbling and tripping on roots and sticks on the trail. Every time one of the kids would fall, Trey would say, "You better get up, you don't want to be bear food!" This got them up in a hurry and with usually no tears. Garrett made the comment that him and Trey were the only ones who hadn't fallen. (Yes, he counted me falling off the log although I don't really consider that falling.) No sooner than he said it, he fell flat on his butt! Trey said, "HA HA, you're bear food!" Trey was trailing behind all of us, so I didn't really get a chance to see what happened next. All I heard was "HUMPUFF" Yep, Carol, he fell and actually made noise this time!!! I turned around just in time to see him rolling down the trail! I tried to help him up, but he didn't want any of it...maybe because I was laughing a little bit! I have that habit of laughing when he gets hurt...not really sure why! I was so scared that he had broken something and I had no way to get him off the mountain. We had just started our trip down, so we had a ways to go. Also, he was the only one with a cell phone and it broke when he fell down. Not that it would've helped anyway, we had no signal in the middle of the woods in the mountains. So, after we figured out he was OK, Garrett said, "HA HA Dad, you're gonna be Bear food!" It was priceless!!! I think he gets his humor from me! Anyway, Trey twisted his ankle, but started walking on it, so it ended up being OK. We finally made it back to the car in one piece and with all the kids, so it's safe to say it was a mission accomplished! We all had lots of fun and I really can't wait to go hiking sometime soon...but, maybe, just maybe, on a shorter, easier trail! Until next time....

The Rookard Bunch :0)

My girls hiking



Garrett posing AKA RESTING!

Figuring this out...slowly!

As you can see, I've been playing with my blog a little bit. Still not sure how to do some of the neat things, but I'm still trying.

We've had a crazy day today driving all over town to find Halloween costumes. I know, I waited a little late to get started, but that's just me! Anyway, after going to 4 stores I finally got all 3 of the kids their costume of choice. What happened to the days when you decided what they would be? I think it was a lot easier then! May I also add how ridiculously expensive costumes are...OMG! I'm not gonna put in this blog how much money 3 costumes cost...I'm sick! Anywho, we have a United States Army Soldier, Sharpay from High School Musical, and Super Girl. I think we'll have lots of fun Trick-or-Treating this year...if only we knew where to go! Check back later for the details, because with the Rookard Bunch, there's bound to be a story!

A year in review...

The past year has been somewhat of an adventure. We started off in Louisiana, our home state, and have traveled through 18 states. It all seems like a blur when we sit down and really think about it. Trey worked in Kansas for 10 months and it was there that we saw our 1st real snow. We had a blast playing in it and all the locals probaly thought we were nuts because being from La. we had never seen snow and here we were standing it a foot of white powder! Kansas was fun, but it would only be the start in our journey. Trey then transferred to Alabama for a few months. I was still living in La with the kids in school. But, when he got the call to go to Maryland, we all got really excited because we all love history and Cumberland was smack in the middle of some of the most historical places in our country. When school was out, we moved up to Maryland to be with him. This is when the fun and adventures really started. We were so close to everything, so I started planning as many side trips I thought we could handle.

Our 1st major trip was to New York City. Trey and I had been a few years ago without the kids, but we really wanted to take them. After a lot of convincing (yeah right!), Trey's mom came up to help with the kids. So, we set off to The Big Apple! The kids were in shock because they have never seen so many people, huge buildings, and bright lights in such a small area. We were pounding the pavement from daylight to dark, so that we could see the city that never sleeps. I couldn't believe that the kids never complained and made every step we made. As you can imagine, Toys R Us in Times Square was the highlight of the trip for the kids. We also went to the Empire State Building, where Trey almost got us kicked out simply because Anna Claire was on his shoulders. It's not like we would throw her over the edge, right? The Statue of Liberty was an exciting visit for all of us until we decided to climb the stairs to the pedestal. All 169 of them!!! Trey again gets us in trouble for carrying Anna Claire up the steps! He's such a good daddy!!! The view from the top was spectacular. It was made even better because we knew our walk out was all down hill. After our trip to the Statue, we loaded on top of a double decker bus. The kids felt like we were in a parade...Anna Claire waved to everyone on the streets during the whole tour. She's a very persistant lil booger and finally got a wave back after waving for about an hour. She even spotted the Naked Cowboy and asked why a naked man was playing the guitar in the street. We searched for him the rest of our trip, but Anna Claire was the only one lucky enough to see him. On to the next thing...The Bodies Exhibit. Trey just knew that this would freak the kids out seeing body parts everywhere, but it didn't. We got the biggest kick outta Grace...she learned real quick that most of the bodies were boys, if you catch my drift! She went from room to room saying, "Yep, that one's a boy!" At the end of the tour, you had a chance to write something about your visit. Her entry read: "You need more girls. Too many boys!" Gotta love kids! Garrett figured out the subway system long before I did. He'd tell me how many more stops we had until we got off and everything. We all had subway buddies and I fought tooth and nail for him everytime because I knew I was in good hands! After 4 days in the Big Apple, we were pooped!!! So, we packed up all our I Love NY t-shirts and foam Statue of Liberty hats and headed back to Cumberland. This trip was only the tip of the ice berg for us...so, check back for more to come of our wonderful summer adventures!!