Gone Fishin'

Last Fall, Chi's tennis partner took her granddaughters "cabin camping" at Hanging Rock State Park north of Winston-Salem. Being the outdoors-y woman that she is (think backpacking in Nepal, biking across the USA), she recommended the experience knowing how much we like an adventure! So, Chi made a reservation for us to head up there for the Memorial Day weekend. It was a much-needed getaway for all of us, and as luck would have it, we didn't even get cell-phone reception up there! There were no phones, no telelvision, not even a Target within 30 miles! As we were on our way on Friday afternoon, I started to feel really, really homesick. Driving through those tiny towns reminded me of home. I loved those quaint little spots, the fact that everyone knows everyone, and the gentle reminder that time does not matter.

The Little Nguyens had been preparing for the trip all week. After several trips with Daddy for fishing equipment, bait, and a great big net, they were poised and ready to cast! After we arrived, checked out the cabin (a screened porch with rockers for Mommy -- perfect for Saturday afternoon reading!), and unloaded our gear, our first mission was to find the lake. It was a short 1.1-mile hike from the cabin, and it was absolutely beautiful. The Little Nguyens fished with Daddy while I got to sit on the dock, snap photos, read and completely relax. Hmmm...maybe I like fishing after all!

The forecast called for a bit of rain on Friday night, and the clouds rolling in over the mountains were just beautiful. Who knew? By the time we got back to the cabin, it was getting dark. We ate dinner and went outside to start a fire for s'mores. By the looks of the clouds swirling above, it was clear that the rain heading our way wasn't going to be gentle and those were going to have to be some speedy s'mores! No sooner had we finished them when the thunder began. The Second Little Nguyen had a shower, followed by the First Little Nguyen, and then.....the lights went out. They flickered at first, and I thought it was Chi playing naughty tricks on us. After a few ons-and-offs, the lights went out for good, and it was clear that it was not Chi, but Mother Nature doing what she does best. The First Little Nguyen released a blood-curdling demand, "TURN THE LIGHTS ON!" -- the poor little guy was caught in the shower in the pitch dark. There are no street lights at Hanging Rock State Park! The only light was that from the occasional bolt of lightning! While I have retained a few of my Girl Scouting skills (I can point out poison ivy, use a compass, identify a few animal tracks, and maybe even start a fire), when packing I didn't think there was a need for a flashlight. "We're cabin camping! There will be electricity!" I clearly did not remember to BE PREPARED! But, thank goodness the First Little Nguyen was. He had stuck a few flashlights into one of the boxes of food I had packed up, and his terroroizing shrieks from the dark shower instructed us to FIND THAT BOX!!! We did, and we all finished up our showering in the dark while Mother Nature unleashed a fury of rain, thunder and lightning upon us. At least we are clean, I thought. At least we are not in that campground up the road. Needless to say, it was early to bed for all of us. Neither Chi or I slept well that night, but at least the power came on around 3 o'clock. Whew. Thank goodness.

It was a short night and the Little Nguyens were probably biting before the fish were. After a quick bite to eat, we were out the door to do some more fishing. There was no reminder of the mean storm the night before. The squirrels were busy, the air was cool, and the birds were chirping. And we were the only ones on the dock! Mmmmm....peaceful. I finished my book and took a few more pics while the Second Little Nguyen learned to bait his own hook. Yay!

The rest of the day was full of bike riding, several short hikes to see waterfalls, a drive in the countryside, and a really cool presentation by a park ranger about Timber Rattlesnakes. We even got to see one that had been captured earlier. He was clearly not amused by the sounds of his rattling through the walls of a tall, tall box. The ranger removed the cover at the end of the presentation, let us all take a look (much smaller than I had thought), and then we headed back for some R&R at our cabin. I got to put the screened porch and rockers to good use while starting a new book and enjoying the view and the cool air. We took one last hike, and Daddy took the Little Nguyens on a "secret path" while Mommy stuck to the marked one. See, there is Girl Scout in me! For dinner, we grilled burgers and dogs outside for dinner, followed by another round of gooey s'mores. And then, another early-to-bed night since we were all up early.

On Sunday morning, we were all itching to get out of there. I think we had had enough of "cabin camping," so we packed up for the short drive home. It's funny -- we all like the outdoors, but our trips staying out there are always seem to be short and sweet. I think we will head back to Hanging Rock in the Fall. I can imagine that, with all the trees and foliage, it must be a beautiful place when the colors are changing.