Garland Squared: 'A camping we will go.....

We packed up our tent last weekend and hit the road to Townsend. We found a great camping spot last year and knew we definitely wanted to go back again this year. I am sad to say this was our first time going to the mountains to enjoy some fresh air this year. Drew and Anna Kate have been to Cades Cove a couple of times with their Mamaw & Papaw this summer but we haven't done a family trip. A taste of Fall hit and it was perfect weather and even got chilly at night. We had a picnic lunch when we arrived, then we set up our tent and loaded up the car to make a trip around the Cades Cove loop. Drew and Anna Kate really enjoyed themselves. They didn't make the overnight trip and were picked up by Mamaw & Papaw just in time for dinner. From what I heard, camping must have left Anna Kate famished because she ate as much as a grown man! Mamaw & Papaw had a slumber party at our house with Drew and Anna Kate Saturday night and we picked them up Sunday afternoon when we got home. Hopefully, we can make this camping trip an annual tradition. We may even let the little campers sleep under the stars next year!

Drew is always so eager to help!

Children after my own heart! The helped sweep out the tent.

Drew really wanted to help us blow up the air mattress.

Last year we planned our trip for July and went tubing down the river. Since it was so mild, I can only imaging how cold the water was this year. We admired the pretty water but didn't get anywhere close to getting in!

Exploring one of the old cabins. In past years, we always let Drew and Anna Kate get our of their car seats and sit on our laps while we are driving through the loop (as did other people). Apparently, the same rules apply in the Cove as on the road and they have to stay in their seats. We came upon a Ranger not too long into our journey that informed us of this so we had to convince them to get back in their seats. They were pretty good about it so we wanted to let them get out and run for a bit.