CAMPING @ FALLS LAKE

Do you love camping?  I adore camping!  Our family goes camping as much as we can during the spring, summer, and fall.  We usually go to the mountains of NC.  On our last camping trip I wanted to go back to the mountains around valley Crusis or Boone as per our usual.   However, my husband really didn’t want to drive that far for a short weekend camping trip.  This I understood, but was disappointed.  Then he suggested Falls Lake.

I don’t know what I was expecting when we got there.  I guess my thought process went something like this:

” There’s no way that it’s going to be anything like the mountains and I know I’m just not going to like it.  I wish I could have convinced Chris to go to Boone like usual.  It will probably hot or sandy and just not what I’m looking for in a camping spot.”

Still, I was glad to be getting away from the house.  When we pulled into the area I noticed that there were so many trees it blocked any kind of view of the city surrounding us and completely closed off the rest of the world.  It immediately reminded me of the mountains and felt like we were there.  I had been transported to my favorite spot in only about 2 hours.  Woohoo!!!!

FALLS LAKE STATE PARK is an absolutely beautiful park in the heart of NC.

 

We all loved it!  Above are pictures of our happy Hershey dog and my happy husband.  See that beautiful lake?  We even got to see a squirrel swim the width of that entire thing just to get across to where we were.  The kids were amazed!

I’m telling you people, this is a great place to take your kids camping!!!  There were so many children that in the evening all the kids at the nearby camp sites gathered together with their headlamps and glow sticks and the like and played in the darkening woods.  They played for hours without any parental intervention.  Which, for me, was a little unnerving at first until Chris convinced me that there really wasn’t anything to be concerned about.  They played cowboys and Indians, cops and robbers, and they hunted for bears.  Imaginations going wild the whole time!

I learned so much about my own children on this weekend trip.  I learned how resourceful and intelligent they really are.  I mean, I already knew they are book smart.  What I didn’t know is that everything we have done as parents has created two pretty amazing little beings that can handle themselves without me.  I learned that they can play independently without me hovering over them and still be safe and make good decisions!  I learned to let go a little.  They were with a bunch of other children their own ages and weren’t completely alone at any point anyway and they weren’t far away.

Chris put up fairy lights around our camp site to help guide the kids in the right direction back to camp.  The kids used the landscape and found “markers” to help guide themselves back to camp all on their own.  They were never out of shouting range and could hear us if we needed them.  Even if we couldn’t see them we could hear them clearly.

 

We have always shared a 4 person tent, but the kids got their own tent for Christmas along with kids sized lanterns, walkie-talkies, and their own kid-sized hammocks.  They are so excited to use them.  We also have more glow sticks and necklaces, a laser tag game, and some other fun things to take with us.

Anyway, if you love camping and love kid friendly places with beautiful scenery we will see you there!