Travel diaries: Escape to the NC mountains

A few weeks ago, we opted to visit the mountains of North Carolina and it was just the change of scenery we all needed.

It was right at 3 hours to get there so no stops were needed along the way. We took all of our food with us — including s’mores, of course.

We stayed in Valle Crucis at my friend Kelsi’s incredible cabin. It felt secluded but was really close to Boone, Linville Falls and Grandfather Mountain. It also had a little creek running by it, a fire pit, hot tub and a pond where you could fish!

We only had a weekend there, but it was so nice to be somewhere other than our house — especially because we’d been nowhere in the past 4 months. Our last trip was to Grand Cayman and we came back right when COVID was ramping up.

It was at least 15 degrees cooler there than at home which felt amazing. My only regret was not going for a run while there. But Landon and I did escape for a hike and we saw several deer while out there — including a fawn.

We did a lot of sitting on the back porch and just listening to the creek and enjoying homemade peach ice cream — and having a dance party to oldies.

We decided to take a trip to Grandfather Mountain on Saturday. Because of COVID, they are limiting the number of people in and you have to reserve in advance. They’re also requiring masks.

We felt very safe. On the entrance side to the bridge, there was 6 feet between guests and they limited people going across.

On the other side, people were a little more scrunched but we were able to safely distance. We were alone and out on the rocks when we took our picture without masks 😉

We all had an incredible getaway and immediately started searching for our own cabin. Semi-joking there — but we really did love it and we hope to visit Soothing Waters again.

It was good for our souls to have a ‘vacation’ and get away from home — even if just for a few days.

If you haven’t found a chance to take a break from home, we highly recommend giving it a shot. Even if it’s just a day trip somewhere — getting outside the 4 walls of our house was great for our mental health. Especially considering we work from home and haven’t sent our kid to daycare since March. Work and home blur together more than ever!

Already looking forward to our next escape!