Creeper Trail Adventure

The shuttle ride to the top of the mountain

We decided to take advantage of the Veteran's Day holiday and go on a family adventure.  I had heard great things about biking the Virginia Creeper Trail so Dave took a vacation day and we headed out early Friday morning. It was quite a drive from Charlotte, but we arrived well in advance of our noon shuttle reservation and had plenty of time to pick out bikes and eat our packed lunch.

After a very long shuttle ride we arrived in Whitetop.  

With our helmets on, we were ready to tackle the 17 mile adventure!

One stop along the way led us to a mountain of Christmas trees. The smell was amazing!

I have to say that it was pretty chilly on the trail.  The wind and shade made it seem much colder than it actually was, but no one really complained.  However, I think we stopped a lot less to take in the scenery than we would have if it had been warmer.  We did take this picture on one of the many bridges we crossed coming down the mountain.

We made it through with no flat tires or injuries so I call it a pretty successful adventure!  It was nice to get back into the car and warm up though!!

Since googlemaps had us passing right through Boone, I had to take the opportunity to show the kids where mommy lived (on and off campus) and to take a quick picture on the way home.  WOW has the campus and city changed!

They were both a bit exhausted :)

The drive home was uneventful and these two quickly passed out.  We decided to stop for dinner at the yummy Cracker Barrell and arrived home around 8:30pm. It was a super fun day and a great way to make some fabulous family memories . . . let's just say now the kids know what a skunk smells like AND know what a hitchhiker is. :)