We're Home!

 Hi all!  As the title says, we are back from North Carolina!  We had such a great trip.  Since it would take around four more posts to show you all the pictures we took, I just decided to make a collage for the picture-heavy (i.e. interesting) days of our family vacation.

 Our vacation stated on the first, so we headed up Blue Ridge Parkway to Linville caverns (on the left) and, after lunch, Linville falls (on right).  I think the caverns were cool, but also a little freaky.  All the rock was actually still growing, so you weren't allowed to touch the sides. Bats used to live inside, but they all died off.  Eight deserters from the army lived in it during the Civil War, but they were found because the smoke from their camp-fires seeped through the rock out of Grandfather Mountain.  The falls were pretty, but after all that hiking I was ready to go back to our cabin hotel!

August second I was a little sick, so we just hung around the cabin and did a little window-shopping.

 Mount Mitchell was majestic!  Once we drove to the visitor's center, it was only a short climb to the top.  I felt like I could see the whole valley from there!  In the middle of the viewing platform there was a stone compass that pointed out where we were.  Did you know that Mt. Mitchell is the highest point east of the Mississippi river?

After a yummy lunch, we headed out on the balsam nature trail.  It was so beautiful!  The sun had come out, and a cool breeze blew through the trees.

 Biltmore was amazing and the overwhelmingly large home of three people: George and Edith Vanderbilt plus their daughter.  Today, it's owned by two of their descendants, who have made it open to the public.  That place is HUGE!!

We were able to get tickets because if you bought two adult tickets, the kids got in for free.

"If we lived here, I could have my own bedroom!" I said, starring up at the giant roof.

"Since there's only the five of us, you could have three!" Mom replied with a smile.

If you're wondering why there are no pictures from the inside of the house, it's because they don't allow it.  There was a sign that said, among other things, "No indoor photography".  I asked Dad if I could take a picture of that sign.  He just laughed.  ;^)

On http://www.biltmore.com, you can see a few pictures of the inside, which are amazing.  If you're ever in the area, I would totally recommend going there.

On our drive back to Florida, my parents surprised Elizabeth and I by re-routing our trip through Atlanta, so we could go to the American Girl Store!  (Mom and Dad, if you are reading this, thank you so much!!!)  It was so fun seeing all the resent releases, hanging out in the store, and buying a new outfit (I got the Coconut Cutie Outfit!).  

What fun things did you do this summer?