Santa Loves Camping

Thursday, 7/24/2024

Today is travel day but we just take our time and do not get in a rush. First thing we did after setting up camp was head to the water fall.

For supper we had a Keto Bowl and just relaxed around the fire.

Thursday, 7/25/2024

Woke this morning and while sitting outside, I had some visitors.

For breakfast, we had a breakfast bowl and it turned out to be fantastic.

We spent the morning just chilling around the campsite reading and working crosswords.

That afternoon we took ride around the campground river in our new River Run Tubes.

Spent another evening by the fire.

Friday, 7/26/2024

Breakfast today was eggs, bacon and waffles. After breakfast I did a little fishing at the lake.

For dinner, we roasted some corn over the fire. The corn was purchased from a local farmer who comes to the campground on a weekly basis.

Matthew and Hannah came over for dinner. We had NY Strips, roasted corn and steamed veggies. While I cleaned up the dishes, Amy took them to the waterfall.

After they returned, we played some corn hole.

Here is a couple of shots of some of the insect life we saw around camp.

Saturday, 7/27/2024

After a good breakfast, we headed to downtown Staunton, VA.

We really enjoyed the Farmer Market and we picked up some whipped honey, fresh flowers for Hannah, a freshly squeezed veggie juice and some fresh tomatoes. Here are some other places we shopped.

After we left downtown, we headed to the Frontier Culture Museum and spent the afternoon there.

To tour the museum will take 2-4 hours, depending on a few factors. To take it all in you will need to read, really look at the exhibits and talk to the reenactors.

We had Chicken Alfredo for dinner back at camp. We started getting ready for travel day on Sunday.

Day 1, Sunday, June 23, 2024

Virginia State Parks Website

Trail Quest

Travel Day! We traveled from Danville VA to Duffield VA by taking

58W to I77 North and then I81 South.

Take exit 74B toward Kingsport/I-81-ALT S onto US-11W S (Highway 11 W).

Take ramp onto N John B Dennis Hwy (TN-93 N) toward Hospital.

Continue on Wadlow Gap Hwy

Turn right onto US Highway 23 N (US-23 N).

Natural Tunnel is on the right.

After setting up the site we had our Sunday evening camp sandwich.

We had purchased one load of firewood and I split it and started a fire.

Day 2, Monday, June 24, 2024

We started the day off with a good breakfast of eggs, sausage, blueberry muffins and apple.

We drove to Wilderness Road State Park in Ewing Va.

We learned a lot about the Wilderness Road and how settlers used it to travel west through the Cumberland Gap. Here at Wilderness Road there was a settlement called Martin's Fort that was a safe refuge for those traveling the road.

After hiking around the settlement, we took to the Wilderness Trail and walked for a couple miles. We also observed the buffalo that graze in the field nearby.

After we left Wilderness Road State Park, we drove to Cumberland Gap. We went to the visitor center and watched a video and went through the museum before driving up to the Pinnacle Overlook.

We hiked around the overlook and were just amazed at the wonders of God's creation.

After leaving the park, we went to the small town of Cumberland Gap. We visited an Antique Store and then had a break at the Gap Creek Coffee House and Cafe.

After getting back to camp, we just sat around and I wrote in my journal. We had Cracker Barrel meatloaf and mac-n-cheese for dinner.

Another picture of our site.

We decided to make popcorn this evening instead of making smores.

Day 3, Tuesday, June 25, 2024

For breakfast this day we had scrambled eggs, bacon, protein waffles and fruit.

Today we visited the Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park.

The house is full of artifacts and history about the town of Big Stone Gap and how coal played such a role in the towns' history.

Here are some pictures of just a few of the items in the museum.

After the museum, we went to the Big Stone Gap Visitors Center. The folks there were very helpful and had plenty of information about things to do in the area. We rented two electric bikes and rode the trail around the town.

Upon returning to camp, we ate supper. We had Sunday Fried Chicken from Cracker Barrel.

I worked on my crossword puzzle, and we just relaxed around the fire.

Day 4, Wednesday, June 26, 2024

We started the day with breakfast burritos and a nap before heading out to Clinch River State Park.

We arrived at the park and started our hike along the Sugar Run Trail.

We stopped for a rest at a shelter built as an Eagle Scout project. This was by the ruins of a cabin that was the first built in this part of Virginia.

We also saw a lot of wildlife along this trail. A deer, a milk snake and a box turtle to name a few.

After hiking the trail we visited the nearby town of St. Paul Va. Our first stop was the Coffee Station.

Our next stop was the Clinch Life Outfitters, where we met Daniel. He is a wealth of information about the area and is happy to share it. We had to go pick up some groceries and the local spot was Food Country in Duffield VA.

For dinner, we had NY Strip steak and a tossed salad.

Some fun around the camp site tonight.

Day 5, Thursday, June 27, 2024

Today started with a breakfast of egg, kielbasa sausage, cinnamon rolls and fruit.

We left for Breaks Interstate State Park, the one furthest from our camp. After a visit to the Visitor Center we started our tour with the Tunnel Overlook.

Our next stop is the Stateline Overlook and we were able to see three states from this overlook.

Our second stop was the Geological and Ridge Trail. We started the Geological Trail and we were both amazed at the rock formations and the wonder of God's creation.