Camping on the 4th

Every 4^th of July week for about five years running when the kids were small, we went camping in the Mountains. We went up between Boone and Blowing Rock to a place called Valle Crusis, where the original Mast Store is located. We actually camped in the Mast campground, owned by a member of the same family that originally owned the Mast Store.

I’m talking tent camping here. The kids slept on the ground. I had a folding cot. We cooked on a Coleman stove and over the campfire. Some of the best bacon and blueberry pancakes in the world. (We would bring our own homegrown blueberries.)

There was a creek that flowed around the perimeter of the camp ground. The water was freezing…. Of course we had to get in it. We would pile up rocks in the creek just below a deep spot to form a pool so we could swim in the frigid water. We became friends with a family from Cary, NC that came down every 4^th too. They had three girls that my kids loved hanging with. The dad loved to trout fish in the creek. Seems like all he caught were too little to keep. It was great to see them again each year. We still exchange Christmas cards.

During our stay of three or four days we would always go to the Tweetsie Railroad for an afternoon of fun. The first couple of years, the Indian attack on the train seemed very real, and a little frightening to the kids. It scared me too when I was a kid…. Those same Indians at the same fort, screaming as they ran though the train car…Some things never change….It was exciting.

On the actual 4^th of July, the Valle Crusis Community would have a big picnic at the “park” across the road from the campground, just behind the Mast Store. For a couple of years they had a “bike decorating contest” to see whose bike was best decorated in patriotic garb for the Fourth of July. We all had our bikes decorated with red, white, and blue streamers and ribbons. Just about dark there would be a big fireworks display. There was a creek and pond on the lower side of the park and the fireworks crew of “locals”were set up across the pond. There was usually some kind of mishap with the fireworks, an unexpected explosion or two, which added to the excitement of the evening. It was important to pay attention so as to avoid injury from falling debris as well.

I don’t know if those old times are as vivid to the kids as they are with me, but I sure enjoyed making those memories. Spending time with your children is one of the greatest gifts you can give them. I hope you are making some memories this summer with your kids too… There’s nothing more important that putting “family first”.