First Trip to Western North Carolina

What a refreshing way to spend the unofficial start to Summer!  On Memorial Day Weekend, I hitched a ride with Kelly Hoke to a gathering of western section Environmental Educators of North Carolina members.  Kelly is the western section coordinator and she also works with NC State Parks and Recreation.  She was telling me that 2011 is Year of the Turtle!  I couldn't believe it!!. 

We seemed to have gone from a lot of rain to a lot of heat, so the ride was nice.  It was also great to catch a ride because it is over five hours by car from Raleigh to our final destination...  Deep Creek Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park! 

Safety First!!  Everyone, even turtles, should wear their seatbelts.

Seems like there has been a lot of talk of bears lately.  Before I left Raleigh for this trip, there were
a lot of  bear sightings around home.  Luckily, with the help of these folks and my EENC Friends, we
were able to bear-proof out campsite.

Though I am a land turtle, I was pretty excited that our campsite was right on the river.  I sure like water being around, the sounds is just very relaxing.  We met for lunch, they had some great food from their local farmers markets like blueberries, fresh breads, and peaches.  It was a yummy lunch for this omnivore!

After lunch, all my EENC friends headed down to the river.  I am not built for swimming but sure did enjoy watching from the bank  Some of the youngest EENC members kept me company!! 

Later we went on a hike to see some of the waterfalls and wildflowers in the area.  It was just so peaceful and quiet... and so pretty.  Great Smoky Mountains National Park is known for its diversity of plant and animal life, and is America's most visited national park.  I had no idea!!  There are more than 800 miles of trails in the park that straddles the border of Tennessee and North Carolina... but luckily our hike was only a short one!

It was a long day full of excitment, and the youngest member of our group took a little nap on the way back to the campsite.  I think he should have eaten some earthworms for lunch like I did do he would have enough energy!!  That night we camped under the stars and I was introduced to s'mores!!  Now, if you have a turtle friend at home, I wouldn't recommend a steady diet of s'mores... but the little bite I tries was sure tasty!!

I have lots of adventures lines up for June, and will try to be better about posting my adventures.  I also have more than 20 followers on Twitter, and almost 75 friends on Facebook!!  I can't believe it - - and really want to thank you all for sharing in my fun.  I am also hoping to post more information about the upcoming NAAEE Conference in Raleigh.  Registration opened on June 1st.  I know some folks have asked me if it will be cooler in October, and all I can say is it should be!!!  Hope to see you there!