Camping is perhaps our favorite way to take a break as a family. It enables us to stop and glory in the 
Lord via His beautiful creation. As well, it gives us time to do simple things together that we don’t always have the time to do during the normal span of a week. So here is a brief post that will provide more words through the pictures themselves.
New River is perhaps one of the best campsites that we have ever enjoyed – and Sandra and I have done a lot of camping in California, Minnesota and now in North Carolina. The picture to the left is our campsite along 
with our 8 person Coleman tent. The tarp on top is for extra protection from any rain and it keeps the tent cool by the day (click on all pics to enlarge). All week the weather was perfect, and we do thank the Lord for it – warm, but with a cool breeze.
On Thursday some of the rangers, who are stationed 
in the area, organized a canoing/fishing trip for kids. I took Hannah, Maria and Micaiah and we all had a great time. The next 
day I picked up some live bait and an extra rod and we went to a spot that was only 100 yards from our campsite and did some more fishing. Hannah and Maria are now fishing enthusiasts. It was quite a sight, 
seeing my feminine girls hooking bloodworms to make their next catch. Hannah caught 3 fish total – one was a baby, but the other two were about 11-12 inches. Maria only caught one fish, but it was 12 inches or possibly better. I am working with Micaiah, teaching him how to cast – he enjoys it too, but awaits the day to reel one in.
Maria was a little spooked by her catch…
…especially when I lifted it towards her…
We brought the kid’s bikes and even a tricycle for Lydia – she loved it:
My idea of camping isn’t necessarily typical. In order to give my wife a break, we eat out quite a bit. One of our favorite stops in West Jefferson is the cheese factory where we get cider, crackers and lots of cheese:
In addition to frequenting the restaurants in town, we discovered something new this year: “Bohemia” – yes, a coffee shop – and oh, is it good! Please, don’t ask me how many times we went there!
Taking a family of 7 camping requires quite a bit of gear, and so we take a little trailer to tow it all – bikes and all.
Lord willing, we’ll be back. This time around we had the campsite almost entirely to ourselves, which providentially supplied some mandatory rest and great family time – we thank the Lord for it all!