Monday, August 14, 2017

Family, Friends, LKN, GFM

We moved from Tennessee to North Carolina parking Opus at Ver El RV Park near the Charlotte Motor Speedway for two week. We only stayed in the rig for half the time we were there. The rest of the time we stayed at Rick and Denise's place on Lake Norman in Mooresville.  
This was our view of Lake Norman (LKN) from Rick and Denise's place. That is their boat at the dock, just one of many water toys available to us. 
Captain Rick and First Mate Denise on New Perspective. We got to spend a lot of time on and in the water. 
The geese have figured out how to get over the fence so Denise has become a goose herder.
The first weekend we were there Michelle and Kieth drove down from Maryland for some fun in the sun. Their first day there we headed out on the water to breakfast at a local marina. 
Dinner on the patio with our great hosts.
They both mastered the paddle-boards but, as you can see, Keith seemed to have a harder time staying upright. And, I do have to tell you, Keith reported that Michelle paddled into a neighbor's dock and ended up in the water.
If you get tired of human powered toys the jet-ski is the way to go. 
Betty's grandson Dylan and his wife Samantha, who live in Mooresville, came over on Saturday to spend some time on the water.
The beautiful Scott sisters on the beach.
Rick and Dylan pulled Samantha on the tube and, despite their best efforts, they were not able to dump her.
Another day and another restaurant on the water for dinner. We were out late and came back after dark, an eerie but fun experience on a lake this big.
Michelle and Keith did some goose herding on the water in the kayaks. We had a great time spending time with Michelle, Keith, Dylan, Samantha, Rick and Denise. We played hard and enjoyed several excellent meals both on the patio and at local waterfront eateries.
On our second weekend Pedro and Samantha drove down from Pittsburgh for an escape weekend.
We found this neat little restaurant tucked away in a small cove. This means we had a Lake Norman trifecta; boating to breakfast, lunch and dinner on the water, very cool.
We did a day trip to Grandfather Mountain (GFM) high in the Appalachian Mountains. Part of the exhibit is animal habitats for native species.  Here are a couple playful otters.
We got a great look at the mountain lion, but the bears were not out and I did not get a good picture of the eagle. They are going to be adding elk to the habitat.
One of the main attractions is the mile high swinging bridge. As you can see it was much cooler at this elevation than it was on Lake Norman almost 5,000 feet lower.
On the other side of the bridge you can get to the edge of the mountain. Here are Samantha and Pedro living on the edge. This is the first time we have been to Grandfather Mountain and it is a beautiful place well worth a trip into the mountains.
If you ever get Rick's name in a grab bag or just want to get him a little gift we would recommend a package of cocktail napkins. Those with funny or provocative saying would be best. Rick loves picking napkins that he feels are a good match for his guest.
Nanc and Rick serving up some of his famous margaritas. 
Rick and Denise got out on the boards. We also used all the water toys but only got pictures of others having fun.
Rick and Denise heading out on the jet ski. We had a great two week visit at their place and it was wonderful getting to spend time with friends and family at such a beautiful spot.

2 comments:

Palamine said...

Thanks for the travel blog. We haven't done much of the East coast but this looks great. Really nice that you are friends with Betty's grandson Dylan. We heard a lot about him.

Doing It On the Road(Part II) said...

Family and water time!