When we decided to start a blog and an Instagram account to record our adventures, we chose the name EASYRunner Overland. “EASY” was an acronym of our names: Everett, Alyssa, and Steven Yancey. “Runner” referred to our Toyota 4Runner that kick started our love of exploring as a family. And, “overland” referenced our love of vehicle-based exploration.
When our younger son Jason was born, we questioned if we should change our name to incorporate him. But, nothing seemed to fit. When we started doing more camping, we again considered a name change. Then when we traded our 4Runner in for our Grand Cherokee earlier this year, we knew it was time.
We pondered what we wanted our new name to be for months. We wanted something timeless that would stay relevant even if things in our life changed. We brainstormed ideas, but nothing stuck.
Finally, one day I was thinking about what is at the heart of our adventures. Of course we like traveling back roads and camping, but our true passion is finding beautiful and unique places as a family. And, so our new name was born: Seek The Scenic!
Stay tuned for more updates! We hope to offer some new swag soon. Until then, don’t forget to seek the scenic!
The beauty of living in the middle of South Carolina is that we’re never more than a few hours from the mountains or the beach. For Labor Day weekend we decided to head north for a few days of relaxation in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
I booked our trip to Mountain Stream RV Park almost a year ago, so we were excited to finally get a chance to visit the campground in person. On Friday morning we packed what seemed like all of our worldly possessions into the Jeep, hooked-up the camper, and headed up I-26. From the Columbia area it was only about a 3-hour drive to the campground. The drive was pretty easy, except for the last 5 miles on Highway 80, which were very windy and had areas were rock faces were very close to the road.
When we arrived we found a very well maintained park. The sites weren’t huge, but they were well designed, so you didn’t feel like you were right on top of your neighbors. There are only 33 spots, which gave the campground a very intimate feel. All but the last two or three sites backed-up to Buck Creek, providing beautiful views and relaxing sounds of moving water. Some sites even had decks overlooking the creek. We were on site 6, which was toward the front of the park near the store.
The park offered full hook-up, cable, and free wifi. The wifi came in handy since there was no cell signal (on AT&T or Verizon) at the campground. We did find that the wifi was spotty in the evenings, but it worked pretty well about 80% of the time. They did also offer an upgraded wifi option for $4.95 a day or $9.95 for three days.
Given the mountain roads, we were a bit surprised to see that most of the other campers had large fifth wheels or even large class A motorhomes. So, even though the roads were tight, it’s clearly possible to get larger rigs into the park. Just be sure to turn left when leaving the campground because we discovered that the top section of Hwy 80 included a set of switchback turns that are nicknamed the Devil’s Whip.
Before we headed to North Carolina, I posted to the North Carolina RV Camping Group on Facebook asking for recommendations of activities to do while we were visiting. On Saturday, we decided to try a few out.
First, we took a short drive to the trailhead for Tom’s Creek Falls. The trail was pretty easy, our 4-year-old even walked the whole loop without asking to be carried. The fall was beautiful! The boys were able to wade in the water at the base of the fall, and we were even able to climb some rocks to a pool a short way up the fall. We spent over an hour playing in the cool mountain water, searching for “dinosaur bones,” and catching crawfish. There was a steady flow of people coming to the fall, but it never felt overcrowded.
Next we went into town to grab some lunch. We ended up at Smokey Q’s in Marion. The food was great, but I was a bit disappointed that they didn’t have macaroni and cheese as a side option. After filling up on BBQ, we went to do some more exploring. We decided on a scenic drive through Pisgah National Forest on Curtis Creek Rd., another recommendation from Facebook. It was a great drive for those who enjoy getting off the pavement.
On Sunday, we decided we’d try the fall favorite of apple picking. After some quick research we chose The Orchard at Altapass. The orchard itself is tucked along the Blue Ridge Parkway and was gorgeous. When we arrived we found out they’d had such a large crowd on Saturday, and they were completely out of ripe apples. So, we picked up some apple butter and blackberry syrup in the store and headed back out. I did discover later that they had posted on Facebook about being closed for u-pick. Lesson learned.
Some fellow campers had recommended Crabtree Falls, so we thought that would be another option, but we arrived to an overflowing parking lot. So, we decided to save that for another trip too. With the orchard and waterfall a bit of a bust, we ended up exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway and forest service roads. We spent a while exploring the area around an empty campsite near the parkway. The boys loved looking at all the cool rocks. We capped the day off with snocones at Pelican’s SnoBalls, then headed back to relax at the campground.
The signs heading into Mountain Stream say “the prettiest little park this side of heaven,” and I think they might just be right. We had a great weekend enjoying nature and cooler temperatures before the hectic push to the holidays. It was the perfect change of altitude to change our attitudes, and I’m already kicking myself for not booking another trip before we left!
Instead of waiting God knows how long for me (Alyssa) to write a post about our most recent adventure, Steven decided to take things into his own hands this time. Below is his first blog post, and I must say, he did a great job! I’m excited for us to share the writing duties going forward!
I’ve always had a sense of adventure. I’ve always seemed to pick a job or career that would keep me staring out of a windshield in one way or another. I could never stand office work where I was only allowed to step outside for a quick 15-minute break once a day. So, when it came to picking my partner in life I wanted someone with just as much of a free spirit. A woman who wanted to see beautiful places.
Which finally brings me to the most recent adventure in the series we call “Life.” Alyssa and I recently celebrated 10 years of marriage and wanted to have a little getaway to celebrate. After some thorough searching (entirely on her part), we decided on Hot Springs, North Carolina. Hot Springs is a small town located in northwest North Carolina just south of the Tennessee state line. The town sits on the famed Appalachian Trail (no actually the side walk is the trail) and is a welcome sight for hikers who need to resupply or for an adventurous, slightly out-of-shape, youngish couple with two kids who want to enjoy a long weekend in the mountains.
Now I must digress for a moment. The argument still persists
today as to the definition and application of just what overlanding is and
means. Here at EASYRunner we don’t care what you drive, where you go, or where
you stay. Don’t have a 4-wheel drive? Solution: see beautiful places and don’t
drive off road. Don’t like tent camping? Solution: buy a camper or caravan,
base camp and travel around during the day doing fun activities in nature. Stay
in a hotel for that matter. The point I’m trying to get at is overlanding to us
is traveling, by land, and seeing beautiful things along the way. Don’t let
anything stop you from getting out in nature.
Now
back to our regularly scheduled programming.
After much deliberation we decided that since this would be a solo venture sans kiddos we would forego the camper, and instead rent a cabin on the outskirts of Hot Springs, overlooking the French Broad River. It came well stocked with beautiful views of the mountains complete with a hot tub on the back porch and a fire pit in the yard. I know, we were really roughing it this time. After a scenic drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains on Saturday we arrived late in the afternoon.
We
had stopped in Marshall, North Carolina, about 30-minutes away to get supplies
for dinner and some firewood. So, when we arrived I cooked a wonderful, home
cooked anniversary dinner. Then we spent the evening enjoying the intoxicating
sound of a crackling fire and the rushing river, the most relaxing sounds you
could ever imagine.
The weather over the weekend was perfect. So, after a dip in the hot tub to wake-up, we headed into town for brunch on Sunday. Our noses led us to Iron Horse Station in town, which had wonderful food and good prices. Just be warned that Hot Springs is a small town and finding certain things open on a Sunday can be a chore. We found this out later that night when we were confronted with dinner options (or a lack thereof). We chose to go back to the Iron Horse, but were pleasantly surprised by a totally different dinner menu. It was delicious and did not disappoint.
After lunch on Sunday we traveled north of town up an array of Forest Service roads to Max Patch. This short hike varies in difficulty depending on the path you take, but leads to an absolutely breathtaking 360 degree view. If you’re a novice hiker, like us, the trek up to the summit of Max Patch will leave you with a sense of accomplishment.
After working our way back to the truck via a short stretch of the Appalachian Trail, we decide to head back to town for some dinner. Not wanting to retrace our steps we decided to head further north on Max Patch Road, which eventually led us to what we’d later discover was Tennessee State Route 107. The road is very well maintained, but is very windy with steep drop-offs, so caution should be taken. The road back was beautiful; however, during the 30-second window where we had a phone signal, we discovered that we had travelled far west and were actually well into Tennessee. Despite our meandering route, we eventually made it back to town. We spent our last night at the cabin sitting by the fire holding hands like we were dating again, and listening to the sound of the river in the background.
When Monday morning came, we reluctantly left our wonderful little getaway. On the drive home we detoured to Fireside Restaurant and Pancake Inn in Hendersonville, a little breakfast joint that had the best biscuits and gravy I have ever eaten. After eating far too much we detoured once again, and took a short, but scenic drive to Saluda to knock one last activity off the list.
Alyssa
has been talking about hiking to see a waterfall for some time. And while we
were in the area she picked one with a small hike, due to our enormous
breakfast, which was close by. Pearson falls lies on private property and there
is a small $5 fee for entry. There is parking and restrooms available at the
trail head and a short .25 mile hike to the falls. Though not a strenuous hike
at all I would recommend good footwear as the path had many slick rocks and
roots. The waterfall itself is 90-foot tall and was a wonderful end to our
trip. It really must be seen in person, as photos just cannot capture its
beauty.
With that checked off our list, it was then we realized we must head south back to our lives. Our beautiful children and jobs awaited us. Until next time North Carolina (and Tennessee, I guess)… Get outside and travel on.
Seek The Scenic 