Big Hill Pond State Park only 90 more to go.

Big Hill Pond State Park is 1 hour and 40 minutes from our house. We camped here on Feburay 6-8. Here is the link http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/big-hill-pond The hubs, 4 year old, the camping dog and yours truly, were the only ones that went on this camping adventure and we hated that the other two missed it. This state park was a such a beauty to behold, it is a hikers dream. The park manager was so extremely nice and personalble. Jim (manager) came and brought us a stick of fire wood and we talked about how beautiful the park was. It truly is a beautiful park. We hiked 5.7 miles. The hike down to the boardwalk was breath taking.

The board walk is .5 of a mile in length. Enjoy the view because it is worth the walk.

Trees in love!!

We followed the trail past the board walk and just continued to hike. We wanted to see where it lead. I'm so glad we did. We hiked another 2 miles that lead to a look out tower.

We all climbed up to the top which made me pee a little when I got up there. I'm terrified of heights. The camping dog climbed up there too. 

The camping dog wouldn't come down off the top level. He started freaking out and crying when we were walking down. Once we were making our depart  I had to go up to the top again and almost drag the dog down, It completely screwed up his depth perception. 

 

If you are backpacking there is a shelter there that will sleep up to 6. The hubs and I are talking about taking the kids on a backpacking adventure soon. It seems like this place is perfect for people who want to get into backpacking.

Needless to say the 4 year old was exhausted after the hike. Later on the day we hiked another mile. We couldn't help it. 

Can you see why?

This bridge went across the pond. 

On the other side there is another trail that just seemed to call you to come see where it leads.

We didn't hike much on that side because it would have been dark by the time we got back. I'd rather not be cooking in the dark if I can help it. 

The camping dog was exhausted. We all slept like rocks that night. The next morning we slowly packed up. No one wanted to leave. 

The campground was excellent.

We will be returning to Big Hill Pond without a doubt. I recommend this park to anyone who loves an adventure. 

Mississippi River State Park only 91 more to go

 Mississippi River State Park was quite a surprise. Here is the link http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/mississippiriver/ Not only was it beautiful but it was quite surreal. I hate that we waiting so long to come to this park. It's only 2 hours from the house so getting there was just long enough to get some songs sung and have a few good laughs. The visitors center was brand new and beautiful. It's a perfect place for children of all ages. They had a interactive animal scat class where you see the different scat and which animals it belong to. They also have a museum that is perfect for any child. The entire place was extremely hands on.  One of the park rangers named Tara was there and she fell in love with the 4 year old. He was showing her everything and asking her a ton of questions. She loved the fact that he was showing everything to her and she designed the space.

Everyone enjoyed it. I loved the fact that I could take pictures and not get asked 50 questions. We really wished that we could have stayed here longer. It was truly beautiful. 

It was like we were on a deserted island and before you ask yes, we were the only campers again. We like it that way. We don't have to share or keep the dog on a leash. He hates it and so do we.

And I love child labor, it's a beautiful thing. I love this kind of play too. 

There is something very sweet about a child playing with blocks. 

This is my favorite picture that I took. If the limb wasn't in the frame it would have been a perfect mirror image. 

I mean come on!!! Can't you just imagine sitting there hanging out with your favorite people?  God knows we love every minute of our adventure.