Yonah Campground in Helen, Georgia

Yonah Mountain

“Yonah go camping?” I actually thought Kelly was going to say that the entire trip. It’s a clever little saying for sure, and also a nice little place we will hold fond memories of.  She is still sad she didn't get a shirt or sticker with that slogan on it!

This was our first trip in the new camper. We did some upgrading to accommodate our growing family and added about 10 feet in length. We also chose to go with a slide out and a bunkhouse in the back. As the ever cautious and always remorseful buyer, I had my doubts at first. But ... after taking this beauty out for the week I can confidently say it was a great move!!

We couldn't be more excited!!!  And as you can see Rafa has officially become a camping dog!

We left on Friday and took off for Helen, GA. Of course we had to go through ATL and that severely hindered our progress, but we managed to make it in about 5 hours. Set up was so smooth thanks to Kelly’s proactive packing back home. We basically took it easy the first night and prepared for a week of fun.

During this stay in Helen, we were able to visit an antique house (twice since the kids loved it,  the second round Kelly chose to go to a Winery instead), stop in the coolest coffee shop in the world (JumpinGoat), go tubing on our own at Unicoi State Park, go tubing for real in the Chattahoochee, shop and dine in downtown Helen, visit Babyland to see how Cabbage Patch Kids are born, and hang out with some of our very best friends (the Williams, but missed Mark this trip).

Alpine Brew was SO good.... right on the water and great food.  Then we people watched for about an hour as people kept flipping their tubes on accident on the river.  We were all cracking up! 

Sweet Memory with my girls!

Thanks to Donald for finding this gem!  Next time I'll be hitting up the winery for sure!

As is clear, this was a great trip. The kids had so much fun and Kelly and I were able to feel like we were actually on vacation! The camper came through clutch and provided us with new benefits and amenities. Well, we did get a flat tire, but thanks to my campsite neighbor and new friend Chuck, everything got switched out satisfactorily.

Carter's first fire!  Rafa and the squrrels, and cooking on the outdoor kitchen

Unicoi State Park... a nice friend we met told us about this and gave us her rafts.  So much fun!

Fun times at the campground and camper.  And sorry Caroline, I had to have proof that you fit in this bath at one point in your life! Cinnamon rolls made in the oven were amazing.  Super fun movie night.  And though this campground was small, they had some nice things like this firepit setup.  

Oh what fun with these sweet friends!  

Each of us genuinely enjoyed ourselves.  We will be back!

Peach crisp and vanilla ice creak, chocolate chip cookies, cinnamon rolls... healthy camping trip as usual!  ***I also made pimiento cheese and sausage balls for this trip.  Trying to get back to being creative!  And noting it here so I don't forget! 

One thing I have noticed on these trips: our kids tend to find a time to open up and share a little more about themselves. Whether it’s around a campfire or trying to fall asleep, the time is precious. Carter has always been pretty good about sharing and asking questions, but this trip we had a surprise from Cora while sitting by the campfire. She just randomly said “mom, I miss my friends.” The quarantine has definitely held her back from her favorite place on the planet: school. It was a sweet moment to hear her verbalize those kind of feelings for the first time.

All in all, an awesome trip. We can’t wait to take the new camper back out for some more fun!