Birthday Camping in Brevard
I have had a really busy year. But it was nothing like 2014. The past couple of years, we’ve seen fall pass by all too quickly as we sit down at the computer and edit all season. I try to experience fall through pumpkin beers, ciders, and soups, but nothing can replace actually being outside. Getting out and shooting is always the fun part, and this year, we promised to enjoy the fall colors in the mountains. Thankfully, my friend’s birthday is in late October, so it makes a great excuse to pull ourselves away from work for a couple days.
I had been researching campgrounds in Brevard for a while and was really curious about Ash Grove. They have excellent reviews online. They have RV sites, tent sites, cabins, and adorable “tiny homes” for rent by the night. So we went ahead and reserved a spot for the birthday weekend. We camped at site four right next to The Gnome Home and it was absolutely adorable. Surprisingly, despite the fact that we had arrived in the heart of peak fall colors- no one else seemed to be camping that night. We had the whole place to ourselves. What a treat!
Being one of the very first overnights in our Casita, I still felt like novices as we pulled into our RV site, unhitched, and set up. There are a surprising amount of things to remember. Each time we’ve camped, there has been some sort of mistake made, but its always an easy fix.
As we get used to camping in our Casita, we have decided to go very easy on ourselves. While its all too tempting- I am avoiding going too all out with the camp cooking. I’ve got enough stuff to learn and get used to. Instead, I cooked up a simple meal of Annie’s Organic Peace Pasta & Parmasean. Something about sleeping in a camper and eating little peace sign shaped noodles seemed appropriate. Along with that, I served up a side of birthday ice cream for my friend. We have a pretty decent sized freezer which I am thankful for. I’m definitely not ready to try cooking up a cake yet. After all, we have no stove in the camper. :)
Because it was my friend’s birthday, I volunteered to save the work of starting the fire. I figure its a good skill for me to master too. I gathered dry leaves and tiny sticks around the campground for kindling, then used our axe to break up the firewood into smaller pieces. my friend bought a very nice axe, and it was lots of fun to use. Breaking up the wood takes a bit of strength, and she did end up helping me a bit. Soon enough, we had a roaring fire.
The night we spent in Brevard was incredibly peaceful. A large weather system moved in as we slept and we woke up to a long day of rain. It was cozy drinking our coffee in the camper before we headed out. Actually, I’m really looking forward to the future rainy days we spend in our Casita.
Thanks so much for reading!
Shelley Hartman – Brevard + Western NC Wedding Photographer
Follow our adventures on Instagram @hartmanoutdoorphotography