July 31 – We awoke at our campground to the patter of raindrops in the roof, but that didn’t stop Susannah from taking a short trail run/hike on the trail right across from our site. When she returned, all 9 of us huddled under Chester’s awning and had an al fresco breakfast. We were then tempted by the clearing skies to hike to an overlook on another nearby trail – see the kids on one of the log bridges along the trail and the view (still cloudy) from the top.

The two families said their goodbyes and we headed north into Virginia. We stopped for dinner at log house built in 1786 that had a maze of rooms, atria, and gardens. By the time we got to our campground at Claytor Lake State Park, it was getting late and starting to rain again, but we couldn’t resist a short walk down to the marina to see the boats and take in the free wifi!

Day 33: Cosby TN (Great Smoky Mountains National Park) to Claytor Lake State Park VA – 211 miles.