August 16, 2023 We got up and got ready for our move to site B16. The RV in site B16 left around 9:30, but we had to wait until the campground workers came by to clean-up the site and give us the OK to move. We backed out of our site around 11:00 and moved to B16 just across the road and 2 sites down. Our new site is also a deluxe site like we had before with a table and chairs, rockers, and a fire pit on a paved patio. It’s a little bit longer and allows us to have shade all afternoon.
Our new site has some nice landscaping around the patio.
We got all set up in our new location and had lunch. We left around 1:00 for a 4-mile drive in Swannanoa to Charles D. Owen Park.
The Track Trail at the park is a 0.6-mile hike around fishing ponds and along the Swannanoa River.
We started in the middle walking between the ponds.
Right away, we spotted a snapping turtle crossing the path. At first, from a distance I thought it was a baby alligator.
There were quite a few geese and ducks hanging out along the shore. We walked along the path between the pond and the Swannannoa River. There were a few other people taking a walk, but we pretty much had the place to ourselves. It was on the shady side of the ponds. Auggie was in 7th heaven on our walk today. He had lots of new smells.
It was a beautiful day of 77 degrees and mostly sunny.
Along the way, we spotted a few turtles sunning themselves on some logs. I thought of you, Kellie.
The paths were lined with benches and birdhouses. The pond is also stocked with trout.
There was a view of the mountains in every direction and the pond reflected the gorgeous views. Picture perfect!
Along the path, there were openings where you could walk down to the river.
The river was moving pretty swiftly causing rapids in many areas when it passed over the rocks.
I walked down to the river to get a better view. The water in the river was pretty warm.
This tree caught my eye because of its unusual-shaped trunk.
We remembered how, when we were kids, we used to soak these cattails in gasoline and light them to keep the mosquitoes away. We called them “punks”.
Near the end of our walk, the three of us went down to the river in case Auggie wanted a drink.
He wasn’t interested and doesn’t really like getting his feet wet, but Bob tried skipping rocks.
We finished our leisurely walk and drove back to the campground around 2:00. It was pretty quiet since many of the campers in our section of the park left this morning. Auggie took a big, long drink when we got back and went right to sleep. His little legs got a workout, but he set the pace for us and never stopped running from one smell to the next. We enjoyed our walk in the park with Auggie today.
We spent the afternoon in the campground outside watching a movie and then had dinner. Auggie and I took our walk and watched a few late arrivals come into the park. We love that it gets cool at night so we can sleep with the windows open.