Hungry Mother - Virginia

After our Jurassic Quest we head home. With a 3 nights stop in Virginia. Before we reach Hungry Mother we stop at the Wolf Creek Indian Village near the border with West Virginia. Mikey is not that much into history. Actually not at all, so I am a bit iffy about this stop; however, this is something I want to see and learn about since I've always been fascinated with Native Americans. After we get our tickets we meet our tour guide, who is more than pleasant and accommodating, especially for Mikey. It's just the two of us and a young couple from England, so the boy gets plenty of attention. Unlike other tours and museums, this one is completely open to hands on exploration. It's not an original Indian village, but a replica based on digs. Everything in there has been built by hand using the old ways of the Native Americans. John, I suspect, had a lot to do with it, because he knows and shares a lot. He stops here and there to pick up plants or rocks and tells us how they were used for food, pigment, clothing, weaving or medicinal purposes. He tells us about his experiments, and many failures, with pottery. He talks about the food, how was it cooked and what it tastes like. About clothing, tobacco, and winters. About rituals and spirituality. About a way of life.  We are able to touch and feel everything there, and even attempt to weave grass and use a fire stick to start a fire. Mikey gets his face painted (he choses the wolf paw symbol - he's my son all right!), starts a fire, and looks for acorns. A little Indian in training. I am pleased with the fact that, although this is not his strongest interest, he pays attention and asks good questions.

After about an hour and a half, we head forward to Marion. We stop at Hungry Mother State Park as we will camp here for three nights. This time I have no plans. No schedule. No must sees and dos. Imagine that! I just want for us to relax and have fun. And for two and a half days we do just that. Swimming in the lake. Lunch. Treats. Walking. Swimming again. The playground. Campfire. Roasted marshmallows. More swimming. More walking. Half a Geo Cashing Adventure. Swimming again. Hot dogs. A big fire. Mikey playing with the neighbor's kids and dog. Bacon over the campfire. Swimming again. Canoeing in the sunset. Board games. A bigger fire. More roasted marshmallows. The sounds of the night. The cool breeze of the morning. The crisp mountain air. A boy's laugh. It is wonderful!

Mikey tells me he enjoys this trip better than the trip to Utah, because we're more relaxed. I understand. Maybe we should go camping like this more often. These are the little moments that made our days. This is the stuff this summer's memories are made of.