My weekend with my sister, Laura, and my Mom and Dad was so good. I snuck out on my own Friday afternoon and got in a really good practice on the first cold day of the fall, and then spent the whole day Saturday doing all sorts of fun things with the family. Sunday morning was more good family time before Laura took off to head back to work in Washington, D.C. around noon, and I was back to "work" myself soon after she left. The weekend went perfectly, and I am definitely feeling great heading into a big week of preparation leading into the Second Stage of PGA Tour Qualifying next week.
Here's a quick report of the weekend fun: Saturday started early with me and Laura in the kitchen whipping up some pumpkin pancakes before the sun had risen. After we all chowed down on the perfect fall breakfast, we were in the van heading for the Great Smokey Mountains. It was cold when we left and the forecast for the mountains was even colder with a chance of some snow, but we were all in good spirits. We were heading for the Mt. Camerrer Trail, which is a beautiful 5.6 mile climb up to one of the most beautiful 360 degree vistas in the Smokey Mountains. The 11.2 mile round trip hike features a climb of 2,100 feet from the trailhead in Cosby Campground to the 5,000 ft. peak at Mt. Camerrer. It started to snow on us as we approached the campground, but we were ready for anything. Little did we know that just a mile into the hike, we would be climbing through half a foot of snow. By the time we reached the Appalachain Trail about three miles into the hike (around 4,000 ft) we were walking in ten to twelve inches of snow. Normally it is the fall foliage and the impressive views that make Mt. Camerrer an awesome hike, but on this trip, the snow made the hike so unique and beautiful that no one was disappointed about the lack of visibility. After a great journey up and down the mountain in the snow, we were all ready to head home and enjoy the day's next fun activity!
On the drive to the Mountains, we had stopped at one of my sister's (mine, too) favorite spots: Carver's Apple Orchard. We got more than a bushel of different kinds of apples, and when we got home after the hike, it was homemade applesauce time! Laura and I cut and cored apples for a while until we had filled a huge pot and a smaller pot. We made a big batch of traditional applesause with just a little cinnamon and nutmeg added to the apples, but I also made a small batch of chocolate applesause. A little cocoa powder added to the sweet apples creates a surprisingly tasty treat! Making homemade applesauce after a long day in the mountains is pretty darn good. I know it was a good day because I was so whiped out that I feel asleep on the couch before 10:00 o'clock and didn't even wake up to go into bed until well after midnight.
After all that fun, I got to go back to work today and do another thing that I absolutely love: practice golf. The weather was brisk but beautiful today, and I had a really nice practice session. I feel pretty comfortable with all aspects of my game right now, so this week of practice will consist of a lot of fine-tuning when I'm on the driving range or chipping/putting green and a lot of time on the golf course just hitting shots and practicing getting the ball in the hole. I'm still not sure what my travel plans are for getting to Houston or when I will leave, but I do know for sure that my golf game will be ready when I get there!
Keep it here for updates throughout the week and to hear how and when I'm traveling to Texas!
Sounds like a great hike in the mountains. Your Mom texted me so I know she liked it too.
ReplyDelete