When it rains, make lemonade…

(Ok, ok, we didn’t actually make lemonade, but it sure did rain!)

By Jonan Keeny

Numpsie, a “legend” (Just ask him!) in Gaston County, is a man who knows no strangers. And while Gigi is a bit more subdued, once you’ve met her, you have a friend for life. So were any of us surprised when they met a young family at Willow Valley with whom they became besties, seemingly overnight? Not(!). At(!). All(!). Enter the Crombies: Kevin, Jillian, and 2.5yo Colton. From Chicago, and blessed with not requiring a stationary office, the Crombies settled on Rabun County for an extended visit.

Anyway, while Mom Keeny dealt with illness on her Spring Break and Dad Keeny toiled away at multiple jobs on what can only be called “Not Spring Break,” the Burrells, the Crombies, and the Keeny kiddos were quietly(?) cultivating a familyship built on ice hockey, a love of travel, and a mutual appreciation of all that Northeast Georgia has to offer. So when it came time for us to head to Cherokee, the Crombies mentioned that they had been thinking of taking a ride up there during their trip. Of course, the option to have them join us was offered, and we were very excited when our offer was accepted!

Even though our window of time was not huge and the weather was lessthan-ideal, we hit the road. Water everywhere! (In the car, Numpsie and Gigi mentioned how they used to go whitewater rafting in the area, but those days were behind them. As a natural problem-solver, I made a mental note to add Smoky Mountain Tube and Raft to our next Cherokee-based adventure. We’ll also most definitely check out Native American Craft Shop on that same excursion. Perhaps by the time this goes to print, our next Cherokee visit will be in the works!) But back to the trip at hand…Our first stop: Native Brews Tap and Grill. What to say about this place? How about I just let Chef de Cuisine Reuben Sharpless share his take: “We just want to offer a quality meal at a reasonable price, in a fun, family environment.” Done, done, and done!

The only thing Native Brews could do to increase the quality of their establishment would be to bottle up the passion and enthusiasm of Chef Reuben and sell it. I’d be first in line!

Jonan Keeny was born in Topeka, Kansas, he got older in Berwick, Pennsylvania, and then he lived a bunch of other places. A lifelong learner and a full-time dreamer, the prospect of grand new adventures gets him out of bed in the morning, with some additional assistance from his two blonde-haired, blue-eyed alarm clocks, of course! Jonan recently rediscovered his passion for photography, which keeps him quite busy tromping around the woods, stopping at random places on the side of the road, and uploading photos to his website, www.myworldpics.com, and his Insta, @dude4disney. When he isn’t wrangling two little boys, he’s likely hanging out with his wife, Mary Lauren, reading a book to learn something new, or dreaming of life’s next adventure and Walt Disney World. Regardless of the activity, he’s probably participating in it while wearing funky socks and a cool hat.

Their menu is pretty-typical-in-a-good-way American fare, with some fun and flavorful twists. (Speaking of twists, try the pretzel that’s big, but not “Chicago Big.”) Our table ordered a variety of items, including a couple of hot dogs for the kiddos (each dog nearly as long as Colton’s arm), a steak sandwich, and a trout florentine dish that Kevin described as “The best trout I’ve ever had.” (When he isn’t trout fishing, he’s trout eating!) Needless to say, we walked out with empty plates, full tummies, and two cars full of smiles, having enjoyed a family meal to remember.

Our next waterlogged stop: Oconaluftee Visitor Center, hoping for an elk sighting. Success! While the steady downpour prevented us from observing the elk from the side of the road for more than a few minutes, it is still really special to see these majestic creatures in person. From there, we proceeded into the Visitor Center to air dry while learning about the development of the region. One might think that a party with an age range like ours would find this place difficult to maintain everyone’s interest. However, given that many parts of the exhibit are interactive, this was a great stop. Moms, Dads, Numpsies, and Gigis were all able to actually take in a lot of historical information, while the littles could listen to stories on telephones and touch animal tusks and hides, along with a number of other kid-friendly activities. But eventually and unfortunately, the historical fun had to end. And so, after an hour or so and with our littler ones getting sleepy, we headed back to Willow Valley. From there we went our separate ways. Different directions, but unquestionably together.

As I mentioned previously, the weather was definitely not perfect. But in the end, had we opted to skip our little jaunt to Cherokee and just hung out at Willow Valley RV Resort for the afternoon, it would have been family time equally wellspent. Because here’s the thing:

A beautiful day is not always determined by the weather, and lemonade doesn’t always require water, sugar, and sour citrus fruit.

(Special thanks to the Burrells [they didn’t really have a choice] and to the Crombies {they definitely DID have a choice] for joining Wyatt, Miles, and me on this rainy day adventure!)