First Days in Roanoke - Dragon's Tooth Trail


We finally made it to Roanoke after what felt like a month of driving. EZ had been here a week, so the uhaul was already unloaded. We spent the first evening here on the hunt for the best BBQ in town and visited a playground that happened to have a small trail behind it. We ended up at Mission BBQ and Lakewood Park. The boys loved sampling all the sauce options, the brisket was excellent and the atmosphere was great. We headed to the park after where the boys loved riding the see-saw and exploring on the trail. It was the wildest see-saw I’ve seen. We ended up back here with a new friend a few days later and M fell off twice. Don’t worry, he recovered fully and wanted back on later. We’re blessed to have found a rental house here and it has been so great to have the extra space and a yard again. We spotted a deer in the backyard one evening and the boys love watching for school buses in the mornings. I no longer have to query about how loud the boys are stomping around in the mornings, but I miss the community of living in an apartment. There’s something to be said about the gaggle of kids at the pool and the playground at an apartment.





We were also able to get in our first hike our first week here. We hiked Dragon’s Tooth trail, but it takes over 2 miles to get to the actual rock outcropping that it’s named after, so we just did some exploring. There were fun creek crossings, rocks to climb, and beautiful trees. It was a bit different from Rapid City where you feel you’re on the edge of a cliff for most hikes and can often see for miles. We mostly hiked through a forest winding up the side of the mountain with limited sight lines. It was still beautiful and I always love thinking about early explorers and what they must have been thinking as they traveled through different areas. 





We visited another park after our hike to see our long lost friends!! It was so heartening to meet their sweet kiddos and give everyone big hugs. We of course ended up wet and in a creek at the playground because we all know if there is water, this krewe is hopping in. M had the best time building a beautiful sand castle with his friend we haven’t seen in 3-4 years! Excited to make more memories here over the next two months. 



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