Showing posts with label Tennessee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tennessee. Show all posts

Jun 2, 2010

Tennessee - A 3 Part Miniseries (3)

A photographic recap of our family trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains.

Part 1 - Cabin Life

Part 2 - Gatlinburg

Part 3 - The Smoky Mountains

Gatlinburg is nice, but where we spent most of our time was hiking in Smoky Mountain National Park. What a great park. It's absolutely gorgeous. It's well designed and managed. The natural features are diverse and awe-inspiring. There are trails for everyone from toddlers to hardcore hikers. It's no wonder it's the most visited national park in America.


PICT8551
The first day we hiked along a gorgeous mountain stream to a neat little waterfall.



PICT8549It was a very kid friendly trail and tossing stones in the water was quite popular. Each morning after this, Truman woke up chanting, "I got togo throw the rocks!"



PICT8512 A rare mountain wood faerie. Or imp. I get confused.



PICT8525Jameson insisted on being photographed as if he was an explorer who discovered this waterfall.



PICT8561Are you still considered a hiker if your feet never touch the ground?



PICT8786Our second, more ambitious, day of hiking took us much higher into the mountains. Um, breathtaking?



PICT8798This was the easy part of the trail.



PICT8818Luckily we had an experienced guide with us.



PICT8796The kids were excellent. Especially the one that got to ride the whole way strapped to my chest.



PICT8813Gotta stop for sammiches along the way.



PICT8819Like Nike always says, "If you're going to get eaten by a bear, look good doing it." Kip and Corey, the world's best dressed hikers, are now affectionately known as Todd and Margo.



PICT8838Doug and Caroline - We were going to hike up to New Hampshire to see you, but we weren't sure if we had packed enough peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Jun 1, 2010

Tennessee - A 3 Part Miniseries (2)

A photographic recap of our family trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains.

Part 1 - Cabin Life


Part 2 - Gatlinburg

There are countless touristy things to do in Gatlinburg and nearby Pigeon Forge, but the main thing we got around to was a visit to Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. The aquarium was excellent (voted number one aquarium in the U.S. according to TripAdvisor.com.) We also got the obligatory "Old Time" photo. And Kip threw away a few dollars on "Earthquake! The Ride." Seriously, Kip, I expect better from you. Why don't you come to the pool with me this weekend and I'll charge you twelve bucks to go on "Flood! The Ride." And then you can stick your head out the window while I drive you down the highway for "Tornado! The Ride."


PICT8681
When I roll with my kids I roll deep.



PICT8729"And if you don't do what mommy says, the sharks will come get you."



PICT8730"OMG!"



PICT8741Always the pensive one.



PICT8768Kid friendly exhibits! Righteous!



PICT8771The puffer fish. Always my favorite.



PICT8776To this day, old school diving equipment always reminds me of the opening credits of Scooby Doo, Where Are You!



PICT8778Creepy. Cool.



Old Time KidsWow. Amelia looks like she's actually busted a few caps in her day.

May 31, 2010

Tennessee - A 3 Part Miniseries (1)

We loaded up the minivan and took the kids down to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for a five day vacation with my family. Gatlinburg is an interesting place. It's like one part Dolly Parton, one part state fair, one part "as seen on TV" and seven parts gorgeous -- all wrapped inside a pancake. Gatlinburg itself is like the Daytona Beach of the Appalachian Mountains and probably isn't for everyone, but the Great Smoky Mountains are something everyone should see at least once. (As a matter of fact, Great Smoky Mountain National Park is the most visited national park in America.)

I took some 400+ pictures. Threw out half of those. And then whittled it down to some post worthy shots. I'm breaking them up into three posts. As always, you can click on the image to view the larger Flickr image (and to see more images that didn't make the cut).



Part 1 - Cabin Life

We rented a cabin from Jackson Mountain Homes. It was located just outside of Gatlinburg, high up in the mountains, with a gorgeous view. The cabin was clean, comfortable and well laid out for our large group. There were five kids aged 4 and under with us and they all loved the accommodations. There was a huge dining table for our breakfasts of bacon, sausage and whatever else you can fry in bacon grease. I still miss your cooking, Kip.

PICT8435
Corey earned her keep with plenty of time spent distracting the kids.



PICT8455Of course, the kids think Corey is way cooler than their own parents.



PICT8458Though I'm thinking she doesn't really know the rules of Sorry!



PICT8462This is right after the part where you have to take a shot of Jägermeister.



PICT8463Four of the five kiddos on the trip.



PICT8572View from the main room.



PICT8573View from our bedroom.



PICT8593"If I had some teeth I could chew my way outta here."



PICT8609A Lego addict.



PICT8612"Lay off me, I'm starving!"



PICT8675Truman's refrain the whole trip: "I got togo to Tennesseeee."



PICT8660Relaxin' at the crib.



PICT8638"Don't think for a minute that I'm not the toughest one of all."



PICT8623Say cheese!