Hot Times in the Smokies

There's never a dull moment when on vacation with our family! (Chelsea plans like her mother . . .)  On August 1, 2022, a morning activity took us to the adjoining town for some fun at the "Island at Pigeon Forge", a family entertainment complex.

The kids were champs on the ropes course! Later that day, we headed into the mountains for a short hike to Laurel Falls. This provided another glimpse of how beautiful our surroundings were.

The following day, August 2, we hiked to Clingman's Dome. The website, greatsmokies.com, describes it like this: "At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the highest peak in the Smokies and the third highest east of the Mississippi. From the parking lot, seven miles west of Newfound Gap, walk the steep half-mile path to the 54-foot observation tower for a 360-degree view of the Park. Sunrises and sunsets are spectacular. The Appalachian Trail crosses Clingmans Dome, marking the highest point along its 2,144-mile journey." Although the wind was fierce at the top of the observation tower, there were some pretty amazing views.

We couldn't resist wandering along the Appalachian Trail for a bit before returning to our car. Bob's dream is to hike the entire trail someday . . .

That evening, while the Bosen's played in the pool at the resort, Dad and I went to Dollywood. Of course . . . Sharon can't resist amusement parks!  I think the most exciting thing there was to see the drone lights show, which was something new for us. But their world famous cinnamon bread was a treat worth waiting in line for!

Our fun day ended with smiles and fireworks.

Good Times in Gatlinburg

Gatlinburg is a tourist town full of family amusements and activities near the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which straddles Tennessee and North Carolina. Bob and I met Chelsea, Thomas and their 4 children there the evening of July, 29, 2022. We reserved some condos at the same resort for us to stay at for the week. A family hike was the first thing on our agenda the following morning, and included a stop at the visitor's center.

That afternoon, we hopped on the local trolley for a look around the crafter's shops in the mountains just out of town.

Thomas took the kids swimming that evening to finish off the day. And the icing on the cake was for the Bosen's to catch a glimpse of a black bear meandering around our condos.

On July 31, we drove the 11-mile Cade's Cove Loop through the Great Smokies. For hundreds of years, Cherokee Indians hunted in Cades Cove and Europeans first settled in the cove sometime between 1818 and 1821. Cades Cove offers the widest variety of historic buildings of any area in the national park. Scattered along the loop are three churches, a working gristmill, barns, log houses, and many other restored structures.

We visited three little churches and even had the opportunity to join a worship service and hear some sweet Christian melodies being sung.

A picnic with a view of the meadows and mountains provided a mid-afternoon break.

Knox, Holly, Jude and Brooke were great explorers and had fun climbing in, on, around and through all the quaint cabins and barns.

We were all excited to see the deer . . . but not so much when we discovered snakes!

The gristmill and small surrounding village were so cute. We loved the odd shaped cabins.

Life in the Smokies doesn't get much sweeter than this!