Yesterday evening we made it into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We just went for a quick visit after dinner and hiked to a waterfall not far from the Sugarland Visitor’s center.
A visit from the Romans
When we arrived in the Gatlinburg area we realized we needed some direction on things to do here. Susan reached out to our friend Laura Roman and it turns out that they are in Gatlinburg at the same time that we are. They stopped by for a quick visit yesterday afternoon.
Blue Heron -> Pigeon Forge
Today we made the 3 hour journey from Blue Heron to Pigeon Forge, TN, just outside of Gatlinburg. We are staying at a KOA, which is a little crazy, but the kids are having a blast at the pool and the ‘jumping pillow,’ which is like a giant trampoline.
This evening after dinner the kids swam some more, Lucia and Rose played on the playground, and then we went to drive around Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. We have never been here before and when we came to our campground we came in the back way. Holy cow is Pigeon Forge crazy! It is like Branson times 10. Downtown Gatlinburg was better, but still very busy. We are looking forward to exploring more over the next few days.
Hiking Adventure
While we were on the train this morning I saw a cool creek that I thought we could access for a fun creek walk. In the afternoon the kids and I headed out to find our way to the creek. After a long walk uphill on the road, we found a way to get down to the creek, but when we finally got down to it we realized that it was a little more than we were prepared for.
Already having crossed the creek once we decided not to chance it again and headed toward an abandoned mine town that had been turned into a museum. I guess it closes pretty early because by the time we got there it was closed. We had a long walk back to our car on the road. We at least found some black raspberries along the way, to sweeten our trip.
Big South Fork Scenic Railway
This morning we took a ride on the Big South Fork Scenic Railway. It took us a few miles, from Stearns down to the Blue Heron Mine.
- Andrew for stung by a bee that flew in the train window. The bee then flew into the knee hole of his pants. We thought it died in his pants, but when we got to Blue Heron it flew out the bottom.
- Rose did not like when the train blew its whistle and she would snuggle with Mari whenever it happened.
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Tics
This morning I removed our first tic. It was stuck between my toes, doing its thing.
Aside from that, we have also been dealing with a lot, lot of chigger bites.
Natural Arch
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Dairy Bar
When Susan lived in Whitley City for a year she would come here about once a week for their hot fudge cake sundae. It hasn’t lost any of its charm. It even still has a smoking section.
Morning Routine
The girls have been getting up at around 7:45 this week and each morning we get to go for a short walk. This always includes a trip to the pond to look for bullfrogs.
RV Living
Blue Heron – Hike & Swimming
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Cumberland Falls – Swimming & Falls
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