In 2015, my parents took the family to Myrtle Beach for a big family getaway. (I mentioned it here.) For Christmas last year, they gifted us with a trip to Gatlinburg as a big family getaway. We had gone last year for a long weekend with Gloria, and the girls really enjoyed it.
We left on Saturday morning around 6:30am. I had not planned for this 8 hour drive as much as I usually did. I didn’t have little surprises for the girls to open, no scheduled stops to activities, no bags of toys. This time, they had books, a book on CD, paper, one type of coloring device (colored pencils, markers, or crayons) each, and an electronic device. They watched more movies than normal, but I was okay with it … most of the time. While it is a nice way to pass the trip more quietly, we miss out on times to talk, look outside, and get creative in tight spaces. All things I would like to be able to do with them as teenagers when we are “stuck” in the car together. Next trip will probably be a hybrid of my over planning our trip with this more laid back approach.
We made it to the cabin waaaay up on the mountain around 3:15. Mom and Dad had arrived first with all the cold foods from the stores. We came next, followed shortly by Nate and Jen’s family. The other two families were delayed slightly by their hiking trip they took on the way down to Gatlinburg, but managed to get their stinky selves there for supper! The cabin was beautiful. It had a great entry way for piling the plethora of shoes that accumulated there during the week. There was a bedroom with a queen-sized bunk bed with a bathroom across the hall; the boys slept there. There was a large living room, kitchen, and dining room also on the first floor. My parents took the king-size suite on this level. In the basement, there was a popular game room – pool table, arcade games, air hockey, and foosball. A bedroom with two queen-size bunk beds and an attached bathroom; the six girls shared this room. Nate and Jen took the king suite nestled in a hidden corner of the basement, and Jeremy I took the king suite next to the games. There was also a laundry room that worked overtime during the week. Upstairs, there were two king suites and a small sitting area. Luke and Steph took one; Ben and Steph took the other. Both the main floor and the basement had walkout wraparound decks to hang out and enjoy the views. It was amazing!
Our week was filled with many activities, a lot of hanging around in the living room and balconies, eating great homemade food, and indulging in desserts. While there were tense moments (trying to plan what to do), it was a really a good time to be together as a family and create positive memories. Here is the overview:
Sunday: Low key, get settled, come up with a game plan, play in the Little Pigeon River kind of day
Monday: Do the Roaring Fork Nature Drive with a stop to hike to Grotto Falls. It was a great hike to do with the kids – not too hard or too long. They explored the rivers for salamanders, ran ahead, came back, smiled for pictures (sometimes!), and had fun. We made it down and to our cars right as the sky was letting lose in a torrential downfall.
From there, we went to Pigeon Forge to try out Goats on the Roof Mountain Coaster. It was a fun one; we did it three times! Here is a video of what it was like (I would start watching about 3:38 to see it go down the mountain). Some of the group had never done a roller coaster before, so it was perfect for first timers since you could control your speed by braking.
Tuesday: Luke, Steph, Ben, Steph, Jeremy, and I woke up at 6am to go on an 8 mile (roundtrip) hike to Ramsey’s Cascade. Jeremy and I had done this hike 10 or so years ago. He remembered it being a good hike, not too hard. I remembered nothing. It was a HIKE. The last mile or so was pretty steep. The cascade though was amazing. I think there was more water this time than the last time. I remembered the end when we got up there. We picked up a hiking member – Dan – on our way. He started out as our group’s photographer and then just hiked along. Really nice guy. On the way down, Steph (R.) and I zoomed down at a pretty good clip. The others took their time – and were rewarded for it by seeing a mama black bear and her cub! So cool!
While we were gone, the kids hung out playing games and hanging out with Grandma, Grandpa, Nate, and Jen. After supper, we headed to Gatlinburg for a bit of shopping. Madison returned with a Gatlinburg t-shirt; Ellie with a soccer ball squishie.
(posts continues…. read part 2)
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