Clingman's Dome and Grandpa Comes to Town

 Sunday morning, we trekked up to Clingman's Dome with Josh's parents.  Dave stayed back with my mom and Justin and went to the aquarium in Gatlinburg again. 

Justin and Dave with the penguins.








The hike up to Clingman's was a little rough.  Basically half a mile straight up hill.  I'm not sure I'd do it again any time soon, but it was a pretty view from the top.   Thankfully, there are many benches and rocks to take rests as you climb up.














Josh and I at the top.

View from Clingman's Dome.  Elevation 6,600 feet or thereabouts.












Sunday evening, my grandpa arrived to hang out with us for a couple of days.  He brought Dave a kid size fishing pole to practice with until he graduates to actual fishing.  Dave is obsessed with this fishing pole now, and has even learned to cast.

Taking fishing very seriously.














Monday morning Josh's parents headed back home, and we went to Townsend to check out Little River Railroad and Lumber Museum.  It was actually really cool and informative (and free!), and perfect to take my grandpa to because he used to work on the railroad.  We got a lot of good information out of him and Dave was constantly asking him what everything was.

Dave and grandpa with the train outside.








Then we went on a short hike to Cataract Falls, just inside the park.

Dave hiding in a tree.















Hiking on the bridge.

Mom and Dave at the falls.













Well, we're down to our last two nights here in the Smokies.  Mom and Justin head out in the morning, and then we go back home on Thursday.  Time sure does fly!

Biltmore and Cades Cove (Part II)

On Friday, Mom and I headed over to Asheville to see the Biltmore Estates.  It was so much fun!  You aren't allowed to take pictures inside the house, so I have nothing to show for actually being inside, but let me tell you it's extravagant like I've never seen before.  

Mom and I from the Italian Gardens.












I was officially 25 weeks on Friday so Mom took a bump picture for me.







While we were at Biltmore, Josh took Justin and Dave to the Knoxville Zoo.  They also had a blast, and as an added bonus, they got in free because of our Fort Wayne Zoo membership.  Gotta love free!

Mom and Dave having story time before bed Friday night.














Josh's parents arrived pretty late on Friday due to some heavy traffic (typical of the area).  On Saturday, we went back to Cades Cove to drive the loop.

Josh's parents with Dave at one of the stops along the loop.

Mom, Dave, and Justin.

Look forward to this picture as a possible Christmas card this year!  Love the mountain backdrop.

Josh and Barry at the mill-lots of old buildings to check out. 








After the loop, we were all pretty tired, so we stopped for a picnic right outside the Cades Cove entrance.

Dave got to play in the stream that runs along the picnic area.

And our squirrel friend who was trying to run away with the food!

Hiking in the Smokies

 The last couple of days we have spent taking short trails around the national park. 

Yesterday, we hiked up to Laurel Falls, which is pretty close to the Gatlinburg entrance.  This trail is very popular, we saw way more people on this trail than any other one we took.



Definitely a good idea to use the backpack on this hike!









 The trail was about 2.5 miles round-trip, not too bad except there was quite a bit of elevation gain.  Lots of people wanted to pay Josh to carry them up to the falls.





Laurel Falls.

At the trail head there was a big tree with exposed roots.  Dave had to climb it.











This morning we got up and headed to the North Carolina side of the park.  We checked out the Oconaluftee visitor center and then headed out on the trail that follows along the river.

Dave usually likes to hike several paces ahead of us.

Josh and Dave at the fork in the river.

We stopped for a while at a shallow spot so Dave could wade in and throw rocks.












Finally, we headed to Mingo Falls, located in the town of Cherokee (or nearby at least).  This hike involved lots of steps.

162 to be exact.  Here's Dave on step #1.

At Mingo Falls.  It was much bigger than I expected.

Dave and I waded into a part of the falls and splashed around a bit.  The water was freezing!

Pretty view on the drive back to Gatlinburg.












Tonight my mom and stepbrother Justin are arriving.  Then tomorrow, mom and I are going to the Biltmore and Josh and Dave are heading to the Knoxville Zoo.  Should be a full day for everyone!

Pool, Waterfall, and the Aquarium

 On Monday, we wanted to take Dave to some kind of water (pool, waterpark, etc).  So we checked into ticket prices for Dollywood and quickly decided it would not be worth it for us.  Instead, we took him to the local pool, where we paid $5 for all of us!








Here's Dave eating his first sno-cone.











 After the pool, we had a little snack and drove to the Sugarlands Visitor Center, which is just inside the national park.  They have a cool museum type room of stuffed animals (Dave kept yelling, "The animals aren't moving, are they dead?").  Then we hiked to Cascade Falls, I think it was around a mile round-trip.

Dave all tuckered out from the walk.

Family picture at the falls.  My baby bump is definitely growing!












We planned on heading up to Clingman's Dome next, but once we arrived and saw how steep it was, we changed our minds.  I think we're going to try it when we have some help with Dave to get him to the top.

View from the parking lot-still pretty majestic.

Dave saw some older kids climbing the rocks, so he had to join in.











On Tuesday, we headed into Gatlinburg to go to the aquarium.  A little on the expensive side, but worth it if you have young kids.  Dave had an absolute blast and it was definitely geared towards his age group and a little bit older.

Taking a little break in the tunnel to see the penguins.

He really loved all the exhibits where you can pop your head into a fish tank.








After the aquarium, we hunted down some lunch and then walked/rode around the strip in Gatlinburg.

Dave and I riding the trolley.

Cabin Activities and Go Carts

So far, most of our activities around the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area have been nature related, but we've been able to fit in a couple things.  Here's what we did while Dad and Kyra were here.

 Kyra brought Dave some birdhouses for Dave to paint for his dad and grandpas. 

Pretty intense painting session.  












He really enjoyed painting, so much so that we went out and bought some more paint for him to use the rest of the trip.  It really keeps him entertained!

After painting-I would say the majority of the paint landed on his legs.










Dave also loves the hot tub that is at our cabin.  He insists that it is a pool and wants to go "swimming" pretty much any time were sitting around.  

Papa Charlie was a good sport about hanging out in the hot tub with Dave.  Win-win.









On Father's Day, we intended to split up and have Kyra and I go to a flea market while the boys went to a petting zoo.  Turns out, traffic in Pigeon Forge is horrible at every moment, so we ditched the idea and went to a general store (with live bears), then on to a go cart track.

Dave enjoying some ice cream.

Josh and Dad racing go carts.  They had a blast, and weren't competitive at all...











While Dad and Josh got to race go carts, I had the pleasure of going on some kiddie rides with Dave.  As you can see, Dave had a blast, whereas I was counting down the seconds until the ride ended. 






This was by far the most flattering picture of me.  See how pumped Dave is?

The boys reading stories before bed.  

And finally, Kyra and Dave mixing up some cake batter. 










Unfortunately, Dad and Kyra had to leave this morning to head home.  Now we are without guests until my mom arrives on Thursday, followed by Josh's parents on Friday.

First Days in Gatlinburg

Our first days in Gatlinburg were a hit!  In this post, you'll see our outdoor adventures...I'll post another one of other activities tomorrow.  

 The drive down was pretty uneventful.  We stopped a little more often since Dave is now potty trained, but it wasn't too bad.  One of our bathroom breaks happened in a town called Corbin, KY-turns out this was the home of the first KFC.  So of course we made that our pit stop.








Josh and Dave with the Colonel.











 Once we made it to our cabin (I'll have to post a picture of the crazy parking this place has going on), we settled in for the night.  Saturday morning, we headed off to go on the Roaring Fork Motor Trail which is just inside the national park. 

Hiking around the Ogle Homestead.

Dave, grandpa Charlie, and grandma Kyra on our hike.

Josh always steps into my nature shots.

One second after this picture Dave jumped into the stream.  Of course we didn't pack an extra pair of shoes!

Overlook on the Motor Trail.












After our drive, we went into Gatlinburg to walk around for a bit.  Such a strange town!  I think we'll be sticking to the natural wonders the area has to offer, but it's fine to roam around in the town a bit. 

On Sunday, we woke up a little earlier to head over to Cades Cove.  We were hoping to see some wildlife, and did see a bunch of deer and even a turkey.

Picture of the boys on Father's Day.  

Dave refuses to smile for a family photo.

One of the deer along the loop road.