Smoky Mountains Adventure: Day 4

A day filled with touristy gimmicks. 

First up: Dollywood's Splash Country, where lightning over-cautiously shut down operations, the kids schmoozed their way into staying longer than necessary, and Mason chickened out on the steepest of slides.

{The only picture of our day at the water park. Because water and phones don't mix. At noon-ish the rides shut down because lightning was detected within 10 miles of the park. And by 2:00 we were all sweaty messes melting under the hot sun and cloudless sky waiting for the "weather" to pass. Our campsite was 45 minutes from the water park, and with Molly alone all day Caleb pulled the plug on waiting for the attractions to re-open and we all headed to the truck. And halfway to the truck, we got the all clear to get back in the water. Ugh. Never a fan of water parks, Caleb volunteered to leave us there while he went home to manage the dog, which gave the kids a few extra hours to prune up in the water. Hero for the day! And because the kids are old enough to manage themselves, I was off the hook to ride the slides with them and instead found a quiet corner all to myself at the wave pool's edge where I didn't have to "watch this" or "swim with me." It was glorious.}

After pickup, it was on to gimmick number two: The mountain coaster. It was fun and it was fast. And the kids loved it so much they went down twice!

{On this ride you were in charge of your speed on the way down, which meant different things to different people...}

It started raining pretty hard by the time we hopped off the second time down. But the rain stayed on the mountain and never crossed into the parking lot!

After the mountain coaster, it was time to hit up the third and final gimmick of the day: Downtown Gatlinburg. We decided to get ice cream at an overly busy and overpriced shake shop named after one of our favorites.

{It took a solid 30 minutes to get our treats, but it was probably worth it. We enjoyed watching the girls--artists, really--prepare the sweets in an incredible assembly line-type fashion. Our desserts seemed lame compared with those that were topped with donuts, pop tarts, cheesecake, pecan pie, and Popsicles!}

We then hit up downtown Gatlinburg for a solid six minutes before Mason cried tummy ache, and we headed back to the campsite for the night.

Smoky Mountains Adventure: Day 3

Today we headed through downtown Gatlinburg, hiked a bit on the mountain trails, and drove to North Carolina. And back. 

{There were only a few trails that allowed for dogs, so we planned our hikes around those trails. It was hot outside, so the shade of the trees was quite welcomed! On the first trail we saw some wild dogs. Or maybe pets off leashes. Still not sure...}

{After walking around a bit, and overpaying on snacks for my STARVING children, we headed to the top of the mountain in the comfort of our truck. We pulled off at a few scenic overlooks to take in the views.}

{And now we can say we walked from Tennessee to North Carolina!}

{We made it to the top--Clingmans Dome. Those views!}

After walking around a bit, the kids peed in actual hole-in-the-ground outhouses and we hit the road to the bottom. Caleb took many of the corners a bit sharper than necessary because that's fun, which was thrilling to the kids. Molly slept through it all.

{Much of our trip through the mountains looked like this. Perfect!}

Smoky Mountains Adventure: Day 2

 Our first day in Tennessee. 

{After what seemed like many hours--but really wasn't that many hours--we finally arrived at our campsite for the week. I don't have much experience with campsites--as in I have never really been to a campsite outside of my backyard before--so I don't have much to compare it to, but this camping area was beautiful. Tall trees blocked off each person's area and stonework edged the property. Much unlike the parking lot campsite feel of Louisville.}

{The boys wasted no time starting a fire and constructing weaponry from forest finds.}

{Camryn and I went to the pool, where she convinced Mason (who arrived later) that the frigid water was really warm. He jumped in without giving it a quick toe test first, and was quite surprised! I'm sure he will pay her back for that one.}

{We ended our evening with a Mario Kart tournament under the air conditioning vent in our camper. Roughing it.}

Smoky Mountains Adventure: Day 1

After originally kicking around the idea of driving out West to spend a few weeks exploring several state parks, we modified our plans due to time restrictions and instead decided to check out the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. We drove halfway to our destination on Saturday, and stayed the night in Louisville. While there, we visited the Louisville Slugger Museum. Well worth the trip!

{Wow! I had no idea how involved bat making is. Each MLB player gets roughly 100 bats per season, and while there we watched Cody Bellinger's bats get carved out of a square chunk of wood. Each bat takes roughly 40 seconds to cut, and then goes through a series of steps that smooth and lacquer it before being finished. A tour for every baseball fan, that's for sure!}

{We each got to take home a souvenir bat, which came in handy for pictures with all of the wax players.}

{We each had the opportunity to hold actual game-used bats from some of our favorites. Caleb: Ozzie Smith; Me: Mark Grace; Jacob: Babe Ruth; Camryn: Kris Bryant; and Mason: Ronald Acuna, Jr. Mason told me that holding that bat sent chills through his body. I love his love for the game and that he feels all the feels!}

Then back to the campground, where the kids swam in the pool, bounced on the air mat, played a variety of lawn games, and then we went for a walk along the trail where we came across this cave:

{Chilling under the LED lights of our camper. Hardly roughing it!}

{Molly made herself feel right at home. Drinking water from the dish while lying down on the lawn. Lazy dog!}