Holiday Road

Last week we took a trip to the Smoky Mountains. My dad wanted to take us on vacation and he rented us a house in Gatlinburg to stay in for the week. It was the second big trip we have taken with Ari and Emilie, the first being a trip to a beach house in Myrtle Beach when Emilie was just one month old. We were a bit nervous about it, but our fears were unwarranted and everything was wonderful.

We arrived at the house on Monday. Some of the scariest turns I have ever made were on the way up to the house.  Steep roads and sharp turns aren't really my cup of tea. I had a GPS in my car and it was not much help once we got into the actual mountain. When we finally made it up to the house and saw the view from the deck, we knew the trip was totally worth it.  It was breathtaking.
Monday night we kept it simple and had dinner, walked around downtown Gatlinburg and then called it an evening. On Tuesday, we went on a hike first thing in the morning. We ended up doing about eight miles on the Old Settler's trail and found an old wrecked steam engine laying in the stream. It was very cool. The trail was nice and we saw only one other person on it the entire time we were there.

Wednesday, we took another trail to Laurel falls. The Laurel falls trail was much more crowded which made it difficult to get as much enjoyment out of the actual hike. The falls were magnificent though, and made the crowded hike worth it. Below is a picture of Ari and I in front of Laurel falls.
On Thursday, Michael and I decided to do the Chimney Tops trail. It is a two mile trail that pretty much goes uphill the entire time. I was exhausted by the time we got up to the top and I forgot my camera so I was unable to take any pictures. Luckily, Michael had his.  The view from the top combined with the sense of accomplishment I had from climbing to the top was indescribable. I'm glad I did it.

Thursday night we all enjoyed some miniature golf. Ari loves to golf and the course we played had so much going on, he was blown away.
All in all it was a wonderful vacation. We probably only got to do about half the things we wanted, so that leaves the door open for a return trip. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!