Smoky Mountains vacation continued

The boys love to be outdoors and beg to go on "nature walks" so Bob did some research and found a trail with a waterfall and a paved path!  It was a trail to Laurel Falls which was 1.5 miles each way up and down a mountain.  The hike was beautiful and the boys were very curious to explore nature.  When we arrived at the falls, it was crowded but the boys were more than excited to get wet.






After the falls, Bob found a picnic area to enjoy our lunch. It was next to the river and we spent time throwing in rocks and wading in the water.  Carter was having a rough day and was melting down about the silliest things…not having a raft, getting his swim trunks wet, and missing seeing a fish swim by.  With this we all headed back to the resort for a FAMILY NAP. 
When we all woke up we were rested and in the best of moods, so we ventured to a putt putt golf place called Hillbilly Golf.  You ride up an incline to get to the top of the mountain and then you putt putt golf down.  I didn't think the boys would enjoy this much because they have the attention span of a gnat but they totally surprised me.  They were wild men!   I think we played each hole 2-3 times so that we didn't run into the group ahead of us!  At the last hole Landon swung his club like Tiger Woods and the ball went over the fence and bounced down the hill into the street of traffic.  We braced ourselves to hear screeching tires and a car crash but we didn't.  

On Tuesday, we got ready and headed up to Ober Gatlinberg which is a little tourist attraction on the top of the mountain.  They have an indoor ice rink and a wildlife experience with local animals in cages.  We saw bears, otters, snakes, and a red squirrel.  The red squirrel, Roxie, was crazy when the boys came up.  She was running all over the place and jumping.  We laughed so hard!

Next we rode the tram from the top of the mountain to downtown Gatlinberg.  This was very smooth but yet i kinda freaked me out being up that high with all my children.  The boys loved watching out the windows.





Roxie the squirrel staring at Nolan.

Once we were downtown we found a restaurant to eat lunch.  All the seating was upstairs which I thought was crazy but oh well.  After eating, I took Nolan and Landon down the stairs because they were getting wild and Bob, Maw Maw, and Carter stayed to pay the bill.  When they finally came down the stairs, Bob had an ice pack on his head.  He bent down to get his wallet from the stroller and blasted his head on the wooden railing.  Dude, this goose egg was huge and was bleeding.  You can't take us anywhere! Needless to say he was a little off for the remainder of the day.

To give Bob a chance to come to, Maw Maw and I took the boys into a Mirror Maze and Circus Golf.

The boys loved the Mirror Maze and it kinda tripped me out.




Putt Putt is a huge hit with the boys!

We stayed in that evening and Bob grilled steaks for dinner.  The boys had fun playing the board game Sorry with Dad. We had been hoping to see bears this week and I tried my hardest to get them to come by throwing our steak bones over the balcony but no bears came.

On Wednesday we decided to try out the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster.  Bob sat this one out with Nolan while Maw Maw and I and the boys tried it out.  It was stinking awesome.  The track pulled you up the mountain and then you were in control on the way down.  Landon was cheering the whole way down the mountain.  If you are there be sure to go there!



At the end of the ride…look at the "wind blown" look!

When Landon got off the ride he said, "That was awesome totally!"
Since we didn't have much of a plan for the rest of the day, Bob thought we should grab rafts and head back to the picnic area and raft down the river.  Splendid however there wasn't a Walmart or Target anywhere to find affordable water shoes or rafts so we stopped at the store called $9.98 or less.  $100 dollars later we were ready to go.  Think about this for a minute: Three children in carseats, Maw Maw, Bob and I with 5 BLOWN UP rafts inside our van…a sight to be seen! When we reached the river, Bob decided to hold Nolan in the raft which was the best choice.  Carter jumped in my raft and before I could get him out Landon was in his raft headed down the river out of reach of all of us.  We raced down the river but Maw Maw lost her raft and she was walking on slippery rocks to try and catch us.  Luckily Landon got himself to the edge.  Once we made it down the river we had to regroup and come up with a plan because clearly that didn't work! The next time Carter and I held hands and when we got to the rapids his raft flipped and he went under. Don't worry these parents didn't have life jackets on their kids…thank goodness Carter's instincts kicked in and he grabbed a tree root and held on for dear life until Bob got him.  That was the last time I went down the rapids.  Landon, Nolan, Maw Maw, and I decided to play in the water and rocks instead.  Carter and Bob kept going though.
Nolan was so content sitting in the water and throwing rocks…such a boone boy.

Landon and I built some rock people


Maw Maw loving on her boys!

Bob and Carter on the river rapids

Here are the rapids

Saw this snake on the rock sunning itself.

Nolan drank the water!







Comments

Popular posts from this blog

No more diapers

Nolan's First Bath and a Visit from Grandma and Grandpa Boone

Potty Master and No Nap Magee