Oh where to start...well Brandon kissed us goodbye and said enjoy your week of RV'ing and we headed for the Smoky Mountains. Dad had told us that first thing about RV'ing is not to be in a rush. Well we busted our tails to get of town ahead of the approaching winter storm. Mission accomplished. It was pretty interesting to hook up the RV in the dark.Our first stop was in Southern IL and it was dark and rainy, but we were grateful for it being rain and not snow. Next day was driving to our destination, Dandridge TN.
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| Why is it funny to hook up the "waste" line? Maybe bc the actual line is brown? Hehehe |
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| This hill just screamed "roll down me!" |
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| We could see the kids at the playground from our RV lot. |
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| Complete with a lake view and gorgeous fire place! |
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| This was pretty much the scene inside |
Obviously our experience in RV parks has been limited, but as far as RV parks go, this one was real nice! Complete with pickle ball courts and a playground.
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| Tasty campground coffee (the trip where Alison learned if you want your coffee with caffeine you should pack your own!) |
It might have been a little chilly, but we had a portable heater (that we may or may not have had to actually use inside the RV as well).
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| How to toast perfect the marshmallow |
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| First black bear sighting |
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| At the go cart track and no one got kicked out! |
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| Elizabeth got to be in the Dolly Parton Smoky Mountain Show. Ima had caught a tummy bug and was just trying to keep vertical! |
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| Hiking at Smoky Mountain National Park |
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| Lots of talk on the construction of this barn. |
This was really an educational trip. A trip where every corner we turned some stupid human was providing Pops with a life's lesson, teachable moment. First, we talked a lot about erosion (no stupid humans here, just good ole' science). But then we start hiking and people are going off the path (clear signs stating "STAY ON PATH"), kids climbing rocks ("STAY OFF ROCKS"), teenagers running on narrow paths, people getting too close to the bears, hiking over waterfalls on slippery rocks, dads pounding out a piano tune on a historic piano, etc...it never really stopped. We saw people breaking the rules, being impolite or just plain stupid everywhere we went!!
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| Anyone spy the stupid human here? |
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| Don't they look angelic? |
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| We got to see the working mill grinding corn. |
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Beautiful scenery
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| Prizes won from the arcade at the campground. |
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| It was a sleepy drive home |
We thought we weren't going to see any bears but on the way out of the National Park people starting pulling over and we got the sense something was ahead. The kids had fallen asleep on both of Ima's shoulders. I don't remember exactly what she said but it was a pretty rude awakening and went something like "If you want to see bears wake up now!!" We got to see a mamma and her cubs. It was really cool and they were pretty close. The park ranger had to tell people more than once to stop approaching them. I mean really?! Come on people! These are bears NOT puppies! At one point the park ranger said that humans are not able to out run a charging bear and some guy next to my dad said "I think I'm pretty fit" and Dad responded with "not fit enough" and mom said "it's time to leave!"
The trip would not have been complete without a visit to Bush's. Yes, Bush's beans. The museum and video were really good and we even ate lunch there. Yes we were served beans. We all got our picture with Duke - well the digital Duke anyway.
And just like that our week of exploring the Smokies was over. We did do a drive through Gaitlinburg but didn't feel compelled to do much more than the Dolly show, mini golf and go carts. The downtown area was pretty but also pretty crowded! Last trip to the bath house before heading home. Apparently the clothing guideline at campgrounds are fairly low key and Grant felt it appropriate to jump out in his undies and his sister's flip flops for one last visit to the bath house, which was VERY nice. The rest of us just made an effort to dress. The temps were a little chilly and we had a little rain, but all in all it was a really great week. The RV had a few issues, but Ima and Pops worked through them. The kids were really good and patient with the whole process. All in all a great week of family fun!
It might have been a little chilly, but we had a portable heater (that we may or may not have had to actually use inside the RV as well).
The trip would not have been complete without a visit to Bush's. Yes, Bush's beans. The museum and video were really good and we even ate lunch there. Yes we were served beans. We all got our picture with Duke - well the digital Duke anyway. 
And just like that our week of exploring the Smokies was over. We did do a drive through Gaitlinburg but didn't feel compelled to do much more than the Dolly show, mini golf and go carts. The downtown area was pretty but also pretty crowded! Last trip to the bath house before heading home. Apparently the clothing guideline at campgrounds are fairly low key and Grant felt it appropriate to jump out in his undies and his sister's flip flops for one last visit to the bath house, which was VERY nice. The rest of us just made an effort to dress. The temps were a little chilly and we had a little rain, but all in all it was a really great week. The RV had a few issues, but Ima and Pops worked through them. The kids were really good and patient with the whole process. All in all a great week of family fun!
