Anniversary/ Last Hurrah Trip to Pigeon Forge

To be as short as it was, this trip celebrated all sorts of things.  I found it interesting that exactly ten years ago, New Daddy and I were honeymooning in Pigeon Forge.  And, on our anniversary, we found ourselves here again, only with almost-four children, and ten amazing years past us.  It was also our last major trip before our little guy ("Tater" is a possibility for a blog nickname that left us in teared laughter?) arrives in a month.  It seems to have become a tradition for us to take a "last hurrah" trip with the older children shortly before the new baby arrives.  Our trip before Cutie's arrival was in Florida.  This trip was a little less ambitious, but still plenty of fun.

Thursday, we finished chores and packing, playing with kids, etc. and got on the road around 1 PM.  We stopped at the store at the Tallulah Gorge overlook and picked up some cider and boiled peanuts.  The fun of this stop was "forgetting" to usher the kids out to the porch to "show" them the view.  Instead, they meandered outside by themselves and -whoah- discovered that awesome view by themselves!  I think it was much more meaningful this way.

We arrived at our hotel and the kids immediately changed and went downstairs to the indoor pool.  Since we usually travel when the weather is cooler, we usually don't stay at hotels that don't have indoor pools (or refrigerators- must travel with raw milk).  Precious has been sans-flotation for about a year, now.  Bubby also insisted on going without floaties.  Since he could touch the bottom in the three-foot section, we let him stay there without floaties.  Cutie and Precious had "swimming lessons," and Bubby went exploring underwater with his goggle; he loves pretending that he's a fish.  He also enjoyed falling into the water in various ways.  Two movie quotes that we heard from him before he fell backwards were 1) "This is the end of Bubby the sloth," and 2) "I get to be an uncle," then, SPLASH.

Thursday evening, we ate at Huck Finn's, which was a great experience.  They had drumsticks on the kids' menu.  How did they know what our kids really like to eat, anyway?  Mommy was pleased.  I ordered the appetizer-sized fried chicken livers, and I'm really glad I didn't order the entree portion.  This is what we call a little too much "nutrient-density."  The next morning, we had leftover hush puppies, navy beans, and fried pickles for breakfast.  Oh, and fried liver-- but not New Daddy.

Friday was our actual anniversary and the day that we spent at Dollywood.  I can honestly say that we've passed nicer anniversaries, but it wasn't too bad.  Lines were a little long, but we really enjoyed the rides that we got around to.  Riding behind the steam engine was a real treat; even the cinders that fell on my shirt added a special touch of authenticity.

Around 5:00, Dollywood decided that the thunderstorms in the area were too close, and it was time to shut everything down for the day.  New Daddy was able to squeeze in one take of the wooden roller coaster with Precious.  It was her first genuine roller coaster.  She was frozen throughout the ride; afterward, she had a blank look of disbelief on her face that she had just survived it.

Thankfully, when Dollywood shuts down because of weather, they give out rain check tickets.  We're planning on using our free tickets to go back in in the Fall, when the new guy ("Bubbles"?) is used to his car seat, and hopefully when we can catch a Southern Gospel concert or two.

We spent a little while at the river at The Old Mill before we realized that we weren't really in the mood for a sit-down dinner, and the kids would be happier at the hotel pool, anyway.  We called for pizza take-out on the way back to the hotel, and we suited up the kids.  Supper was pizza by the indoor poolside-- ah, the life.

Saturday morning found us yet again at the pool before we checked out.  Breakfast was leftover pizza.  Are we seeing a pattern of leftovers = breakfast, here?  After checkout, we ate brunch at a nasty pancake house that gave us more dollops of margarine when we asked for "real butter."  We grabbed our own to-go box and took the leftovers home to the dog and chickens.  The chickens wouldn't touch the pancakes; they must have known that the restaurant had an 87 rating.  We didn't know until the checkout, or we wouldn't have set foot in there.

We then passed a lovely drive through the mountains, listening to bluegrass, whooping like real hillbillies, and enjoying the view of partially cloud-enshrouded mountains.

Bubby fell asleep in the car, and we almost didn't stop in Cherokee.  But we had promised Bubby that we would let him see some real Indians (he wanted to wave at them and say, "Wingato," from Pochahontas), so we turned towards the Oconoluftee Village and woke him up.  I am so glad we stopped here.  The crafts-tour was what I had always hoped I could see at Cherokee (but never had seen in the touristy hodgepodge), and the whole village was incredibly interesting.  Definitely worth going out of the way for.

And after that, we stayed on the road and got home a little while before dark.  An excellent trip, it was.

Any suggestions for our new little guy's blog nickname?  We're obviously in need of ideas.