Laurel Falls

Is that the cutest face or WHAT!?
 Parker LOVES hiking.  He always wants to lead the group, too.  He will start off with his backpack with water and snacks, and after about 30 minutes, he is ready to give it away.  On a 2 mile hike, he will not complain until the last quarter mile, so when we decided to conquer Laurel Falls ( 1.3 mile hike) I thought he'd love it, right?

Well, the sign does not warn the hiker that the trail is 95% UP HILL!!!  That is great going back, but you have to get TO the falls first!  UG!

Parker and the Gang really did fantastic, considering how challenging.  :)

After a small break, we ZOOMED down the mountain.  Parker hung in there till the end, too.

Way to go!


Blessings,
Steph

Cataract Falls

On another great day, we decided to hit the Smoky Mountains again.  We went to the Sugarlands Visitor Center, where there is a very EASY little hike. :)

It was also one of those days where it was a little frustrating.  It seemed like EVERYONE was in a mood.  We ended up taking a break in the middle of the 'nature walk' to have a Family Meeting.  :)

Yes, even in the Great Smoky Mountains, on a beautiful day, with out a worry in the world, I had to correct my whiny children.  (oh, yeah, they are normal!) :)

After my 'cheerleading' session, Tanner noticed this cool snake slithering on a beaver dam. :)  Immediately, the kids were excited to be on the hike, attitudes were positive, and we were rolling!

Here are the falls.  Can you see them?! :)  They are so small, it is as if you have cataracts on your eyes!

Overall, it was a good day, even though we had to squint  to see the falls!

Blessings,
Steph

Abrams Falls

The beautiful Smoky Mountains really are beautiful and smoky.  :)

We spent an afternoon driving the Cades Cove Loop, admiring all the beauty, and decided to conquer a pretty tough hike. (considering we are including a four year old and a mama that is not in the best shape!)

Camel Backs- check!               Snacks- Check!

We saw this HUGE Daddy Long-Leg strutting his stuff along a rock.

On this hike, there are 3 super cool suspension bridges.

We made the falls in less than 2 hours!  WHOO HOO!

We sat and ate a snack, drank some water and tried catching tadpoles. :)

It's one thing to see these little guys in an aquarium in Pet Smart, but it is a whole other level of excitement, when you catch one in the Smoky Mountain's waterfalls!!!

This was a neat lizard, doing his best to hide.

Well, Parker hung in there until the very end!  Way to go little man. :)

Blessings,
Steph

Tons of Beans & Cars!

In a little town called, Chestnut Hill, in the eastern hills of Tennessee, we had a stinkin' good time at the Bush Beans Original Store and Museum!

It was a wonderful, hands-on museum.  Here, is a small, interactive contraption, that shows the canning process.

These bags hold 2 TONS of beans!  On any given day in the factory, you will see hundreds of these bags!

They have a scale that weighs in 'beans,' so we HAD to find out how much we ALL weighed together as a family.  :)  FUN stuff. :)

I don't know why I think this is too cute.  It just makes me smile!

Oh, stop pouting already!

Candy makes them happy every time!  Hee...hee!

Special friends.....

I tell you the truth, Emily cheers in the middle of the grocery store, when I put Bush Beans in our basket! It is one of her favorite side dishes for dinner.  We had to visit the great FREEBIE!


All around the Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge area, are hundreds of old cars driving around.  Come to find out, this time of year, the city holds a HUGE Car Show!

All along the strip, are some totally awesome, so fine, old, rebuilt beauties that are on display.

Surprisingly, the traffic has not been bad at all.  It is fun to drive around, drooling, appreciating all the classic cars, from Studebakers, to Corvettes, to old Ford trucks!

There are also hundreds of people just sittin' on the side of the road drooling appreciating all the 'sights.' They literally bring their folding chairs, sip lemonade and make a day of it!  :)

Only in America folks!

The amount of work and money and time that the proud owners put into these vehicles is truly obvious.

Blessings
Steph

Knifeworks!

In Pigeon Forge, TN., there is a smokin' - cool place!  Knifeworks!  Even if you are not into the whole knives, swords, sharp objects, kind of thing, you will enjoy this store.  It is JAM packed with so many things to "oohh and aaww" about.  Not to mention, that it is FOUR stories!!

Such a cool display of Captain America and Iron Man memorabilia.

Anyone seen a gladiator lately?

HUGE!  Sword in the stone smack dab in the middle of the store!  :)

Even Lord of the Rings fans will find 'treasures' here!

O.K., so we got a little carried away.  Who doesn't want to ride a Harley?!

This store is so  big, it even has its own museum.

Now, outside of the store, is a little brick building.  You know the saying, "Big things come in small packages?"  In this little building, is a REAL mountain man.  I mean, livin' in the mountains, eating the meat he catches in a trap or the fish he catches that day kind of mountain man!

He volunteers his time teaching and demonstrating the art of making knives.  He can make a knife out of ANYTHING!  It was too fun!

His father taught him, and his grandfather was a true blacksmith.  He is now passing on his own skills to his son, who sold knives all over the country last year!  Love it!

Here, he is showing us how to make a knife from an old, rusted railroad spike.

He has even made knives from swordfish, like this one that Tanner is holding.

One of the fascinating aspects of this life style that NEVER gets old, is learning about all the different ways to make money.  There are some amazingly creative people, who love to share their craft.


Blessings,
Steph

The Apple Barn = YUMMY!

This place is just so wonderful.  :)

You walk in and immediately smell apple yumminess!  Apple-cinnamon, apple-berry, apple-caramel, apple-spice, apple-pumkin........

You get the idea, right?!

 Here is where some of these wonderful apples are planted and harvested.

 OH YEAH!

This is the Candy Store, next to the Apple Barn. :)

We literally had to drag our kids out!  Ha!

HOW can we pick only one treat!?

We decided on the creamery.  Home made, made fresh, everyday, yummy ice cream! (notice Parker and Emily's blue teeth?)


Blessings,
Steph