Gatlinburg 2009

We slept in this morning, but that was okay: we didn't have any rush about today. Daddy went down the hall and was surprised: there was a pretty decent selection in the breakfast room at the hotel. He smuggled all sorts of goodies back to the room for Mommy and Madison, and together we ate a nice, big breakfast. Daddy even got to make waffles!

"And in the morning, I'm making waffles!"

As Mommy packed our stuff up, Madison and Daddy looked out at the river from our balcony. Occasionally, we'd spot the gondola going by on its way up the mountain. Soon enough, we'd be on that one! Here's a photo taken from our hotel room balcony:

It was definitely a little chilly out there, so we headed back inside for a bit and watched Dora the Explorer in front of the fireplace as Mommy did all the hard work, packing up our clothing. So much to pack for just one night in the mountains!

After we left the Bearskin Lodge, we found the launching point for the gondola and hopped on. Madison enjoyed looking out the window, and everyone on the gondola enjoyed seeing her reaction. She peeked through the window, balanced on Daddy's knees, and started calling out everything that she could see. The view was very nice - you could see all the colors on the mountains: oranges, yellows, and reds. It was like a painting looking out the gondola. Madison and everyone made noises each time the car went over one of the towers, because the whole thing would swing slightly to and fro. You'd get this little feeling in your tummy, but it wasn't like on a get when there's turbulence or something. It was really slight.

Anyway, on top of the mountain, when we got off the gondola we did a bit of exploring. There was an ice skating rink and even a shooting gallery that Mommy and Daddy tried out. Madison liked the playground best: there were large tubular slides and even a ball crawl. She got into the ropes course and just had a blast climbing all over that playground. We took dozens of pictures there alone! She probably had just as much fun there in the playground as anywhere else in Gatlinburg, and it was free! Seriously, she could have stayed there another hour and still not have been ready to leave.

Daddy got an idea though - and we weren't through playing around up there. After hanging out at the playground, we got a couple tickets for a chair lift ride!

Madison got very excited about it; she kept saying "go!" We hopped in the chair lift, and held on to her very tightly! It is such a quiet and peaceful ride up the mountain, moving up slowly through the colorful trees. The entire chair lift ride up the mountain, she had this serious look about her. It's a look that we know means she's having an intensely good time! It's a look she gets when climbing on a pony or riding a carousel. It was about to get even better: we hopped off the chair lift and climbed aboard our sleds, ready to go gliding down the mountain. Mommy rode on the track next to Daddy, who had Madison in his lap. The two of us slid down the mountain - not too fast - and had loads of fun. Madison really enjoyed it, yelling out "go!" when Daddy needed to speed up.

As soon as we got off the slide, it was time to head back down the mountain.

We boarded the gondola for a trip downward, and then got off for another stroll down the street. Decorations were very nice in Gatlinburg, one of the reasons we keep coming back. The pumpkins and scarecrows were very festive, and on our return visit to "The Village," we made sure we snapped some photos, including this one of Madison and Mommy. It is nearly identical to a shot we took last year in the same location - and I suppose we've just started a tradition! We'll have to dig out that photo from last year to see how much she's grown...

It was getting late in the day, and soon we'd have to make our trip back home - but before we left, we decided to stop to get a nice meal before the long journey over the mountains. We went to eat at Bubba Gump's, a restaurant themed after the movie "Forrest Gump." Of course, they have all sorts of shrimp. That's what Mommy and Daddy ordered too. When Mommy and Daddy went on their honeymoon in Hawaii, they visited a Bubba Gump's in Lahaina. It's a special restaurant for us, and only recently have they added a new location in Gatlinburg, just up the road from us. Madison enjoyed her meal, especially the paper replica of the boat Jenny that the food came in. Later, Daddy got Madison to pose for some photos in front of a bench next to a box of chocolates, while wearing Forrest Gump's shoes. They were a little big...

It was a short trip, but it was certainly nice to get away to the mountains and see the colors and feel the chill in the air. The drive home was uneventful, except for perhaps the wild turkeys Daddy spotted along the road in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Madison remembered very little of it because she slept most of the way. Really, we were all exhausted when we got home.

It was short, but a wonderful time together as a family up in the mountain tops of Tennessee. Next year, we just might stay a little longer!