Ice Skating

This morning, we woke up a little later. Daddy went down to the continental breakfast and filled a tray to the top, bringing back a huge breakfast to the room for the three of us. One of the things Daddy did was the "make your own waffle" device, which was a good investment of time. But soon it was time to leave the hotel.

One of the reasons we chose this location was how close it was to the gondola that rode up the mountain. We did this last year, and today we planned to do it again. Soon, we boarded the gondola, and up we went over the mountains, trees, and houses precariously perched far below. Off in the distance was Mt. LeConte, which our guide told us was the third tallest mountain in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Madison could see much better through the windows this time, as this year she's a bit taller!

When we got to the top of the mountain, it was time for some fun!

The first thing we did was the alpine slide - just as we did last year. Madison was so excited about this! We rode the chair lift together on up the mountain, a really pleasant experience if you haven't done so in a while. Of course, these are for ski routes most of the time, but it's just nice to ride one in the fall when all the leaves are changing colors. The quiet of the altitude is peaceful, and just the ride up the mountain is half the fun.

The other half is going down! Madison rode with Daddy, and we rode together alongside Mommy, racing down the hill. Madison was in control of the speed, as she didn't really have the strength to push it full throttle - which could get pretty fast if we let it. But she had us coasting along down the mountain at a nice speed. It was a great ride for all of us - lots of fun!

But that wasn't the highlight of the day for us. When Madison passed by the ice skating rink, she just had to go try it out. And who were we to deny her? Daddy and Madison rented some skates and hit the ice for the first time. She was pretty nervous to begin with, but Daddy never let her fall and she found herself trying harder and harder and getting better and better. She became so relaxed that at one point, she started turning around in order to skate backwards with Daddy - this was because she saw Barbie do just that on one of her Barbie movies at home! We circled the rink several times, taking breaks here and there, and when we finished, we were really finished: Madison was exhausted! We took off our skates, and were pretty much done with the top of the mountain, hopping on the gondola one more time to make the descent back into Gatlinburg. It was a quick trip up, but a memorable one. I think we'll look into more ice skating rinks as the season grows colder.

In the meantime, it was time for us to head back. Mommy and Daddy were a little tired and figured it would be wise not to push it for the trip back. We said goodbye to Gatlinburg and started the drive back through the Great Smoky Mountains one more time. It's such a beautiful drive in the fall. But Madison was asleep! She fell asleep rather quickly, almost immediately after getting into the car. She was worn out from the fun in the morning. We all had such a good time this year. It's a quick trip, but it is such a breath of fresh air for all of us, and a tradition we'll keep for quite some time.