Snowfall

 

Maddie took this photo above from the balcony in Gatlinburg, where we were making our escape, trying to get ahead of the weather.  What weather, you say?  Snow.  It was supposed to be coming here, and although it might not be as bad in Gatlinburg, it certainly could get harrowing up in Great Smoky Mountain Park, where we were supposed to be driving today.  In fact, they could actually close that road and then we'd be stuck trying to make our way around somehow.  

We got things packed up and got out the door fairly quickly after taking a look at weather radar images.  Yes, the snow was coming in, but not too much.  Still, just enough to be of concern.  And so as we drove back south and up into the mountains, we saw the sign at the entrance to the park:  road closes at 11:00am.  The time was 10:40am.  We were making it into the park just in time before they closed it all down!

As we traveled upwards, the flurries started, and we watched the temperature drop.  And we saw snow start to stick on branches, railways and logs.  And then, as we got higher... the snow got thicker!

I was driving, and actually got a bit nervous as we ascended up the winding road towards the pass.  The road closed behind us, there were no other drivers admitted into the park but those of us along this beautiful scenery.  It was indeed a winter wonderland, the Smoky Mountains amidst snowfall, these thick and heavy flakes floating down as we drove along.  One part of me was worried and wanting to get down as soon as possible.  The other part of me wanted to get out and play for a few moments.  At the pass, we did just that, all three of us getting out to enjoy the scenery.  It was windy there at the pass, and in fact it was twenty-four degrees before that wind chill.  And it was icy!  We made our way up to the observation deck, and it was a perilous journey downward, with Maddie and I slipping at least once each.  But we made it back to the car, and it was there that we decided to build our first and only snowman of 2023!  We didn't get any snow in Georgia, and actually this was the first snow we saw this year.  Maddie loved it, snapping photos and videos like the ones above.  Here are just a few more of the pictures we took from the state line there between Tennessee and North Carolina.

Joey hopped out in the snow too!

The Appalachian Trail... not today, thank you.

Treacherous steps up to that small observation area.

Maddie took a panorama from up there.

Ice was forming quickly as the temperature took a nose dive.

It was beautiful up there.  Cold, but really pretty!

Our 2023 snowman!

Snow was accumulating on the roads by this point, so we were getting a little nervous!

Snow falls in the valley.

And beams of sunlight sprinkle through as well.

Maddie hopped out of the car for a quick picture.

The view from Newfoundland Gap, only this time with snow

You can see many others had the same idea as us... the road's closed, but here we all are!

Maddie atop the observation area.  She's cold. So am I!

Taken from atop that observation area.

Maddie enjoyed walking in a winter wonderland.

These could be next year's Christmas cards!

Brrrr!  It's about time to get back into the car.  First, she has to throw a snowball at me!

Mom and I pose at the overlook.

Our snowman's hat kept blowing off!

So after that, we had to get down.  Again, the road was closed, so no one was coming up.  We saw one elk, but the traffic was practically non-existent.  We were making our way down really slow.  The ice on the road was present, as I did feel a couple slides - I was pretty anxious to get down further.  And sure enough, the lower we got, the higher the temperature went, from 24 to 25 to 26 to 27... eventually by the other side of the park we saw it at 33, where there were only flurries again.  We were safe again, exiting the park and into Cherokee.  

We stopped at our usual McDonald's there in Cherokee, and had our first meal of the day - we were so preoccupied with the snow that no one remembered to eat food!  But we did stop there, and then continued safely southward with a few flurries but decreasing clouds all the way. 

The only big stop we made was at the Blue Ridge Honey place to pick up a lot of jars of honey, elderberry jam, and some honey infused carbonated beverages too.  It was a nice stop.  We also stopped by Goats on the Roof, but they were closed.  It's too cold to have goats up there!

We listened to a few Perry Stone messages along the way, some we picked up from the revival a few weeks ago, and that helped move things along.  Soon enough, we were back home, quickly unpacking and saving hello to the birds and the sea monkeys, making sure everyone was fed or at least oxygenated.  

Tonight's feature movie was "Aquaman," as we were thinking of seeing the sequel tomorrow and none of us had any idea what the first movie was about, even though we all saw it only five years ago.  A lot of it came back to us as we were watching, but not one of us could tell you anything specific beforehand, as all we remembered were lots of underwater fight scenes and so forth.  But it wasn't a bad movie - it's just funny we didn't remember a thing from that.  We also watched the next episode of "What If...?" just to keep the streak going.  One more episode this season, coming up tomorrow.

We ended the day with prayer, and with reading too.  We were all pretty tired from the day, and the week's adventure.  It was a wonderful trip filled with so much favor.  Getting tables at restaurants for ice cream and for pizza just as others were getting on, getting on that train with the last seats, getting in those shows in a similar manner, seeing all that we did with so many people there ... time after time we experienced such favor in our trip.  Mom didn't have a great reaction to something she ate at the end, but she's okay now, and what we do remember from our trip were great memories of a pretty full vacation. 

It also ended our Year of Dollywood in a solid fashion.  We went during all four seasons, using those season passes at least ten times each this year.  There are still things left to see or do, but we might take a break from that in 2024 to go and do something else.  It's been a pleasant time at the park though - season passes really make for a more relaxing experience, as you're not so focused on squeezing in as much as you can in one day.  Maddie's favorite moments for this trip included the snowfall and the cars.  Mom and I loved the snow, but also the shows we saw on that first night, including the carolers and the Nativity play.  We picked up a "Stampede" ornament for the tree, and even hung it up on the Christmas tree tonight before bed, joining a few of the other Dollywood ornaments.  It's been a great destination.  I wouldn't recommend the super busy days as much, but even through those, we had some amazing favor.