anolefan

Love the details on all the rocks! Really amazing that they are able to pull that off.

Also, great job on the 20,000 Leagues shot. No way would I ever spot that. I'm too busy watching the kids when we are in line for rides to enjoy any of the details.

We are now about to head down Newfound Gap Road to Gatlinburg. But of course we had to stop just one more time so the kids could get out, and so I could try and get some good shots of the mountain streams. Taking pictures of snow for inexperienced photographers is tough. It played havoc with the white balance so I had to try and touch up the majority of photos in the computer.

Here is a great spot we let the kids get out and climb up a little and slide down. DS10 hit his butt on a rock (no injury), and DD got her foot stuck in the snow and had a meltdown.

This would be our last stop before checking in :)

These pictures don't do the scenery justice.

It was really beautiful to look at:

Only a few miles down towards Gatlinburg and this is what we saw.

Amazing we were just playing in snow 5 minutes prior to here:

After what turned out to be over a 2 hour drive from Cherokee, NC we finally arrived in Gatlinburg and our cabin. Our cabin was located in the Arts and Crafts area of Gatlinburg, just up the road on Route 321. We were about 15 minutes from downtown.

When we checked in the lady at the desk informed me that when I hit a certain point of the road en route to the cabin that I would say to myself "there is no way a cabin community can be out here".

She was right and I was a little concerned when we arrived at our destination:

WTF? We definitely weren't at the Fort!

Okay that was a poor attempt at humor. Here this was our real cabin, and it was awesome:

When we arrived, I unpacked and DW went to the grocery store. We have the same routine at the Fort, although I'll admit it was much easier not having to set up the camper.

Here is the view from one of the decks out back:

Here is a shot looking straight down from the bottom deck:

And here is a shot of the mountain zoomed in:

DS7 on the deck:

Here is a couple shots of the game room where the kids slept:

When DW returned we fired up these on the grill, waited for my mother to arrive and had a quiet evening in the cabin:

Friday is complete. On Saturday we visit Roaring Fork Motor Trail and meet my brother and his family for lunch. Oh, and I will mix in more cabin photos over the next updates. I did a bad job of organizing so I'm having to search through them for each post.

You would look better in the pink outfit.

J/K

I have seen a lot of garnett and gold the past few years.

It doesn't bother me as much as it used to.

TCD

And, I bet you've seen more FSU games as well.

You didn't overdo! Great pics of the kids in the snow.

I agree with TCD, couldn't you find any orange & blue to wear that day?

Thanks! My apologies, I don't own any orange and blue clothing. Geesh aren't there any Seminole fans on this board?

:)

Wow, that is a lot of snow!

I love all the photos- it wasn't too many at all.

This is a great photo, but, dude, that is a very ugly outfit you have on (no offense) :

TCD

Hey! I think my daughter looks pretty in her pink outfit. Oh you meant the FSU gear? Sorry, but I sport more later on. And as a bonus, my son will as well :)

Great updates!

That camper has been there on a couple of my trips and I never got to see up close, thanks for the pictures.

I can not get the COP song out of my head now :)

Great report!

I have to be honest, I had to google BBS as I had no idea who they were. Please don't put me in the headlock and make me say uncle :). Speaking of uncle, I make my kids scream that when I tickle them. Payback from when I was a kid and my dad used to torture err..tickle me.

With all those stops, we were still off in time for me to take this photo at 1:43 pm:

What the Fort?!

Same thought here. Are those Sundek's?

I'm giving the nod to Twin 2 on the drawings.

I'm almost caught up. Another great report.

Beautiful pictures, adorable kids and a very lovely wife! Gatlinburg is on our list...we'll get there eventually!

Can't wait to see/read more!! :pc:

Thank you! We love visiting the Smokies. We have found a nice rental company to book with and have always had good luck with our cabins. When you decide to go I'd be more than happy to give you the rental information.

looks like an awesome trip in the making, sweet family :)

welcome to 40, I'd tell you it's fine but it blows $^&&$^#! IMHO

Thanks! I've accepted the fact now, so I guess that's the second step to recovery right :)

We left off driving up route 441, Newfound Gap Road over the mountain on our way to Gatlinburg. Now after the kids saw the first sign of snow they were asking every 3 seconds when we would stop. If you haven't driven this road before, there are several pull outs for drivers to use in order to let faster moving traffic pass, but not many places to park and play in the snow. I had to keep their excitement under control until we found a few suitable spots.

Here is very first steps in the white stuff that DS7 and DD5 have ever taken:

I'll let the rest of the photos speak for themselves. Sorry if I overdue it, but this was a great time had and I wanted to capture as much as possible.

After a little bit we moved on further up the mountain and stopped again. Look straight ahead to the center of the photo and that was our destination:

I love this picture:

What views:

It was still pretty deep here:

We finally hit the top of the mountain at the TN/NC border and where Clingmans Dome is located. We did not drive up to Clingmans Dome as we still had to get to the rental office to check in for the cabin, but I imagine it was pretty impressive up there.

You see what looks like a ski slope in this photo? That was the road we were just driving on to get to this point of the mountain. We were at something like 3600 feet. Or was it the road we were about to drive down? Oh well, either way you get the point :)

Look at the amount of snow they cleared from this area to make it ready for traffic:

Next up, we descend down the mountain, check into our cabin and enjoy some nice dinner.

Happy belated birthday!

Turning 40 can't be too bad can it?

Glad to see you posting again.

Looking forward to hearing about your trip.

Nah, 40 isn't all that bad. My mom kept telling me her 40th "decade" was the best :)

Wow, snow!

It was probably in the 80's when you left home, and now you're driving through snow.

Cool!

Literally.

I wish there was a photo of you in a BK crown.

I think that's what your son was smiling at.

TCD

Yep we were definitely not expecting as much as we saw. There will be no photos of me wearing the BK crown, sorry. As the picture taker, I rarely end up in any photos. I like it that way.

Happy 40th... Up until my 40th... I felt like an 18 year old. In a mere 4 months I close in on 50.. Glad the kids experienced snow... I am sitting here right now watching it fall.

Thanks!

It is so cool to see those who've never seen mountains before experience them. And great that your kids got to see snow too! Happy Bday!

Thank you! The kids just loved the mountains. I do to, and as much as I enjoy Florida, I think I would enjoy living in an area with more scenery.

Great update and great report!

I laughed out loud when reading about the scooter ride.

Can't wait for your next report.

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I like the game references, especially the Pitfall one. I loved that game and suffered many game ending falls due to said reference.

Kind of sad to see Christmas decorations up already, but Thanksgiving is right around the corner.

Great updates!

Love the Old Town photos. We took the kids there once, but stayed with the kiddie rides. It was pretty fun though.

Looks like the beginning of a great concert. I've only been to HOB once for a concert but it was a blast!

I was up before the sun as usual on Friday, but with no sites to see I just went down and enjoyed breakfast in the lobby and caught up on the news.

Once everyone else awoke and got ready we hit the road. We left around 9am.

We drove for about 3 hours then it was time for lunch. I don't know about everyone else, but when I am on the journey towards our destination I am on a mission to get there as quickly as possible. As a result, we usually don't eat the best meals. I like to eat quick and get back on the road, and since I do the majority of the driving I usually get the final say :). I decided to stop at Burger King. I can't remember the last time we ate at a Burger King. I actually enjoyed the Whopper. The kids are always happy eating fast food. DW, not so much.

DS10 showing he still is a kid :)

DW showing her support for my lunch decision

I was surprised how long the kids wore their crowns. DD kept hers the whole trip and wore it on the way home.

When we spotted our first view of the mountains ahead, DD was so excited. She has never seen mountains before so this was all she talked about for a while.

We like to avoid Atlanta when driving to TN so we usually bypass via 441/23 through Cherokee, NC. This takes you straight through to downtown Gatlinburg, and although its only a 30 mile drive from Cherokee to Gatlinburg, it takes about an hour or so depending on traffic.

Here is a shot as we are driving through Cherokee about to enter the GSMNP

And here we are getting ready to head up the mountain via 441. Can you spot anything out of the ordinary in this photo?

Hint, look towards the tops of the mountains :)

In case you missed it in that last photo, here is what I was referring to. Snow! and what looks like a little amount here turned out to be a lot once we climbed the mountain.

You can see in this next set it is beginning to look heavier. This snowstorm came through earlier in the week due to Hurricane Sandy.

Are you bored with the snow photos yet? I hope not because up next we see the kids having a blast playing in the snow for the first time ever!

I'm in!

I have quite a few thoughts on this, in no particular order:

- I remember when I thought turning 40 was a big deal and that I was old. Little did I know.

-Poor Molly. That is the saddest dog I have ever seen.

-Your oldest son nailed the "not impressed" face.

-I like how you set up each kid's seat.

-It is really good to see a trip report from you- I'm looking forward to the rest of it.

-My twins have never seen snow. Good for you for taking your kids to see some. Although I'm not sure you were expecting to see it on this trip.

TCD

Thanks Andrew. Turning 40 wasn't that bad (well actually it was, which I'll share later on). You're right I definitely was not expecting snow, but the kids got a treat. My oldest boy has a lot of me in him (not sure if that's all good either).

I am in as well. If your Aunt in CT needs any assistance let me know. I am up here and happy to help out if I can.

Thanks for the offer, she was able to get up and running during the middle of our trip. She did not have any storm damage thank goodness.

Happy 40th. Enjoy your youth. (I just turned 50).

Adorable doggie.

Country Inn and Suites has become our go-to hotel also. One of the few relatively inexpensive chains that usually has room for 3 kids. In fact we've stayed at the one in Cordele, GA, up the road from Tifton, on our way back from Orlando.

What kind of vehicle do you have? Looks roomy inside.

Thanks! We were going to drive to Cordele and stay at that hotel, but I wasn't sure how the kids would be after being at school and not getting on the road until after 4pm. I know it is not much further north, but you never can tell with 3 little ones.

We drive a Ford Expedition. It used to have a bench seat, but I removed it so we could have homemade "captain chairs" like the minivans sport. It has worked out well now since the kids are not all sitting on the same seat.

Happy 40th :jumpforjoy :jumpforjoy (I'll be joining you this coming Jan)

Thanks!

Back to back TCD reports, going to be tough concentrating on work over the next several days.

I'm in!

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Love the tiger pictures!

Me too! Great shots!

The bat pictures however... I do not care for bats. I actually had an up close encounter with me on our last trip to the Fort. He was hiding under one of the popup gizmos, and as I was taking it off during breakdown I came within a foot of him. I haven't moved that fast in years.

Great report!

The dreaded day finally arrived, my 40th birthday. Since this was a big occasion and my side of the family is fairly small, we decided to try and get together and rent a cabin in Gatlinburg to celebrate. My brother and mother live in Tennessee, about an hour and a half from the Smokies, and my aunt lives in CT. We figured this would be a great place to all meet and spend a long 3 day weekend.

The original plan was to get a 4 bedroom so that all of us would be able to stay together, but my brother, who coaches basketball, was to begin practice that weekend and wasn't sure if he would be able to attend for the whole weekend or just for a day. With that information we decided to book a 3 bedroom since it was more affordable. This meant our family of 5, my mother, and my aunt and her boyfriend would be staying in the cabin. We were to meet up on Friday 11/2 and depart on Monday 11/5.

Hurricane Sandy, unfortunately made it impossible for my aunt to visit, since she was out of power for the majority of the week. This meant it was down to just us and my mother now. While the news was disappointing, we knew we would make the most of it.

In this report you will see lots of photos of the kids, some scenic mountain views, waterfalls, suspension bridges, and a tiny amount of food (I always slack in this department). And, oh yea I almost forgot, snow.

Let's get going. Since our total drive time was 11 1/2 hours, we departed on Thursday and drove to Tifton, GA to stay the night. Not much interesting to report for the first day of driving, but I have a few photos to share.

I took the day to get ready and packed the truck while the kids were at school. The first order of business was to drop our dog Molly off at the vet for boarding. She was not thrilled.

And since it was the day after Halloween I placed a little treat for them in each of the kid's car seats. Halloween goody bags.

Apparently DS10 was not impressed with my choice of candies for his goody bag :)

DS7 was enjoying a little reading.

The drive was easy and quick and we arrived in Tifton around 8:30pm. We have become fans of Country Inn And Suites over the past two baseball seasons since they accommodate our family nicely, so we decided to stay there for both overnight stays this trip. Here are a few random hotel shots.

First day of travel in the books.

Coming up, the kids eat like kings, see mountains and we get some good news.

That baby gate made me laugh.

Me too.

Baby gates, baseball hats and basketball hoops :)

I also thought the look on the faces from the crowd were interesting.

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Great report Andrew!

Although I must say I'm a little disappointed in your unsolved mysteries, but I'll recover once you begin the next report.

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The campground looks nice when it's not crowded.

I'm not sure I would want to see it when it is full. Doesn't look like you get much privacy there. Or shade.

TCD

I was thinking the same thing. I have always been interested in this place, but it doesn't seem condusive for a pup during the summer months with the lack of shade. Looks nice though and I'm really enjoying the report!

Can't wait for more.

I'm on board!

Love the pictures so far. I don't think I'd be able to brave Atlanta with the camper in tow. I'm white knuckle as it is with just the truck.

Nice job snagging Turner Field photos. DS10 asked to drive by there just this past week on our way to visit family but we did not, so I'll be sure to show him yours:)

Can't wait to hear about Halloween!

Great stuff Andrew! I've always enjoyed how interested the twins are at all the events and their interactions with the cm's. it's really cool.

I love your early morning photos and the sunrise series. My favorite is Sunrise Over Campfire.

Seeing the beef truck made me curious so I looked them up. Apparently Buckhead Beef is quite reputable and even serviced the Olympics in Atlanta.

http://www.buckheadbeef.com/company_info.htm

Thanks for the River Country photos.

Site 617 will need a lot more foliage than that for me to be want to stay there. I hope I'm never assigned there on a full weekend with no other options available.

Awesome update.

Fireflies and Rhododendrons, looks like a June trip is in order for us too. My mom loves Rhododendrons and always asks about them when we visit Gatlinburg as we travel via 441 from Cherokee.

There is nothing better than sitting for a sleeping child :)

I enjoyed your comments on the green stuff. I'm such a beer wuss. The idea of risk taking for me is Sam Adams Boston Lager.

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Great update! I love the Josie duty comment. We actually have an unspoken game with our dog. It's called try to ignore the fact that she needs to go for a walk the longest to see who wins. The loser gets walking duty. Thankfully the dog walking torch has been passed to our oldest boy on our camping trips :).

I LOL at the scooter comments and the pictures of you having a blast on it.

Looking forward to the re enactment!