anolefan turns 40 in the Snowky err...Smoky Mountains

[anolefan 8]

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.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

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

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

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.

[Seals 111]

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.

[SCTigerCock 171]

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

[anolefan 8]

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!

[stefa70 205]

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.

[anolefan 8]

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!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

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

[Big Kahuna aka John 71]

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.

[Southern Blessings 4]

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!

[anolefan 8]

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.

[charitycase20....Charity 10]

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:

[MLM5.. aka Judy 97]

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

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

[anolefan 8]

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.

[anolefan 8]

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 :)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

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

[anolefan 8]

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 :)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

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 :)

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

[stefa70 205]

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?

[anolefan 8]

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?

:)

[anolefan 8]

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.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Wow, that is some "cabin!"

That thing is sweet.

I love the views.

And the bar!

Good job on picking that cabin out.

I wouldn't want to leave there.

TCD

[Big Kahuna aka John 71]

Love the snow photos... nice job with them... The one of your daughter running shows her excitement at playing in the snow... Beautiful "cabin"... and awesome looking steaks.... Oh yeah... Phineas and Ferb on the TV ... nice Disney tie in...

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

40? You young thing!