Our Smoky Mountain Vacation

Several weeks ago my family went on a short trip to the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee.  It was a really great trip and so nice to get away from it all.  We rented a cabin for about four days at Moose Creek Crossings.  Our cabin was actually right at the base of the Smoky Mountain National Forrest, and we ended up spending a lot of time in those woods.

We also went on a short day trip on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad on an old restored open aired train car.  The theme for the trip was Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin and the trip took us out to a pumpkin patch with all kinds of activities for the kids.  While there, each of the kids got the opportunity to bring home a pumpkin.  However, we only picked out two.  Most of the kids on the trip dressed up in their Halloween costumes, and our kids each wore a hoodie made into an animal or character.  We had a pink monkey, an owl, a panda bear, a purple kitten, and a robot.  Then we sprayed each of their hair different colors.  They really enjoyed that.  Overall, the trip was a blast.

 

 

 

On the way back to the cabin, we stopped at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee, North Carolina.  It was really cool.  My oldest daughter was very interested in it, because she has Cherokee roots so it was very much part of her history.

On one of our excursions out into the park, we stopped on the side of the road where there seemed to be a trail.  Being the adventurers we are, we started to walk through the woods onto come across another side trail that seemed a bit overgrown.  We took that one instead and very quickly came across an old stone wall surrounding an even older graveyard.  Most of the gravestones were so worn that there was no way to tell what they said, but one had been replaced to let us know that there was laid to rest a Confederate soldier from G company, 12 South Carolina Infantry Regiment.  It was a very humbling experience for me.  

We also had a large furry visitor on our last night there.  A big black bear!  I'd been woken up the night before by some loud banging, but didn't go and check out the source of the noise.  I'd told everyone the next morning what I'd heard and had come to the conclusion that we had a bear visitor while were sleeping.  Well, the next night when we returned, I wasn't the only one he'd woken up.  Unfortunately, I was not able to get any good pictures and was not about to go outside for a better shot.  It was a big bear!  

While there, my family was patient with me as I tried to capture all of our moments in the mountains and the beautiful scenery.  We were there while the leaves were changing colors.  Each morning we woke up, the leaves seemed a little more yellow and red and less green.  It was amazing.  I took tons of pictures and I haven't edited these in any way.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keith and I in the mountains