Find Joy in the Journey

We finally made it over to the Great Smoky's. We had beautiful weather and went on some great hikes and bike ride. We stayed in a condo with an awesome view and a pool/hot tub so as frequently happens the air bnb was Jared and Lydia's favorite part of the trip. The road up to the condo was a little crazy but worth it for the view. I didn't do a lot of research on Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge before traveling there and was shocked when I got there and saw how touristy it was. I was expecting a small little town in TN as is the case with the town at the entrance to most National Parks I was so wrong. It was crazy all the attractions there. It really is like a small Las Vegas. We didn't spend much time in either city beyond eating dinner. The only attraction we did was an alpine coaster which Jared absolutely loved and Lydia hated. The park did remind me of Shenandoah National Park only a bigger grander scale. We even saw 2 bears on separate days which was really cool. We biked 16 miles (2 separate rides) and hiked 16 miles (over 2 days). Jared and Lydia were really good sports and each liked Clingman's Dome Hike the very best (it was the shortest one and did have a very nice view). My favorite hike was Grotto Falls and Mark's was Alum Cave Trail.

Condo Views: At first we talked about finding a cabin in the woods but as I thought about it more I decided I wanted views not trees like my backyard. I was happy we went this route.

Wednesday:
Pulaksi, VA "Rails to Trails" bike ride. Mark happened upon this trial about a week before we left. The weather looked dicey but we decided to give it a try. It was gorgeous. Its my favorite bike ride that I can think of that we have done here in VA. I love the system of "Rails to Trails" they are as flat as we can get coming from Charlottesville. We did get stuck in some rain for 10 -15 minutes and Lydia had a breakdown but we were able to work her through it and once we got back to the car and she rested and got a snack she was happy she did the ride. She really does not love biking which makes me so sad.

New River Trail: it was so awesome. It was level, had water and shade, coutryside and the boardwalk bridges and a huge bridge at the end. So perfect.

Ominous Clouds

I love this picture. I am so happy.
Mark and I had a mini bike date as Jared and Lydia rode ahead.

Jared found a baby turtle. He was excited.

So picturesque. And then... the rain came pouring down.

Bristol VA and Bristol TN.
Before planning this trip I had no idea that there as a Bristol VA and a Bristol TN. Its fun when that happens. We are dinner in TN (no masks needed in stores or on the sidewalk) and ice cream in VA. Masks required. It was fun to walk down both sides of Main Street. A good stopping spot to break up the drive.

Learned Bristol TN was the birth place of country music and happened to see this mama duck and all her ducklings following her. So adorable.

Turn Left go to TN. Turn Right, VA. So funny.
You can also see both state flags!

This was such a cute old fashioned ice cream/candy shop.

Thursday:
Clingman's Dome, Alum Cave Trail and Laurel Falls Hike. We left the condo pretty early to start our day. Clingman's Dome is a steep paved path to an observation tower. It was a tough hike and pretty chilly but still ended up being the favorite of two in our family. To get through the steepness Jared changed with each step, "I hate this hike" he didn't really but it helped motivate him. As I reached the observation tower I crossed path with a guy exiting the Appalachian Trail. In all the times I've passed AT markers in Shenandoah I have never seen anyone actually hiking the trail. He and his group started in Georgia and were making their way up to Maine. It was fascinating to chat briefly with him. I hope he makes it all the way and is glad he did it.

Sunrise from the condo.

Got stuck behind this wet paint truck at park entrance. Why they were doing it at 8:00 in the morning is beyond me. It was pretty annoying.

Donuts before driving to our next hike. We got powdered donuts and added some of our raspberry jam to them. It was delicious.

Alum Cave (overhang) Trail.
This was our longest hike at just under 5 miles. It was a really nice hike with a lot of variety. Most of the time you were next to a river and it was so pretty. There was a really cool natural tunnel/bridge you hiked through and some cool bridges to cross the river. It has some steep sections but overall it was a pretty manageable for our family. My favorite part was not even the actual cave but the natural tunnel we went through although the "cave" was great too. We had plenty of snacks and water and were proud of ourselves for completing it.

My favorite section of hike

Going up

Going down

Cave at the end of trail. Its really an overhang.

We ate a picnic lunch by our car after the hike and then on our way to the visitors center we saw a bear! He was right on the edge of the road and we loved watching it.

Much to Jared and Lydia's disappointment we decided to do one more hike for the day. It was a beautiful day and we were not far from a hike we had planned for the next day so we just went for it. They hiked with minimal complaining and may have even liked it. The promise of time at the pool and skittles helped them power through it. It was also not too long, 2.4 miles round trip. This hike is actually paved a lot of the way. The pavement is not in great shape but its there. The waterfall was really nice and we had some great views. We were very proud of them for completing all three hikes.

Laurel Falls Hike

After we left park we topped in Pigeon Forge to ride an alpine coaster. Lydia was too short to ride alone so she and I rode together. If she could have she would have pushed the brakes down the whole way. I accidentally confused how the brakes worked and was actually not using them when I thought I was. I didn't mean to scare her but she was convinced we were going to tip over. It will be a long time before she is willing to ride one again. Jared was so happy and would have ridden it multiple times.

The whole track was a mile long, the ride only lasts 7 minutes but it was fun.

Thursday: Baskins Creek (3.5) and Grotto Falls (3.2 miles)

Baskins Creek was the toughest hike we did I felt. We hardly saw anyone and were pleasantly surprised at how big the waterfall was at the end. The whole hike was basically down hill on the way in so of course going up was not easy. We took plenty of breaks and made it through. Its fun when the end is better than you expected. This hike was not on the original itinerary but we are glad we toughed it out The drive away from it took us past some of the best views in the park which was a nice bonus too.

Beginning of trail view

Jared has been pining for a walking stick (like the professional hiker ones) for a few months now but with our move coming up we are really trying to not collect things. When we got to the trailhead there was this beautiful walking stick at the sign. He happily used it for the hike and then said goodbye to it and put it back by sign so someone else could enjoy it too.

I really loved Grotto Falls. It was not too steep and you could walk behind the waterfall which is always fun. We walked close by the river a lot which makes it more fun as well. Jared and Lydia were happy to know it was our last hike of the trip.

Such good sports. There was a whole lot of Minecraft planning in the Smoky Mountains.

Mark is next to the big rock in the middle.

To be honest Jared and Lydia were not very impressed with walking behind this waterfall because we were able to walk behind a pretty large and powerful one in Iceland but I was perfectly happy.

We left the park and went back to the condo for more swimming in the pool and hot tub. We made good on our promises that after spending the day in the park we would hang out at the pool. We even went Wednesday when we arrived. I don't particularly care for swimming but did enjoy the hot tub all three days. It made Jared and Lydia so happy and I am glad we were able to do that.

Saturday: Cades Cove

Cades Cove is one of the more popular sites in the park. It was an hour away from our air bnb so I didn't really want to make the trip over but Mark really wanted to run there. Its a scenic 11 mile loop with very low car speeds. Last year it was closed to cars Wednesday and Saturday mornings until 10:00 sadly they switched from two days to all day Wednesday. So our origianl plan to go Satruday wasn't was great. But as Mark really wanted to go and it was so highly recommended we went for it. We left our air bnb at 6:00 in the morning so we could get there as soon as gates open and try to beat traffic. That part worked great. Mark took off on his run doing the loop in reverse so he could avoid cars for as long as possible (its one way traffic) and Jared, Lydia and I got ready to bike. There are 3 loops you can do, 11 miles, 8 miles and 4 miles. We opted for 8 miles and got going. Drivers were really patient and courteous and we tried to be too. If we could stop at a pull out we did so they could pass and it worked well. We all felt safe and were glad we got there early. Lydia was of course not excited to go on this bike ride but she did really well. She is way more nervous about things than I thought she was so that is something to watch. It has become more of a thing the last 6 months. She didn't want to ride down any hills fast because it scared her but needed to be brave and do it so she could have momentum to get up any hills. There were some hills but it was not bad at all and biking it was a perfect way to enjoy the views. She got braver with each hill (they were not very frequent or long) and really did enjoy herself. When we got to our turn off we noticed a lot of cars stopped on the road and quickly realized there must be a bear. We biked over and sure enough a bear was right at the edge of the trees. We were so close to it. It was so cool. I am so glad we could see one like that and so glad it was a really chill bear.

We each picked out our favorite horse. They were pretty. And the lighting this time of day was magical.

From Mark's run. When he finished the loop he was at about 10.5 miles and didn't feel that was long enough so he went ahead and ran 13. New city/place therefore run a half marathon.

Super fun!

Along the loop there are historic cabins and churches you can check out. (Circa 1820 - 1850). After the bear at about 5 miles we stopped by one and explored the site. It had a large cabin, a big barn and a few surrounding out buildings.

Jared asked me to guess what he would use this house for. I had no idea and then he kneeled like this and I knew, a dog house. Pretty large for a dog!

These people had an amazing porch view!

Sadly when we got back on our bikes we noticed Lydia's had a completely flat tire. We rode down the road to another cabin and brainstormed what we should do. It was decided I would ride ahead and get car then come back and pick them up. We said a prayer together talked about what not to do and off I went to finish the next 3 miles as fast as I could. I was nervous to leave them but really did not see a better option. I ran into Mark when I got back and we quickly drove over to the cabin. I told Jared and Lydia not to expect me before 9:15 and made it back to them at 9:20. They were perfectly safe and thought it was no big deal. I was so grateful it worked out.

Where they waited, so happy to have the prayer answered.

Such an interesting design for a building.

We finished the loop together and then left the park to begin our drive home. The drive home was pretty uneventful but beautiful. Especially the VA countryside. I love it. Unfortunately there was one other bike mishap. When we got home and walked behind car to unload everything we saw that my bike was missing its front tire! We have no idea where it fell off on the drive. I am so disappointed. I have loved biking these past few months and as we are only 2.5 months away from moving and its such an old bike it doesn't worth it to replace it. I am still so sad about it. I will miss it so much. My bike served me so well and brought me a lot of joy. Jared made a good point. He said Mom, "Isn't is so good it fell off while driving not while you were riding?" He is right. That is a much better scenario. To the end my bike was taking care of me.

It was a great few days in TN! I would not put it at the top of my list for favorite national parks but it was beautiful and very nice to spend a few days there. While it was not Jared and Lydia's favorite trip they both mentioned that once they are done with hikes/rides they do look back on them and are happy they did it so that is a win. It will be so interesting to see what type of family vacations they take with their families one day. I do not see a lot of National Park trips in Lydia's future but she could totally surprise me.

There were a few things I hoped to have happen on Mothers Day and overall they were all accomplished, it was a very nice day. Mark made crepes for breakfast and Brazilian for dinner, both were delicious. I took a nice walk in the morning by myself and then after church we took a walk together. I have a fascination with really fancy old neighborhoods and I know there are plenty here in Charlottesville but I don't know where they are all. We found a million dollar neighborhood over by the Barracks road shopping center and had a great walk in the beautiful weather. Jared and Lydia wrote me very nice cards and Mark had them fill in a journal entry about me like he does each year. Lydia and I made muffins together and I had a short video chat with my family and some friends reached out with really nice texts. It was just a lovely simple day.

Happy surprise to see when I got home from my walk.

For some many years I have loved powdered raspberry filled donuts. I can only ever find them in Utah, Idaho and Nevada. I introduced Jared and Lydia to them the last time we were in Utah and since then I have wanted to find a recipe to try to recreate them. This recipe was good but not the same and kind of complicated to make so I probably won't make them again but maybe I will be desperate enough to do it again. The recipe is easy but the filling and powdering was a mess.

We also recently got our family photos back. They turned out very nice, the lighting and location were amazing! I don't love them as much as others we have had done but I am happy with them. They also aren't the worst we have gotten done so I'm calling it a win. I tried something new, wearing a dress even though I doubted I should and now know I should go with my instincts the next time. I absolutely loved the location we picked, Routon Farm. Its gorgeous, totally quintessential Virginia countryside and I wish I had more pictures of just the property. There were a lot of beautiful spots to take pictures on the property and I think we spent more time than needed at the spots that weren't my favorite. The photographer was so nice and did a great job working with us.

Some highlights: