The Great Smokey Mountains

Summer is in full swing here, it's been hot and humid, just the way I like it.

As soon as we pulled into our campground I knew this week would be amazing. Every once in a while we splurge on campgrounds and Big Meadow in Townsend, TN was one of them. It was well worth every penny!

I love when we get to park on concrete, dirt makes such a huge mess especially when it rains, and here in Tennessee it rains almost everyday with afternoon thunderstorms.

When we first arrived it felt a little like Hawaii with the humidity and lush forests. Slowly as the week went on it progressively got hotter and hotter reminding me more of Palm Springs but humid.

We kept very busy during our week stay on the edge of The Great Smokey Mountains National Park...

we took a drive through Cade's Cove and saw first hand why this area is called The Great Smokey Mountains. Clouds form right off of the tree tops making them look like they are smoking.

The girls and I grabbed our ponchos on this hike in Cade's Cove, it was raining pretty heavily but with the tree canopy we barely felt it.

We hiked to this old log home that used to be inhabited by settlers in the 1800's.

On another day Justin rode his bike around Cade's Cove and saw this mama bear with her cub. We have been blessed to see a lot of wild life here...bald eagles, bears, and wild turkeys.

Back at camp...

the kids made friends, giving Justin and me a lot of free time to read and relax.

We caught firefly's, something we don't see at all in the West.

The kids played until late in the night not wanting to stop and we let them run wild because that's what summer is all about. Okay I must admit, it was hard for me to let them stay up so late. I love my kids' bedtime and I don't like to deal with grouchy attitudes from a lack of sleep!

Since the Townsend River is right by our campground we got to do some fishing...

and went tubing.

So much fun!

It was relaxing. Every once in a while there would be small rapids, but mostly it was a calm ride. Justin and Blake rode the upper portion of the river later in the day, which they said was a little more rough (fun to them).

We were able to go horseback riding, something I've been dreaming of doing on our trip but wanted to find the right place...this was definitely it.

This is Layne's horse Nevada. The owner of the stables handed Layne the reigns and told her to stay still. Layne took control of her horse, not scared one bit.

Reagan's horse Cheyenne and Blake's horse Big Mama taking a potty break.

I was so impressed with how my kids handled their horses. With no experience they rode with confidence maneuvering through thick forest, up steep hills and through tight meadow paths.

Justin's horse was perfect for him, a little spunky and rowdy. Mine was old and slow, perfect for me.

Our ride was amazing, just the five of us and a guide.

I would love to own horses one day. Please Justin!!

We also took a few hikes...

and showed our kids the back side of water.

Blake is at the perfect exploring age, he loves to climb and discover.

Such a beautiful reflection of God's creation.

After so much hiking our kids' shoes were toast, so we had to replace them at Walmart. I'm thinking their new shoes will last a good month at the most.

We celebrated Father's Day and our 13th wedding anniversary while we were here.

Since we have no babysitter on board my parents promised Justin and I a date night to celebrate our anniversary when we see them next week. We will try to give my parents a little time to relax before we bolt for the door, but I can't make any promises.

For Father's Day we went to the Dixie Stampede dinner show in Pigeon Forge.

Pigeon Forge is unique...unique is a nice way to describe it.

Nevertheless we wanted to experience the area so we drove to the Dixie Stampede ready for a night of Cowboy fun.

The kids had a blast, they were entertained the entire time.

It was sort of like Medieval Times...but with a Western flare. I don't know if we would ever go back, but it was a good experience.

This is the view from our campsite...so beautiful.

We are leaving tomorrow, headed to Nashville. I should start to pack up, but I don't want to. Right now our kids are playing outside, it is way past their bedtime and they still need to eat dinner and take showers. They are running on ice cream fumes. Guess we will have to deal with grouchy tomorrow.

We have enjoyed this place so much that time seems to fly out the window. That's okay, I need a week like this on occasion, a week where you don't check your watch and you just let go.