Christmas on The Mountain

December is always a busy time of year for us with church, business and family traditions at home so we won't make it to the mountain at all in December. But, Christmas really begins in November there and there is a ton of things to do!  Here is a list of some of the Christmas activities the Sevierville/Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area has to offer.

1.  Winterfest- From the interstate all the way to Gatlinburg is "lit up" for Christmas!  Seeing the Twelve Days of Christmas in lights definitely puts you in a festive mood. There are also Christmas Parades and a Trolley Tour of lights.  That's a great way to enjoy the sights. Most of the local business establishments get in on the fun. Last year McDonald's had an animated light display of Santa's Elf climbing a ladder to eat French fries!

2. Dollywood- I can't say enough about the quality of the shows and the beauty of the lights at Dollywood at Christmas time. You can also visit Santa's workshop, view a huge train set, ride a real train, have dinner with Santa, see a parade, watch a Christmas tree light show, or just shop for some goodies. It's your one stop Christmas Extravaganza!  Christmas at Dollywood continues through early January. You can check their website for dates and show times. 

3. Shadrack's Christmas Wonderland - This fun event is held at the Smokies Baseball Park. Without leaving your vehicle you can drive through the parking lot and see an amazing light show set to music. The synchronized choreography is amazing!  Of course if you want to get out of the car, you can visit Santa, play games, and take a camel ride there as well. 

4. Snow at the Titanic- Every Saturday in December it snows off the bow of the Titanic. And of course the inside of the ship is decorated from stem to stern.  You can see the Fantasy Princess who is there to make dreams come true for good little boys and girls!

5.  Christmas Shows - Most of the shows in Pigeon Forge take on a Christmas theme in December. You can see toys come to life before your eyes, a flying Sugar Plum Fairy, and a real horse mounted Toy Soldier all set to the music of the Nutcracker at The Dixie Stampede. (You know Dolly is gonna do it up right!) There are also a host of other festive shows including A Christmas Disaster between the Hatfields and the McCoys!

6.  The Inn at Christmas Place - Even though it is open year round, naturally, December is the perfect time to visit the Inn. The decorations are gorgeous and there is a calendar of activities for the guests staying there, including the Singing Santa.  You will want to cross the street and visit the Incredible Christmas Place where you can shop for all manner of Christmas items. You're bound to find something you can't live without!

7.  The Polar Express - You've probably already read my post about our fall foliage train ride on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad.  Well, at Christmas time the train becomes the Polar Express! The train departs Bryson City NC. Its destination is the North Pole. In route the passengers are treated to hot chocolate and a holiday treat while listening to the reading of the Polar Express. Upon arrival at the North Pole, Santa boards the train and gives all the children their very own Christmas bell. It's a magical journey for any man, woman, or child. 

8. Great Smoky Mountains Park - Even the park gets in on the Christmas fun!  If you are interested in a quieter, less touristy, more traditional activity, The Sugarlands Visitors Center hosts Festival of Christmas Past. This annual event celebrates the culture of the Smoky Mountains at Christmas time through music, storytelling, and crafts. The Oconaluftee Visitors Center hosts Holiday Homecoming, an old-fashioned Christmas celebration in the Smokies with traditional music, holiday crafts, and cider and cookies!

I've barely scratched the surface, but you can see there is a tremendous amount of holiday activity going on in the Smokies at Christmas time! But if you like less activity, you can rent a cabin with an incredible view, sit by the fire and hope for snow.......

From me and mine to you and yours, have a Very Merry Christmas and a Blessed Happy New Year!

(After I went back and read this, I decided that the Chamber of Commerce should give me the Key to the City!)

The Month of Thanksgiving

I'm calling this blog "The Month of Thanksgiving" because we spent four November weekends at the mountain house and we are always grateful for the time we spend there. 

Weekend 1, November 7-10:

Keith and I went down for a UT weekend. We spent Thursday night watching the men's basketball team beat Southern Indiana. A friend gave us luxury box tickets which was a real treat. 

On Friday I got really industrious and festive and decorated the mountan house for Christmas. Yes, the tree is up and the stockings are hung. 

On Saturday, we went back to Knoxville to tailgate and see UT lose to Auburn in football. It has not been a very good year, but we're still hoping for a brighter future ("brick by brick").  At least the band was good. 

After the game we went back to Pigeon Forge and had dinner at Timberwood Grill on The Island. 

Weekend 2, November 14-17:

We hadn't planned on going back to the mountain this weekend, but Bobby was traveling and Jenny wanted to go hiking and Jeff could get away too, so......

We arrived on Thursday night and spent a quiet evening watching ball games on television. On Friday we met Jenny for lunch at The Chop House and we got a good start on our Christmas shopping. By the time we got back to the house Jeff had arrived. We had dinner and spent the evening playing games and studying the trails. 

On Saturday, after a big breakfast, we headed for the trailhead. Jeff chose Porters Creek Trail because it met all our criteria: relatively short, only a slight gradual incline, historic buildings, and lots of nature, including a waterfall. The plan was to hike 1 mile to the old farm, then .8 mile more to the waterfall and then return to the car in plenty of time for a picnic lunch. Sounds simple, right?

Our hike started great. The weather was perfect and we made it to the farmhouse in no time at all. 

After visiting the farmhouse and barn we got back on the trail and headed for Fern Branch Falls. The trail went from a very wide gravel roadbed to a more narrow and rocky, leaf-covered path. We kept our eyes glued to our feet because none of us wanted to fall. Then we came to THE BRIDGE!  

I guess it looks harmless enough, but you weren't there!

I guess I should first explain that I have an inner ear condition that makes walking across moving water a big challenge for me. I can get dizzy and lose my balance. I'm okay as long as I don't look down. But this bridge was a nightmare! It's a little higher than most trail bridges we've crossed. It is very narrow and uneven. The handrail is tilted away from you and is too low so you have to hunker down to hang on to it. Oh, and did I mention that the bridge has a turn in it?  I seriously thought about turning back and refusing to cross but I really wanted to see the waterfall. And we had to be getting close since we'd been walking a while. I made it!  I don't know how since I didn't dare look down. It didn't help that Keith kept saying, "You're too close to the edge!"  For the rest of the hike I kept thinking about the fact that we would have to cross it again on the way back. Bummer!

Anyway after THE BRIDGE the trail started really climbing but we kept going because we knew we had to be getting close. After we were all convinced that we had come farther than .8 mile, Keith decided to run ahead and scout out the trail to see just how much farther it was. Unfortunately for the rest of us, he was wearing the backpack that contained all our water!  After another half hour or so and Keith hadn't come back, Jenny decided to run ahead and see if she could catch up to him. Poor Jeff was stuck with slow me. We kept plodding up the hill and Jeff kept saying it would be around the next curve, but nope. I really wanted to stop but I had come so far, I really didn't want to turn back. But after more climbing and getting nowhere close to a waterfall I finally plopped down on a rock and told Jeff to go ahead and I would wait for them to come back down. So he did. I waited and took pictures of this log, hoping a bear wasn't sleeping in it. 

In a few minutes, Keith and Jenny came down the trail and said they never did see a waterfall and just gave up. They passed Jeff who decided to keep going a little farther. So Jenny, Keith, and I start our slow descent. After a long while Jenny decided to go ahead of us so she could take a "potty break" in the woods. When we finally caught up with her she said, "You're not gonna believe this but I think I just found the waterfall!" It was well off the path, away from the creek, and almost dried up. Since we had our eyes glued to our feet, we walked right past it! 

Hurray!  Now we could head for the car. Only we hated to leave without making sure Jeff saw it. Keith decided to wait there for him and Jenny and I headed down. I was moving so slowly, it didn't take long for the guys to catch up with us. We ended up having our picnic lunch at 3:00!  We had been on the trail for 4 1/2 hours!

After studying the map we figured out that Jeff had walked about 7 miles, Jenny and Keith walked 6, and I walked 5. That was more than any of us meant to do that day. We headed home and hit the hot tub. Then we ordered take-out from Cherokee Grill. We were all really tired and achy, but no worse for the wear, except for my case of hiker's rash. Oh well, it went away in a few days!

We all hobbled home on Sunday and Jeff  started planning our next hike!

Weekend 3, November 21-24:

Jenny and Bobby always go to Florida for Thanksgiving so we celebrate the Holiday with them a week early. Jenny, Cassie the dog, Keith, and I arrived on the mountain Thursday afternoon. We enjoyed an evening of soup, sandwich, candy, and Netflix. 

On Friday, Keith and Jenny headed for Alum Cave Bluffs while Cassie and I cooked. Well, I cooked and Cassie licked the floor. 

Jeff arrived just in time for a spaghetti supper. Jenny went to the airport in Knoxville to pick up Bobby. She and Bobby came back with two dozen of Krispy Kreme's finest!  What can I say - the light was red. So at 10:30 pm we had a chocolate, glazed, cream-filled doughnut feast! 

On Saturday, I cooked a big mountain breakfast and Keith started smoking a turkey. The day was filled with equal doses of food, NetFlix, football, and computer games. 

On Sunday we all headed home. 

Weekend 4, November 26-December 1:

Keith, Jeff, and I headed back to the mountains on Tuesday afternoon in a pouring rain, trying to get there before the snow. We spent the evening sipping soup and playing Yahtzee. We awoke to a snow-covered mountain! Oh what beauty!

It was another one of those perfect snows that didn't stick to the road. We enjoyed walking through the neighborhood. 

On Thursday, after our big mountain breakfast the guys went hiking while I knitted, worked a jigsaw puzzle, and watched the Macy's Parade. 

The rest of the day was spent watching football. Then we had our non-traditional Thanksgiving Feast of Prime Rib, Baked Potatoes, Asparagus, Salad, Rolls, and Dessert. 

Black Friday found us getting a jump on our Christmas shopping. I went to Pigeon Forge and the guys headed off to Gatlinburg. After a quick nap we spent the afternoon and evening at Dollywood. There's nothing like Dollywood's Christmas in the Smokies to put you in a festive mood!

We were all comfy cozy while watching the shows, but the tram ride back to parking lot F for "Family Fun" where our car was parked was a little frigid!  The guys decided to take a dip in the hot tub. They wore toboggans so they could get their ears warm, too!  A good time was had by all!

On Saturday I went over to the Craft Loop to get Peach Butter and Strawberry Butter. I also found a few goodies to give for Christmas. Keith and Jeff hiked the Twin Creeks Trail. They were really surprised to see deer next to the trail. 

We finished the day off with lots of football.  Then home on Sunday. 

We spent most of November on the mountain. It was a wonderful time and place to reflect on all our many blessings. 

The Wheel on the Island

If you've been to Pigeon Forge during the past year you probably noticed this gigantic Ferris wheel right in the middle of town. We decided to go down and check it out last night. Even though we didn't ride the wheel we discovered that the Island is a cool place to be!  

The Island is a new, still being developed, entertainment center in Pigeon Forge. There's lots of food of all kinds. Timberwood Grill, Mellow Mushroom, Auntie Ann's Pretzels, Cinnabon. There's French fries and yogurt, jerky and funnel cake, popcorn and coffee....  Well, you get the idea. For fun you can ride the wheel or try your luck at the arcade or the shooting gallery.

You can do some shopping at the two gift shops and pick up some cool souvenirs, or you can sit outside in the big rocking chairs and enjoy the music. 

The area is still under development and will soon add Margaritaville, the Resort and restaurant, Smoky Mountain Moonshine, as well as some other surprises. The next time you are in Pigeon Forge, check it out!

Our Big Fall Adventure

October is finally here which means it's time for our ride on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad!  Jeff used some vacation time so that we could have a long weekend together. We arrived at the mountain house on Tuesday night with hiking on our mind. Fortunately the Great Smoky Mountains opened back up (after the government shut-down) on Wednesday morning at 8:00 am. By nine we were on the trail!

Our hike for the day was Alum Cave Bluff. My personal goal was to reach Arch Rock and let the guys go on up to the Bluff. The weather was cool and damp, but great for hiking. We all made it and it was all spectacular!  At 4,000+ feet in elevation, the leaves had turned and the colors were breathtaking.  Check it out. 

It took us a while to hike the trail because we kept stopping every few feet to take another photo!

We finally did make it to Arch Rock. What a sight. The trail goes up right through that huge rock. I would hate to be the one who had to drill that hole!

At this point, I turned around and started back down the trail and let the guys continue on. The trail to Arch Rock was 1.4 miles with a change in elevation of 400 feet. The rest of the trail from Arch Rock to Alum Cave Bluffs is .9 mile with a change in elevation of 800 feet. I guess you can figure out why I turned around. Anyway, I took a leisurely stroll back to the car and waited for the guys to return. They said it was well worth the extra mile, but I probably wouldn't have enjoyed the climb. They did get some photos to share. 

After our hike we had lunch on the porch at Paul's Family Restaurant and then headed for Harrah's. 

The plan was to spend the night in Cherokee so we wouldn't have to get up quite so early to get to Bryson City for our 9:00 am train. We rested up and then had a fabulous dinner at Brio Tuscan Grill. Mama Mia, was it good!  I had Lobster Bisque and Mediterranean Shrimp. 

After dinner we headed down to the casino to try our luck. I was the big winner (85 cents) on nickel slots. We left early because none of us could stomach all that smoke. We headed up for bed so we could rise and shine for our train ride. No photos allowed on the casino floor, but the lobby area was magnificent!  That fuzzy photo shows rain falling. 

On Thursday we spent the day traveling from Bryson City to the Nantahala Outdoor Center by train. It was very cool and rainy and we were in an open car (so I could take photos), but we dressed appropriately and stayed relatively dry and warm. 

After a long wet day, we headed back to the hacienda to dry out, warm up, and wait for our weekend company. We look forward to more fun adventures soon.