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Gatlinburg

Parrot Mountain in Pigeon Forge

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Our little family of three recently took a weekend trip to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge in East Tennessee so Mr. Handsome could attend a conference. We did several touristy things, as it is a popular vacation area and has tons of attractions. Friends of ours invited us to stay with them, which made the trip very cheap.

On the first day, Little Buddy and I visited Parrot Mountain while Mr. H was at the conference. Located at the top of a huge hill, Parrot Mountain is home to hundreds of tropical birds. As you walk through the gardens (which are very hilly, making pushing the stroller a great workout) you pass by all the birds. Some are in large cages, while others are just on perches.

I absolutely adore birds because I had two as pets growing up. Our budgie was beautiful and brought lots of joy to our home with his constant singing, but he wasn’t trained and wouldn’t allow us to hold him. Our cockatiel, on the other hand, loved human interaction and would even allow us to stroke her head.

Our current lifestyle is not one that would allow us to have a pet bird, so visiting Parrot Mountain fed my soul. There are two locations in the gardens where visitors are able to hold birds, and I was thrilled to be able to convince a cockatiel to step up on my hand.

Little Buddy had a great time at Parrot Mountain and even laughed at some of the birds when they chirped. A couple of the smaller ones took an interest in him and came over to get a closer look. But don’t worry, I made sure they maintained a safe distance, and I didn’t allow him anywhere near the larger birds. I honestly am not a huge fan of the bigger birds, like macaws, African greys, and cockatoos. They are fun to look at, but their beaks are just too large and sharp for my liking. I much prefer the cockatiels, lorikeets, Quaker parrots, and love birds.

I am curious to hear if any of you have ever had a pet bird? It seems like most people prefer dogs and cats, although I don’t know that I could see myself with either because I never had any growing up. Would you enjoy visiting a place like Parrot Mountain?

 

Fall in the Smokies

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A few weeks ago, I posted photos from our recent trip to the Cades Cove historic settlement in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I have a few more snapshots from that day, but I first want to show you some other pictures I took.The drive through the park was simply beautiful with all the vibrant colored leaves.

Every turn we made, there was another stunning view.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

 

Fall in the Smoky Mountains

 

Autumn in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

 

Smoky Mountains in autumn

On Saturday of our weekend trip, we ventured over to the start of the Roaring Fork Motor Trail (southeast of downtown Gatlinburg) and parked at the Rainbow Falls trailhead.

 

It was a difficult, 5.4-mile roundtrip hike, but the views were worth the trek. Just as we had at Cades Cove, we saw the smoke-like fog that give the Smoky Mountains their name.

Smoky Mountain fog smoke

As we climbed higher, we passed an area that had been burned by the devastating wildfire that tore through the Smoky Mountains in November 2016. We are thankful that the area has been able to rebuild and that Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are still as busy as ever. Our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones and property.

With a 1,500-foot elevation gain, we had to stop and rest quite a few times, especially as we neared the end.

After a 20-minute period of rain, we finally reached our destination…the beautiful Rainbow Falls! You’re probably wondering what Mr. Handsome is wearing on his head. (That is the first question people ask when we show them this picture.) It’s his sweatshirt. He got tired of carrying it.

Rainbow Falls Gatlinburg Tennessee

East TN and West NC

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After spending all our weekends at home for a couple months, we recently drove out to North Carolina for a wedding. It was a several hour drive, but the gorgeous scenery was well worth it. On our way home, we stopped for two beautiful hikes. The first was in Western North Carolina, about 45 minutes northeast of Asheville. I spent quite a bit of time researching online to find the hikes with the best views, and you know what I discovered? There are tons in that area!We ended up choosing Mt. Mitchell State Park because reviews said the terrain is more similar to Western Canada. (Most of you know that we took a trip to the Canadian Rockies this summer and loved it.)

Of course there are no snowy peaks in North Carolina at this time of year, but it was still about 20 degrees cooler at the summit than it was along the interstate. The one downside is that the 20-plus-mile road leading to the park is narrow and winding.

We drove as far as the road would take us, parked, and then walked five minutes up to the Mt. Mitchell Summit. The view was glorious!

At 6,684 feet elevation, Mt. Mitchell is the highest peak east of the Mississippi River. Apparently the guy after whom the mountain is named lost his life proving that statistic.

We wanted some decent exercise, so we hiked two miles down the mountain on the Commissary Trail (very rocky but not too strenuous). On the way back up, we took the 2-mile Old Mitchell Trail (even rockier and much more strenuous).

The sun was setting quickly, so we had to jog part of it, but of course we still had to stop and take a few photos.

We spent the night at a cheap hotel in Asheville, walked around the shops of Historical Biltmore Village and then drove a couple hours to Gatlinburg to hike the 2.6-mile out-and-back Laurel Falls Trail.

It took about 30 minutes to reach the waterfall and 20 minutes to return. The trail is a decently steep incline, but due to erosion, it is paved (although still very bumpy). The waterfall was beautiful, as were the views along the way.

 

In downtown Gatlinburg, we stopped for BBQ at Calhoun’s, a Knoxville-based restaurant with nine locations. The ribs were some of the best we had ever tasted. And let me tell you, when your husband is as much of a ribs connoisseur as mine is, that’s saying a lot.

While driving through the area, we saw some of the damage from the November 2016 Gatlinburg fire, but the town has done a fantastic job of restoring and rebuilding.