Another state(ment)

Owen has a habit. He wakes up in the middle of the night or very early in the morning and raids the kitchen. Not only raids, but eats weird stuff along his way. Gone is a bottle of syrup, even though only one meal of waffles was served since we moved here. One bottle of honey recently discovered in the bathroom. Several chip bags, left over dumplings, cream cheese, bananas, and lemons. Gone. 


Scott tried to put a carrot out with reward that he would take him on a special outing if he didn't eat the family out of their monthly grocery budget for four mornings. It worked. Kind of. He showed me all the loop holes in the deal. If a chip bag is left on the stove, it is fair game. Or is honey is left in the cupboard with the coffee and tea, fair again. I swear, I will never win. 


With the fall break from school in full force, I made another deal. Stay upstairs in the morning. Don't even think about setting foot down those stairs without waking me up. If you do this, we will go to the top of the mountains. I wasn't sure if we would go or not. 


We did. We all fell in love.


First stop was a roadside harvest festival in Townsend. Although we did not photograph the biggest pumpkins and gourds I have ever seen, here is a few shots of out time there.

Next up, a drive through Pigeon Forge. Ummm. Wow. I still don't have the right words to describe the Las Vegas strip minus the gambling with the addition all all things amusement, comedy shows, music, westerns, not including all the carnival type parks and rides for kids. Here I was looking for a quiet day in the mountains, but I came unprepared and without a map. Because traffic was slow I was able to take a couple shots.

It was miles of stuff. Owen almost had an anxiety attack with all the carnival type attractions. Yet, I have to admit, there was many intriguing attractions if one had 3 weeks and 3 million dollars to explore. Sorry, Mom for my wrong information. Dolly Splash country is closed now, but Dollywood remains open. Tried to change lanes to get our pic on Dollywood Ln for you, but it was proved impossible.


So, off we go. To Gatlinburg visitor center. Candy apple break.

Aidan had a hard time choosing leaving the pumpkin nestled in the seat of the van or eating his candy apple. He did not want to loose track of that pumpkin. We visited the center. Owen spent all his money on an adventure tool kit. I was equipped with maps. Off we go. To the peak.

At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is Great Smoky Mountains National Park's highest point. It is the highest point in Tennessee, and the second highest point east of the Mississippi. Only North Carolina's Mt. Mitchell (6,684 feet) rises higher. Here we are at the peak sitting in the tower after our steep climb to the top. 

Our descent was easier than the climb. We even stopped for a few photographs along the way.

Too bad Megan was camera shy. 

It is not every day Mom gets to be in a picture with her kids.