Day 3 -Newfound Gap, Oconaluftee Visitor Center

This became part of the morning wakeup process for Lucy

As you will likely notice, we stopped at "the gap" at least twice daily on this trip.  Our first stop was in the rain with some very limited but still unique views.  Lucy had fun climbing up a tower in the rain and we tried to teach her about the Appalachian Trail that passes through that area.

A rainy view at the top of the tower that Lucy climbed.

Lucy's first taste of the AT.  Only 1972 miles more until Maine!

Next we stopped at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center on the North Carolina side of the park.  Isaac and I have enjoyed the farm museum in the past and were excited to share that with Lucy.  She enjoyed seeing the small buildings and certainly liked seeing the baby pigs.

The piglets.  Both Charlie and Lucy loved seeing these little guys.

Lucy needed a rest break.

Maddie found a new lookout she wanted to try; very pretty!

 More rain was on it's way so we found a picnic area to stop for lunch.  We finished up just in time to get into the car before the downpour.  The rain lulled both Lucy and Charlie to sleep (it's a rarity to get Lucy to nap in the car anymore).

 

We ended the day with some dry weather at last!  We had our first campfire and Lucy tried out roasting marshmallows.  Later that night Lucy, Isaac and Kerry went out to see the fireflies.  Lucy was excited but was ready to head back to the campground after seeing about 5 minutes of flashing.

Day 4 - Newfound Gap, Clingman's Dome, Gaitlinburg, Cades Cove by Car

Family picture attempt number 1...didn't quite work.

A cute picture with Maddie at the gap.

Today was our only official planned hike.  We stopped at the Newfound Gap as the scene is always changing based on the clouds/sun.  We attempted to get a family picture for the Christmas Card but I'm not sure we found the perfect one yet.  The original plan was to hike 'Andrews Bald' out of the Clingman's Dome area. We had read the dome was closed, but we were excited to find out it was actually open upon arrival.  We scrapped the other hike and walked up to the Dome instead.  It was a steep 1/2 mile walk up a paved path.  The view was great and the air finally smelled crisp and "moutainy".  Lucy made some new friends to hike with on the way down.  We tried to find a different trail downward but had to turn around when we were bush-whacking.

Hiking up to Clingmans Dome (Lucy is using her new piggyback rider.

Another storm was due to roll in, so we decided to get out before getting wet. On our way back down from the gap, we saw 3 bears close to the road!  One was even climbing in a tree.  The rain began while Charlie was napping, so we took a drive along the Roaring Forks Motor Nature trail.  This was a one way road in a mostly forested area.  We passed many drenched hikers and were glad not to be among them.

A very cloudy view on the way up to the top.

Blazing a trail.

Deciding to turn around and head back the other way.

Lucy's new group of hiking friends.

Clingman's Dome from down below.

What a view!

Lucy was all tuckered out from walking up by herself!  She needed a break (and often just plops right down where she pleases).

A bear cub climbing the tree.

We drove into Gatlingburg in time for a late lunch and decided to try out "Five Guys".  Isaac and Kerry got burgers with all the fixins.  A small burger is one patty and a regular burger is 2 patties.  We got plenty full.  We enjoyed some mountain music at the Moonshine Company while Isaac sampled some moonshine and found a jar to buy.  Lucy tried some cotton candy ice cream.

After lunch it was time for nap #2 and this time both kids fell fast asleep.  We decided to drive through Cades Cove to scope out what we would be biking the next day.  Traffic was creeping along at about 5 mph, so Maddie and Kerry opened up the sun roof and hung out around the rooftop for a sunny and warm vantage point.  We saw several people riding on top of their vehicles or out the windows too.  Unfortunately, Charlie woke up before the tour was complete and was VERY angry for at least 45 minutes.

Kerry and Maddie enjoying Cade's Cove from the sunroof!

Isaac also getting a turn through the roof!

So much rain had fallen while we were gone for the day that many campsites were drenched.  Our screened porch tent had fallen and we forgot to close our tent vent, so our sleeping bags were extra damp for the night.  Maddie and Kerry decided to view the fireflies one more time.  The conditions were very wet and it ended up being and foggy and minimally impressive showing for the flies.   Maddie tried out her photography skills, but it was very difficult to capture the lightshow!

Day 5 - Cades Cove, Gaitlinburg, Elkmont (Ghostown)

Checking out the bear from a much more comfortable distance.

Today entailed the one major plan we had for this trip.  After seeking out the needed piece for our Burley, and making space for that large piece of equipment, we were bound and determined to bike through Cade's Cove.  This is one of the most popular and beautiful areas of the park and it closes to cars on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.  Kerry did some research and found out the bike rentals usually sell out by 7:30 am, so we planned to wake and arrive early.  We were up by 6am but still had a lot of preparation in order to leave and it's a 35 minute drive to the cove. We were cutting it close for time...and then it hit us...we still had not changed our clocks...so we arrived at Cade's Cove at 8:30 am.  WHOOPS.  All of the bikes were long since rented, but people were beginning to get back on the rentals and the shop assured us that as long as we started biking by 9:15, we would be fine. Lo and behold, Maddie and Kerry got bikes (Isaac decided to run the loop) and we were on our way at 9:16.  Hooray! Biking was unanimously a high light of our trip. Because we got such a late start, we were mostly on our own through the cove which is a peaceful feeling when you know it's generally a bustling area. A couple of miles in, Kerry caught up to Isaac (Kerry and Maddie stopped to take photos often and depending on the hills, Isaac was at times faster) to find him excitedly waving for us to pull up and see the bear.  A small-ish black bear (if you can call a bear small) was happily eating along the side of the road. At this point we were among a small group of other bikers.  We made noise and stayed where we were at, but the bear kept coming closer and closer.  At one point the bear passed by us, only 10 feet away.  Isaac got the kids out of the Burley earlier and when Charlie got the first look at the bear he just squealed and gasped with joy. The early bird doesn't always get the worm, as the early bikers only saw some squirrels.  We hit the jack pot on that experience!
Lucy and Charlie yelled "Wheeee" as we sailed down hills and they spent much of the time holding hands.  (Moments like these brings clarity to why people have multiple kids).  At one point Kerry passed Isaac and Charlie let out a big happy yell of "Dadddyyyyyyyyy".  The bike ride was supposed to include Charlie's nap, but he was having way too much fun taking it all in.

Just starting out our biking adventure

Look at that hand holding!  So adorable.

Mom got to lug these two up the big hills (which meant walking alongside the bike and pushing). Look at that scenery though!

Stopping at another lookout.  A good excuse for a rest.

We also brought the selfie stick along to get a picture of the whole crew.

We had the most delicious soft serve after the loop (the kids got it for free...and they didn't even do any of the work).  It was Charlie's nap time and rain was once again moving in, so we drove to Gatlinburg for Kerry and Maddie to do some shopping while Isaac continued driving around for Charlie.  Isaac never did quite make it as far as Dollywood as Charlie woke up early. 

Back at the campground again Maddie and Kerry packed the kids up into the stroller and back pack in order to take some more pictures at "Daisy's Town" which is the abandoned resort town within the park. This time Lucy napped but not Charlie!

We made our final campfire of the trip for cooking grilled cheese and cheddarwursts.  We capped the night off with an attempt at photographing the fireflies at our campsite.  Although they are on a smaller scale, there were synchronous fireflies in the woods right behind our tent.  Also, the kids went down to bed like a charm (it only took them most of the trip to figure it out!).

The "Kerry" pose for the trip

One of Maddie's shots at the ghost town.  She's prepping for her senior photos.

Day 6 - Pack Up, Visit Gap One More Time, Asheville

We got up and had breakfast (Luckily without rain today).  We unpacked the van to reorganize and put our camping equipment in the hard to store places.  There were many times we were grateful Maddie was on the trip for parenting purposes (and she's a ton of fun and we love sharing experiences with her).  This was a major one.  Unpacking a van, tearing down a campsite and packing a van (not to leave, but to unpack again for a hotel visit) took forever! Maddie did a great job with the kiddos so Kerry and Isaac could work.

Lucy was pleased to get a pink lemonade at the brewery. 

We heading up to the Newfound Gap for one more visit.  We drove the Blue Ridge Parkway over to Asheville.  We worked up an appetite so Kerry found Sunny Point Cafe featuring a lot of bacon products from local farms.  Kerry ordered some amazing grits (when in the south...) and we finished with chocolate lava cake.

We arrived at the hotel and checked in to room 716.  Kerry got Charlie down for a nap (and got interrupted by someone also going to room 716 - management apologized but didn't offer any drinks from their starbucks or rooftop bar... booo!).  Isaac, Maddie and Lucy played in the pool.  Lucy was especially proud of putting her whole face in the water.  She'd walk down the steps into the pool and then walk back up and out.  Then walk over to the ladder on the other side of the pool and climb down and up, then walk back over to the steps.  Isaac and Maddie decided to split up instead of running through the pool over and over (geniuses).

We headed to downtown Asheville.  Maddie used her smarty box to navigate us there.  She took the

Charlie looks happy to get out of the backpack. 
Poor guy had to be contained as much as possible on this trip.

unbeaten path.  Contrary to what we'd see in on the hip streets, there was a rougher looking crowd.  When taking young children here, nerves can rise.  Each person was friendly, cordial and smiled at our kids. That's the beauty of getting out of your box/little world.

We ate dinner at the Wicked Weed, a brewery outdoor seating.  Asheville is known for their plethora of breweries, so it was nice to make it to one.

We walked the downtown district and got some ice cream along with catching some street performing as we walked by.  The balancing juggler with a dog on his shoulders was unique!

Maddie watched the sleeping kids as Kerry and Isaac had a drink up on the hotel's rooftop bar to finalize the day.  Asheville is a beautiful sitting with a picturesque setting within the Blue Ridge Mountains...but we both agreed that it doesn't beat the hidden gem of the midwest (La Crosse) for us.

Day 7 - Left Asheville, Biltmore Mansion, Left for Home

Lucy was held captive by the self playing pianola at McD's

Kerry, Maddie and Lucy explored the city of Asheville while Isaac stayed with a napping Charlie.  Unfortunately it's a sleepy town and stores don't open up until 10 or 11, much later than we wanted to stick around.  (The coffee shop Maddie wanted to get a morning cup at didn't even open until 10!)

Lucy continued her wake up ritual

We packed up the room, had lunch at a fancy McDonalds with a pianola that entranced Lucy (inspired by the Biltmore mansion).

Maddie especially wanted to see it, so to the Biltmore mansion we went.   Isaac went in to buy tickets and was pleased to see 16 year olds were included in the free category.  He was lucky enough to be in line next to friendly college kids with extra complimentary tickets, saving him $134!  The universe throws you some bones sometimes!

Both the grounds (size and landscaping) and the mansion were incredible.  We were excited to walk around and see amazing flower beds, fountains, shrub gardens and a green house.  The landscaping was also filled with interesting glass art by Chihuly (same artist that did the glass work at the Kohl Center).  What was not exciting was the lack of ramps.  Kerry and Isaac had to lift the stroller down and up a lot of stairs so Charlie could also experience everything.  Lucy walked the vast majority of the grounds with us (miles of walking).















We then toured the main floor of the mansion.  After 9 years of construction it was finished in 1895.  While indoor plumbing was rare, it has 43 bathrooms and an indoor pool! The room next to the entry way is a room with a class roof and amazing wood work in between the panels.




At this point, Isaac and Lucy got ice cream while Kerry, Maddie and Charlie explored the basement which had a history of the building, the kitchen, fruit cellar, veggie cellar, refrigerator, guest changing rooms, servant quarters and pool.  We all met up in food court yard and Isaac was allowed to see the basement (here he talked to one person, who ironically was born in La Crosse and raised in Wisconsin Rapids).  Meanwhile Charlie was allowed to finish the rest of Isaac's milkshake.  I guess ice cream can be lunch.

Yes, Charlie was there too.  He was a happy guy even before the milkshake!

After several hours of being on the grounds, Lucy was excited to see the farm and playground.  This  was a 10 minute drive from the mansion.  As we drove, Maddie DJed.  Lucy could be heard singing the chorus of a song when suddenly she (and Charlie) fell asleep.  We felt bad Lucy (and Charlie) was so well behaved and was now missing her chance to do her stuff.  Kerry yelled her name and nudged her several times, but Lucy would not wake up.  While Maddie looked at pictures and stayed with the kids in the van, Kerry and Isaac enjoyed a complimentary wine tasting.

"green house" room roof in Biltmore mansion. (NOT McDonald's)

We then hit the road with sleeping kids.  Isaac drove a couple of hours, then we stopped for Subway and Kerry took a couple until Isaac's midnight to 5 AM shift.

Day 8 - Arrive Home

We drove through thunderstorms and some heavy rain near Chicago around 3 AM.  We meet John and Molly in Portage at 6:45 AM.  We talked for a bit and let Lucy run around.  A quick hour later, we are back on the road.  We arrive home around 9:15 AM.

When we got home, Isaac went to the basement for a 2 hour nap.  Charlie goes down for a nap around 9 AM (his usually nap time) but did not wake up until 4 PM!  The guy really missed his crib!

Kerry took an epic nap on the couch during the late morning.  Lucy did a bunch of puzzles instead of napping.

We looked at trip pictures and then chipped away at unpacking and had most of it done by the early afternoon.  This vacationing stuff isn't easy!!!

Pump Track!! Lucy's Got It!

https://youtu.be/7aeSJ5l6Rh4