Waking Up

Getting back from a trip sometimes feels like I’m waking up from a long sleep. I am home, we are pretty much in the groove of things but it’s sort of like that feeling when you slept so hard you wake up and can’t quite remember where you are. I left it all behind so completely, I’m still trying to figure out what I was doing before I left.

We did have a nice Independence Day. We relaxed around here and then drove up to Bobby and Becky’s for grilled burgers and hotdogs and homemade ice-cream. We picked up a few fireworks and sparklers for the kids and got in the pool for a little while as well. It was a very nice day.

We spent the next day (Saturday) getting ready to leave. Packing and planning was done quickly and we tried to get to bed at a decent hour so we could be awake for our drive to North Carolina.

We went to church and then home for lunch before we hit the road and I’d say we got a pretty decent start. Kris drove and we were making good time until we stopped for groceries. The plan was to stay in a cabin and I didn’t want to get all of our supplies until we were closer to our destination. Not knowing exactly where the nearest grocery stores would be to our cabin we stopped just past Knoxville and loaded up on a lot of stuff. The van was very full now and we were a little frustrated with ourselves for not having planned and communicated a little better about what we would need and when we would get it. We put our quietly agitated selves back in the van and drove on the planned route through the curves of Deals Gap.

We did not know that we were in Deals Gap or we would have chosen a different route. It is the curviest road on the planet and slowed us down considerably. Please see the link to read more about legendary Deals Gap…the tail of the dragon.

Highway 129 has 318 curves in 11 miles and they are snap back curves that twist their way up and down the Great Smoky Mountains. About 3 or 4 miles into our adventure Owen told us that his stomach didn’t feel good. Our kids have never been car sick before but then we’d never tortured them before so who knows what might happen. I gave him one of the newly acquired grocery bags and told him to use it if he had to throw up. I looked at Ivan and thought he looked extremely intent on the view. He was looking out the window and squinting his eyes so seriously. He never said anything but about 5 minutes later I turned just in time to see him spill the graham crackers all over his shirt. We pulled off and cleaned him up with wipes, changed his shirt and begged him to hang on to the garbage bag. A few miles later he did it again. A few miles after that Owen did it (in the bag thankfully). Then Ivan one more time. I have never been so glad for baby wipes and grocery bags. We had extra clothes for Ivan because of potty training and we were able to contain everything in the grocery bags until we found suitable trash receptacles. Yes, that meant there were groceries lying loose about the van, but who cares…that’s much better than the alternative. We used up every wipe I had brought with me so Aron was given strict orders to hold all poo poo until a more convenient time and he obeyed very well. At the end of our curvy stretch there were signs everywhere saying we had tamed the dragon and where we could buy our t-shirt. We had no interest in shopping at that point so on we went with our journey. Upon seeing the signs Kris was flabbergasted. He had heard of Deals Gap from a Miata enthusiast that he used to work with but never intended to drag three little boys with him when he checked it out for himself. The road is especially attractive to motorcyclists and they were everywhere. They were buzzing around us like bees, passing us on double yellow lines,scooting between larger vehicles who just weren’t keeping the pace they needed. I probably would have been quite distracted by them if we had not had such goings on inside the vehicle.

So…the vacation was nice. The cabin was quite beautiful. The view was lovely and we got there before nightfall which was just perfect. The boys were tired enough to sleep anywhere and the spiral staircase to the loft was exciting and fun for them. Kris’ parents allowed Kris and Aron and I to have the big bedroom which was such a nice gesture and made me feel such relief after our harrowing drive. We quickly settled in with lots of help and were able to relax and enjoy the hot tub that evening.

The next day we didn’t do much in terms of activities. A few of us went into town to get some wipes and other things we needed and then we just enjoyed our space on top of the world for a little while. The next day we went out on a pontoon boat. There is a big lake near where we stayed and we toured a good portion of it. Mema stayed at the cabin with Aron which was really sweet. It would have been much less relaxing trying to keep him happy and contained.

The following day Kris and his dad and I went white water rafting. The river was cold and high and we were just slightly out of shape but we managed to stay in our raft and navigate the rocks and falls without incident. We were pretty sore the next day but there was no time for whining…it was time to pack up and go home. We spent a little time that morning in Bryson City looking in shops and then headed to Cherokee for lunch. We found a good restaurant, ate lunch and then said our goodbyes.

The trip home was a different route. There was more traffic but it was much smoother and there were no tummy issues along the way. We made it home in good shape and still had a good bit of evening to play together before bedtime.

Kris did work the next day and I had an event at church that night, but we had such a relaxing weekend it has been free of almost all the usual errands and running around. Today will see us getting back into the swing of things and I am already feeling good because this post is almost done. I’m going to post a few of our pictures and captions below…

Aron got a bath in the large kitchen sink. He’s too big to do this at home but this sink was perfect for a baby bath.

Grandma bought the boys each a black bear back pack in Bryson City.

Ivan fell coming down the stairs almost first thing and had a fat lip for a couple of days.

Ivan enjoying the lake.

Most of his time on the pontoon boat, Ivan was at this post. He loved looking out over the water while we zoomed along.

Mema enjoying her great-grandsons.

This picture shows some of the scenery on the highway near the cabin.

While on the pontoon boat we watched the passenger train cross the lake on this bridge just before we went beneath it.

This is one of the views from the cabin. A photograph cannot do it justice as it is so expansive you feel like the mountains are endless.