The Trip That Finally Made My Wife Haul Off And Slug Me In The Face (COMPLETED 10/2)

(traffic can be awful there, which was why we avoided it altogether).

But, but.... it has Dollywood! I like Dollywood!

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Perfect shot!

you could keep going to Maine if you so desired.

I thought you saved that one for "Delaware".

Which is totally the right move, by the way. I mean, if I’m a guy using the stall, and suddenly I hear a woman’s voice announcing she’s barging in, I’m not saying a thing. There’s literally nothing you can say that improves the situation. Proper bathroom etiquette demands that you just remain silent and wait until she finishes and moves on. For her part, it is appreciated if she withholds comment on the smell in the room.

:lmao:



and where’s the fun in that?

I suppose PB&J at the end of the hike?

Another cool scene.

That was the first time our family had ever seen a bear in the wild.

Seeing any large animal in the wild is a really awesome thing. Totally worth the travels!
 
If someone had asked me what the most-visited National Park in the United States was, I would have guessed one of the oldest and most famous (and spectacular) parks, such as the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone. Maybe Yosemite, which gets notoriously crowded. But as it turns out, Great Smoky Mountains National Park gets the most visitors per year—in 2016, it welcomed over 11 million people.

I never would have guessed that.

The drive climbs fairly swiftly and follows the Oconaluftee River a good bit of the way, which means you get a lot of nice views like this on the drive:

Nice picture of the stream!

There’s a parking lot and overlook as well as some hiking trails, including a piece of the Appalachian Trail. Theoretically, you could keep going to Maine if you so desired.

I bet they'd tow your car before you made it back from Maine.

Also, what led to the name “Sweat Heifer Creek”?


Never mind, I’m not sure I want to know.

I tried to look and all I found was reviews of the trail. I was, disappointed.

Finally, Julie couldn’t take it anymore. “Is there anyone else in the men’s room?” she asked. The other women in line seemed interested in the answer as well. I told her there was one guy using a stall. Julie told the other women she’d blaze a trail for them. So she marched up to the door, stuck her head in, and loudly announced, “Heads up! I’m coming in! The women’s room is closed!”


And that was that. She never heard a peep from the guy in there.

That custodian could be accused of cruel and unusual punishment. I don't blame her at all!

Remember how bright and sunny it was at Newfound Gap? Well, just seven miles away we managed to find the one cloud in the whole park. This was the view at the start of the path:

I can't believe you didn't want to walk half a mile in the haze!

enjoy not being plugged in.

What is this of which you speak? :confused3

But seriously—2 to 4 hours to go 11 miles? We could beat that.

Yeah, let's see That! They probably run a pace car through in the morning just to make sure no one can go faster for the rest of the day.

And if we’d been speeding through, we wouldn’t have been able to see the mama black bear and her cub walking through the woods.

Aw, how sweet.

Ok, technically we were trapped and couldn’t move, so we were essentially sitting ducks, but we could have at least rolled up the windows and locked the doors.

You'd be amazed at what a bear could do to a mini van if she set her mind to it.

Especially if you are holding a lightsaber. But then again, if you have a lightsaber, why aren’t you using it on the bear?

Because PETA would hunt you down and kill you.
 
WHOA! She ariseth from the... hey! where've you been?!

Nowhere interesting- just work and home. Too much to do in both places and little time to be on the computer. Things are slowly settling down. Until they ramp up for the busy season. :crazy2:




Mark,
A nice tour through the Smoky's. The fact that it is has the most visitors was just recently on some game show. I was surprised and then again considering location and size it also makes sense. Too bad your hike got "fogged"out.
 
Just don't ask me to lend a hand. :scared:

No danger there.

::yes::

I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they’d never expect it.

:rotfl2:

To me, clowns aren't funny. I guess it goes back to the time when I went to the circus, and a clown killed my dad.

Yep! Just look on a map.
It's only a few inches attaway.

I'll just have to hit this button on the dashboard, then.

The-Muppets-travel-by-map-a.jpg


Really? Looks lots closer on this map.

:rotfl2:

So she's smarter than both of us.

Yes, but we already knew that.

So glad I didn't tell you I was picking up the tab ahead of time.
Gotcha!!

Well, we probably wouldn't have ordered the Pop Tart if we hadn't ordered water. So there.

Worth a shot.

I understand.

You're trying to get me shot, aren't you?

Just what kind of person do you think I am??

Don't answer that.

Really! I'm... pretty surprised, actually.

I was as well. Nice park, but not the one that everyone first thinks of.

I was there last year.
When was this, Mark? Got a date?

Let's see...from the photo data, we were in the Smokies on August 5.

cute shot of the rugrats.

I'm glad they're all facing the right way this time.

Whoops!
And I do know your penchant for visiting those.

Good thing they had another one!

Beautiful shot. ::yes::

Thanks! That was Julie's.

And were crazy enough.

Some have, no?

::yes::

One of my friends hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine. Took him about 6 months. We met him along the way at my in-law's place in Pennsylvania. He shocked my mother-in-law by eating 3 heaping plates of spaghetti at dinner.

Is that sweat, or sweet?

It said sweat on the sign.


:scared1: Let's just move on.

:lmao:
Not surprised!

Yeah, he knew better than to open his mouth.

::yes:: Just keep your head down and pray she leaves soon.

::yes::

Just wait when he gets bigger! Like... when he's 20.

:faint: Wouldn't surprise me if he was still trying to bum a ride.

I do! You specifically told me to.

Well, look at that! Somebody was paying attention.

Um... well... it certainly looks.... artistic.

I'm sure the view at the top was stunning.

Exercise? Surely you jest.

Of course!

Cool looking rocks, though.

So there's that.

So...yeah...

Ha! I like the perspective. You can see the world through his eyes.

We used to get disposable cameras for the kids when we traveled. Most of the photos they took were awful, but every once in a while we'd strike gold.

Hmmmmm.... she doesn't look like someone who'd slug someone.

Yeah, it would take a special talent to make that happen.

Whoa... they have super speed ants there.

I don't know if I wanna go now.

Wouldn't you want to see that? From the safety of your car, I mean. Not from, say, a picnic blanket.

You know.... it does look like it's going uphill!

I'm glad somebody else sees it!

:sad2:
I always say you can only go as fast as the slow-poke at the front of the line.

Always true. Especially when I go to the store. I'm in the wrong line every. Single. Time.

I've seen several.
Both the brown (or black... don't ask me to differentiate) variety out of town and the Polar bear variety both in and out of town (up north).

I find it fascinating that you can just see polar bears on a run-of-the-mill day.

::yes::

Always carry a gun and bring a dog (shoot the dog. Run.) or bring a slower friend with you.
Doesn't have to be a "friend".

:rotfl2::rotfl2:

:lmao:

Next Star Wars movie!

I'd pay to see that!
 
Ahhh, the Smoky Mountains. So beautiful! The traffic in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg is the WORST so I don't blame you at all for taking alternate routes. I hate that you had to miss out on Clingman's Dome. Just look at the view we had one trip. I couldn't believe that I had the nerve to actually go all the way to the top 'cause of my fear of heights.

clingmans dome.jpg

On another trip there, Hunter stopped for this photo op. That would have made for a good "and then Scotty happened" pic.

clingmans dome two.jpg

I thought that same thing about Cade's Cove. There's no way that it will take us that long to do a drive through loop. Ummmm, try three hours. At least you were able to see some pretty scenery and Mama Bear and her cub...from your car, of course.
 
This was the very first national park we visited with our kids. We chose the area based on the fact that we could get there in a (long) days drive from central Michigan.

It definitely is one of the more accessible major parks.

Rope drop is an awesome strategy everywhere, isn't it? We rope drop on every vacation ... you can sleep in at home!

Yes! Rope drop works everywhere! Never failed me yet.

I love all the parks represented on their sweatshirts!

:goodvibes Me too.

It's probably just as well that you skipped this! It's been about 20 years, but DH & I did this little stroll on a pre-kid trip and I remember it being deceptively strenuous. It's paved, but it really goes uphill quite a bit.

I did read that it was a healthy uphill climb. I figured we could last a half-mile. But it's not worth it just to see the inside of a cloud.

Awesome! That's the best way to see a bear IMO!

::yes::

Really? Interesting. I never would have guessed that. But interesting.
There's a place called Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia that's one of the most visited places in Canada. It's a small fishing village but gets swarmed by bus loads of tourists in the summer. I have no idea why. I've been there a few times. It's a nice place, but not sure why thousands of people flock to it, to see a lighthouse on a rock.

Well, a lighthouse on a rock can make for a great photo. But yeah, I don't know that I'd go that far out of my way.

Probably named by the same guy who named this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pissing_Mare_Falls

Not sure what I can get away with here, so I'll just let you browse that link....no further commentary necessary....

:rotfl2::rotfl2: I love that the info is so matter-of-fact about it. No explanation of the name, just...here it is.

Next TR idea...Drew Cam Edition! I'd bet you could sell tickets for that one.

Like I told pkondz, we used to give the kids disposable cameras when they were little just to see what they'd come up with. Most of it was unusable, but every once in a while you'd get a gem.

Much different than my first time seeing a bear in the wild. This is a true story, promise.
So, I may have mentioned that I studied geology in university. One of my first jobs was prospecting up in Labrador, in Northern Canada (though not quite the Arctic tundra). We flew in by float plane, lived in tents for two months, didn't see civilization, had virtually no protection against the wild. I think the cook had a shotgun next to the bags of flour though. Yeah, interesting times. Anyway, I was hanging up my laundry one day when I heard a rustling in the bushes on the other side of the line. I peeked over my hung t-shirt to see a black bear staring back at me. I never thought about protocol or training. I just went into fight or flight mode. Luckily there was an outhouse (the only wooden structure in camp) right behind me, so I scrambled in there. Not sure what the bear did but after 10 minutes I didn't hear anything and crept out to find it was gone. Needless to say, I had to do laundry a second time that day.....

:eek:

Can't say I blame you one bit there. How close were you to the bear?
 


Nowhere interesting- just work and home. Too much to do in both places and little time to be on the computer. Things are slowly settling down. Until they ramp up for the busy season. :crazy2:

Just sayin' we miss you! Hang in there!
 
My brother and sister-in-law have done a "thru-hike" of the Appalachian Trail (AT), along with the other two north/south trails, The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). They did each trail in one go. Each one took them between 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 months, and each was over 2,000 miles. They did the PCT in 2006, the AT in 2008, and the CDT in 2010. They have some absolutely amazing pictures from their adventrues.

I had a friend who also did a through-hike of the AT. Took him about 6 months, I think. He probably dreamed of doing the others, but then had to go and get married and have kids and all that. I never knew how he could take so much time off from his job!

Have you ever read "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson? It's about his hike on the AT, and he has this hilarious part about bears... (going to use the "quote" feature and see if it works for non-board posts...)

I have not read that one, but I have read a few other Bill Bryson books and love them. In A Sunburned Country, about Australia, is my favorite.

There's quite a bit of language in the book, and it gets a bit... crude at times. to the piont that I had to stop reading it. But the parts I did read were quite funny.

I'll have to check it out. He's a good writer.

WHOA! She ariseth from the... hey! where've you been?!

Always nice when Pat drops in!

They then switch to BBQ. But don't worry, they'll be back to PB&J soon enough.

PBJ usually gets dropped for a quick fast-food lunch. You know it's bad when McDonald's starts to look appealing.

I wish I had a puke emoji.

You can always borrow mine.

Since when are facts important on this TR?

Now look here, just becau--

Ok, you got me there.

So, I"m going all the way to CA to fight with him?

Well, why not?
 
PBJ usually gets dropped for a quick fast-food lunch. You know it's bad when McDonald's starts to look appealing.

Oh I dunno. I enjoy a Fish Filet every now and then- lettuce and tomato added. Then again, that's after I've forgotten my lunch at work and it's been 10 hours since I've eaten.

You can always borrow mine.

I need to figure out how to use others than those on here.

Now look here, just becau--

Ok, you got me there.

Yeah. See?

Well, why not?

Well, apparently he was whining and pouting to me last time the bunch of us got together. Fighting, whine, pout, spill drinks, cut in line. Hey, it's always a party. (Kinda like Walmart.)

;)
 
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Our plan was to activate the Disney Rope Drop strategy and get to the park as early as possible in order to avoid being stuck in traffic jams.

Traffic Jams? In Great Smoky Mtn NP? Nahhh....

We were there on the Friday after Thanksgiving a few years back. Drove from TN into NC, stopped a few overlooks, enjoyed the park greatly. Poked around Cherokee, NC for a bit, then decided to head back from which we came. Bumper-to-bump-through-the-entire-park-on-the-way-back. Sheesh.

the Oconaluftee River
Gesundheit. You getting that cold that's going around?

I don’t think I will ever get tired of standing at a mountaintop and enjoying the view for miles around.
I do. But only when the sun goes down and it gets dark and you can't see anything any more.

We made it to Newfound Gap, which is the point where the road crests the mountain range. There’s a parking lot and overlook as well as some hiking trails, including a piece of the Appalachian Trail. Theoretically, you could keep going to Maine if you so desired.
We've hike the Appalachian Trail in Smokey Mtn. and in Shenandoah. For about 100 yards in each, but still, it counts.

In other words, I’d only have to carry him for roughly half a mile.
Ryder hiked the outbound portion of a trail in Canyonlands all by himself. That was the uphill part. He was tired and wanted to be carried back downhill to the parking lot. Not sure how I lucked out on that, but I didn't complain.

One of the exhibits there was a working grist mill, where they diverted water from a stream to power the water wheel. And it must be an illusion, but the whole time I looked at this, I was convinced that the water channel was flowing uphill.
I bet the guy that designed that uphill water flow device went on to bigger and better things. Probably a state DOT or something.

And if we’d been speeding through, we wouldn’t have been able to see the mama black bear and her cub walking through the woods.
We saw a black bear in Shenandoah. There were so many other people pulled over on the side of the road taking pictures that we didn't get many good shots. By the time we got up to where the bear was, he/she (I couldn't tell, and didn't want to get close enough to check for myself) had already walked away, into the woods. So we got some pictures of the bear butt.

Bear Butt!

BARE BUTT!

GET IT?!?

HAHAHAHAHAHA
 
Great pics, sorry about the fog on the hike. Applauding Julie for taking the initiative.

we wouldn’t have been able to see the mama black bear and her cub walking through the woods.

Did either of them sh.., forgot, wrong group.

Ok, technically we were trapped and couldn’t move, so we were essentially sitting ducks, but we could have at least rolled up the windows and locked the doors.

Mine would have tried to get out and make friends with them.

Bottom line, if you’re up against a bear, you’re going to lose. I’d recommend standing still waiting for the death blow like Ben Kenobi, because at least that looks cool.

I actually once won against a bear. When I was a kid at boy scout camp in the Adirondacks I ran into a small bear munching on the fallen BBQ in the fire pit. I saw him, he saw me. At the same time we both decided to make our move. He ran into the woods, I ran into a tent. As soon as I got in there I yelled, "A TENT? YOU RAN INTO A TENT? HOW IS A TENT GOING TO STOP A BEAR?"

OK, maybe I didn't win, we'll call it a draw.


Am I the only one that did Dueling Banjos when I saw this?

As far as the new Star Wars movie, all you need to do is put big claws and teeth on the Ewoks.
 
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I used to live in Virginia; beautiful country. The Blue Ridge Parkway is beautiful, but unfortunately my family wouldn't be interested in going. I am thinking of taking a weekend and going down, just by myself and visiting the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton. It's a living history museum with buildings actually from different countries.

Hey, Alaska is the one state I haven't been either! I"m hoping in 2019 to make it there!
 
But, but.... it has Dollywood! I like Dollywood!

I have heard very nice things about Dollywood. Not enough to make me want to go in the summer, but I'm sure it's great.

Perfect shot!

Julie thanks you.

I thought you saved that one for "Delaware".

The trail doesn't go through Delaware. It follows the mountains...we don't have those.

I suppose PB&J at the end of the hike?

We need more incentive than that!

Another cool scene.

:thumbsup2

Seeing any large animal in the wild is a really awesome thing. Totally worth the travels!

Agreed! As long as we're in a safe location.

I never would have guessed that.

Kinda weird, but the others are just harder to get to.

Nice picture of the stream!

Thanks!

I bet they'd tow your car before you made it back from Maine.

Well, probably. I can't say we were well-prepared for any hikes longer than a mile.

I tried to look and all I found was reviews of the trail. I was, disappointed.

I guess it will always remain a mystery.

That custodian could be accused of cruel and unusual punishment. I don't blame her at all!

I don't know what was taking that guy so long! It would have been easier for the guys--there were plenty of trees everywhere.:rolleyes1

I can't believe you didn't want to walk half a mile in the haze!

Look, kids! It's the back side of a cloud!

What is this of which you speak? :confused3

You know, that's a great question.

Yeah, let's see That! They probably run a pace car through in the morning just to make sure no one can go faster for the rest of the day.

That must be what starts the delay!

Aw, how sweet.

Sweet because they were foraging for berries and not humans.

You'd be amazed at what a bear could do to a mini van if she set her mind to it.

I have no doubt it wouldn't be pretty.

Because PETA would hunt you down and kill you.

Pretty sure they'd be more concerned about the animal than the human being!

They could try.... but he has a lightsaber, so...

Yeah, so there!

Nowhere interesting- just work and home. Too much to do in both places and little time to be on the computer. Things are slowly settling down. Until they ramp up for the busy season. :crazy2:

I know that feeling. Good to see you here, though! (and congratulations)

Mark,
A nice tour through the Smoky's. The fact that it is has the most visitors was just recently on some game show. I was surprised and then again considering location and size it also makes sense. Too bad your hike got "fogged"out.

Can't win 'em all.
 
Ahhh, the Smoky Mountains. So beautiful! The traffic in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg is the WORST so I don't blame you at all for taking alternate routes. I hate that you had to miss out on Clingman's Dome. Just look at the view we had one trip. I couldn't believe that I had the nerve to actually go all the way to the top 'cause of my fear of heights.

clingmans-dome-jpg.293420

That's gorgeous. I wish it had been clear for us, but sometimes you lose. Thanks for posting the photo, though!

On another trip there, Hunter stopped for this photo op. That would have made for a good "and then Scotty happened" pic.

clingmans-dome-two-jpg.293424

:rotfl2: Nice one! He and Scotty would probably be peas in a pod.

I thought that same thing about Cade's Cove. There's no way that it will take us that long to do a drive through loop. Ummmm, try three hours. At least you were able to see some pretty scenery and Mama Bear and her cub...from your car, of course.

That drive is brutally slow. Almost like they want you to slow down and enjoy the scenery or something.

Oh I dunno. I enjoy a Fish Filet every now and then- lettuce and tomato added. Then again, that's after I've forgotten my lunch at work and it's been 10 hours since I've eaten.

It's really hard to beat McDonald's fries, especially when they're fresh out of the fryer.

I need to figure out how to use others than those on here.

I saved mine in my photo file. So I just upload it like a photo when I need it.

Well, apparently he was whining and pouting to me last time the bunch of us got together. Fighting, whine, pout, spill drinks, cut in line. Hey, it's always a party. (Kinda like Walmart.)

;)

So does that mean @pkondz shows up in his pajamas?

Around 5 feet I guess. Close enough to see the whites of his eyes! Needless to say, I didn't stay around long enough to measure!

:eek: Man, I can't even imagine that. I'm sure I would have needed to change my shorts.

But they’re so soft and fluffy!

:rotfl:
 
Traffic Jams? In Great Smoky Mtn NP? Nahhh....

We were there on the Friday after Thanksgiving a few years back. Drove from TN into NC, stopped a few overlooks, enjoyed the park greatly. Poked around Cherokee, NC for a bit, then decided to head back from which we came. Bumper-to-bump-through-the-entire-park-on-the-way-back. Sheesh.

:faint: And that was in November? If you'd tried it in the summer, you might still be there.

Gesundheit. You getting that cold that's going around?

It's hard not to, since it's been 8 degrees here for a couple of weeks. I'm not used to these Wisconsin temps.

I do. But only when the sun goes down and it gets dark and you can't see anything any more.

I bet the kids get tired of it much faster.

We've hike the Appalachian Trail in Smokey Mtn. and in Shenandoah. For about 100 yards in each, but still, it counts.

We consider ourselves Appalachian Trail veterans in much the same way.

Ryder hiked the outbound portion of a trail in Canyonlands all by himself. That was the uphill part. He was tired and wanted to be carried back downhill to the parking lot. Not sure how I lucked out on that, but I didn't complain.

Man, you must have been doing something right. That almost always works out in the kid's favor.

I bet the guy that designed that uphill water flow device went on to bigger and better things. Probably a state DOT or something.

Hey, it's hard work subverting the laws of physics.

We saw a black bear in Shenandoah. There were so many other people pulled over on the side of the road taking pictures that we didn't get many good shots. By the time we got up to where the bear was, he/she (I couldn't tell, and didn't want to get close enough to check for myself) had already walked away, into the woods. So we got some pictures of the bear butt.

Bear Butt!

BARE BUTT!

GET IT?!?

HAHAHAHAHAHA

:lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

What were we talking about, again?

Great pics, sorry about the fog on the hike. Applauding Julie for taking the initiative.

Win some, lose some.

Did either of them sh.., forgot, wrong group.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say yes.

Mine would have tried to get out and make friends with them.

I'd give her a better than 50/50 shot of succeeding.

I actually once won against a bear. When I was a kid at boy scout camp in the Adirondacks I ran into a small bear munching on the fallen BBQ in the fire pit. I saw him, he saw me. At the same time we both decided to make our move. He ran into the woods, I ran into a tent. As soon as I got in there I yelled, "A TENT? YOU RAN INTO A TENT? HOW IS A TENT GOING TO STOP A BEAR?"

OK, maybe I didn't win, we'll call it a draw.

:rotfl2::rotfl2:

Am I the only one that did Dueling Banjos when I saw this?

Nope. I was right there with you.

As far as the new Star Wars movie, all you need to do is put big claws and teeth on the Ewoks.

That might have made the Ewoks more interesting.

You mean Porgs?
20170815_n_nerdistnews_porgs_1x1.jpg

We saw the movie, and now my kids are looking to adopt them as pets.

I used to live in Virginia; beautiful country. The Blue Ridge Parkway is beautiful, but unfortunately my family wouldn't be interested in going. I am thinking of taking a weekend and going down, just by myself and visiting the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton. It's a living history museum with buildings actually from different countries.

The BRP really is a nice drive. I would have a hard time doing all 450 miles at once, but the 80-mile stretch we did was gorgeous.

Hey, Alaska is the one state I haven't been either! I"m hoping in 2019 to make it there!

Nice! We're aiming for 2020. Good luck!
 

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