Tennessee – 1st Trip
This post will cover the first two days while in Tennessee, partly because these two days blend together, but more due to the activities being largely the same.
We finally made it to our destination and we were excited for the next few adventurous days. We (actually the wife) discovered a few interesting activities for us to embark on, so off we went.
One of the first sights we wanted to see was a couple of the waterfalls, this was after we (the wife again) read amazing reviews about them and was in awe of the amazing pictures taken. Funny enough I just discovered we apparently did not take any pictures with our phones. We agreed to visit two water falls, Cataract Falls and Laurel Falls. These were both beautiful and fun in there own ways. Cataract Falls was great because it was so easy for us to get there with a baby and the parking was at a visitor center, I highly recommend this for everyone. Laurel Falls was unique in many ways for us because it was a difficult hike with our stroller and once we got there, although a beautiful waterfall, it was packed with people climbing all over the falls almost ruining this picturesque setting we had in our heads. When we went to the head of the trail there was a Park Ranger actually talking to people before they go up about the difficulty of the climb and discouraging people with regular strollers. After getting the thumbs up on the stroller, and apparently fooling him into thinking we knew what we were doing, we set off. Parts of the climb are really easy while others are a little nerve racking as you end up on a skinny trail with a huge drop on one of your sides. To be honest I am not sure I would brave that one again until the kids were like 8 or 9. The falls themselves are amazing, but I would recommend trying to get up there early in the morning to avoid the crowds. Also, I read a recent review that the trail is paved and an easy climb, it is possible they have worked on the trail to make it more family friendly. Also, just as equally possible is first time parents being overly paranoid……
The second thing we wanted to do was take a drive through the mountains which was a perfect way to relax after visiting both waterfalls. I highly recommend going for a drive while there as the scenery is amazing and it gave us some ideas if we were to visit again. Finally it was time for dinner and we ended up at the Hard Rock Cafe for an amazing burger and wonderful environment. This was actually my first time at a Hard Rock Cafe and it did not disappoint. It is a fun place for all ages and not just for music lovers.
Day 2 started out a little lazy as we only wanted to see one main sight, Clingman’s Dome, and to be honest I wanted a more relaxing day. Clingman’s Dome is a half-mile uphill climb on a paved path. The path, although completely paved, is described by some as moderate to difficult. I would definitely peg it as a moderate climb which destroyed my idea of a lazy day. My word of advice on this trail is to pace yourself and do not let the hike intimidate you. We took several breaks, also taking a decent amount of time at the top to rest up. Embarrassingly/Amazingly enough we were passed by a couple in there mid 80s, slow and steady was their approach and they did not rest until the very top. Perfect tortoise and the hare image here. The view at the peak is more than worth the trip and really helps a person visualize the vastness of where they are.
For dinner that night we ended up at margaritaville. The drinks were good, but the food was just blah. The wife ended up feeling terrible that night, I blame the food. I decided to give her a kid break, and took the little one out to the porch where we sat on a rocking chair. We spent a couple of hours out there watching traffic which ended up being a great time, allowing for the two of us to just hangout. Little moments like this are rare to find and should be capitalized on whenever possible.
Johnny’s Words Of Wisdom – Know your limits: I think it is important to know your limits as it relates to many aspects in life including vacations. I will say Laurel Falls was likely the peak of our ability at the time and as much as we wanted to check out a few other falls, we knew it was not worth it. Focus on the time you spend with your family and the things you are able to do. We were excited to see what we saw and called it a day, already planning our next visit.
Traveling Through The Ages 