I checked the date on my last post, ten days ago, and wondered for a moment what I've been up to. Then it all came back to me - I went to Dollywood! It was Kathy's idea to take my two eldest nieces to Dollywood, the amusement park nestled in the Tennessee mountains, near Gatlinburg. The end of summer vacation was fast approaching, so we set a date, and made our plans. My plans included shopping for some water resistant shorts and a fanny pack. My last trip to Dollywood, when I was about fourteen, taught me a lesson about the transparency of white shorts once wet and the embarrassment of underpants with flower print. With my quick drying short pants and brand new fanny pack for holding phones and wallets, I felt prepared for anything, even the water rides.
Since Dollywood wasn't open on Thursday, we traveled to a place called Greenbriar in the Smokey Mountain National Forest. We visited a beautiful boulder strewn stream and had a picnic under towering trees. We waded and splashed in the stream and watched tiny fish nibble my toes. As we left, I had to drive slowly through the forest as the road was full of ruts that rattled my little car. Kathy and I admired the surrounding forests and wildflowers and kept our eyes peeled for bears. The kids were occupied in the backseat by their technology, and asked, "Why is it taking so long to get out of here?" Ha!
We traveled into the town of Gatlinburg with no more of a plan than to find ice cream. We parked the car right off the main street with all the touristy shops and hoards of vacationers, and I looked around at all that stuff and wondered where to start. Not to worry, as soon as the kids saw the big sign for Ripleys Haunted Adventure, they pointed with excitement. Really? Kathy and I were game, so we bought our tickets and took the ticket sellers advice and splurged on hand held lights to hold while we crept through the most intense haunted house I've ever been to! Creepy people jumped out of secret doors, a ghoul performing an autopsy splashed us with guts, and puffs of air from secret places would make us scream. Actual monsters chased us down hallways. The darkness was so complete at times that we were glad for those lights. I wasn't sure we would make it out of room made of a spinning light tunnel, but once we escaped the haunted adventure, we were all giddy with adrenaline. What's next?!
After some refreshing lemonade, we found a tiny photo shop manned by a friendly young lady photographer that understood we didn't want to look like a bunch of saloon girls, and had fun trying on costumes, selecting our props, and posing for our old time picture. The picture is propped on my mantel right now, and makes me smile every time I see it.
I took our old time photos back to the car while Kathy and the kids booked us seats on the chairlift that took us to the top of a mountain overlooking Gatlinburg, where the largest swinging bridge lives.
A bridge that long swings quite a bit in the center, and we watched several people change their minds and turn around. The views were fantastic.
Near the center of the swinging bridge was a traffic jam, and weren't sure why the line was stopping.
Until we got to the center of the bridge, which was made of glass! It was cool to stand above the trees. The ride back off the mountain on the chairlift was very enjoyable - breezy with beautiful views of the mountains.
When my eldest nieces said that if she could eat any food in the world, she would choose chicken pot pie, Kathy knew just the place! We barely made it to the restaurant in Pigeon Forge before closing time, but had no trouble ordering so much food we had leftovers to take back to our hotel.
The next morning we were up, hair in french braids, cooler refilled with ice, and enjoying waffles before our short drive to Dollywood. We parked in C for Cotton Candy, and caught the trolley into the park. Once inside, we used our dollywood map to find the nearest roller coaster, and we were off!
I thought I gave up roller coasters years ago. Not so! I didn't ride them all, but some I rode more than once, including the Wild Eagle, which lets your feet dangle while doing loopty-loops! The kids got giant sugary beverages in cups with bucket handles and bendy straws, and could get refills throughout the day. Everyone one was high on sugar and roller coaster speed! We saw a bird show, with a giant golden eagle and a bald eagle that was nearly as old as I am, and gave dollars to a funny crow that hopped around on the stage and asked for donations. Chicken tenders and french fries fueled us all the way until the evening, when we attended one of the shows in an air conditioned theater with comfy seats. For an hour Dolly Parton sang to us on a giant screen, while her brother, aunt, and cousin performed live on the stage with other musicians. It was a strange show, but I was happy to let people in sequined suits sing to me while we rested our weary legs.
After the show we found a sweet shop, and got scoops of moose tracks ice cream in chocolate dipped waffle cones, then went shopping in the gift shop before we caught the trolley back to our car. Wow, what an adventure!
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