08/09/2026
🤠Howdy, Folks!
Well, we made it back from Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, Tennessee!
What a great getaway with some of our family🥰!
19 of us were able to go for a 4 day quick vacation. We stayed at an amazing air bnb with a beautiful view, went hiking, visiting Anakeesta, and more hiking to see waterfalls. We watched our kids & grandkids jump off a cliff into a river and all of them survived with no serious injuries! (We just weren't brave enough, this time.)
One of our vehicles got tore up by a bear...so, THAT happened, but after seeing more than a dozen bears up close and personal, I think we were very fortunate. The people down south are lovely, funny, and very welcoming. We found that the natural sites (free) were more fun than the attractions and we didn't have to wait in line😁.
We had some delicious food (thank you, kids), taste-toured Ol' Smoky Distillery and saw some scary-high scenery, drove on some scary-steep roads that had me covering my eyes, swam, played mini-golf, told stories on a big old wooden porch, listened to DJ Jason's playlists, heard some live country music and took tons of pictures and videos. Plus, Rich got to stop at Waffle House and Cracker Barrel for some of his favorite traveling food, so this trip was a big win!
Lessons learned:
*Even a loaf of bread in a double plastic bag, in a truck bed, under a tonneau cover WILL get found by a hungry mama bear.
*Debi needs to bring her knee braces along, always.
*Rich needs better hiking boots.
*Our family - Daughters, Son-in-Laws, Grandkids, significant others, etc. - are amazing people who love each other and are fun to hang out with, and we need to do it more often.💞
We're happy to be home and now look forward to hanging out with our RiverWood family! Drinks are cold, the music is hot, and the air conditioning is on in both the axe shed and the saloon!
See you soon!
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