Saturday, February 20, 2016

A New Year in the Smoky Mountains

For New Year's Eve we went up to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, to stay in a big cabin with our family. Paul's brother and sister-in-law found a cabin for all of us, way up at the top of a steep winding road - the cabin was even called "King of the Mountain"! We've been to Pigeon Forge several times, but it was fun to go with the nieces and nephews and take them to some of the kid-friendly stuff in the area.

A waterfall on the drive up from Atlanta at Tallulah Gorge
The road to Pigeon Forge goes straight through the National Park
It was very warm for late December. Normally the highest mountains would be covered with snow.
Fog rolling through the mountain valleys
We drove down through the fog on the other side of the mountains
It was kind of creepy!
We made it to the cabin
Way too much food...a common theme in our lives!
Paul's niece working on an adult coloring book
The view at night from the cabin. That's the glow of Pigeon Forge / Gatlinburg
This is pretty much how it looked the whole weekend. That blur is Paul's nephew running by.
We went on an adventure through some more cabins that were under construction. Very creepy at night. Walk the plank!
The view in the day
Can't beat waking up to that view from the bedroom window!
We went for a short hike on the river front Greenway in Pigeon Forge. It was cold.
We made a quick trip up to Ober Gatlinberg. It was really crowded, so we didn't stay long, but it was fun watching the zamboni and ice skaters.
Spinning tunnel at WonderWorks - an interactive play place/science center
Our nephew Gabe liked making huge bubbles
Of course, Paul had to try too :)
Just goofing around at Goats on the Roof! They had an alpine roller coaster too.
Nice domo hat, Gabe!
We played Risk. Paul was red. World domination: achieved.
We tried some moonshine. It was strong!
We also had some beer. Not bad.
On the way back to Atlanta we went for a hike in the National Park, at Alum Cave trail.
There was a lot of needle ice along the trail. It was really cool looking.
The giant overhang near the top of the trail.
Made it to the top!
Beautiful sunny (but cold) view of the mountains.
We had a great time hanging out with family, visiting the tourist stuff in Pigeon Forge, and enjoying nature. We'll be back soon, especially since Dollywood is building a new roller coaster.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Yosemite National Park


Back in May we took a short trip to California to visit our friends Jon and Elaine and spend a little time exploring Yosemite National Park. We both love national parks, and we didn't need another lecture from a German backpacker about how we don't appreciate the National Park System, so it was unacceptable that we hadn't visited Yosemite yet! Before heading out to the park we spent a couple days in the Bay Area catching up with Jon, Elaine, and Gwyneth and eating some wonderful food.

Our first culinary treat, It's-Its! Yummy cookie ice cream sandwiches from San Francisco.
Everyone loves ice cream!
We visited the the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve at low tide.
A starfish in the tide pools.
Look, our food is in a boat! A BOAT!
Yum! We've been to Ramen Shop a couple of times now.
Can't talk now... ramen.
After all that food Gwyneth and Uncle Ball (Gwyneth's word) needed a little nap. To be honest, Gwyneth was still awake and eating blueberries from a small cup she was holding.
A flower for Simon at Redwood Regional Park.
This is pretty much what Gwyneth always looks like, unless she's sleeping.
After a few days around Oakland, we started our drive to Yosemite on a Friday afternoon. We reserved a cottage just outside of the park at Yosemite Lakes RV Resort. We got a good deal and would recommend it if you're not able or interested in staying in the park, which books up months in advance. The cottage had no cell reception, but there was wifi down by the reception area.

Paul's ready for the trip! Lots of great local beer.
Gwyneth is ready too! This kept her entertained for about 5 minutes.
Elaine spotted this bakery from across a huge parking lot. She instantly knew it was a Filipino bakery based on the font. The font, people!
Our cottage for two nights, just outside Yosemite.
The tranquil view from our cottage area.
Not spacious...but very cozy!
Go home octopus, you're drunk!
Since it was a late arrival Friday evening, we went to the park on Saturday morning. The weather was really great! It was cool and partly cloudy. We spent most of the day in the park, stopping for a picnic lunch at glacier point. We were lucky and saw lots of wildlife and the views and hikes were all amazing. It was fun to spend time with Jon, Elaine and Gwyneth. David had just been to Utah with the crew so he was prepared for some of the challenges of traveling with a toddler... Paul took a bit of time to adjust. ^_^

We're here, you guys!
The classic vista of Yosemite from Tunnel View. Beautiful!
With Gwen at Tunnel View. Not pictured: the hordes of tourists all around us. Also, we felt a bit like we were Modern Family-ing Gwyneth in this picture!
Hiking up to Sentinel Dome.
Almost to the top!
Incredible views from the top of Sentinel Dome.
Gotta take a jumping picture.
Us on Sentinel Dome.
Hiking to Glacier Point.
We shared lunch and a local beer at Glacier Point. Track 7 please contact us if you want to use this photo for your advertising! :)
Gwenyth at Glacier Point.
A coyote came very close to us.
And then we saw some bear cubs!
Mama bear with her cubs.
There are a lot of beautiful waterfalls in Yosemite.
Another wildlife encounter.
Make way, deer coming through!
We took a short hike to Mirror Lake.
The view at sunset from Mirror Lake trail.
Gwen and Elaine being goofy.
Gwen wanted to take the shuttle bus!
She was excited but cautious about horses.
After visiting with the horses we went back to the cabin for the evening. Elaine had started some adobo chicken in a crock-pot when we first woke up, so we were excited to come home to all that delicious food. After we successfully tricked Gwyneth into going to bed (hehe, toddlers), we sat up and drank some of Paul's cache of beer and called it a night.

The next morning we got up a bit earlier and drove up Tioga Road to see the higher altitude portion of the park. The park is huge and distances can be deceptively far. Up near the top of the road at 9,000-10,000 feet it started snowing and was around freezing. We went for one short hike in the Tuolumne Meadows before heading down and out of the park and back to the Bay Area to catch a red eye home.

Driving up foggy, rainy Tioga Road.
There was snow at the top!
Hiking in the Tuolumne Meadows.
Great alpine scenery. But it was cold!
Natural soda springs.
View across the alpine meadows.
David was really excited to get a double dose of national parks and Jon, Elaine, and Gwyneth in April and May. This trip was really fun. We love visiting our friends! The Bay Area is such a fun place with great food, urban experiences and proximity to some of the best natural spots in North America. I'm sure we'll be back before too long to visit some of the other national parks.