Father's Day on Wheels

On the road again…

We left the beach just as a storm blew in. Great timing and great idea to get the kids worn out! Landon napped for almost 4 hours! I am now contemplating filling a room in our house with sand. The kids did great as we racked up another late night on the road to Gatlinburg, TN.

As we drove into Dollywood Country, I could not believe all the tourist attractions. I mean, we are talking miles and miles of mini golf, rides, concert halls, pancake houses, and random things like the cars from Dukes of Hazard. That part reminded me of Panama City, Florida, but being nestled in the Great Smokey Mountains gave it rugged charm. I was shocked to learn that Dollywood was Tennessee’s number one attraction, but apparently I was the last one in on that secret; the city was packed.

Damian booked a last minute hotel room over the phone, and once again we were pleasantly surprised! The best part was the outdoor pool, complete with a spiraling water slide. The kids had fun, but it was there dad who couldn’t get enough.

It was hilarious to watch. There was a big sign at the entrance to the slide that read, ‘DO NOT GO DOWN HEAD FIRST.’ I was just reading it as I watched Damian’s arms and head with a huge smile plastered on the front emerge first through the tunnel with two laughing boys on his back. When I questioned him about his judgment he just said, “They can’t read yet!”

Happy Father’s Day to the best and most fun dad on the planet, Damian! We are so lucky to have you and we all love you so much!

When we got back on the road we detoured through Smokey Mountain National Park. It was absolutely breathtakingly (is that a word?) beautiful! We stopped and hiked for a while on the Appalachian Trail. I was amazed to learn that it spans 2,500 miles and covers 14 states from Georgia to Maine. The kids had a blast running around and climbing and then it was one last motorcycle sighting before we were all buckled back in Oddy...