Day 1 - Dar and Saraya haven't flown as much as the rest of us have but they did really well, considering. Luckily they didn't have any run-ins with the TSA. I typically sleep through the plane rides but I did wake up as we were flying over the Mississippi River and was able to get this pic.
We landed in Nashville where the temperature was relatively hot and the humidity was just ridiculous. we climbed into our Chevy Tahoe and headed East. It was much cheaper for us to fly into Nashville via Southwest and drive 4 hours east than into Knoxville via anything else. we tried to meet up with James but his work schedule and our driving schedules just never jelled so we'll have to catch him on another trip.
Dar and Saraya were just amazed at how green everything was. The hotel we stayed at in Pigeon Forge had a creek running through the back of the property and as soon as they got out of the truck, I sent them to go investigate, play, and roll around in the grass. Katrina taught them how to catch fireflies. No pics of them though. My shutter speed was way too slow to catch them lit up.
Day 2: Dollywood
I think the kids enjoyed it but we didn't get to do as much as I had planned. There was a storm that kept rolling through the area so several of the rides were shut down for a lot of the day. They weren't used to the humidity so they struggled with that a bit but there were lots of cool things there that couldn't see anywhere else. The glass blowers, blacksmith, wagon wheel shop, and eagle / birds of prey exhibit and show were big hits. Saraya stood right next to a bald eagle which was a huge accomplishment for her (she's deathly scared of birds). We also ate some pretty fantastic food at Aunt Granny's. I bargained shopped our tickets online and got dinner tickets for free.
Their favorite thing to eat though was the funnel cake. They had never had one so I bought a really big one for all of us to split. By the time I got my camera out to take a picture of that, it was gone. On the ferris wheel
Bumper cars
Greg and Dar checking out the train
Saraya after she got off of the BarnStormer
Dar after he got off the BarnStormer
The glassblower
Group pic
Day 3: Cades Cove and The Comedy Barn
Everyone fell in love with Cades Cove. There truly is no beauty like natural beauty. They were able to see some buildings that were built long before AZ was even declared a state, a very tame doe eating grass next to the side of the road, an awesome creek and hiking trails, and a tangle of spiders that would make anyone cringe.
After we left Cades Cove we stopped in Gatlinburg where Dar and Saraya experienced their first "late-afternoon-thunderstorm-after-a-hot-and-humid-day". Anyone from the eastern part of the US can appreciate this. To all others, it's just a sudden downpour of heavy rain that lasts for a very brief period of time. In that twenty minutes, upper east Tennessee received more rain than Surprise has had in a year.
We went back to the hotel, changed and took off for the Comedy Barn. To those of you who have never heard of that, here's the cliff notes: comedians making jokes about hillbillies with a traditional Southern / Appalachian accent. i haven't seen the kids laugh that hard in a long time. The next time you see one of them, ask them what a "sissy dog" is. 
Day 4:Travel from Pigeon Forge to Greeneville (my hometown). Very laid back and informal day. I met up with a couple of friends from my old workplace for lunch and went back to see some old friends there. Priss went to catch up with some of her friends and we went out to eat with Alex (Busy Badger)at Smokey Bones BBQ. It was great to finally put a face with the name. After dinner the kids were just exhausted so we headed back to the hotel for some much needed rest.
Day 5: Biltmore House in North Carolina. I learned a valuable lesson this day. Just because you think something is cool, it doesn't mean your kids will. Priss had been to Biltmore several times and had always loved it. Dar and Saraya weren't very impressed with it though. Dar did love the indoor and outdoor gardens though. He and I got some amazing shots of the flowers. We headed back to TN early in the afternoon, hoping to meet up with my sister for dinner.
Unfortunately, she was caught at work so she couldn't make it. Priss and I did get to go see my mom and dad's grave that night though. It was hard to do but it felt good to do it in the end. I miss them terribly but they had long full lives. Hopefully I'll be as lucky as them and get 88+ years to enjoy this crazy, crazy world.
For some reason, my brother did not have Dad's date of death put on the headstone, so I'm gonna make sure to take care of that. If not, someone will think he is still out there kicking around at 99 years old!
Day 6: We spent most of this day at our friends' house. We hung out in the back yard, the kids swam in the pool, we cooked out, and just sat around and chilled for the day. The boys tossed the football, played basketball, Greg taught Dar how to play horseshoes. It was everyone's favorite day of the trip, without question. Our kids have already decided they want to go back next summer and hang out at their house for a week.
Day 7: Chattanooga. We went to Ruby Falls and Rock City. They were both beautiful, I had never been to either, but my favorite was Rock City. I like caves but I thought the outdoor gardens at Rock City were just stunning.
The Waterfall at Ruby Falls
Rock City
Fat man Squeeze. I even had to turn sideways to fit through there.
Seeing 7 states from one spot
That night the kids were just absolutely exhausted. I learned that Greg and I travel much better than them and that they give out long before we do. I decided to keep it low-key that night. We went back to the hotel, ordered pizza, and just chilled out by the pool. The kids caught up on some much needed rest and we were able to just kick back and re-charge.
Day 8: We took the kids to the Chattanooga Zoo. Unfortunately, the one animal that we went there specifically to see (the Red Panda) wasn't on display. However, we did get to see some cool animals and it was a really good deal. Tickets were $8 each for me and Greg and $5 for the kids. That's pretty fantastic for a major zoo. They had some of the coolest birds. There was a crow that would talk to you and laugh when you laughed (his whole body shook and he threw his head back when he laughed). Also a macaw that would say Hi, Bye, and pretty boy. They had a petting zoo with the usual suspects but they also had an amazing old dog that was very friendly. He was well-loved by everyone.
Our monkeys playing in the gift shop
That afternoon we went downtown and walked the longest pedestrian bridge in the US and went and played by the river some. The kids were still wiped and I was trying to take it easy on them. That evening we went to a restaurant down by the river called the Boathouse Rotisserie and Raw bar. The view was absolutely amazing and the food was really good too.
Day 9 was mainly designated for travel. We stopped to see one of my good friends for lunch before we got back on the plane in Nashville. We got back to Phoenix around 9 PM, home by 10, and Greg had to get up the next morning to go to work.
Hope everyone enjoys the pics. As always, here is the link to the photobucket album. It's not for the weak. There are over 800 pics in it. Thank God for digital cameras.
http://s304.photobucket.com/albums/nn16 ... 1QQtppZZ32
