One of the Most Magical Days of Our Trip. Hint: There Were Bears!

7 / 13 / 16

It was Saturday, June 4th, and we’d already done so much! After feeding goats on the roof (literally), we decided it was time for us to eat!

The Old Mill Restaurant & Shops, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

One of our all-time favorite places to eat is The Old Mill Restaurant in Pigeon Forge. The portions are massive and the food is so delicious. There are also a lot of shops and things to do before eating. We went into the shops at the Old Mill Square. The Farmhouse Kitchen was adorable and there were lots of samples to try. We purchased some sparkling cider and some chip dip for Dustin’s parents who were graciously watching our kitties while we were away.

I was super excited to go into Sassafras. The shop was in a little corner and had some adorable jewelry. In the back, everything was an extra 50% off. I picked up both a necklace and a bracelet for under $10. There were lots of opportunities to try different olive oils and we snacked and snacked, tasting different combinations.

Passing-By-LG — Passing By, Randall Ogle, http://www.randalloglegallery.com/Passing-By.htm

One of the neater stores we walked into was the Randall Ogle Gallery. Inside there were some beautiful paintings. The man there was Randall himself. We were able to talk to him and he told us more about Cades Cove and how to see a bear. His paintings were really peaceful. On the brochure I picked up it said:

“Smokey Mountain Heritage,” the focal point of native artist Randall Ogle’s work, depicts unique scenes of the Great Smokey Mountains. The largest collection of Cades Cove artwork in the area featuring the special edition series “Cades Cove, Yesteryear.”

Once we had enough shopping, we grabbed a seat at The Old Mill. I hadn’t had cheese in a long time but ordered a small side of macaroni and cheese. Even though it was delicious, I regretted it later! The mashed potatoes, corn fritters, and green beans were to die for! It is truly a magnificent place. It was also the only time I allowed myself sweet tea on the trip. This was a hard decision for me, but I know it was a good one. Sweet tea has too much sugar in it!

The Park Vista by Doubletree, Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Our room at The Park Vista was really nice. As a Hilton Honors member we got free bottles water and a mountain view upgrade. They also had us draw a prize out of a bowl. We won a coupon for a free appetizer at the hotel’s bar or restaurant.

The hotel itself is a large cylinder. When I was a little girl my parents brought me here. I remember dropping a Toy Story toy down the 15th floor that we got in a kids meal. It was of an army figure with a parachute on its back. We would race to see whose hit the ground first. It looked like this:

Now, the hotel is owned by Hilton and has been remodeled. It’s up on a mountain and offers great views. The pool is also pretty fabulous. They have a nice waterslide that we went on a lot the next morning.

Cades Cove, Great Smokey Mountains National Park

Unfortunately, the hotel was so full (at 5pm) that we weren’t able to check-in to our room. This was super sad since it was a pretty pricey hotel room for one night. We shrugged and decided to head to Cades Cove since it was raining. Cades Cove is outside of Gatlinburg and is part of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. It’s a looonnnnggg drive. It took us over an hour to get back to the park.

Was it worth it? Yes. Because BEARS.

I prayed and prayed we would see a bear. I’d heard of others driving back and not seeing one and just seeing deer. I concluded that even if we didn’t see a bear it was a beautiful place (which it is)!

It’s one of those untouched places in the world that makes you feel alive and free. The beauty was overwhelming.

Lucky for us there had been rain. So, we got a double rainbow. (A Full On Double Rainbow!) This was actually after we had already seen a bear. A young, adolescent bear, as Dustin would call him, pass in front of our car!

What a beautiful sight! The Lord stays true to his promises!

We drove the 11 mile loop and ended up seeing not one, but two bears. The first was smaller, but went right in front of our car. We got out and got to see him very up close!

We drove and saw ponies, turkey, and lots of dear. The wild turkey were pretty funny to watch as the moved their heads around in the grass. Later, we got to see a very large bear. This one I’d say was closer to 300+ pounds. He was further away, but we were on a hill and he was eating so we got to watch him well for over ten minutes. We actually left before he did!

It’s difficult to make him out, but I think you get the idea. There were others with massive lenses and professional cameras. We just used our phones and tried to live in the moment. Other things we did at Cades Cove included visiting some old cabins and an old church. We walked into the church out of the rain and explored. It was too dark to take pictures. The cabin was very cozy. It would’ve been a lovely sight to wake up to the mountains every morning. Below are pictures we took right in front of one of the original cabins.

On our way out of the park, we had to drive very carefully because wildlife could jump out in front of your car. This is an example:

How majestic!

I love how the deer is reflected in the water on the road which was left over after it had rained. The smoke on the mountains was so beautiful. This is probably one of the best pictures I’ve taken with my iPhone! I made sure you could see our dash so you could tell we were indeed driving!

If seeing 2 bears, a double rainbow, and other wildlife wasn’t enough, we ended up getting to see a momma bear and 2 cubs! On our way out of the park, I turned up some worship music and settled in for the long drive back. We came across lots of cars parked. There, in the forest, was a momma bear and two cubs. The lady beside me said they were the smallest cubs she’d ever seen and that they were probably very young. We couldn’t get a good picture, but it was a very special ending to our night. Praise the Lord and His beauty!

Patio- The Park Vista - a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Gatlinburg — Fireflies at The Park Vista, Photo Credit: Gatlinburg.com

After Cades Cove we drove back to The Park Vista and checked in. We enjoyed the room and also went down to their bar for our free appetizer. There was a lovely outside patio, rocking chairs, and fire pit. The space was called Fireflies. The hummus plate was really good and we sat around the fire.

temp-masthead — Photo Credit: Park Vista

Later, we decided not to swim but to enjoy the room and watch Cops. One of our favorite travel tv shows.

It had been a long day, but I was so happy we saw BEARS!

Love & Laughter,

Tiffany

Big Green Dinosaur, Sunsphere & Goats On The Roof

7 / 8 / 167 / 14 / 16

We woke up at the Hampton Inn in Caryville, Tennessee and were shocked at the beauty that surrounded us! I knew ahead of time it was located in the Cove Lake State Park, but I didn’t realize you could see the mountains and a beautiful lake from the breakfast space! We began our second day of our road trip on Saturday, June 3rd. The hotel was pretty busy. Their breakfast was really well done. I loved the raisin bran and fresh fruit. Before, I would wonder what in the world a vegan would eat…but now it’s pretty simple. Fruit, whole grains…you get the picture.

My dad always took a picture of our cars when we went on vacation. I always thought it was weird but now I get it. You want to remember what you were driving and where! It’s harder to remember different parts of your life when you get older. Looking back you can be like “oh, I remember that clunker” or “oh, look at the two door thingy.” Well, this is our “new” 2014 Ford Focus that we bought last May. It was celebrating its first birthday on this trip. I didn’t post that we bought a new car on Facebook since it seemed a little braggy. Well, it’s a year now and I’m posting it here. I love the color. We got a great deal on it and it has AC! Our last car was the same as one as Dustin got for his birthday as a teen and it was on its last leg. We had the ability to donate it to a person which was awesome. So, yeah, here’s the car and it’s in Tennessee. I’ll probably look back at this and smile.

Selfies are hard! We are twins with our black Zenni-Optical $20 glasses. (It really does work, I was skeptical too) I’m also wearing a tank top I got from Volunteers of America for $2 before the trip! One of the best things about losing weight is finding clothes that are on sale that fit! Woohoo.

Take 2. Still squinting into the sun. I should’ve brought the selfie stick my brother-in-law got us for Christmas. It was a cool gift even though I laughed my butt off at it.

Isn’t it strange how much easier it is to wake up early on vacation? I just needed to say that. Because my butt was up EARLY…and it never is at home. I think the promise of the fun day planned ahead had me excited.

Big Green Dragon, Caryville, Tennessee

Don’t laugh. Ok, laugh. It’s hilarious. I saw this road side attraction on the Roadtrippers app and had to see it in person. This Big Green Dinosaur has been there for quite some time. You can see it from the highway. It’s now behind a Dollar General store so you have to park and walk behind the store for a picture. It’s handmade from fiber glass. It’s been there since the 1980s. Don’t judge me, I read it’s history online. Anyway, it used to be for a fireworks store until the store burned down. It’s funny because it’s a fire-breathing dragon. Our Dino met the road side Dino. We had fun with this. It was also less than a mile from our hotel.

World’s Fair Park, Knoxville, Tennessee

Next, we drove to downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. I don’t think I’ve ever been downtown there. I know we drive by the big gold thingy but never have I stopped to think what it was. Well, this time was different. The big gold thingy, also known as the Sunsphere, was going to be our next stop.

Parking downtown was a little challenging but we figured it out. The park downtown is lovely. There’s a big amphitheater where Johnny Cash and June Carter once sang. It’s big and green and relaxing. There were lots of families out and kids playing in one of the water features. There was also a kick-butt park. It had climbing walls and things you could hold onto and slide on. We walked to the Sunsphere. It was free. At the base we just hopped on an elevator that took us up. The observation deck was cool. You can walk all the way around. There’s also history on Knoxville. That’s how I knew about the Johnny Cash thing. We were bored with it pretty quickly. I tried to hit the elevator button to take us higher (where other offices and a restaurant was) but it didn’t work.

All and all it was a cool stop since we were driving through but I wouldn’t stop again for it. PS- It was built for The World’s Fair and most of it is still original. They charged $3pp to go up in it.

Goats On The Roof, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Photo Credit: http://smokymountains.com/attractions/goats-on-the-roof-pigeon-forge/

There’s one thing you got to know about me: I love animals. What do I like better than animals? Baby animals. What do I like better than baby animals? Nothing. Ok, I actually like feeding them. That’s why we stopped at Goats On The Roof in Pigeon Forge. Last year we were here and road the Alpine Coaster. It was fun and thrilling. (It looks boring but it isn’t.) We went back to feed the goats who live on the roof. I’m not lying. You can feed the goats on the roof and on the ground. They also had baby goats. It was only 50 cents per cone of food. We bought 2 for $1 and fed the goats. Adorable. You can ride a bike that makes a chain move your cup up to the goats so you can feed them.

A tip? Walk upstairs in the shop so you can see the goats up close on the roof!

Our day was just beginning, but there’s much more to say in another post.

Love & Laughter,

Tiffany

North Carolina Road Trip: Jungle Jims, Mary Todd Lincoln’s Home, & Cumberland Falls

7 / 8 / 16

You can’t have a good road trip without gas, right? Well, I thought this would be a great photo-op! A few years ago we got this fun silicone bean-stuffed dinosaur. We have no idea where we got it. Dustin says we may* have found him on the beach somewhere. We’re not sure. BUT we like to take him on trips as out travel mascot. I know it sounds funny and some people don’t get it, but it’s kind of a fun way to document our travels.

Meet Dino, the Awesome Travel Dude!

Above is Dustin getting gas for our trip. I had some writing to do so we left around 11am on Friday, June 3rd and headed from Mansfield to Caryville, Tennesee. Our first stop was Jungle Jims in Cincinnati, Ohio. Other stops included Lexington, Kentucky and Cumberland Falls, Kentucky.

Jungle Jims, 1st Stop, Cincinnati, Ohio

Oh, hey, there’s me! I had a writing interview this day with Neutrogena. I thought it was going to be a video call but ended up just being a phone conference. In this picture I was trying to mimic Hayden Panettiere’s makeup since she’s one of the faces of the brand. A lot of their products are simple and not over-pronounced. I really like the blue eyeliner I had on. The lip pencil was OK. I forget the shade but it was one of their brighter ones. Can you tell my skin is clearing up? Ever since I’ve started eating a plant-based whole food diet it’s gotten a lot better. Oh, and I’ve lost 25lbs.

It took us about 2 1/2 hrs to get to Jungle Jims from our house. This place is ah-mazing. If you love food and love traveling this is the place to shop. I would drive there just to spend the day. It’s a MASSIVE grocery store with foods from all over the world. My mum first told us about it and said they had $5,000+ bottles of wine. I didn’t get it…until I went for the first time. It’s seriously almost like an amusement park. They also give out free samples. It’s hard for me since I’m vegan, but they had some I could try.

Outside there are animal noises and a really cool looking elevated train. You can’t ride it, it’s just for looks. Once you walk inside you’re overwhelmed with the size. The store even gives tours. We came at a random time but there were still lots of samples out. We had to limit our time or else we wouldn’t make it anywhere else this day.

There’s a fun hippie theme in one section of the store. I told Dustin to stand for a picture. I think this was in the all natural section. The air steam painted trailer, picture of John Lennon, and tie dye clothes were perfect. We didn’t buy a lot since we were watching our money and brought out own meals. Things aren’t much more expensive than regular stores here. We bought some wafers (Manner) that we liked from Austria, some vinegar flavored edible crickets, a weird drink for Dustin, and some Italian pasta and sauce that we tried. The pasta sauce was from Bon Jovi’s dad. It was a garden marinara and it was excellent. The free sample got us hooked and we bought the $7 sauce and $2 pasta. Later, we made it at my grandparent’s cabin. It was so good! I later realized it had butter in it. A no no on my diet (and my stomach). Bummer.

PS- Go into the bathrooms. They look like porta pots on the outside but are really nice modern bathrooms on the inside. Mind = Blown!

Dustin and I also found Dr McDougall foods! This is the brand that started me on my whole foods plant-based diet. I love the food and now I’m vegan and feeling the best I’ve felt in years. I wanted a picture by the wall of the food to send to my family. Also, to keep track of my progress. One of my goals is to send my testimony to Dr. McDougall once I hit my goal weight!

There aren’t any words for this picture. Later, we sat in the car and tried a weird drink Dustin picked out. I took a video but forget where I put it. I hated it. The texture was weird. The basil seeds were slimy. I don’t think Dustin liked it because we dumped it out in Lexington, KY.

Last thing we did in Cinci was eat at Jimmy Johns. I only had eaten there once in Chicago and didn’t remember loving it. Well, we liked it a lot better this time. Maybe because we appreciate fresh food better. They had a vegan option for me too. I had a veggie sub with avocado and some kettle chips. The kettle chips were a splurge, but good!

Mary Todd Lincoln’s House, 2nd Stop Lexington, Kentucky

I had plans for us to stop at a neat little place called the Rabbit Hash General Store. This store is in Burlington, Kentucky and is one of the oldest general stores around. The town is known because they have dogs as their mayors whom the residents vote for each term. I wanted to stop by and catch a ~~glimpse~~ pet of the furry mayor. Unfortunately, as I read up on it and after we put in into the GPS we realized it burned down recently. So, we skipped it and kept heading to Lexington. Another stop we considered was The American Sign Museum in Cincinnati. This looked really cool but was $15pp and we wanted to hike more than look at signs so we saved it for another day since it’s closer to us.

Silly Dino selfie! Once we hit Lexington we were so excited to see all the cool rock “fences.” There were rocks stacked along the road and it looked so sophisticated. There were lots of horse stables (as to be expected) and charm. Mary Todd Lincoln’s home was located right downtown. We parked beside the conference center and walked to it. It was closed, but we read all the information outside and got to see some of the other historic homes.

At this time, we were both needing to go to the restroom and needing some caffeine. Somehow I always notice when there’s a local coffee shop nearby. There was one near our car. Daily Offerings Coffee Roastery was across the street from the Hilton and smelled wonderful. I have been without coffee for close to two months but Dustin got an iced coffee and I got some of their orange black tea. It was delicious.

It was also a great time for an “Instagram” model shot.

“Don’t look, you look artsy and mysterious.”

While walking we walked by a cool interior design store. I had to capture this horse that was encrusted with jewels.

Cumberland Falls, 3rd Stop, Corbin, Tennessee

After Lexington, we kept driving to Cumberland Falls. We went here last year with out families. My dad took me there before as well. It’s on the way and is a cool stop. It’s also known for its moonbeam.

Traffic was rough and that was frustrating because the clock was ticking. I didn’t want to get there when it was dark. We crept up to the lodge and put on our tennis shoes. After a quick bathroom break we hiked down to the falls. It was a two mile hike from Du Pointe Lodge there and back. It was pretty steep. I remembered last year doing it and hating it. This year it was hard, but not as difficult since I’ve been working out. Before, I didn’t dare climb the rocks at the bottom since I was so out of shape. This time we climbed up them at the base and had a snack.

It was really special. Sitting there watching the falls as the darkness fell. We were the only ones there other than those fishing. I snacked on a banana and some granola. On our way back up the sun went down. It was darker but we made it up fine. I kept running into spider webs though. That part sucked. I’d like to go back and hike even further. Our hotel was in Caryville, Tennessee. We pulled in pretty late. Close to 9pm, maybe later. We took turns showering off from the hike and had some McDougall meals. We watched TV and went to bed right away!

Dustin’s tired! We drove about six hours and hiked. I’d call that a good first day!

Love & Laughter,

Tiffany

PS- I used the Roadtrippers Ap which is free on my Iphone to find stops along the way. I planned it out ahead of time!