Gatlinburg trip

Nathan and I took a short trip to Gatlinburg, TN during spring break to celebrate our anniversary. It was our first trip without children in 9 years!! Here are some of the highlights:

This was the view of the Great Smoky Mountains from the balcony of our condo. We were blessed with beautiful weather while we were there so we slept with all the windows and doors open.

A fork in the Little Pigeon River near our condo where we saw a couple being married on the rocks our first night there. This is a secluded section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where few tourists go, so it felt like we had it all to ourselves!

We attempted a hike in the secluded area of the park we found on the first night, but it was a little too steep for an 8-month pregnant lady wearing flip-flops. (There is nothing more comfortable than flip-flops when you are pregnant!) I love this picture though because I look so tiny instead of 8 months pregnant!

The next day we successfully hiked to the top of Laurel Falls which was a 2.6 mile round-trip hike! Not bad for an 8-month pregnant lady!! (I wore better shoes this time.) It was hot (especially without being able to drink anything for fear of needing a bathroom) and a long climb up, but it was so rewarding to see the waterfall when we got to the top.

A view of the bottom of Laurel Falls. It is one of the most popular hikes in the park, so we were accompanied by lots of tourists.

After our hike, we were lucky enough to see real black bears along the road! It was a mother bear with her cub. In this picture, the mother is on the right up on the hill, and the baby is on the far left at the bottom of the hill.

The mother bear finally looked up at us and realized she was being watched by a large group of tourists. Luckily, she didn't seem to mind being the star of the show.

While in Gatlinburg, we traveled to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina for a tour of the 250 room home built by George Vanderbilt in 1895. It is the largest home in America now owned by his great-grandson. It was originally built on 120,000 acres, but now rests on just 8,000 acres! We saw his brother's enourmous home, The Breakers, in Rhode Island a few years ago, so this one has been on our list to see ever since. George clearly succeeded in out-doing his older brother.

We traveled to Asheville, NC through the scenic Great Smoky Mountains National Park due to a rock slide on the interstate.

Halfway between Gatlinburg and Asheville, the Appalachian Trail, which goes all the way to Maine, crosses through the park. There are many hikers who spend the entire summer hiking the 1,972 miles to Maine. Nathan hopes to bring Trenton back in a few years to hike a portion of the trail.

On our way to Asheville, we passed the Newfound Gap which was given this name after it was discovered to the be the lowest point between the Great Smoky Mountains creating a gap where a road could be built through the mountains.