Gatlinburg

The only mountains Bill and I have ever seen are the Rockies. The Smoky mountains are very different. They are a lot more dense, with trees. And the trees go all the way to the tops of the mountains. It was really nice to be in the mountains. We saw a Golden Eagle outside of our cabin, a deer and a coyote. But Gatlinburg in general is all about the black bear. Black bear stuff is everywhere! Our cabin was even full of black bears...

There were little bears sitting in the potpourri... There were little bears on the kitchen window sill...

This little guy was stuffed in the bottom of the coat rack...

This was one of several bear decorations on the fireplace mantle...

And this guy sat by and watched as you played pool...

There was even a list of do's and don'ts in the cabin. You know, DON'T FEED THE BEARS! Don't put your trash outside, etc.

It all made me so excited about SEEING a real black bear!!! I was disappointed to say the least, when we left Gatlinburg I had not seen one single bear. And we were staying in a cabin...in the woods!

Anyway...Wednesday, we went to the aquarium. It was a truly, unexpectedly nice aquarium too. I especially loved the underwater tunnel. There was a giant saw fish laying across the top of it. I didn't know they just lounged around like that.

And these were the funniest looking fish. They were called Cuttle fish.

And this guy had his dukes up the whole time we were there. He looks mad doesn't' he?
But not nearly as mad as this creature! Ewwwwww...check out those teeth.
I even got to go deep sea diving! Man that suit is heavy ;-)

We walked a lot downtown, went into a lot of shops. It was hot and humid, not a good combo for Sister Mary Menopause! I was so desperate for some cool air and a seat that I went into McDonald's and actually ate a burger! My first McDonald's burger in over a decade. Even Bill was shocked. They are just a yucky as they've always been.

Then we did a really fun cheesy thing and went to the Ripley's Believe or Not Museum. We laughed out loud several times!

We both had the same favorite part though. There was this big round tunnel, with a bridge through it. The top 1/2 of the tunnel was painted like the sky and the bottom 1/2 was painted like a ravine ~ that a bridge might go over. The tunnel moved, a little clockwise and then a little counter clockwise. When you walked through it, on the bridge (which was stationary mind you) you had to hold on to the rails because you might fall! We had to walk through it 3 times because it was so wild. I mean, even though you know you aren't moving, you still start to tip over when the tunnel moves. I LOVE that!

Here's Bill in Robert Wadlow's chair. Robert was a big dude!

(Don't you love that face??)

All in all, we had a fun time in Gatlinburg but we wouldn't go back. It's a terrific place for families though. It's like a ginormous carnival. Lots and lots of things to do for kids. It's a little too commercial for us old folks though. One day downtown was plenty.

The next day we drove around the Arts and Crafts Community. That was much nicer. All about real artisans and craftsmen. I'm always amazed by the talent some people have. Being an arts and crafts dabbler, I can appreciate the work that goes into some art. I like that.

Then we went back to the cabin and just hung out. We've been pretty busy so far so it was good to have some down time.

For our anniversary dinner, we went to a fancy place called The Park Grill. It was awesome. Our waiter, Dave, was top notch and the food was scrumptious. Bill had prime rib and I had fillet Mignon! We felt like we were being so extravagant! It was perfect. They even put a candle on our table for the occasion. Ahhhhhhh, life is good.