We googled and followed the advice of other parents before us by getting on the road extremely early (4:00am there, 5:00am back) so that we could get through the first few hours while AJ slept. We also put her in overnight diapers so that we didn't have to change her as often as we would at home. We made sure to change her out of her footie pajamas and into rompers or shirts/shorts as the day warmed up. Babies sweat too! When we stopped we stretched out her limbs and let her "stand" on our laps so she could bounce around. Finally, we made sure to bring some of her favorite toys to divert her and when she became fussy and tired, we put on white noise that Evan downloaded onto his phone before we left town. Since that's how she goes to sleep at home, it worked like a charm. All in all, she was extremely accommodating.
A HUGE help was that my parents joined us on our vacation and between our two vehicles we brought all of AJ's necessities - hiking backpack, high chair, play fence, pack 'n play, formula, bottles, clothes, diapers, wipes, toys, books, etc. AJ had all of her usual things in an unusual place so that made the transition easier. Her sleeping habits suffered a little in that she stayed up late and had a couple of middle of the night parties. I imagine it was the excitement of being with her grandparents for a prolonged stretch and in a new place.
The whole family had a wonderful time in our isolated haven about fifteen minutes from Bryson City, NC. I'd say our week was split evenly between leisure and low-key activities. Mostly, we enjoyed the magnificent view of Fontana Lake from our cabin's porch. I feel like cabin is a bit of a misnomer as it conjures up an image of something rustic and maybe even falling apart. Our cabin was built in the past five years or so and has modern amenities and comforts. It's why I like to think of us as having gone "glamping". In fact, being out in that environment, surrounded by dense forest, a water source, and singing birds and insects, it was reminiscent of the ecolodge we stayed at in Nicaragua. That was and is one of my all-time favorite vacation experiences.
It was nice spending time together as a family. I didn't get in as much reading as I had planned but we watched Jeopardy (it's hard to pass up when James Holzhauer is on a multi-week winning streak), observed every sunset, played Password and star-gazed one evening, collaborated on crossword puzzles, enjoyed local ice cream, ate dinner together, talked, and shared in the joy of watching AJ master sitting up.
Travel dates: May 18 - May 25, 2019
Since our days weren't jam-packed I'm just going to share the highlights.
I loved watching how the light changed as the hours passed by:
It rained for a brief fifteen minutes our first evening and then not a drop of precipitation the rest of the week. We really lucked out weather-wise.
There are three cabins side by side. We were in the middle cabin (with the best view) while the owners were on one side and another guest cabin was on our other side. The other guest cabin was empty for our first several days so Evan and I snuck over to their porch to get a different view of the sunset.
Then we returned to our porch and watched the colors deepen there.
That first morning we got a glimpse into why they're called the Great "Smoky" Mountains. Then we watched the smoke burn off with the sunrise.
After a day of rest, the five of us drove to Cherokee, NC and did the short but moderately difficult hike to Mingo Falls. It's mostly stairs and all uphill, .8 miles roundtrip. Evan got to try out a new hiking backpack with AJ attached. She was a little put off at first but once she realized she was going for a ride, she perked right up.
Oconaluftee Visitor Center:
From Mingo Falls we continued our drive to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, one of the southern entrances to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I didn't realize until we had gotten there that park entrance is FREE. What a pleasant surprise!
While there we had a relaxing lunch in the shade by the river and Evan got one of the park rangers to stamp AJ's National Park Passport. I think this is going to be a really neat reminder of all the historical places around the U.S. that she's seen, whether she remembers them or not. I love that we found out about this program and hope that we stay on top of it as we take family adventures.
A couple of nights later Evan and I returned on our own hoping to spy some elk. We didn't see any at the center but we saw about a dozen on the way there and took pictures on the way back home. Their population suffered from overhunting and the last elk in North Carolina was killed in the late 1700s. Fortunately, the National Park Service reintroduced them to the park in 2001. They're most prominent in the Cataloochee Valley, but that was a bit of a drive from our home base so we didn't venture out that way.
We continued from the Oconaluftee Visitor Center to Clingsman Dome, the highest peak in the park. We were all going up but there was a sign at the base that discouraged the use of strollers. My mom and dad volunteered to stay behind with AJ so Evan and I could do the climb together. Now that was a steep incline. I was huffing and puffing. Our calf muscles were sore for days. Still, I'm glad we did it. The views were lovely and the exertion was good for us.
On the way out of the park we made sure to stop by the sign to take some family photos. When AJ's older we'll have to tell her about the pooplosion we had to clean up right after our photoshoot. Ah, the joys of parenting!
Another smoky sunrise:
Indian Creek and Tom Branch Falls:
Evan and I were able to get away for a solo morning hike in the Deep Creek Recreation Area. We brought my parents and AJ on another day. It's a fairly flat and easy hike at 1.6 miles roundtrip but both times we were there it was oppressively humid. The dense canopy of trees provided shade from the sun, but it also trapped in the moisture.
Quick anecdote: While AJ was chilling in her backpack that Evan hadn't toted yet, we happened to chat with a woman and her very friendly labrador. We all love dogs and AJ is no different. What we learned, however, is that she loves dogs from afar. The labrador excitedly and with a wagging tail, gave her a wet kiss. AJ's face devolved from surprised to confused to disgusted to unhappy and then she cried! It was so sad. I think the dog's feelings were hurt. She's probably never had that reaction before. I think AJ likes the chase and that's why she loves her kitties. She missed her/our cats so much. Her face lit up and she squealed when she saw them when we returned home.
Tom Branch Falls:
Indian Creek Falls:
Road to Nowhere:
After our solo hike in the Deep Creek Recreation Area Evan and I took a drive down the Road to Nowhere. It's a six mile stretch of road that, as the name suggests, dead ends. I don't remember exactly what the original intentions were but environmental issues arose and instead of finding a way to work through them, construction was halted. We got quite a pleasant surprise when we spotted several wild turkeys. They move way faster than I would've expected. It was hard to capture them on camera.
The males were particularly elusive.
Butterflies eating a "road apple" AKA horse poop, as my dad explained:
A handsome male cardinal chilling in our backyard:
What we'll miss most of all:
We really did have a good time. We saw lots of cool wildlife, even a couple of snakes on our big family hike in the Deep Creek Recreation Area. We didn't see any black bears though we would've welcomed a (distant) sighting. Feeling like we were in our own private, little world on top of our barely inhabited mountain was lovely. If we missed out on anything it was water-related recreation. There's fishing, tubing, kayaking, etc. Of course, it's hard to do anything water-based with a baby so we skipped that this time. I also have a half-interest in zip-lining, which is also offered. We'd definitely go again. I can't imagine the park is too different on the Tennessee side, but I'd be willing to give it a try. I'm not surprised it's the most visited national park. It's free, beautiful, and wild.
