Smokey Mountain Weekend

I've been plagued with "Smokey Mountain Range Rain" stuck in my head all weekend. You know the song:

"Smokey Mountain rain keeps on fallin'

I keep on callin' her name

Smokey Mountain rain I'll keep on searchin'

I can't go on hurtin' this way

She's somewhere in the Smokey Mountain rain"

Unfortunately that's the only part of the song I know.

The whole way to Gatlinburg Tennessee I hummed it in my head while Evan whistled it. We decided we needed a getaway. Since a big vacation/honeymoon wasn't an option we packed up the car, the dog, and drove east to the Great Smokey Mountains for a long weekend. It was our last chance to go somewhere before Evan deploys in a couple months, and we were happy to leave Clarksville behind!

It's strange vacationing with your husband instead of your family for the first time. I kind of felt like a rebel. I was with a boy, in a cabin, alone, in the middle of the woods...rebellious I know. We brought some good books, shut our phones off, and planned on doing nothing! 

 The cabin was perfect!

 Evan using his man skills made us a cozy fire every night!

 Saturday we made our way to Gatlinburg to do some shopping and see the sights. I was surprised at how touristy Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge is. There were signs for tours, and tacky souvenir shops everywhere. Don't get me wrong, there were some nice shops, but were few and far between. The Lumberjack Feud dinner and show, Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede, and plethora of Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum, aquarium, and magic show, made it hard for me to really enjoy Gatlinburg. Maybe I was just expecting more simplicity than cheesy attractions.  

Unfortunately it rained most of the weekend, so hiking wasn't an option. I think I would have enjoyed Gatlinburg more if I would have been able to see the more "nature" side of it. We ended up buying a glass blown ornament for a Christmas tree next year, and then staying holed up in our cabin for the rest of the trip. 

 The Smokey Mountains right outside our windows!

 We made breakfast every morning and then went out for dinner.

 Most of our weekend was spent being lazy, reading books, playing a games of pool, relaxing in the hot tub, and enjoying the view. Scout's favorite part of the trip was creeping on our neighbors off of our porch, and spending hours outside smelling everything...I think he had too much fresh air.

 Call us crazy, but we were also super excited to have...drum roll please...cable! We gleefully watched Full Metal Jousting on the History Channel and The Walking Dead. It was nice to have cable for the weekend, but I'm still glad we go without TV most of the time. We use our time more wisely, or at least know we are doing something more productive than rotting our brains.

 Scout enjoyed being a "Mountain Dog" but was ready for the ride home!

We had such a good time just hanging out and having no obligations to do anything, or go anywhere. It's a great feeling! Most of the time I'm always happy to be home, but this time around I could have stayed another week in the mountains and not complained!