Vacation in the Smokies!

This past weekend we took a quick trip to the Smoky Mountains. I guess if compared to the Wasatch Mountains these would be hills, but to us they are mountains. It was a beautiful day and clearly shows why they are called the Smokies.

This is a view looking down on Maggie Valley. That is where we stayed. There are only local hotels and it has become a haven for motorcyclists. We saw lots of 'Harleys' and leather. They also have an amusement park that was built on top of a mountain that we thought would be fun to go to. It is called Ghost Town in the Sky!

There are 2 ways to get up to the park. One is to ride a bus and the other is to take the ski lift. It was a great ride. Aubrey and Jason didn't even blink. Aubrey did warn me though not to fall or I would get another "bad leg".

Ghost Town in the Sky is a lot like Pioneer Village at Lagoon. The kids really enjoyed climbing and driving the stage coach.

Close your eyes Dad! These are the closest things to horses that the kids have seen since our last trip out to Grandpa's house. Notice though that she does know what to do with the reins.

Ride Em' Cowboy. Although the shorts and the shoes don't quite match the cowboy image.

We went inside the saloon to watch a show and Aubrey was fasinated with the dancing girls. She couldn't take her eyes off them. She thought they were great. We went back in later in the day and she ran right up and jumped into their laps and gave them a hug. They were pretty surprised. Notice also the pink cowgirl vest. She had to wear that the rest of the day.

There were a bunch of kiddie rides. Here is the horse and carriage ride. Jason is having a blast! Not really. He started out okay but as they went around and around he got a little bored and embarassed.

Aubrey though is having a fine time!

No trip to the amusement park would be complete without a ride on the merry-go-round! Aubrey was very insistent that she ride the horse 'dressed' in purple.

Jason was in a patriotic mood. We rode this twice and both times he got on this same horse.

They also have a gunfight show. It was fun and the kids were fasinated. At the end the cowboys even passed out little cards with their pictures on them. Kind of like baseball cards. It was great practice for Jason to have to talk to people he didn't know.

Poor guy just wasn't fast enough!

After we had seen every thing we wanted to and stopped by first aid to bandage Aubrey's leg which she cut on a fence, it was time to head back down the mountain. Mom, I know you would just love this little ride. It was a great! We were a little hungry, thirsty and hot but we had a fun day and the kids couldn't wait to get back to the hotel to swim in the pool. We really enjoyed our little weekend vacation. It's real nice just to get away and see something new.