Dollywood Trip #3

This Fall Break, we were diligent to plan a third trip to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg to reallllly get our money's worth out of our Dollywood season passes this year.  So glad we did!  It was a great quick trip - even if Lasa did come down with a fever while there.  We rolled with the punches and worked around it as we could.  We also had to come home a day early because she wasn't getting better, which was no small bummer, but what can ya do?  Life.  

Pics from what fun we did get done before she went down, from when Josh and the big kids did stuff on their own, and from our mountain driving on a motor trail another morning before she got tired and puny again.  

This trip's first stop was the Soaring Eagle ride... Noah was terrified but forced to ride and ended up loving it.  Anna rode it twice fearlessly.  Josh rode it twice, but it messed him up real good and he could ride no other rides the rest of the night.  HA!  Reminded me of me after riding Superman in Six Flag over GA once upon a time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Josh and the big kids finally checked a fun activity off their wish list this trip too - trying out Rocky Top Mountain Coaster in Pigeon Forge.  It was apparently AWESOME, lasts 9 minutes each ride, you control how fast or slow you go, and they each rode it twice.  I am sorry Lasa and I missed this!

 

Sick puppy pics...

 

 

 

Pretty Great Pumpkin LumiNights views from Dollywood and then super foggy and green views from the motor trail we did in the Great Smoky Mountains.  I forget the name of this trail at the moment.  It was great though!  Perfect for keeping a sick kiddo seated and to ourselves, and also giving her and me a break from the hotel room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anna built that little cairn there after spotting others.  She didn't have much time. I see more of these in her future when she does have more time though. She loved this.

BEST OF ALL, we spotted two different bears on the trail.  It was so amazing to us.  I had literally just told the kids that "of course, we wouldn't see any actual bears" blah, blah, blah and then we turned a corner to find other cars silently stopped for no reason .... except there was!  This was the first time Josh and myself (and of course the kids) have ever seen a bear in the wild.  It was so cool!  Seeing another one shortly after the first was just the icing on the cake.  Took the edge of the bummer sick kiddo part of our trip.

 

 

 

Second bear ... you can see his head there in the left middle peaking out of some branches.

We thought Lasa was rallying for a return to Dollywood for a lovely Wednesday with no rain, but she woke up in tears and painful headache and we just packed it in at that point and came home early. It hurt to lose the money on the last night at the hotel, since we had prepaid for it through Groupon, but it was so affordable as a whole anyway, we didn't groan too much.  Thankful to have been able to enjoy the trip at all despite sick kiddo.  We may or may not make a quick run in December.  Leaning toward not, as the kiddos feel like they have done all they needed to do at Dollywood by now, but we'll see. ;) Such a fun year with season passes!