Day Five of Road Trip 2015

Today, the older two girls and I headed out for white water rafting. We left Blake with Aunt Louise until Mimi and Pops could pick her up for the day. We had to drive about 45 miles for the trip. About 20 minutes into the drive, it started pouring down rain. My initial thought was, 'We are going to get wet either way, so rain doesn't matter.'  After about 20 minutes of rain so hard that I could barely see the road, the girls and I were discussing if the trip would still be fun. We continued on our way.

Upon arrival at USARaft, we were quickly greeted and informed of the day's activities. We had to read and sign some papers. You know the really comforting ones that describes the rock bottom river, chance of death, etc?  Yes, we blindly agreed to all of the possibilities of problems and dangers. 

We each purchased water shoes so that we would still have dry tennis shoes for the remainder of the trip.

 

We then had about 25 minutes to sit and wait. We watched the guys and girls load up the rafts on the top of an old school bus. The building was actually an old school. It was neat. As we waited, a self-proclaimed hippy came over and began talking to us about our experience (we had a total of none other than myself a few canoeing trips) and our expectations.  Larry, with dreadlocks to his waist, asked if we would be interested in upgrading to the extreme trip. It's the exact same trip, but in a much smaller raft. I explained that I wasn't sure because of our inexperience. Kennedy was already a nice shade of pasty-white from fear. She quickly said, 'No, Mom!'  Taylor was clueless and said, 'Sure!'  After a bit more conversation with Larry, we decided to go big or go home. Actually, we decided to go small because the small boats have the big fun.  

Each of us was fitted with a pfd, helmet, and padde. We were given instructions on what to do in the event that we were thrown from the raft, etc. Larry explained and demonstrated various techniques to get someone back on the raft, catch the thrown rope, etc. Finally, it was time to get on the bus and head up river. (No pictures of all this fun because they assured us that anything not physically attached to our body would end up at the bottom of the river.)

On the ride, the guides were very jovial and entertaining. They were quite excited about the height and speed of the river due to the extreme rainfall the previous night and that morning. They made jokes. Kennedy almost passed out when he said that the put-in point is adjacent to the North Carolina Prison and they are all in the work release program. He said, 'Your fun is our freedom!'  Kennedy looked at me and said, 'He is joking right?'  

We sat on the bus while all of the rafts were unloaded. Finally, each guide called the names of the people in his/her boat. Larry smiled really big and said, Dickerson!'  There was another couple in our raft as well. They were experienced kayakers, but had never rafted.
 

Larry delegated the seating arrangements and assured me that he was a master guide with tons of experience and he would take care of Taylor. The minimum weight for this experience is 70 pounds. Taylor weighed 70.5 pounds.  I was nervous because she was behind me, and I knew I wouldn't see her if she came out of the raft. 

Finally, in the river! We practiced rowing commands for a few minutes and then headed down stream. In less than 15 seconds, we were in the midst of the first class III rapid.

It was so much fun.  We celebrated with a Tennessee high five.  The Tennessee high five was all paddles touching together in the air followed by a big 'yee-haw'!  The best part was watching Kennedy realize that she could be successful and it would be fun even if she ended up in the river. 

The water was cold. It had quit raining, but it was still partly cloudy. Taylor was purple and had chill bumps all over her body. 

After the first rapid, Larry began talking about our options for the rest of the trip. There were several places where we could be conservative or 'go big'.  As a group, we all decided that big was the only option. We were even able to paddle upstream in a few places and surf. 

We worked well as a group. Within the first half of the trip, we rocked our way through a rapid and turned around just in time to see another raft flip completely upside down.  We were so thankful that it didn't happen to us.  

By this point, the sun was shining. We were slowly drifting down stream admiring the mountains, natural waterfalls along the banks, and a beautiful blue sky.   Kennedy and Taylor were so exited. They both kept saying how much fun they were having and that they were so glad we went in the extreme boat. They could definitely see the difference in the adrenaline flowing in our raft versus the larger, smoother rafts. 

Somewhere along the way, we encountered the first class IV rapid. I remember the boat going up

and down and then looking down to realize it was completely full of water and Kennedy was basically in my lap.

We all giggled and celebrated with a Tennessee high five.  

After many more rapids, giggles, Tennessee high fives, and a near loss of Taylor, we made it to the 'jumping rock'.

 

Kennedy, Taylor, and I each took a turn jumping from the rock into the river.  

After jumping, we swam back around to get back into the raft. Larry explained that we could jump again and swim down river where he would pick us up. Kennedy and I opted to get in the boat. Taylor, the fearless child, opted to jump from the rock again and meet us in the middle of the river. Larry snatched Taylor up by the pfd just as they had explained. She was on cloud nine!

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Back at the outpost, we showered, bought tshirts, and visited with Larry a little more. We noticed that all of the men had painted toe nails. Taylor had to ask why. We learned that nail polish is a barrier to reduce the chances of foot and nail fungi from being wet so often. 

The white water rafting was definitely one of the most memorable things I've done with my older girls.  If you ever have the opportunity to raft the Upper Pigeon look up Larry at USARaft!

 

On the way 'home' we made a stop at a place that we had stumbled upon in the pouring rain this morning. It was the Bush's Baked Beans Museum and General Store.  

It was a totally random vacation spot, but very interesting.  We took pictures with Duke and saw several clips and memorabilia from the 'Roll that beautiful bean footage!' commercials. 

We each learned how much we weigh in beans.

I'll think twice before saying, 'I could eat my weight in baked beans'. 

After a quick tour of the museum and general store, we headed back to Mimi and Pops's camper to get BADkid. On the way, we kept hearing about tornado warnings and taking cover. It was a little unnerving since we weren't familiar with the counties and towns. We finally made it back and went to the main office in the RV park to watch the weather. Fortunately, it missed us and Aunt Louise. 

We ended the awesome day with Cracker Barrel and a fierce game of checkers. 

Day Four of Road Trip 2015

The girls and I got on the road early this morning to head to Ober Gatlinburg. We met mom, dad, and Marshall in Pigeon Forge and followed them. Upon arrival, we realized that we were about 45 minutes before the first aerial tramway departure.  We enjoyed looking through the area and listening to Marshall talk about 'flying'.  He was so excited to 'fly'.

The ride was interesting as the 'driver' made jokes and pointed out unique houses as we passed. This particular house is modeled after the Barbie Dream House.

 

It took about 10 minutes to travel from the street of Gatlinburg to the Ober Ski resort. As the car passed over each tower, it rocked. Kennedy wasn't real thrilled with the rocking motion. 

I'm a total dork and read the informational displays while waiting so I learned the facts. 

The two cars are linked and cross at exactly the halfway point. They travel approximately 17mph. They can move about 650 people per hour at full capacity. 

After waiting in line for over 20 minutes for bracelets, we were headed out to check out the ski resort/amusement park.

Marshall enjoyed riding the carousel. Kennedy and Taylor hopped on thinking they discovered a ride similar to the tea cups at Disney World. 

They were embarrassed to be riding when the guy told them it didn't spin as the carousel began moving. 

The little kids enjoyed riding the motorcycles and four wheelers. 

I'm pretty sure they both thought they were steering their vehicles. 

The scenic chair lift was a fun experience. I will say that the lack of safety measures was amazing to me. It made me nervous that my kid was hanging from a chair with a simple bar (that she could raise at any time) as the only thing keeping her in the chair. Obviously she didn't want to plummet hundreds of feet to her death, but infants, toddlers, etc. were all allowed on the lifts. 

Kennedy and Taylor  hopped  right on like experts. 

Blake and I hopped right on like an expert and a mom. Notice the safety bar she's holding. 

Mimi, Pops, and Marshall enjoyed the ride as well. Notice the safety locked arms around Marshall. 

We enjoyed the live music at the top of the mountain. 

Obviously, the view was incredible. 

Then we headed back down. 

I'm not sure how high the mountain is, but you can see the buildings in the middle of the picture where we got on the lift. It was a long way to the top. 

Halfway up the mountain, you can get off the lift and ride the Alpine Slide back down. The cars are similar to the bobsled at Six Flags, but they are individual and you control the speed. 

Blake and I rode together on the track next to Popsie and Marshall. I was reading the signs about curves ahead and slowing down, but she was continuously pushing my hands off the accelerator/brake so she could make us go faster. 

The slides were fun and refreshing in the heat. 

Kennedy and Blake rode together after the first time so I could take Marshall. 

Taylor rode alone. Notice who you don't see in the pictures--me because I was taking them and my parents.  Popsie is willing to participate in just about any activity. However, he does not do water. I'm going to teach the man to swim one day. 

The maze was fun for about three minutes and then I was paranoid that we were going to lose a little kid. 

Here's daddy getting an idea of where we were and how we could get finished stamping our cards and exit. We lost Marshall and Blake multiple times as they ran through turning left and right. We did find each of them and exit safely with a time of 28 minutes. The goal time to earn a prize was 8 minutes or less. 

Mid afternoon Mimi and Popsie left and took Kennedy and Marshall. Taylor, Blake, and I stayed and enjoyed another few hours of fun. 

Blake bought a stuffed black bear. He had window seating on the ride back down. 

We were glad to get back to Aunt Louise's house. The bonus was homemade roast, mashed potatoes, green beans, and chocolate pie. 

Stay tuned for tomorrow. It's rafting day!

Day Three of Road Trip 2015

We had an overnight guest with us at the Gaylord. So, Sunday morning this one mom was debating taking four kids to eat breakfast. After perusing the restaurant guides, I opted for breakfast in the room.

 

This was NOT room service. This was breakfast from the snack bag and sharing random, half-empty drinks sitting around the room. Little Debbie cakes, penguins, and a protein pack satisfied the crew. 

After the breakfast of champions, we headed to the indoor pool. Yes, I had four kids in the pool before 8AM. Apparently it's a mom strategy. There were several groups of moms and kids. 

The kids enjoyed the pool, but the water was cold. Fortunately, they opened the outdoor pool early. By 8:45 we were in the warm water and sunshine. Outdoors, there was also a kiddie pool.

 

The kiddie pool was very helpful because I somehow left Marshall's floaties in the room. 

We played in the pools, and I tried to tire out the kids in preparation for another several hours in the car. 

About 10, we headed back to the room for showers and packing. The pool was pretty far from our room and involved multiple hallways and turns.

 As we entered the elevator area by our room, I realized that I didn't have the key. I was almost positive that I picked it up at the pool. Then, I remembered that I threw my towel into the towel bin 4 hallways back. I assumed that I had deposited the key as well as the towel. I was not interested in hauling four wet kids all the way back through the resort to find the key. I found an employee who said he could let me in my room with identification. Unfortunately, I didnt swim with identification. He began calling for help. I waited patiently and chased Marshall and waited patiently and refereed Blake and Marshall and waited not as patiently and threatened Kennedy and Taylor and began considering hauling myself and four kids down to the front desk. Suddenly a pair of angels walked up and heard me explaining to the guy AGAIN that I didn't know what happened to the key, but I did know that my ID was in the room. The lady said, Did you lose your key?'  In chorus, we all said, 'Yes!'  She found it in the hall leaving the pool and was headed to take it down to the desk. We were saved!

After showers and packing, we headed down to enjoy the atriums a final time. 

We saw waterfalls. 

We saw fish. 

We saw sharks, according to Marshall. 

We finally looked at a map and realized there were additional atriums that we had not seen. Of course, we had to check them out. 

About noon we were on the way to McDonalds and then headed east to Maryville, Tennessee. I was sure the little kids would sleep on the way after the two hours of swimming.  Not so much. Marshall talked all 300 or so miles. It rained some. Taylor and Kennedy argued periodically. Blake whined from exhaustion often. I just tried to remember that my elders say, 'One day you will miss this!' We did enjoythe winding roads and the real mountains. I was glad to get to our home for the next several nights.  

One interesting thing we saw was an Acadia from Texas. I know that's not so interesting, but look at the dealership tag. 

It's from Gabriel Jordan!  That is 25 miles from our  house. What are the odds that we would follow our 'neighbor' down the interstate when we were 800 miles from home?

Finally, baths and bed for the tired Dickerson girls. 

Day four will be Ober Gatlinburg!

Day Two of Road Trip 2015

We left Vickey's house with a friendly farewell gang, including the local wildlife. 

We were on the road before 8AM. After crashing Vickey's house for the night, we were trying to get out without much disruption this morning, so we stopped at McDonalds for drive-thru breakfast. We ended up with a partial order, but didn't want to turn back. Have you ever watched three girls share one 'hushbrown'?  It can be done if you preface the activity with, 'The first person who complains doesn't get another bite until I think you are hungry enough to appreciate food!'  Before you question my sanity, they did each get a breakfast sandwich of their own. 

Due to the changes in route yesterday, we were able to see the agricultural part of Arkansas. The girls saw irrigation systems, rice fields, etc. The highlight of the morning was the plane that they thought was going to crash.  My sheltered kids had no idea about crop dusters. They thought watching the plane dive and turn and dust was the most entertaining part of today's first 100 miles. 

We stopped at the Tennessee welcome center. We saw an Elvis statue (instead of Graceland). 

We also saw this cool Memphis egg. 

Notice the clothing BADkid chose for traveling today.  I didn't get a picture in the traffic, but we did see St. Jude's. It was neat for the girls to see the building after reading the biographies of sick children each month when our envelope comes in the mail. 

After Memphis, we drove and drove and drove. Finally at mile marker 126, we stopped for lunch.  Due to the time (noon) we skipped the good exit. After thinking we would starve to death before the next 'good exit,' we took a risk.  Did I ever mention that I don't gamble often because I lose?  Exit 126 was a loser!  We ate Subway in a gas station. Kennedy took the little girls to the restroom. Blake came out explaining that she didn't wash her hands because she could use the 'hanitizer' in the car. I started to send her back when Kennedy said, 'No Mom, that was the nastiest bathroom I've ever seen!'  I had to go too. I agree. It was probably the nastiest bathroom in Tennessee.  Apparently there's a shortage of bathroom cleaning supplies and ice at exit 126. I bought an 8 pound bag of ice for $2.47.  We were glad to leave exit 126. 

We made it into the Gaylord. 

This place is beautiful.

 

The atrium is too amazing for words!  

After checking out the area, we headed across the street to Cooter's (The Duke's of Hazard museum'.  

One of the girls saw a pair of shorts and commented on the length. I had to explain the terminology 'Daisy Dukes'. 

It's a neat little museum.  

The girls will love that I posted their Daisy poses!  We also found my parents in the museum. 

Blake immediately took charge of Marshall. 

We had dinner at the restaurant next door. They had live music and music memorabilia. The kids enjoyed the music and the SWEET tea.  I'm reasonably sure the sugar to tea ration was similar to the boots to tennis shoes ratio in Nashville. 

Finally, it was time for The Opry!  We left BADkid and Marshall holding Daddy hostage in our room. Mom and the big girls and I had a girls night. 

The Opry was fantastic. 

That is the Oak Ridge Boys and Lee Greenwood in a wig. 

Absolutely worth every cent. 

The line up was exciting. 

When we got back to the room, the little kids were sleeping, and Popsie was watching the Disney channel. I think they've converted him. 

Tomorrow we will hang around Nashville for a while, and then continue east!