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!