Part 2

After a quick night at the Koa campgrounds in Corbin, KY we were on the way to our next destination in Pigeon Forge, TN.  We stayed at a beautiful campground, Up the Creek, in the Smoky Mountains.  We had the perfect spot next to the creek for 3 nights!

We all loved this spot.  The kids fished and stomped in the creek every chance they had.  We also brought their bikes on our trip.  The campground road was a nice smooth paved surface in the shape of a figure 8, perfect for bike races!

  

There was so much to do in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.  We spent an afternoon in Gatlinburg playing mini golf, eating lunch out and topping off the day with ice cream!

The next day we went to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park for the day.  We packed a lunch and planned for a hike and a long drive to the highest point in TN.  

Our hike took us to the Indian Creek Falls, a beautiful waterfall.  The kids did a great job hiking the 1.6 mile trail.  There are all kinds of rocks and branches to climb on on our way to the falls.   Every turn offered beautiful mountain views!

Fearless Ben took off his shoes and socks to get a closer look! 

We were hungry after all of that!

We rented a Jeep while we were in TN.  So much easier and faster than driving the RV!

After lunch we drove up to Clingman's Dome, the highest spot in TN.  Unfortunately the dome welcome center was closed for renovations!  But we did still enjoy the views.  We passed by the Appalachian trailhead and made promises to one another to come back to investigate that further another day, another trip!

Huge boulders that needed to be explored by little boys!

We ended our day back in Gatlinburg at the Ripleys Believe it or not Aquarium.

  Sam has such a love for penguins!

Ben can't resist a giant shark mouth!

Summer Vacation in an RV

This was our home for 6 nights for our summer vacation, 2018!

We rented this beast and set out on a trip, making special family memories.

  

After spending the better part of a day loading up the RV we set out on our adventures!  First stop was 1 1/2 hours down the road at the KOA campground in Nashville, IN.  We had our first night of setting up camp, grilling steaks for dinner and experiencing the joys of an RV park, which the kids loved!

Life on the road!  Not too bad when you are 9 years old!

Nick and Sam watching a few videos while we travel.

The kids rotated between 4 different beds for sleeping at night, complete with nighttime party lights!

As much as we would like to be, we are not early risers, not even while camping!  After breakfast, packing up and a stop off at Walmart in Columbus, IN for forgotten items, we were on the road again!  But only for a short hour when stopped for lunch at the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge.  Yes, we were still in Indiana!  We pulled up to this trail head and busted out some chips and sandwiches.  The kids all got out to stretch their legs with a hike around the lake.  

Further down the road we visited the Cumberland Falls, in the Daniel Boone National Forest, KY.  This was a beautiful stop, the falls and the rock formations were quite pretty.  We hiked around, ate our lunch in the RV and were back on the road for our next destination of Corbin, KY.  

July

We hosted a 3rd of July Party with lots of friends, family and neighbors.  We had a slip 'n slide with shaving cream, a huge water balloon battle, swimming, lots of food and capped off the night with fireworks!  A fun time was had by all. 

I think we've just found our new party tradition!

After the fan fare of the 3rd of July party and celebrating the 4th, Eric and I escaped to our favorite get away, Brown County for a few nights.  Our cousin, Anna stayed with the boys so that we could have a retreat together.  We stayed at a small, cozy cabin in the woods, dined at fun, non kid friendly restaurants, hiked and went horseback riding in the State Park.  

It was such a fun and relaxing time away!