Our Smokey Mountains Vacation -Day Two: Rainbow Falls

This post is part of a travel series of our vacation in the Smokey Mountains.  To start at the beginning, go HERE!

On day two of our Smokey Mountain vacation we decided to hike one of the parks most popular trails:  Rainbow Falls.  Rainbow Falls is nearly eighty feet high, making it the highest single drop falls in the Smokies.  It gets its name from the rainbow it produces on sunny afternoons.  We were there in the morning, so we did not see a rainbow.

The Rainbow Falls Trail is 2.7 miles ONE WAY.  It is is described as moderately difficult, which I would agree with.  We were really physically hurting after this trail, and unable to do anything for the rest of the day.  We are serious hikers, but we hadn't really been hiking since last fall so that could have been part of the problem.  We saw lots of people turn around on this trail and never make it to the top, however, a lot of hikers in the Smokey Mountains don't seem to be in great shape.  The elevation gain is 684 feet per mile, with a total elevation gain of 1685 feet.  

For a large part of the trail, you get to enjoy a beautiful stream running along the right side of the trail.  The sound of water is so soothing and it provides many pretty spots to stop and take a picture.

After the fires in 2016 the park addressed many issues of this trail.  They fixed eroded areas and added steps to make the trail easier to follow.

The one thing about the Smokies that amazed me the most was all the water!  There are streams of water everywhere in the Smokies.  I don't think we hiked a single trail that did not include water.

Because we read how crowded these trails get, we got up before dawn and were on the trail as the sun was rising.  It was so beautiful and peaceful.  It is recommended to hike this trail in the very early morning hours or the late afternoon because the sun rises right behind the falls making it difficult to photograph in the late morning/early afternoon.

We spotted one very friendly turkey on our hike.  He was not afraid of me one bit.  I've included a short video of him at the bottom of the post.

This trail was pretty much a constant incline.  You are climbing uphill for 2.7 miles.  I kept thinking:  "It will be so much easier on the way back down", but it really wasn't because the incline was so steep that my toes kept hitting the top of my shoes causing me a lot of pain.  We soaked in the hotel's hot tub for a LONG TIME after this hike!

We came across this large fallen tree on our hike and of course hubby had to walk across it. 😀

Getting up and hitting the trail early not only gave us some time to enjoy the trail by ourselves, but it also gave us some beautiful sunrise shots.

Because there is so much water in the park, Smokey Mountain National Park has many beautiful and rustic bridges crossing the water.  You will see many pictures of me standing on a bridge in many posts to come.

Because I'm afraid of both heights and water, I was always a little nervous crossing them and I couldn't help but wonder why they didn't put a railing on BOTH sides of the narrow bridge.  I was so tentative walking across these bridges on day one, but by day five, I was a pro.  At the end of this post, I included a bridge walk video that my hubby took of me.  He thought I was hysterical.

 

We always stopped and enjoyed the little falls we saw along the way.  It made the difficult hike much easier.

Finally we were rewarded for all our effort and reached Rainbow Falls!.  In this picture, we are standing farther downstream from it, you can barely see it through the trees.

A rugged trail leads you further to the falls.

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Once again, there is a rugged bridge in front of the falls that provides not only access over the river, but a great photo opportunity!

You are not suppose to climb on the rocks on, by, or near the falls, but of course, everyone did anyway.  There have been many injuries and deaths from people falling on the slippery rocks.

We had read that if you climb the trail a little further past the falls you can get above and behind the falls, so we decided to try it.  We hiked for about another half hour, and the trail seemed to be going farther and farther away from the falls.  After talking to several hikers coming back down the opposite way, we decided to turn around.  They told us the trail the trail lead to the lodge and not to the top of the falls.

Once we were back down the trail and to the parking lot we were absolutely shocked to see how many people were there.  We were so glad we got up and hit the trail early!  The parking lot was completely full, and cars were lined up on both sides of the road for quite a distance!

And now, here are some very short videos for you to enjoy!  If you don't have much time to watch them all, at least watch the first two waterfall ones.  I feel you can get a better sense of the falls watching a video of moving water than you can ever get from a photograph.

 Have A Great Day!  Amy

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May Stylish Monday - Put A Ruffle On It

On the second Monday of every month a group of style bloggers and I pick a theme, style an outfit based on that theme, and then do a link up together where you can join too!  This month's theme is "Put A Ruffle On It".  Even though I have never been a fan of ruffles, I LOVED this theme!  It was so much fun to see what all the other ladies came up with,  and I was amazed at how many things with ruffles I actually owned.  

I decided this cute, fun and flirty chambray skirt was perfect for the challenge because the ruffled hem is so obvious.

Now that I'm closer to leaving my fifties behind and nearing the sixties, I prefer my skirts to be a little longer.  I think this just-above-the knee is perfect for me.

I paired my ruffled skirt with a yellow and black top from Maurice's and then I added a gingham bag for interest.

For jewelry, I went with yellow stud earrings and a black and white bracelet.  It was a warm day, so I was able to wear white sandals.

I really love this skirt.  I was able to snag it for just a few dollars at a Younkers Going-out-of-Business sale.

This cute covered bridge is in another town near ours.  They really made a nice park area for fishing and baseball. They also have a great playground for the kids, and a pretty gazebo.  

When I think of ruffles, I usually picture some gigantic, frilly, ultra-feminine dress.  But I found out in doing this challenge that there are many ways to add the ruffle trend to your wardrobe without looking too feminine or frilly.

Without a ruffle, this chambray skirt would just be so plain and uninteresting.

So what do you think?  Are you a fan of ruffles or not?  Be sure to check out all the ruffles in the other ladies outfits before you decide.  Your answer might change and surprise you.

And now let's see what the other ladies in the group are wearing and be sure to link up your outfits too!

Brigitte

Brigitte - Brigitte Marie Foret Blog & @brigittemarieforet on Instagram - I love incorporating ruffles into my everyday looks, because they add a subtle femininity to any outfit. Ruffles possess the ability to transform any basic garment into an elevated statement piece. Whether worn during the week, or for a special occasion, ruffles are definitely an element of clothing that I enjoy wearing.

Julie

Julie - Fashion Trends and Friends and Instagram FashionTandF -  Ruffles add details and interest!  I’m all about them both big and small. They make an impact and elevate an outfit! 

Nancy

Nancy -  Nancy’s Fashion Style - This is my beloved ruffle blouse. It's a old one and I don't wear it often, but those ruffles are so perfect to me. And I love the color combination and the kind a preppy look, but the punky feel that the blouse gives me. I need a black one too, of course. But this one, although it's not my favorite color, has the perfect ruffles. The only thing that I need from a black blouse are ruffles at the cuffs! So if you happen to see one, give me a sign!

Emma

Emma - The Style Splash - I love ruffles and frills - especially on blouses - because they add a bit of drama to an outfit. I bought this red one a few years ago in a sale and never get bored with it.

Shelbee

Shelbee - Shelbee on the Edge - I don’t have a lot of ruffled things in my wardrobe, but I do love the dramatic flounce that can often be found in kimono styles. Big flared bell sleeves and a wide flounce at the bottom of a mixed pattern kimono paired with a denim mermaid skirt seemed to fit the theme this month.

Suzanne

Suzanne - Ask Suzanne Bell - Flirty and fun, ruffles add a touch of femininity to any outfit, which is something I’m looking for these days. Whether it’s an extra flounce on a dress or skirt or a big ruffle on top, give it a try and enjoy a little extra spring in your step all day long!

Nicole

Nicole - High Latitude Style - I am not a ruffle person. Thus, this dress is just a tryout of the current trend. The plan was to cut the ruffle off if I wouldn’t like it. I am still undecided whether to cut or not to cut it off. What do you think?

Andrea

Andy - Pearls and Pantsuits - I’ll confess, ruffles aren’t exactly my thing, since I don’t really need any extra fluff on my already fluffy pear shaped body! This top has a delicate ruffle detail around the wrist, and the floral print adds the touch of romance that is so big this season. 

Ada

Ada - Elegance and Mommyhood - This lovely yellow dress has been in my closet for over a decade (it’s by Express). I wore it to our Florida vacation last year. Since the “challenge” was all about ruffles and flounce I decided to go full steam with this fully-ruffled dress. It reminds me a little bit of the 20s from a century ago.

Lucy

Lucy - Lucy Bertoldi.com Ruffles are fashion’s way of telling you not to take styling too seriously- lighten up!  loving this ruffle theme- so freeing (and it also helps that this blouse is in my very favourite Spring colour)!   

And Me!

Amy - Amy’s Creative Pursuits - “I always like it when clothing items have a little extra detail added to them.  The ruffle on the bottom of this chambray skirt is flirty and fun!  It wouldn’t be as interesting if it was just a typical A-line skirt.

Have A Great Day! Amy

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Our Smokey Mountain Vacation - Day One: Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge

This is the first post in a series of travel posts to the Smokey Mountains.  Every Wednesday I will be covering a different activity/hike we did in the Smokies!  

After a year of lockdowns, I am so excited to bring you a REAL travel series again!  Now don't get me wrong, I never really stopped traveling after the initial three month lock down.  I still went to Indiana last fall and winter to see my kids and grandkids and we did a lot of fun activities with them.  My husband and I also hiked a lot in the fall traveling to various communities in our state or the upper peninsula.  So we did still travel, but on a more limited scale than we have in past years.  Our Gatlinburg trip was actually planned for spring of 2020, right when the pandemic hit.  Thankfully, the hotel refunded all our money and we were able to reschedule for this spring.

Now, onto our trip!  We started our spring vacation on Easter weekend.  We drove eight hours to Indiana to spend Easter with our children.  On Monday morning we then drove another 7 1/2 hours to Gatlinburg.

To get to Gatlinburg, you first have to drive through Pigeon Forge.  It is a very touristy town, home to Dolly Parton's resort and theme park.  I don't have a lot of pictures to share of Pigeon Forge because we didn't spend a lot of time there.  We basically just stopped for lunch at their most famous restaurant:  The Old Mill Restaurant.  This restaurant is really worth the stop!  It's absolutely beautiful.  The restaurant is inside this old mill, along with a gift shop,  There are beautiful walking trails right along the river.

It is the most popular restaurant in town, but they are quite efficient at getting people in and out in a timely fashion.  It only took about 20 minutes for us to get seated.  But I can imagine the lines getting very long during the summer months as they had long multi-story ramps leading to the entrance.  While waiting for your table, they have lots of historic signs and photos to read along the ramps.

 

We were fortunate to get a table with a beautiful river view.

Excuse my appearance, but this photo was taken after waking up at 5:00 am and spending eight hours in the car 😀.  The restaurants specialty is southern food, which my hubby is not a fan of.  I of course wanted to try southern food so I ordered the southern fried chicken while hubby had a hamburger.  We enjoyed our meals immensely, and the lunch prices were very reasonable.  

We were both surprised to discover how much we enjoyed the corn fritters.  I don't think either one of us ever had them before.

After lunch, we decided to stretch our legs and walk around a bit.  We were elated to see flowers, for they weren't blooming yet in our neck of the woods.

We only stopped inside one store and that was this charming home-turned-store.  It was a "Cat House".  They sold any items related to cats...decor, toys, etc.  

But my favorite part of this store wasn't what was for sale, but what wasn't:  this beautiful, ball of fur sunning himself by the window.  You were allowed to pet him if you sanitized your hands first.  I was surprised how he laid there so content with complete strangers petting him all day.  My Jackson would never do that.

After visiting the cat store, we walked down to the Main Street of Pigeon Forge and looked up and down, then just headed back to the car to go to our final destination:  Gatlinburg.  Pigeon Forge is mostly a tourist town filled with attractions, hotels, and restaurants.  We were there to hike in the Smokey Mountains, so I got a hotel room for the week in Gatlinburg because it is closest to the Smokies.

Like Pigeon Forge the city of Gatlinburg is a busy tourist town.  There is only one main road that travels into town, and it is always busy and full of traffic and people.  Along this road are most of the restaurants and tourists attractions. 

My husband and I drove up to one of the higher points above the town to get these pictures.

After checking into our hotel, we walked to find a place to eat dinner.  Parking in Gatlinburg costs $15-20.  There is no free parking anywhere!  So if you want to go to Gatlinburg, stay at a hotel close to where the action is as you will be doing a lot of walking.  They do have a trolley, but it always seemed full to capacity every time we saw one go by.  Our hotel was maybe five to six blocks away from the main drag, and uphill at that!  I can't tell you how many times I thought of going without dinner because I didn't think I couldn't walk one more step after hiking in the Smokies all day, then having to return to the hotel and hike to dinner.

Below is a view we saw everyday on the way to get some dinner.  It is Gatlinburg's famous Sky Bridge.  For $28 per person, you take a gondola to get to the top, and then walk the glass floored bridge across.  We are not tourist attraction type people, so we did not do it.

One of the most shocking thing about Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg to us was how insanely busy it was.  We always travel during the off season to avoid the crowds, and we were shocked to see how many people were there.  The crowds were so thick at times you were rubbing shoulders with the people around you.  I added a short video at the end of the post so you could get a sense of the crowds.

Because there is only one main road to enter/exit town traffic really gets backed up, especially during certain times of the day.  It is literally bumper to bumper traffic.

I'm sorry this post will not include any activities other than eating that we did in the city of Gatlinburg.  But as I said earlier, we are not tourist attraction type of people.  We were only in the area to see the Smokies, and we stayed in Gatlinburg because it is closest to the park.  This photo shows a tower that you can go up in to see views of the mountains and the city.

One of our favorite chain restaurant is Mellow Mushroom.  They don't have any in our state, so when we see one when we travel we always stop to eat there.  They had one in Gatlinburg and it was really cool because it was on the second level of this shopping villa and had great views of the mountains in the distance and the city streets below.

Perhaps the thing that I never expected to see in the Smokies was all the water.  There is fresh, running water everywhere in the Smokies.  I don't think there was a town or hike we took where there wasn't a beautiful river.  Both Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg had a gorgeous river running through it.

All the typical touristy attractions were in Gatlinburg like "Ripley's Believe it or Not".  

This is "Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies".  I thought it was quite a beautiful and impressive building, and I loved the location alongside the river with the pretty bridge crossing.

My favorite part of downtown Gatlinburg was the little European Villages.  I loved the design and they were also less populated, so it was quieter back inside of them.

It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city streets, and enter into this quiet, magical little village.

The villages are full of gift shops and restaurants.  I like to pop into gift shops when I travel, and I usually buy one or two souvenirs to remember my trip.  This vacation I purchased a baseball cap and a handmade salsa bowl.

It was the week after Easter when we visited, so they still had Easter decorations up,

Even the restrooms in the villages was cute!

And finally, here is a video that may help give you a sense of the crowds in Gatlinburg.  It was made for my kids, so if you hear me mention "Alethea" that's why.  We wondered if Gatlinburg was busy because we traveled Easter week, which is usually spring break for most schools.  We've never done that before.  We always traveled the week before Memorial Day.  However, after talking to many people they said that Gatlinburg became insanely busy three weeks before we even got there.  Which is very unusual because they usually don't get really busy till after Memorial Day.  Either people have a lot of stimulus money they are dying to spend, or after a year of being cooped up they are eager to travel.  We were constantly checking license plates while we there, and saw plates from all over the country.  

 Next week, I will share our very first hike in the Smokies:  Rainbow Falls.  It was a killer!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

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