July 14 - “Ruby and Beyond”

We were able to sleep in for a change. Helpful since Caleb was joining us for the evening. He is generally speaking one who enjoys extra moments of slumber during the early morning minutes. And late evening minutes. And …

Anyway, it was helpful also that we were but a fifteen minute drive up Lookout Mountain to Ruby Falls. When our time came we crawled into an elevator and descended into the depths with 10 or 15 of our new closest (in the actual, physical close sense of the word) friends.  Once at the bottom we began the mile hike further in and further down. Looking at the stalactites and stalagmites and massive formations along the way made the hike go fairly quickly. And our guide was funny and knowledgeable. We appreciated his warning about the magnesium-laced pools of clear water, magnesium being a natural laxative and all. But of course … the waterfall stole the show, as it should. 

One last thing about Ruby Falls. We picked up not one, but two new passengers. AnnaGrace introduced Lou Leo Murphy (the bald eagle) to her best friend Daisy (the now-tame wild dog). And into my personal fold came Hunt. I know. Interesting name, but it is actually perfect. See, Hunt is a stuffed bottle of ketchup. Yep. I said ketchup. Never saw that one coming. 

Next stop was all the way over the mountains to that well-known hometown of none other than R.G. Huff and Dolly Parton … Pigeon Forge. After a great meal at the Old Mill Pottery House Cafe and Grill (I had fried chicken livers, so the meal was fabulous for me), we checked into our motel. Yes, that’s not a typo. Motel. Not Hotel. The kids immediately hit the swimming pool. They were fine. Chris was … OK. Christi, though? In Josh’s words, “She’ll survive. Will she sleep tonight? No.” Let’s just say Mamma won’t be Motelin’ again anytime soon. 

After the swimming extravaganza, we crawled back into the car and headed towards Gatlinburg and beyond. By “beyond” I mean the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Goin’ on a bear hunt, ya know?

We didn’t find any bears, but we did take a very cool hike. Walked about a mile up to a waterfall. Then on the way back, the kids waded through the stream, skipping rocks and posing for pics (AnnaGrace). Luke and Caleb spent the watery portion of the hike challenging each other to contests of skill to rival Robin Hood and Little John. 

Finally, what vacation day would be complete without a dedicated shopping trip? First we went back through Pigeon Forge to the place we had supper. Christi and I had key lime pie and split it with our respective spouses. Luke had chocolate cake. Caleb and AnnaGrace had ice cream. That gave us the energy we needed to hit the Three Bears gift shop. It’s a Christian run outfit with every kind of souvenir you can imagine - including Christmas. And to top it off, they allegedly had live bears on the premises. Sadly the alleged carnivores were already in bed for the night. Sure. 

But the shop was massive and had all kinds of stuff. Caleb and I discovered products by an ingeniously creative new company called ODD. Weirdly branded slippers and socks and underwear. For instance, candy logos, cereal logos, totally unexpected things adorned the unmentionables. Loved it. 

Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ says, Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Father, thanks for you for places like these National Parks. You did a great job there. Amen.