Trip Day 3: Smoky Mountains

Saturday morning we woke up early and headed back into the park to go horseback riding. We saw a sign for horseback riding on our drive the afternoon before, so we went back there. We got rejected though, because of me. The owners were too nervous to have me on the trail, since I guess the trail is pretty steep. I was annoyed and frustrated, but they sent us to another horseback riding place about 15 minutes away with easier trails, and they accepted us there.
It turned out to be a good thing, because the trail we went on was plenty steep and there were several instances when I was scared I'd fall off. It turns out staying on a horse takes more lower body strength than you think!
It was really fun, though, and I really want to go again. It's the only kind of hiking I'll be able to do, and it was so beautiful and fun to be out there with my family.

One of 2 family photos that we got the entire trip. And Joseph's actually looking at the camera! One of the girls who worked there took some pictures and sold us the CD for $20. I splurged because I knew it might be the only photographic proof that I actually was on this trip with my family.


My view from the back of my horse.


Do I look happy? I was!





Joseph's horse, Sprout, was so funny. The guide told us to not let the horses stop and eat any grass or plants along the path. He told us to just yank the horse's head back up if they tried. Well, Joseph's horse was just plain bad. He took every opportunity to take a nibble of grass or a bite off an overhanging branch, and really fought against Joseph. Joseph was not sure whether to laugh or be angry. I was right behind him and just laughed the whole time. That horse did NOT want to be told what to do, and I thought he was the perfect horse for Joseph. Joseph is just as stubborn as that horse, and I told him so. Joseph was a trooper, though, because a few times his horse wanted to walk up the side of the mountain to get at an especially appealing patch of greenery, and I personally would have been scared! But Joseph was calm as could be and handled Sprout as well as anyone might have. I was happy that the boys had some experience on horseback; I think it made the experience a lot less scary and a lot more fun.

The only glitch was when we got back. The guy was trying to rush us off the horse to try to get the other family on the horses before the rain set in. (It started sprinkling while we were on the trail). I don't think the guy remembered that I have trouble with my legs, so he tried to help me off but my leg got stuck on the edge of the saddle and I sort of fell down on him very awkwardly. And then when I was on the ground, he quickly moved on with the horse, leaving me stranded. My balance really sucks and I was already fatigued from the ride, so I sort of collapsed on the ground and had to wait until Ben got off his horse and he carried me to the car.
Embarrassing.
We were sure to tell the waiting family that I hadn't collapsed because of the horse ride! They looked a little nervous...

It started to rain in earnest as we drove up into Gatlinburg again. We wanted to take a hike to see Rainbow falls, and thought maybe the rain would diminish, but it just poured and poured, so we took a driving tour instead.
I've said it a bunch of times, but I'll say it again: the Smokies are beautiful. Even in the rain. I think the adrenaline of driving on these narrow, winding, mountain roads in the middle of a torrential downpour added to the excitement of it all. I told the boys stories of some of my own camping adventures from my childhood as we were driving. Good times.
We saw a black bear off the side of the road (no pictures, it was too rainy to take the camera out), and lots of waterfalls. I sent Brigham out with my camera to take pictures for me, and here's one he took:

Not bad, huh?

After we got back down, we headed out of the park down toward Pigeon Forge (AKA Dollywood).
We ate lunch at a restaurant with a carousel right inside! It was yummy down-home southern food (don't want to know the fat grams), and afterward we went next door to this "Magic Quest" place that had a mirror maze.
I didn't feel like braving a mirror maze in my wheelchair, so I waited outside for Ben and the boys. They told me I really missed out, and the mirror maze ended up being one of the top things they did on the entire trip. Ah well, next time.

Then we were on our way to Virginia.
The drive up along the Appalachians into Virginia is spectacular. Ben and I kept commenting that it just looked fake! The gorgeous green foothills, emerald green patches of farms and picturesque little villages just boggled the mind of this California girl. The rain cleared out and we had fabulous views the entire time.
We passed through the city where SVU is (no, not Special Victims Unit, but Southern Virginia University, the Mormon university in Virginia), and it seems almost worth the price of tuition just to be in such a gorgeous setting.
We stopped for ice cream cones along the way and listened to Harry Potter book 7 and wandered around for a while along some beautiful country roads trying to find a place for Mosey to answer the call of nature (gosh, is it ever easier to travel with little boys than with little girls, if, like me, you have no scruples and totally abandon civilized behavior when it suits...).

We hoped to be at Naomi and Dave's (my sister and brother-in-law) in Charlottesville earlier in the afternoon, since Dave had to leave early the next morning for a conference, but we didn't get in until probably 9:30 PM. Still, Dave and Naomi were good sports and stayed up with us while Ben found a hotel and the boys admired Dave's homemade insect terrarium and watched the NOVA Planet Earth DVD about caves and Naomi fed us cranberry bread. I peeked in to see little Polly sleeping peacefully in her swing, but told Naomi NOT to wake her up!
It was a really good day.