The Great Smoky Mountains

Watch out folks, it's a long one. Walker's uncle Mark graciously gave us access to his cabin in Gatlinburg for several days, and we certainly made the most of it!

Each morning I woke up to this...

The Norris crew was able to join us for a couple of days and I had a blast taking pictures of their sweet family...

Our cabin was about 30 minutes outside of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, and as much fun as we had relaxing at the cabin we decided to venture into the city one day. The strip in Gatlinburg honestly reminded me a little bit of a large fair, but it was fun to see, and we made the most of it.

The drive to and from downtown Gatlinburg was beautiful, so it was hard to complain about being in the car.

  

 This one makes me laugh.

After the Norris clan headed back home Walker and I hiked up to Laurel Falls. It was a relatively easy hike that had beautiful views of the mountains and leaves along the way.

Our last morning there we drove to Cade's Cove. It was BEAUTIFUL. My camera doesn't do it justice. Totally worth the drive if you are ever in the area.

Walker is excellent at taking cheesy tourist photos. 

The highlight of the 11-mile scenic drive was when we saw this guy/girl. I hopped out of the car to try to get some clear pictures, but apparently my excitement (along with the lack of a great zoom lens) prevented me from having a steady hand so they were a little blurry. Nonetheless, I was about 15 yards from it at one point, surprisingly not at all afraid, and it was pretty awesome to see something like this in its natural environment.

It was a fabulous vacation week. Tons of relaxation and rest. For those still reading, thanks for hanging in there and have a wonderful weekend!