Today we had hoped to tackle Clingman’s Dome, the Cherokee Village, and the Pioneering Farm Museum but it was not meant to be. We woke to Kaatje feeling ill. We decided to leave her behind to rest and try to get better. I think she just wanted to be able to read her Twilight Book in peace. Without mom or dad saying “Put that book down- we did not drive all this way to read. Try looking out the window!”
The rest of us set off but as we began to climb the 6644 foot mountain, the intensity of the storm increased. Soon we were enveloped in fog- barely able to see 10 feet in front of us. Daddy braved the Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial but returned reporting that it was too nasty for the rest of us to get out of the car. We ascended all the way to the top, hoping we would be able to get above the storm but we did not.
We decided to abort the day’s agenda and return to Gatlinburg and explore the art and craft loop. Sadly, Kaatje was not with us because this certainly would have been one of her favourite parts of the trip. The loop is essentially 100’s of artist studios. The artists are all inside painting, or doing pottery, or making jewelry. You can watch them do their craft or browse their displays and purchase their works. It was a nice relaxing day for mommy and daddy. The girls opted to hang in the van and watch movies for most of the stops. Tehy thought this was great as well.