It’s interesting for me to note that something was forbidden in my description (below) of Day 6 of our vacation. I commented that on that day, Bev and I left earlier than the rest of the family, but I never mentioned the fact that all of us met at 2 pm at the Forbidden Caverns. You can find out more about the caverns here, but a couple of my photos appear below. Our guide, Haley, depicted in the first picture, had an appealing southern accent.

On Day 7, some of our family went to the Firefox Mountain Adventure Park, which Bev and I had seen earlier. She and I had lunch at the Old Mill Restaurant, where I ordered a bowl of their corn chowder and Bev ordered a salad. Her salad came with a cup of corn chowder and Mickey brought both of us a cup soon after we ordered. I stopped him as he passed on his way back to say that I had ordered a bowl, not a cup. His reply was enjoyable. “I’m jist startin’ y’out. I’m gerna feed ya.” Sure enough, when he later brought Bev’s salad, he brought my bowl of chowder. He certainly lived up to his pledge!

After lunch, we drove to the Sugarlands Visitor Center (the main entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the Tennessee side). After viewing their display of animals and plants found in the Smokies, we set out in the rain on one of the trails. Here are a few sights along the way.

All of us met for our farewell dinner at the Chop House in Sevierville, TN, where we shared stories not only of our day and week, but also of prior family vacations.

Day 8 was actually a day of travel. Yadi’s family drove off to Hilton Head for another few days of R&R before flying home. The rest of us flew home although because of weather in Denver, Bev and I missed all connecting flights on Saturday to San Francisco. We couldn’t get out until mid-afternoon on Sunday, so we took an Uber to downtown Denver and walked along the 16th Street Mall — an unexpected epilogue to our wonderful trip!!

On Tuesday, we visited the Smoky Mountain Deer Farm and Exotic Petting Zoo–a barnyard environment with 143 acres with goats, deer, camels, elk, reindeer, emu, zebra, exotic cattle, watusi, and zonkeys. It wasn’t just those under 15 who enjoyed mingling with and feeding the animals.

We had lunch at a pizza place with a friendly server, whose wife works at the petting zoo we had just come from. He suggested we go down the road to check out the covered bridge.

While the rest of the clan returned to the resort for an early evening of swimming, I went to the airport to pick up Bev who was now able to join us. On Wednesday, we all went to Clingmans Dome within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park–the most visited national park in the nation (surprising to me). At the North Carolina/Tennessee border, Clingmans Dome is at an elevation of about 6,600 feet and is the highest point along the Appalachian Trail. Here are several shots at and near the peak.

Several of our group then hiked the trail to Laurel Falls, while the elder ones in our midst (Bev and I) rested. Not surprisingly, Bev and I were then ready to go the next day sooner than the rest of the group, most of whom slept in!! So, we went off on our own to Firefox Mountain Adventure Park, a rustic environment with the longest swinging bridge in the U.S. at 350 feet. There is also a rope canopy walkway, waterfalls, zip-lining, and other activities available. Here are a few shots from there.

Thursday ended with swimming and a family BBQ adjacent to the pool.

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As I’m writing this on Friday morning, I’m thinking about today — our last full day of the vacation — and reflecting on how great it is for all of us to have such a concentrated time together–especially the cousins. We’re already thinking about where and when our next family vacation will be.

The Wyndham Smoky Mountains Resort is enormous, with about 40 4-story buildings housing 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom units equipped with full kitchens and spacious rooms. Unfortunately, two of our family’s units were on one side of a busy road and two on the other side.

Did I say we like to eat? There are about 300 restaurants along the highway connecting the three towns, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg–about 30 minutes from one end to the other. One of my grandsons picked out a real winner near the visitor center that was our destination. It is Cherokee Grill and Steakhouse in Gatlinburg.

We hiked along a beautiful trail starting at the Sugarlands Visitor Center, the main entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the Tennessee side. The trail led us to a nice little waterfall.

One of my grandsons, Rick, took this panoramic shot of the Smoky Mountains.

He also shot this selfie with his siblings, Zoe and Bodhi, at Grotto Falls; Raul and Agnes are also in that shot.

On Sunday, we drove to Knoxville and enjoyed hiking at the Ijams Nature Center, where we came to a nice boardwalk along the Tennessee River. Zoe took this selfie.

After leaving the Nature Center, we went into downtown Knoxville to the Market Square, lined with a few shops, several restaurants, and memorial statues.

The day ended with dinner in the square, driving back to the resort in pounding rain, enjoying dessert in one of our living rooms to celebrate three August birthdays, and playing quiplash 2 and guesspionage using the tv and our mobile devices, courtesy of Jackbox Party Pack 3.

How wonderful it is for the family to gather together again for a week of kicking back, eating, swimming, sight-seeing, adventure-seeking, and (did I say?) eating. Three years ago we did this in Los Cabos and no-one asked why there? But I’ve heard it’s different this time. People have asked my kids, “Where?” and “Why there?” It’s very simple, actually. I have a bunch of timeshare points for various reasons — enough to get four one- and two-bedroom units with kitchens at the Wyndham Smoky Mountain Resort in Sevierville, TN. It’s about 40 minutes away from the Tennessee entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Believe it or not, this park is visited annually more than any other national park — more visits than Yosemite and Grand Canyon combined.

I began writing this while on the plane from Houston to Knoxville before picking up the car for a 45-minute drive to the resort. Six of my family arrived earlier today–Rick, Bodhi, and Zoe from the Bay Area, and RoiAnn, Grace, and Eva from Chicago. As I am finishing this at 11:30 pm Eastern time, I have learned that four more from San Francisco just landed in Knoxville–Yadi, Ahsha, Xol, and Rumi. Two more will arrive tomorrow–Raul and Agnes. Then, Bev will join us on Tuesday. Yes, 13 is a good number, and I’m lucky to have every one of them as family. Very lucky, indeed.

Not long after leaving Houston, we saw beautiful cloud formations right outside the window.

Once we got close to Knoxville, it was beautiful and sunny over the lush, green landscape.

The resort itself has two outdoor pools, two indoor pools, hot tubs, miniature golf, and other amenities. The seven of us here in time for dinner tonight enjoyed Applewood Farmhouse Grill.

Life is full of highs and lows, however. Bev delayed joining us in order to care for her 13.5 year old golden retriever, whose health has been declining for a month or more. Sadly, she had to put her down this afternoon. I learned from Holly how gentle and loving a dog can be. I enjoyed her a lot and so appreciate how she was a great companion for Bev and her family for more than 13 years. Holly, Rest In Peace.

That’s all for Saturday the 5th of August. Maybe I’ll say more tomorrow.