Gatlinburg traffic was every bit as bad as I had heard, but I still had an enjoyable time on my first trip to the area with much of Merrie's family the week of July 4th. We went to Ober Gatlinburg the first day and I quite enjoyed the "alpine slide", which is essentially a luge on concrete rather than ice.


We saw some wildlife, and a raccoon stopped to check it out also.


The weather was pretty nice the whole week, with just a little rain the day we left. I was able to hike several times and even managed to see a few bears. My brother-in-law and I did the Chimney Tops climb - that was awesome (and somewhat unnerving) at the very top. We had sort of a worship service at the top as a youth group from Marion, IN, was also there.


I learned that I really have a thing for taking waterfall and stream pictures. I suppose it's partly because they look cool, but I love the soothing sound of running/rushing water. It sort of turned into an obsession as my last two excursions were only to see waterfalls. This is Grotto Falls, which I reached when the rain started to fall.


I also watched the fireworks over Gatlinburg and my pics turned out fairly well for not having a tripod. Most exposures were 1.3 or 1.6 seconds.


You can find a few other pics at my photo album. All in all, it was a good vacation though Merrie's mom was ill most of the time. I have no interest in all the touristy trappings (or the crowds or traffic) outside the Alpine Slide, but will certainly go back for more hiking someday.