What to do in Pigeon Forge? - Bluff Mountain Adventures

So what do you do when it is raining when you are on vacation?  Go muddin' of course.

In the sea of brochures and coupon books and online searches, we happened across Bluff Mountain Adventures.  We thought it sounded like fun, so we gave them a call and ran over to the ticket office to reserve our spot for the noon "Mountain Trail Adventure" ride.  We opted for a two-seater so that I could take pics and film while Big T drove.  We were given directions to their facility, which is just off of Wears Valley Road.  Once we arrived, we took a short walk to the building where we would leave from and return to.  We picked out our helmets and safety glasses and then watched a safety video with everyone in our group.  Then we went outside and received our assigned vehicles.  We actually ended up with their Teryx, a four-seater.  Big T says it was like we were in a Cadillac and everyone else had a sports car.  We were excited regardless.

When we first left, the guide took us through a little warm up course so that everyone could get used to their particular ATV.  Then we were on the trail to the bluff.  For the first few minutes, it was clear, but then it started raining.  And it continued to rain.  I was using the point and click camera during transit, so unfortunately, all of those were blurry.   But when we got to the bluff, this was our view.

It was a bit foggy, but still gorgeous.  

I had to lose the helmet for our break.

And somebody was REALLY having fun.

On the return trip, I decided to attempt to take some film.  This first one is as we are leaving the bluff.

This next video is about halfway on the return trip, and Big T is pleading to the viewers to convince me that we should add an ATV to our inventory.  I also get popped with a limb when I say "That's gonna leave a mark."

This last video is toward the end of the ride. It can only be described as F-U-N.

Hubs had to take this pic, to show how much mud was on my face.

If you choose to try this adventure yourself, be sure to check out their rules and regs on their homepage at the link at the beginning of the blog.  We were surprised to learn that many people come there and totally disrespect the machines.  Not cool.

Things I am glad we did:

Watertight container for the point and click camera.

Frog tog poncho, because it is quick drying.

Wore hiking boots.

Things I would have done differently:

Brought beach towels for the ride back to homebase. Fortunately we had a picnic blanket that served the purpose.

Water shorts or quick drying shorts. Soggy denim is heavy.

Got mud?

What to do in Pigeon Forge? - Three Bears General Store

I surely did not intend to blog about a souvenir shop when I went into it, but before I left, I knew I just had to.

To make a very long story short, we into Three Bears General Store to get some cash.  When we entered, I thought, "Wall to wall souvenirs".  This place has all kinds of the usual t-shirts, caps, bags, jewelry, toys, and anything else on which you would advertise the Smokies.   They have a concession area and a section that is similar to a Christian bookstore with tshirts, jewelry, purses, bookmarks, and all sorts of goodies.  As I ascended the stairs my thought was "wall to wall Christmas ornaments".   But then I went around the left and saw the sign to See and Feed Live Bears.   Gotta check this out.  So we pay our $3.25 each and head on out.  We missed the feeding time by 30 minutes, but we did see the black bears in their habitat.  Here are a few photos.

This must be a really comfortable lounging position because this bear did not move for a while.

This one was napping on the other side of the habitat and refused to acknowledge anything.

This one was pacing the entire time.  I figured if there were a Papa, Mama, and Baby bear here, this one must have been the Mama.

I wondered how they fed the bears without getting hurt.  Now I know.

After we had our fill of watching the bears, we went back inside and headed toward the Arcade.  Hubby loves arcades, and I do enjoy a bit of Skee-Ball myself.  On the way, we spy the massage center.  The young lady who was running it asked if we were interested, but we said no.  T asked her about a lanyard she was wearing that said "Praying for Willow"  and "Facebook- Willow's Branch".  She is the mother of a beautiful 5 year old who has Schwachman-Diamond Syndrome.  Click here to link to her facebook page for the entire story.  As she is telling us about all of the physical challenges her child has, she also shares with us about the store's prayer wall.   It started with "Rooting for Regen", a 12 year old in the community who has brain cancer that they are rallying around and supporting.  He is very discouraged because he has gone from an athlete to not being able to move.   This love and support then spread into their "Prayers for Smiling Faces".  Customers can submit a card with a child's name who is having their own physical battle and the store will post it.  See photos below.

Isn't Willow just a cutie?

And this is their wall.

The link at the beginning of the article can take you to their homepage and you can learn about all of the nifty things they have on this property.  But the niftiest thing is probably not mentioned.  It is their staff.  Most retailers in this area are friendly and nice, but Three Bears takes it a step( or should I say a mile?) further.  As customers leave a particular section of the store, every member of the staff in that section says "Have a blessed day".  And they say it like they mean it.
So, that is why I wrote this blog.  I want to encourage you to pray for Willow and Regen and all children who have to battle diseases.  I want to encourage you to pray for their parents, who are daily examples of strength and courage.  Lastly, thank God for the medical advancements we have and pray for continued research.
And have a blessed day.

What to do in Pigeon Forge? Tail of the Dragon

When I was surfing the 'net to decide what to do on our vacation in Pigeon Forge, I was a bit overwhelmed with all of the options!  And good or bad, I like to do just about anything - cheesy tourist traps, hiking, historical places, amusement parks, and even shopping.  So, I took to social media and polled my friends.  Most of the places or suggestions I had heard of, but there was one that was new to me "Tail of the Dragon".    What could this be?  A ride at an amusement park?  It is a ride alright.

Click here to see the brochure and map on page 3 of what we drove.  It was SO MUCH FUN!  And of course, since we were in God's Country (aka Tennessee), it was gorgeous.   This drive is quite popular with those who own  a different kind of Harley, Shadow, and Bandit than we do.  Theirs usually purr a little louder and run on gas instead of Cat Chow.
Below are a few photos I snapped.  Most are through the windows, so please forgive the "not so brightness".

I love names like "Punkin Center".

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Their dragon is so cool, he wears shades.

A rather mild curve at the beginning

The dam shown on the map.

We saw several of these signs, but this was your last chance to get out while you could.

This was a common site.  Very very common.

Switch to the right.....

Switch to the left....

And just hang on.

Hubby is glued to the steering wheel at the scenic overlook. Can't. Let. Go.

How purty.

Are we there yet?

After we reached the Deals Gap store, we turned around and headed to PF for some grub.  Driving this on empty stomachs was not a great idea, but we survived.  Jenean (our GPS) directed us to take Foothills Parkway.  It was a much smoother ride.

See?  He was able to peel himself out of the car at this stop.

And that is why it is called The Smoky Mountains.

God's Country. Amen.