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| A view of the Smokies |
Our first day in the Smoky Mountains, Dan and I woke up
early and decided we’d head out and get some info from the park and grab
groceries and let the girls sleep in. We
were a bit shocked by the zoo that is Sevierville and Pigeon Forge. It is just restaurants and theme parks and
tacky museums all in a row. We were
worrying a little bit that we weren’t going to find National Park
Splendor. Then, the craziness gave way
to green and we stopped at the park welcome center in Gatlinburg. We got some info and had a lovely chat with
the park ranger there. Then, we drove
through Gatlinburg (also very commercial, but a little more appealing) and into
the park. At the Sugarlands welcome
center we decided to head back to the girls excited about all the things to do
in the park.
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| The ladies at the Ogle homestead. |
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| The creek that gave the drive it's name. |
We grabbed groceries and headed back to find the girls up
and ready for breakfast and adventure.
Laura really wanted some pool time so there was a quick trip to the pool
and then we packed up lunch and headed to the park. We decided to try the Roaring Fork driving
tour. It was amazing. We stopped many times to explore historic
buildings and we took a little hike down by the river and got to see an old
grist mill.
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| An old grist mill. |
We also saw our first bears!
We turned a corner and a car was stopped in the road and he pointed up
in a tree and there was a mama and cub.
We tried to get some pictures but all of sudden they were coming down
the tree fast so we quickly returned to our vehicles. What we didn’t realize was that the tree was
right on the edge of a big hill and they bears disappeared into the trees and
down the hill in a hurry. Still, it was exciting to see wildlife so
close and on our very first day!
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| Emily and I by Roaring Fork |
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| Laura in an old barn. |
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| The water diversion for the grist mill. |
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| Girls playing by the creek. |
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| More creek. |
No one wanted to leave the park, but we had plans to meet
Dan’s cousin for dinner in Morristown which also happens to be where his
great-great grandparents were born and several generations before that! We stopped at two cemeteries and found the
gravesite of GGG grandparents, Green Berry Mays/Mayes and
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| Kidwell Ridge cemetery |
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| Economy cemetery |
Nancy Ivy/Ivey Mays
on Kidwell Ridge. There were tons of
Mayes there so
clearly that family line continued on in the area. Nancy’s mother was Elizabeth Kidwell and (GGGG
grandmother to Dan) we found a very old headstone for a John Kidwell Jr. that
based on the dates we’re guessing was likely her brother or cousin. I will do some research on that when we return. Next we headed to the Economy United
Methodist Church Cemetery where Nancy Ivy’s parents, John “Jack” and Elizabeth
Kidwell Ivy (GGGG grandparents) are buried.
That headstone took us longer to find and we had to take a break for a
rain storm, but we ultimately found it. Just
as there were many Mayes on Kidwell Ridge, Economy had many Iveys. The girls seemed to enjoy seeing where their
ancestors lived and were a bit upset about the state of the headstones. This amateur genealogist was excited to be
able to visit these cemeteries and have our own personal documentation.
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| Laura and Maria playing checkers. |
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| Us with Jamie and 3 of his children. |
Next, we headed to dinner with Dan’s cousin Jamie on the other
side
of the family. It was fun to meet
family members we’d never met and learn a bit about their lives. We visited a long time and finally had to say
our goodbyes.
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