Last summer we decided not to go on a big vacation. Instead we spent three nights at the beach and three nights in San Antonio. Now, I have nothing against either. They are both close to home and make for great short trips, but this next summer I want to go to the mountains.
To be specific, I really want to visit the Smoky Mountains. The challenge comes in convincing Patrick to visit any mountain range during the Summer when there is no snow which means there is no skiing (do people even ski in the Smokies . . . shows how much I know). My argument is that last December we went to Lake Tahoe, right before Christmas, during record breaking cold and snow (y'all it snowed 24 inches in 24 hours), and I ended up spending a large portion of our trip stuck in the room with a very grouchy three year who just so happened to have a horrible cold.
Not that I cared a whole lot. I'm not too fond of skiing. It goes against my religion. That's a lie. It does, however, go against my need for control. Putting on 27 layers of clothing, strapping two sticks to the end of my feet, flying down a mountain going 800 mph, and only stopping when I either hit a tree or some poor innocent person is not my idea of fun (I just can't get the hang of stopping). Call me crazy. My husband, on the other hand, thinks it's one of the greatest things ever. Did I ever tell y'all about the time we were skiing and Patrick left me and then got lost, and a blizzard blew in, and I thought he was a goner, but just as they were shutting down the gondola he showed up? That's pretty much the extent of what happened except with substantially more drama. Just one more strike against skiing. And I don't like being cold, and I don't really like snow (except from indoors). There's strike three. Skiing you are out.
So anyway, my leverage for this trip is that he got to pick our last big trip so I get to pick this one. Enter the Great Smoky Mountains. The problem with being the trip planner is there is a lot of pressure. You are the one responsible if things go wrong or if it turns out to be the world's worst vacation. But I still have my heart set on the Smokies.
I know that we won't get to do much hiking because we'll have the monster with us, and I'm not loopy enough to take a four year old on anything more difficult than the easiest hiking trails. I want to be near decent restaurants, and I have no intentions of camping (I don't camp) or roughing it (I don't rough it either . . . at least not at night) so I need clean, decent lodgings. But I do not want to stay in Gatlinburg. Too many people. Too much traffic. I'm not sure which side to stay on . . . the Tennessee side or the North Carolina side? And then of course there's trying to decide exactly where to stay.
As you can see I still have a lot of planning and logistics to work out. Of course, I'll have to start by convincing my husband to go in the first place. He can wear skis if he wants. I'll have no problem with it . . . ;)
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