Last month we headed down to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for the Fahey family reunion. It was a fun get-together for multiple generations of the family on James’ mom’s side, all the way from great aunts to first cousins three times removed. (Working out the genealogy is easier once you’ve had a couple cold beverages…or maybe you just worry less about the fine points.)
Here are a few photos from the trip!
First stop–Indianapolis! We enjoyed the gracious hospitality of Lori’s college friend Katie and her little guy, Ziggy! (Dad Brian was plenty hospitable too–he’s just not in the picture.)
Off for a hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!
We took the trail up to Laurel Falls–it was a nice climb…something we don’t get too much of in flatland Chicago (well, except for the stairs in our building).
There were plenty of little streams and gullies for the kids to get their feet wet in.
All leading up to the big falls themselves! Along our way, we saw two turkeys, a blue-tailed skink, some creepy funnel spiders, a giant beetle (named George), a millipede and a little bear rustling in the underbrush 20 feet below us!
We also enjoyed the sights of Pigeon Forge. Here we are at Adventure Putt Putt, where Mathias scored the only hole in one.
And here’s a video of Lillian trying a little Put Putt. We stopped counting strokes after a while!
We also made it to Dollywood, where we played skee ball with the Kellys.
Rode a kiddy roller coaster (Lillian cried).
Rode some sky drop thing with the Kellys (Lillian cried, and Mathias joined her when he skinned his knee jumping down from his seat).
Then we took it down a notch and rode on the ducks, which Lillian loved.
We also all had fun on the park’s steam engine, which also gave a couple kids a nice excuse for a quick nap.
Sure, maybe we ran out steam a bit by the last night of the reunion, but we had a great time! Just don’t ask how much it cost to have our radiator repaired after we overheated the car climbing the Roaring Fork Motor Trail before our drive home! 🙂 Even with that, it was all worth it.
