Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Smoky Mountain vacation

It's been about 7 weeks since vacation, but seems like a lifetime ago. Livvie did very well in the hotel, aside from growling at anything and everything, whether real or imagined, moving or stationary objects every time she stepped into the hallway. Silly girl!






















Taking a dog (or at least, taking a giant dog) on vacation has it's good points and bad points.
You can't very well leave her in the hotel room while you go out shopping, site-seeing, dine out, etc., so she went everywhere with us. While this seriously limited what we could do, it also saved us a fortune in money that we'd have otherwise spent. Instead, we opted for driving off the beaten path and enjoying the scenery more than we might otherwise have done, and did a lot more walking around.
While in downtown Gatlinburg, I was content to stay outside with her while John went into some t-shirt shops, but one shop owner invited me to bring her in. I said, "are you sure?" He insisted, stating she seemed like a well behaved dog. Indeed! I was a nervous wreck she'd knock something over, even if by accident, we walked to the back of the store where John was browsing and she promptly laid down in the aisle, becoming a speed-bump for anyone else that wanted to get past. Needless to say, we spent more in that store than any other place. Yeah, when she's not allowed in, it saves us money.

Driving through the mountains, on the way to Cherokee, NC...

Our final day before heading home, we drove over to Cade's Cove. I wish it hadn't been so cloudy and drizzly, and wish we'd had more time to explore the area... if/when we ever go back, we'll be sure to do so, it's a beautiful area.