Life Rocks when your living room rolls
Since we had Pigeon Forge, Tennessee as a place to stop we have been so excited for it, especially when we found they have the only zorbing gravity park in the US. We are staying at Sun Outdoors which is on the outskirts of the city. When getting to the campground you are driving towards the Great Smoky Mountains. They got their name from the blanketed smoky haze that covers the area. They are beautiful. Once again we check in just before Chris has a meeting so we set everything enough so he can jump on the call. I work on setting things outside up in the meantime. When he is done I go inside to finish getting it set. I can’t sit so I walk around. There is a river that the campground runs along so I walk down to sit by it. I call my son Kameron whom I don’t get to talk to often and have a great long call catching up. Unfortunately, most of it was going over his college loan repayments but it is always nice to connect with him. Chris works a little later to make up for the drive time we had. Once he is done he is ready to get out so we walk around and see all the amenities the campground has available. It has a large pool, hot tub, lazy river, dog wash station, jump pillow, and a gym, which is nice to have a treadmill to use and not have to run outside. It is about dinner time so I whip something up and we hang out by the fire for the rest of the night until we head to bed. We are taking a day to not leave and just hang out at the campground all day and night. I got a late start since there was only 1 treadmill so by the time Chris used it, and another man had been using it so by the time I got on and was done, it was close to noon. That afternoon, I ended up cleaning the camper thoroughly, showering, and going to get some groceries while Chris worked. When I get back with the groceries he is just about done with his work day so we chill, make some dinner, and hang outside until it’s time for bed. Chris took Friday off and we had a full day planned. We get up to be ready to leave by 7 a.m. to head to hike a trail in the Smoky Mountains. When I was researching a trail to hike I noticed that the one I chose, Rainbow Falls, has active bears in the area. On our drive to the trailhead, we see one on the side of the road. I wish I would have tried to get a better photo but I didn’t want to stop in the roadway. Now I am a little worried about how active the bears are. We get one of the last parking spots, get our boots on, backpack all set, and head out. It is a little cooler this morning so I put on my long sleeve but once we get going I am thankful for the cool breeze which makes for perfect hiking temperature. It was a very well-maintained trail so the walk wasn’t too strenuous, it was more switchback and no scrambles but I was okay with it because I was also watching my surroundings like a hawk for any bears. It was 2.7 miles to Rainbow Falls which we made in about 45 minutes. The water was low so the falls were not running well so we decided to just keep walking further on the trail. We did about a mile more than stopped to have a drink and sat for a few minutes. Once done it was time to head back down. I also pulled the camera out of the backpack to catch some photos. When back at the truck it is busy as heck in the parking lot. We don’t even change our shoes, we just jump in and get out of the madness. I am very glad we did the hike as early as we did as there was barely anyone on the trail. Since Chris had ruined his water shoes at the last stop we had planned on hitting REI to see what they had. He looks around and finds there are only 2 colors in the style Teva he wants. He is trying to decide which one to get when I see a clearance rack off on the side. I go to see if by chance they may have a 13 and surprisingly they have the thick sole ones he was looking at and the color is even better than the 2 options he was deciding on. I call him over and he tries them on. They are exactly what he was looking for. We look around a bit more than head to check out. Not only are they on clearance, but he has more than enough points so he owes $0.00. This is what we call a WIN! Our next stop is the Outdoor Gravity Park. We have reserved a 1:30 time to zorb with each of us having 3 rolls. When we get there we grab the bag with our suits and head in to use their changing rooms. The office is closed for lunch so we get the waiver form signed and wait a few minutes before they open. Inside we got all check-in, received our bracelet, and suggested we watch the video about zorbing. We get in line and wait until the shuttle bus is there to pick us up. Up we go to the top of the hill. There are 3 different tracks, Red - can do up to 3 people per roll, Purple - can do up to 3 people per roll, and orange - can only be 1 person per roll. They suggest you also do a red or purple before doing the orange. We decided we were going to do the red together first. There are a couple of people in front of us then it is our turn. A worker grabs a ball and fills it with the needed water, they then put a mat over the opening and you more or less Superman into the ball. I was not very graceful, to say the least. Now inside, they zip up the opening and begin to push us down towards the track. OMG, I screamed, laughed, was sloshed and seriously had the best time ever! Chris being his calm and collective self he just smiled while having to listen to my big mouth and my death grip on his leg. Down at the bottom, they get it in place to unzip the opening and out you come with water and all. If there is ever a visual of being birthed this is it. We laugh and are excited to get back in line to do the purple ball together. We wait for the shuttle, and then up to the top of the hill we go. There isn’t anyone in line ahead of us so we just wait for a worker to get our ball, fill it with the water, put the mat down, and in we go. The difference between red and purple is red does a lot of back and forth down the hill whereas purple is a straight line down. So that being said, you go fast! The water is splashing so much you can barely see. Still, I am laughing my ass off, screaming and again having the best time of my life! I was pretty impressed when we got to the bottom, how far we went up the stopping hill, before coming to a stop.
The last rolls are orange so we must do them alone. I wait at the bottom to record Chris coming down so he goes to catch his ride on the shuttle. There is a long line so I wait for a bit then he finally is on his way down. It is pretty funny to watch as he comes down knowing how it is to be in there. When he gets to the bottom he comes up and says that is the best track! I now go get in line to be shuttled to the top. There is a little line so I have to wait. It’s now my turn. I jump in, I am much better than the 1st time I did it. They zip up the opening and begin to push me down the hill. Holy Shit, that was the best track for sure. Being alone gave you so much room and I didn’t seem to get so much water in my face on this ride. I get to the bottom, birth out of the ball, and run up to Chris. Biggest smile on my face! We had used the 3 rolls we each had so it was time to change and head back to the camper but highly recommend this place to everyone.
When we get back I immediately put on pants and a long sleeve. It was cloudy out and starting to rain so the temps were not warm enough for me to wear shorts. We were given tickets from another camper in our park who was leaving, to take the trolly for free into town and Dollywood passes but we were both tired from our day and the weather wasn’t the best to walk around outside so we passed on it. I also wasn’t in the mood to cook so we looked to see what restaurants were around us. We don’t like going to chains if possible and try to find local restaurants instead. I was feeling Italian and found Ristorante DellaSantina which was off the main strip and not too far away. The parking was tight so when I got out of the truck I was holding the door to not hit the car on the side of me but I didn’t move my finger and shut it in the door. OUCH!!!! It hurt so bad. I tell Chris I need a minute before going in and he just hugs me. After a minute we go in and he checks in and tells them we have a reservation. I go to the bathroom to grab a paper towel to clean up the blood. When I go back out Chris is being walked to our table. The service is fantastic. The owner even stops by our table to see how everything is. He sees my finger and immediately gets me some ice which feels so good to get on it. Our meal was an authentic Italian dish that had so much food that we were able to have leftovers for the next day. We head back to the camper once we are done. I go right inside to clean up my finger, take some Advil, get some ice for it, and put my pajamas on. It is still raining so Chris comes in puts a movie on and cuddles with me in bed. Within no time I am fast asleep hoping to feel better in the morning.
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