Chrysalis Cocoon: 9th Anniversary Weekend Getaway Photos

So, now that my phone situation is settled, I've salvaged what photos I could from my phone in the iCloud and combined them with the ones I took on Mark's phone later.

(For those who missed it, I dropped my phone in a mountain stream and it eventually died.)

So ... when I told a neighbor we were going to Gatlinburg, her boyfriend's response was "Why???" 😆

I get it - it used to be a somewhat more tasteful stay for families from all backgrounds than Pigeon Forge, but now it's become the White Redneck Riviera. (I'm allowed to say that because I'm half redneck/Appalachian myself😆 )

So the first reason is, we "eloped" there 9 years ago, and next year, for our 10th, we're planning a big-time vacation elsewhere.

Also, we go to Gatlinburg to experience nature and the Smoky Mountains - NOT for the crazy overpriced, tacky town stuff.

I mean, it's like if Las Vegas, Branson, Missouri, and a roadside carnival had an ugly baby together and then charged you $100 just to see a picture of it! 😂

We actually prefer the quieter side of the Smokies/Blue Ridge Mountains, but prices being what they are, and with limited time and money, it wasn't doable this year.

(Gatlinburg is actually cheaper now, considering there are so many cabins built right on top of each other, competing for business)

Regardless, we do NOT stay in downtown Gatlinburg OR Pigeon Forge - in fact, we try to avoid both at all costs😂

Maybe I'll write a separate post on that later - including a guide for what attractions to do/pay for and NOT do/pay for, if you - or more likely, your kids - feel you MUST do this stuff.

I would first encourage your kids to raft or tube the river or zip-line, horseback ride, hike, fish, or even take a helicopter or jeep ride over/through the mountains, but there are just a couple fun touristy things that are worth the price if you have kids. Not many, but a few, particularly on rainy days.

Now, though, are the pics.

First, please momentarily tolerate my obsession with sunrises and sunsets?

(In fact, when friends go on vacation, I always ask for a sunset/sunrise picture, if they can.)

Sunset and full moon together, driving into Sevier County ...

I dunno, I just think sunset and sunrises are among the best things life has to offer - and they're free!

Coming into Sevierville/Sevier County courthouse at dusk (Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are both in this county, a little further south) ...

Sevierville isn't as tacky as the other two, it's a cute little mountain valley town!

As mentioned, cabins are cheaper because they're everywhere, and instead of an expensive luxury cabin overlooking your neighbor's deck, we choose this cheaper, old-school cedar, pine and stone A-frame in the woods, built in the 70s, on Ski Mountain Road in Chalet Village.

Kinda cute, right?

It kinda reminded me of a little hobbit house for some reason.

And cheap!

Old-school charm - only a mile from Gatlinburg if you need anything, but it feels a world away, very quiet.

Chalet Village was built in the 60s and 70s - people often pass over these for the new loud, luxury resorts, cabins, and condos.

Very comfy and homey inside ...

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE luxury log cabins with big windows - but not overlooking your neighbors deck at 3X the price with drunkard neighbors making a ruckus until 4 a.m., throwing stuff in the pool (which we've experienced before)!

The owners/hosts were SO nice and responsive - somehow we blew a breaker when running the dishwasher, and they walked us through where the breaker box was and which one.

They told us that they, too, had "eloped" in Gatlinburg!

Now called "Chalet Mountain Springs" for the natural springs and stream that run down, right across the road, they told us it was previously called "Dove's Nest" and belonged to an older couple who originally built it as a vacation home, then spent their final years there, until the husband had to move to a care facility and she lived there until her own death, which is when Laura and Stewart bought it.

Ziggy loved it!

He was on bear patrol, I think?

We loved it - small, cozy, quiet, sounds of nature at night!

We were told by the owners that the bears were super active, this year, and that there is a bear den just behind the house on the mountain somewhere, which made me gulp and keep Ziggy on a leash and by my side the whole time - but we didn't see a single one!

I actually have never seen one, despite the many times I've been to the Smokys/Blue Ridge Mountains, except in nature preserves - so I kinda wanted to see one - and I kinda didn't 😂

Ziggy looks rather like a small ham or sausage to bears, I'm sure!

Mark swears these are fresh bear tracks, though I can't really see them - can you?

We took the Roaring Fork Motor Trail for two reasons - we wanted Ziggy to come along and thought that was best, due to bears being active and with his smooshy face, we didn't want him to have trouble breathing in heat. (It was actually around 72-82 degrees the whole time we were there, but still, a big hike would be too much for any pug.)

The motor trail is by car, but you can stop at different points along the way, including two big waterfalls - usually.

This weekend, it was so crowded there was no place to park, especially by the falls, except for 2 spots - the overlook at the beginning of the 6-mile loop and near the end, by Bridge #6 at Roaring Fork Creek, near Ely's mill.

Just some shots we took at those locations ...

Hard to get the wiggle worm to face the camera, but this was a better shot of the mountains behind us ...

There he is, finally facing the camera - though Mark is looking down and you can't see the layered mountains as well 😂

Bridge #6, Roaring Fork Creek ...

Other stops along the trail ... including playing in the streams (which Ziggy loved - and where I dropped my phone, so only Mark's camera's photos survived) ...

Lovely spots along the drive or other things we found in nature ...

The forest is so old, it can feel as prehistoric as it is, at times ...

These next photos are at Myanmatt Park, on the outskirts of Gatlinburg, off Airport Road ... where we took our original wedding pictures in 2016, and where we tried to recreate some of them this past weekend! (Although we had to redo them as I'd dropped my phone in a stream, trying to take pictures, and iCloud only saved a few of them - the rest are from Mark's phone. You can tell because mine are the fuzzy ones until it finally died.

Ziggy and Daddy ...

I debated whether to post this one because I'm smoking (I know) - PLUS in some photos, the white makes me look fat - BUT it's one of the few in a stream where I wasn't the one taking pictures PLUS Ziggy is trying to get to me - so precious!

He's a mama's boy, a we know 😄

😂😂😂

The above picture makes me laugh - Ziggy's crazed face!

In fact, I think I'll make it my profile picture! 😂

Now - just a note here - these were taken our first day here, and someone asked me if I was okay, my coloring was off.

Yes, I'm fine - I've just been battling the same UTI w/fever for a month, it's a long story. However, you'll notice as the days went on, my color started returning - FINALLY!