Wife and Daughters decided we need a vacation while the local schools are out for the big annual Tennessee Walking Horse Show here. Yea!

They booked a cabin.
In Gatlinburg.
And invited ~13 family members.
Through Labor Day weekend.
With 4 days of rain predicted.
Traffic will be insane... or worse
Cades cove, which I normally love, will take hours to do the 11 mile loop.
And I will have to foot the entire bill. Bank of Pa-Pa it seems. Lodging, gas, food, entertainment...
And... I am expected to GO!
With two days warning.

Don't get me wrong, I love east Tennessee.... just not under these circumstances.

Pray for me Brothers and Sisters.

On the up side there is Knife Works, and the hot Apple Pie a la mode at the Apple Barn.

I do try to remind myself I'm the only one retired in the bunch... I forget about "needing" a vacation.

Just buy a couple bottles of jack,sit in the front poach and leave the GUEST alone.

Buds and knife works just keep chanting that.

You're going to NEED a vacation. Good luck brother.

HELL no. A vacation is just another form of work since my family expanded. The only difference between that and work is that the net pay is negative.

Not trying to get your chops but I'm going to play devils advocate. You should be very proud that you have the ability and means to do this for your family, people that care about you. Think of the happiness you're a part of. Yes, it may not be as relaxing as you would like but try to find the positive.

After losing my job last December, my wife and daughter being in an accident in February that totaled our 2nd car (I was still unemployed at the time) and then a cancer scare with my wife recently, I've got a new found appreciation for the little things. I wish I had the ability to take my family on a vacation like we did the previous two years.

Like I said, I'm not trying to give you a hard time and I hope you have a great time.

quote:

They booked a cabin.
In Gatlinburg.
And invited ~13 family members.
Through Labor Day weekend.
With 4 days of rain predicted.
Traffic will be insane... or worse
Cades cove, which I normally love, will take hours to do the 11 mile loop.
And I will have to foot the entire bill. Bank of Pa-Pa it seems. Lodging, gas, food, entertainment...
And... I am expected to GO!
With two days warning.

I did volunteer work for the Park Service while at the University of Tennessee. I went nearly every weekend year round. If you are up to walking some there are some very beautiful trails that will get you away from the crowds. We used to joke that the tourists drove up to Clingman's Dome, took the loop around Cades Cove, asked some dumb questions and then left. Check with the Rangers when you get into the Park. Usually the AT is pretty crowded with serious backpackers, but short hikes have hardly any people on them. Ramsey Springs, Charlie's Bunion and Abrams Falls come to mind. Rain is good because it limits the crowds, just wear a good Poncho. Have fun

I KNOW your pain. Although I agree with birddog1,
My wife and I booked a family vacation this summer in S. Ohio, near Wayne N.Forest.
We booked a big cabin. Just my brothers and sisters and our best friend and his wife.

Unfortunately they brought their grandkids.

We paid for ourselves and my sister, but we bought about half of the guests meals at a nice restaurant on the way.
It was really tough on me. The grand kids there got two of the beds and 2 adults had to sleep on couches. The grand kids part of the bill was not figured as far as dividing up the cabin cost.
They should not have slept in a bed when paying adults did not.
Then the noise....late late nights and early mornings. As soon as some of the guests got up, it was time, apparently for the rest of us to get up. Banging drawers and talking loudly etc.
I loved the 2 hours we went riding on our ATV and UTV, but other than that...it was tough.
It was a lot better when we went with our kids and their spouses, instead of my brothers and sisters etc.

quote:

Originally posted by birddog1:
You should be very proud that you have the ability and means to do this for your family, people that care about you.

You are indeed correct of course!
I thank the good Lord for giving me parents that instilled a strong work ethic, honesty and self responsibility in me by example. That and the good graces from above have allowed me to retire fairly comfortably at 60.

We have been blessed.


Hopefully this will go better than expected, but I'm keeping my expectations low... so as not to be disappointed!

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:
Buds and knife works just keep chanting that.

LOL! Yea well last year I dropped ~1k with them.

quote:

Bank of Pa-Pa

Ok. This might work, but for the stupid rules...

Man, that looks great. I think that sign is more of a "suggestion", not really a rule. Besides, it's only a problem if you get caught. Enjoy your vacation my friend.

I don't call being with 13 other people a vacation. hang in there.