10 Things I’ve Been Meaning to Say to My Family Vacation This Year

1. Thank you for 9 days with my two adult children. My heart was filled with joy each day just spending time together from morning to night. I will treasure the memories made.
2. Smoky Mountains National Park- Your mountains are stunningly beautiful. The vista from our deck and the overlook points just made me stop and soak in all the beauty you had to offer. All of us were in awe of you.
3. Smoky Mountains National Park – You brought us childhood joy again and reminded me that adults need to play too. Tubing down the Oconaluftee River was so refreshing on a hot summer day. Just lounging and laughing together with your scenic mountains surrounding us was a delight, and the surprising mini-waterfall soaked us all.
4. Smoky Mountains National Park- Thank you for sharing your wildlife with us. It was a sight we were hoping for but didn’t truly expect to see. Your field filled with about 25 elk just munching away on the grass was a gift we had never experienced before. Then seeing the baby calves huddling next to their mother- so timid and adorable.
5. Bowling Green, Kentucky- What a welcoming town you are! From your fountain square surrounded by local business (so fun to explore), to the National Corvette Museum, Dueling Grounds Distillery and Carriage House Vineyards, you gave us days filled with fun family times. For my daughter, it was her first visit to a vineyard and my son LOVED the driving simulation of a Corvette race. You gave them both memories to cherish.
6. The Fork in the Road- You provided us some total road trip fun. Once we saw that there was a 20 foot fork art display literally in the fork of a road, we needed to stop. It gave a lightheartedness to the driving we were doing that day and much laughter. Great idea!
7. Mammoth Cave National Park- Your immensity is just astonishing but also picturesque. Your constant temperature of 54 degrees was such a treat allowing us to cool down from the high heat above. Your formations made by an underground river look like sculptures created by a master. A new landscape experienced by us all.
8. Cuyahoga National Park- I apologize to you. We all thought that you would not be as stunning as other parks (Not sure why. I guess it was just a bias we had- sorry.) Well, you proved us wrong. Your Ledges Trail with the huge boulders was such fun to explore and climb. The bright greenness of the mosses and trees surrounding us made you feel like you were skipping through Emerald City. Then your Brandywine Falls Trail led us to a cascading waterfall that was definitely worth all of the stairs to get to its viewing.
9. All 3 Parks- Thank you for sharing with us the natural beauty and diversity of our country. None of us could pick 1 favorite park because all three were so unique and different. Your beauty shone through the natural treasures you each had to offer.
10. National Park Passport Book- Now we all have one! We have happily stamped the dates of our visits and placed the sticker for each park on the page as well. You have given us this great vacation as well as a few when they were younger. But you offer another gift, future vacations together because all of us want to see more parks to complete our book.

Smoky Mountains National Park

Bowling Green, KY

Fork in the Road

Mammoth Cave National Park

Cuyahoga National Park