Mining, Minions, and Ziplining - Day 7

Today flew by in a whoosh!  We woke up just before 9 and decided to expedite our breakfast and just do cereal.  We were all dressed and ready to head out at 10.

We were trying something new today... I found this place online prior to our trip that offered gem mining.  In essence, you pay for a bucket of dirt that is preloaded with fossils, gemstones, rocks, etc.  Then you take it over to the "river" and sift through the bucket to collect your treasures.  It looked a little hokey from the parking lot but we figured the kids would enjoy.  Boy, were we right!  They LOVED it.  It took about an hour to sift through our bucket, wash our treasure and have it assessed.  The kids were so proud of their collections... amethyst, emerald, topaz, fossilized squid, clam and plants, petrified wood, shark teeth, several sea shells, and an arrow head.

We could take home all of our finds but decided to have one of the amethysts cut for Sammy since its her birthstone.  We'll decide later if she wants a piece of jewelry made.  Tyler had his choice for a souvenir and zeroed in on the Megladon teeth.  He is SO excited about this one!

We wrapped up at the Gem mine and decided to take yet another go at seeing the Minion movie.  And, the third time was the charm!  We got in just in time although we did have to sit in the very front row.  Seriously, I've never seen a theater so small.  There weren't even 50 seats in it.  We all enjoyed the movie and the air conditioning.  The weather was warm today - over 90* - we just aren't used to that!

We headed home to have some quiet time, hoping to be well rested for tonight.  I made supper at 3:45 and we got on the road by 4:30 to head south-east to Pittman Center where we would go Ziplining at ClimbWorks.

This is the same company we used in 2014 and it was gorgeous...  9 zips, the longest over 1250 ft long... At times over 100' off the ground.  It takes about 2.5 hours to complete and the entire way down the mountain you are staring into the National Park.  BEAUTIFUL!

Disclaimer:  Sammy did have a hard time for the latter half of our evening... she just couldn't deal with the heat.  So there aren't a lot of pics of her smiling but we did have a great time.  We had an amazing guide (again) who has experience with autism who helped make it fun for her in spite of her frustration.

At the very end, we got to repel down out of the trees.  It is so intimidating to just step off that platform.  But so much fun!

We headed right home after we finished the zip lining.  Sammy was back to her sweet self once the A/C kicked in and she had cooled down.  Kids were both in bed by 10:00 pm.

We all agreed it was a great week and today was the perfect way to finish!  Tomorrow morning we will pack up and head for home.  

Zip Lines - Day 4

We decided to go zip lining this evening with Climb Works in Gatlinburg.  We weren't sure what to expect other than we would not touch the ground for 2.5 hrs.  The advertising said children 7 years and up could zip but our kids didn't quite make the weight minimums.  Some of the lines were 1000 ft long!  And being so high, I wasn't sure if the kids would be too scared to do it.

We were joined by a family of 5 from Indiana and our two guides.  Sammy was the youngest rider, and Ray was the oldest at 85!  I hope I'm still zip-lining at 85!

We started off with a very exciting ride up the mountain.  Our driver was great... He sang, he swerved, everything to make the ride fun!

(Sammy was laughing the whole way... Despite how it looks in the picture)

Once we got to the top, we climbed across a rope bridge and were ready to go.  We asked if the kids could each ride tandem with a guide for the first line.  So Tyler was up first.  Once they were tied in, Branden told him to walk off the edge of the platform.  He did immediately.  Seriously, didn't bat an eye!  

Sammy rode with Kylee on that first line.  Both kids LOVED it and begged to go alone.  So we agreed.  

There were nine lines total.  Each had different challenges but all had the gorgeous views as we worked our way down the mountain. 

On one line, they taught us to hang upside down as we zipped.  Both kiddos and mom and dad did it well!  I have videos to prove it!

When we reached the longest line (over 1000 feet), there was some concern that the kids didn't weigh enough and would not make it across, so they went together... They screamed and giggled the whole way.  I think it was almost more fun than apart!

Sammy did get stuck in the middle of the line at one point.  She came so close to making it but came to a stop 20 feet from the platform, and slowly slid back away.  The look in her eyes was heart-breaking!  But we reassured her that help was coming and Brandon got to her in no time.  "She's still smiling" he shouted back!  She got quite a kick out of it as he towed her back hand over hand.  Later another rider got stuck and Sammy jumped into action "I know what to do!"  It was so funny!

The sun was setting as we finished the course, changing the shadows and views of the mountain... just so beautiful! 

To finish, we climbed across a bridge to do a vertical 50' drop.  All in the dark!

What an awesome experience!  So proud of both these kids and their willingness to try new things.  

Today we've explored caves deep underground and flew above the mountain trees.  Absolutely Amazing!