Apr. 7, 2008
Family Vacation

We took a 3 day, 2 night family vacation to Pigeon Forge, TN this week.  We haven't stayed in a hotel room for at least 4 years so this was a real treat.  The hotel even had an indoor pool which was very handy since we got quite a bit of rain.

Originally we had been planning to go to the Asheboro Zoo with our support group, but with rain coming we didn't want to drive that far and get rained out.  So at the very last minute we decided to do this instead.

Here are a couple of slideshows.  You'll see pictures of us at Pigeon Forge riding go-carts, gem mining, and swimming.  But most of the pictures are from Saturday when we drove to Knoxville and went to the Zoo.  We have a membership at the Nature Center here in town that has recipricol membership to zoos and science centers across the country.  It's an excellent deal!  Our family would of had to pay 60 dollars to get in to the Knoxville Zoo, but with our membership, it was absolutely free!

In the slideshow, you will see pictures of 3 rhinos.  Their names are Molly, Polly, and Mondo.  Mondo is the male.  He is off by himself and the girls are lying together.  Mondo is 48 years old!  Isn't that amazing.  The girls have him beat.  They are both 50 years old and they have each had 10 babies (fathered by Mondo).  The lady we spoke to about them said that they weigh as much as 3 cars put together.  Wow!  The whole day I stood in amazement at the greatness of God's creation.

We saw red panda bears, which I have never seen before.  We actually got to go in the same space as them without anything separating us.  Another animal I have never seen that was pretty cool was a beaver.  Their tails are very cool. They look like leather.  One beaver came right up to us and stood up at the glass.  The kids each got a small stuffed beaver as a souveneir.

But one of my very favorite animals is the river otter.  They are so playful and fun.  They love to show off!  We also saw giraffes, lions, elephants, and lots of other animals common to zoos.  I can't wait to go back!

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Comments

• Apr. 7, 2008
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Posted by nikkisimcox

It looks like your family had lots of fun. We did have quite a bit of rain here this weekend. Sunday was a nice day though. Had you left already? Pigeon Forge didn't seem as crowded as it usually is this weekend .Sometimes it can take hours to go 1/2 mile especially during the summer. We are thinking about getting a family pass to the Knoxville Zoo. We haven't been in years and we miss it.

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• Apr. 8, 2008
Untitled Comment

Posted by nikkisimcox

Hi Jennifer. Thanks for stopping by my blog. We actually live in Sevierville , the county seat.

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• Apr. 10, 2008
Untitled Comment

Posted by kristenph

You made a good choice not going to the NC zoo last weekend. The weather was yucky here (We're under an hour from it) But you definitely have to go sometime. It is a wonderful zoo. But be prepared to walk, walk, and walk. It is totally different from Knoxville. The habitats are a lot bigger at NC zoo which is nice for the animals but it does make some of them harder to see. Another zoo that you might want to check out with your membership is the one in Columbia, SC. It is a really nice one too and not so spread out.

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