Random Smoky Mounts Vacation Pictures, Part 1

I took over 300 pictures last week. Here are some highlights.

Jack and I planning our hikes.

The top half of Laurel Falls (This is the hike where we saw the three bears...and apparently a giraffe.) It was a two-tiered waterfall. Going to the very bottom with a toddler and pregnant lady to get a picture was not an option.

I managed to come home with a lot of random tree pictures.

We went to Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies while we were that. It was a nice little aquarium and very toddler friendly--but it was horridly overpriced. With "discounts" it cost $50 for the three of us. We were there for two, maybe two-and-a-half hours.
Jack "in" an aquarium, checking out the seahorses. Apparently the males are the pregnant ones. They had a baby/prenatal exhibit called something like "Living Incubators" that was pretty neat. Kate thought they should pay her to be one of the exhibits.

The best part of the aquarium was a long tunnel that went under the shark (and various other sea creatures) exhibit. Essentially, you see them from above first, and then go downstairs and see them from below.

Actually, the most amusing part of the aquarium were all the people that kept trying to take pictures without turning off their flash, usually with the lens right next to the tank. I lost count of how many times I heard variations of the following:

(Most effective when read a la Cletus from The Simpsons.) "I jess don get it. Ev'ry piture has a white spot in it, an I caint see the fish. Somethin' must be wrong with the camera!"

Much more to come...