Wednesday Day 2

We first have our coffee out on the deck and feed the ducks.

They seem to come from nowhere.

This whole family showed up for breakfast with us.

We decided to head down the street and catch the aerial tram to Ober Gatlinburg.
On the way we passed the haunted house which seems to have escaped the fire of 2016.

We notice the weather vane on top might have lost a few feathers in the fire.

We pass by the Riverhouse Motorlodge where we would stay in the past and there
is nothing left but a concrete slab. The fire burned it to the ground.

If you all remember in November of 2016 a forest fire hit Gatlinburg destorying over 2000
buildings and killing 14 and injured 134 people. What is unusual about this is the fire jumped
around never burning in a stright line. You can see where the fire would come down the hill and burn
one place to the ground and the two places on either side were never touched.

We will be boarding the Aerial Tram which will take us 2.5 miles upto Ober Gatlinburg at the top of the mountain.

Prilly looks a little warm.

On the way up we spot another motel that was gutted by the fire.

Here you can see how the fire came down in strips.

There are two trams which are counter balanced. When one goes up the other comes down.
As we get half way we meet the other tram coming down the hill.

As we pass over we see many homes that were spared by the fire.

Coming into Ober Gatlinburg. Over the years we have seen this place grow substantially.

We land safe on top and spot this pretty flower an Angel's Trumpet.

We heard that there was a hillbilly band on top of the mountain so we decided to jump in a chair lift to the top.

Time for a selfie.

On top of MT Harrison.

Looking down you can see all the construction going on to rebuild the homes and motels lost in the fire.

After checking out the band we decide to head back down the hill to the park.

We check out the indoor ice rink and see that they have added bumpper boats that float on the ice.

After a great lunch in the resturant we head back down the mountain in the tram.

WE spot this big hotel that was gutted by the fire.

Coming into Gatlinburg.

What a building , Ripley's Believe it or Not.

We find out that Ripley's now has a huge aquarium so we head over to check it out.

Well worth the money.

We then head home stopping at the Mountain Mall across the street for pizza and boy it was good.