TN Day 3

Monday was a busy day. We started with ziplining. I found a place that seemed kind of "medium." It didn't have the super-intense-through-the-mountains-lines, but it wasn't small either. It went over the Pigeon River, which I thought would be fun. Our reservation was for 10:45 and they got us started right on time. We got lucky, as the other people that were booked for our time did not show up. So, it was just our family. That was really nice, especially because I thought it felt pretty crowded on the platforms and I think it would have been really difficult with 4 more people. Unfortunately, we opted to leave our phones in the car, so I do not have any pictures. 

We started with a practice line, which was just a few feet off the ground. That went well and helped build everyone's confidence. Then, we went across a medium tower (maybe 20 feet off the ground) and then a larger line from the same tower. The tower was pretty shaky. Thomas said jumping off from the swaying platform was a relief. They had dual lines across the river, which was fun. Then, we came back over on the longest line--1300 feet long and about 90 feet high. In total, I think we did 6 lines. Everyone enjoyed it and I think we could handle the big mountain one if we ever decide to try again. As mentioned, I did not take any pictures, but Google provided me with this awesome image of the two river zips. After the bottom one, we had to climb a gazillion stairs to get to the top line, which was the longest and most fun.

We went back to the rental house, had lunch, rested for about an hour and then went to the Titanic Museum. It was good, but really crowded (it is Memorial Day after all). They give you a character card before you go in with the description of a real person who was on the Titanic and then at the end, you learn their fate. You can also look for information about them in the museum. For example, Kara learned in a pets section that her character, a first class passenger, had a dog onboard named Frou Frou. I did not see anything about my character in the museum, but she was a maid to a first class passenger. All of our people survived (but, Frou Frou did not). We also got to feel water that was the temperature that night--28 frigid degrees. It was, of course, sad. 

This is showing the slope of the deck two minutes before it sank. It would have been nearly impossible to hold on for long.

They also had a replica of the grand staircase.

After the Museum, we went to Sonic for dinner. My food was not good and I am feeling a bit sick. But, everyone else seemed to like it. Most of us weren't ready to go "home" so we did one more activity--The Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster. It is billed as the "longest downhill ride in the United States with over 1 mile of track." You get pulled in your sled to the top of the mountain and then it is a single car roller coaster all the way down. You can slow yourself down if you so choose or go full throttle. Luke was too short to go alone, so he rode with me. I let him control the brake, which he opted not to use at all. I was scared! I wasn't prepared to go with him and I couldn't remember what the weight limits were. I asked the operator who responded with a, "yes, there is a weight limit, but don't worry you won't come close." All I could think about was the kid that died on the Orlando swings who exceeded the weight limit, but no one told him. So, I spent the ride worried we would fly off the track because of my failure to make them pause and verify the number (I found out later it was 375 pounds, so she was right--we were not close). 

They have a second ride discount, so we decided to go one more time. This time, I went alone and braked whenever I saw fit, which was much more enjoyable. Thomas rode with Luke, who again went as fast as it would allow. It was fun and everyone really liked it. We hope to go back on our return trip to try it in the dark! Again, we weren't allowed to bring anything in our pockets, so no pictures, except for this one from their website to show what the track and carts look like: