The Krohn Family

Last week our family took a much needed spring break and went to central Tennessee for some down time.  The weather was mixed, from warm and sunny, to a snow storm to tornadoes in the area.  We planned around the weather each day spending the nice days outside in the woods, and the ugly days at the indoor pool, movie theater or a day trip to Gatlinburg.

On a rainy Tuesday we took off to visit the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies on the edge of the national park.  The aquarium is home to hundreds of species of salt and fresh water animals. We all loved the glass tunnel under the main pool with sharks, stingrays and eels.

The smaller side exhibits were as impressives, especially the “jellies” and exotic fish like the lion fish, piranas and puffer fish.  We all learned lots about the unique characteristics of each.  Did you know an eel has two sets of teeth?  One to initially grab you, and another set that pull you down into its stomach!

Another highlight of the trip was the perfect spring day at Fall Creek State Park in south central Tennessee.  From the park website, Fall Creek State Park is “laced with cascades, gorges, waterfalls, streams, and lush stands of virgin hardwood timber, the park beckons those who enjoy nature at her finest.  Fall Creek Falls, at 256 feet, is the highest waterfall in the eastern United States.”  We took the better part of the day on easy strolls through the woods and gorges of the park.  The gorges, cut by the rivers and streams, are quite impressive as the Cumberland Plateau falls sharply to the lowlands.

To each of us, the quiet time in a nice 2 bedroom apartment provided lots of hightlights as well.  The five of us often gathered around the kitchen table for extended sessions of Uno.  Dad got to relax with some non-work reading and catch a few extra hours of sleep.  The kids liked the large jacuzzi bathtub which made for a wild bubble bath in swimsuits.  The full moon blessed us on a warm evening and we took advantage with a late flashlight walk on the golf course cart paths looking for owls.  Matthew was our chief owl caller, saying “Who!  Who!” every 30 seconds.  “Do you see one yet, Daddy?”  “No, Matthew, not yet.  Keep calling them and we’ll see what happens”.  Simple pleasures.

We have lots of pictures to view on our SmugMug site.  There are also a few videos uploaded to our video section including time at Fall Creek State Park, the Aquarium and some fun on the playground.