Mason Moments: Next Stop -- Our Mountain Cabin

After spending a bit more time at the Creation Museum the next morning we headed for our main destination -- Seiverville, TN. (Pronounced Se-VEER-ville) to our cabin in the mountains. It was about a 4-hour drive and by the time we got to the town it seemed to drag on and on forever and then turns into Pigeon Forge which is where our turn was. John and I rented a cabin in the mountains of Tennessee for our honeymoon 16 years ago so we kept searching to find anything that looked familiar. But alas, a lot has changed and it is a lot more commercialized. I'd compare it to Branson or Wisconsin Dells.

We stayed in a gated community of cabins called Brothers Cove but the cabin I found was rented by the owner on Homeaway and was a much better deal that way. We wanted the "community" simply because that gave us the option of a swimming pool that an individual cabin would not. Although, being mid-May it opened the last day we were there and was a bit cool yet.

Driving our 15 passenger van and towing John's car behind (for my parents to go off on their own if they desired) John maneuvered his way up steep inclines and around a precarious turn to get up to our cabin. My Mom wondered why I picked a cabin up so high. Of course for the view! I had no idea it would be quite that difficult to get up. And it would have been fine if we weren't towing something. On the way down my Dad drove the car down.

You probably can't tell quite how steep this is on our way up.

This is on our way down. This turn made me a bit nervous at times. I was always glad it wasn't me driving. For some reason I kept having visions of the van driving off the side and rolling down the mountain to our death. Lovely thoughts I know. The apple doesn't fall far as one of my boys was having similar thoughts.

Going down from our cabin. You can see how close other cabins are.

The cabin next door and those down from us kind of into the valley. There were just a few that went up from where we were. Ours looked like this also with three porches.

The AMAZING view from our second floor porch off the bedroom. This, this is why I wanted to be up so high. What is the point of being in the mountains if you don't have the view? I could have sat there all day.

Unfortunately, I didn't take very many pictures of the inside of the cabin. It was so beautiful though and made John and I kind of regret not keeping our house a log home when we added on. All the wood and simplicity of it was so relaxing. If you want to see more inside pictures check out the owner's website. The kids on the spiral staircase leading up to the third floor bedroom.

Mr. Zippy happily playing with his new truck.

George and Re-Pete playing pool on the second floor loft area. There was also a game table and a sofa sleeper in this area. We put Zippy's pack-n-play here for him to sleep. And just for my reference since I didn't take pictures -- Pete and Re-Pete slept on the third floor. George and Seppy had an air mattress in the same room. Tank and Missy shared the living room sofa sleeper.

The first floor bedroom and our second floor room had whirlpool tubs. Some of the kids enjoyed that one evening. George even got in after Seppy was done since he saw how much fun it was.

And having fun in the outdoor hot tub too.

Look at that view! A swimming pool in the mountains. Loved it! No one was too sure about that cold water though. But they all jumped in anyway, even John and my Dad.

Seppy soaking up some sun.

We did have some excitement on our last night. John and woke up a few times to various creature noises. At one time some type of animal fight. But then we heard a racket. It sounded like someone was throwing their ball over the railing again and again to the wooden floor below. John went out on our porch and looked down to the garbage cans and saw a bear! He was telling it to "get out of the garbage". I assumed it to be racoons and asked him but he said it was a bear. I asked why he didn't call me to take pictures. I wanted to see it too! But it had already taken off and I could only see movement scurrying up the rocky cliff. We did find evidence the next morning as the lids on the cans were broken open. Not too big of a mess.