It’s been a while; we were in Pigeon Forge, TN before life got in the way.

My dear readers, I have not abandoned you. My sincerest apologies for a month’s worth of missed posts, and the seeming desertion in the middle of our journey through the great state of Tennessee. I can assure you it was nothing personal. Alas, sometimes life just gets in the way of writing. Even people who are retired and seem to have all the time in the world get sidetracked. That’s my excuse. But I’m back now and ready to tell…. the Rest of the Story. In the interest of full disclosure, I think it is only fair to put the following disclaimer on the next couple of blog posts:

                        “We are back home in Massachusetts and have been for the

last several weeks. The accounts and descriptions you are

currently reading are from our travel journal and photos.”

 A couple of months ago, when Judy had a chance to turn her attention to looking at things to do in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN, I casually remarked that there was always Dollywood.  So, Judy started looking for Dolly Parton related excursions, thinking that, much like Nashville and Memphis, there was bound to be some musical connection. Maybe a museum dedicated to the artist and her music and acting career. Seems like a reasonable assumption, but we could not have been more wrong. Dollywood is an amusement & water park. As we pulled our 5^th wheel by the entrance and parking lots, we truly got the sense that a mistake had been made. A mistake is not really the correct word for it. Maybe it was more of a disappointment. We don’t really care for amusement parks. Maybe, in another lifetime when the kids were young, we could tolerate an amusement park, especially if the kids were having a good time, but for the most part, amusement parks are not in our wheelhouse. We would not be purchasing admission to Dollywood. 

 

Entrance to Dollywood

And to a greater extent, that’s probably the theme for the entire stop in the Pigeon Forge/ Gatlinburg area. The area is very “touristy”. There are a lot of amusement park type venues which include coasters of all shapes and sizes, go cart tracks, arcades, miniature golf, skyline chairlifts into the hillside, and numerous “themed” entertainment venues. We have all been there. Where there is a “kitschy” store selling “discount” tees and sweatshirts on every block, next to a candy or fudge emporium. Which is all well and good, and obviously very successful, but not exactly what Judy and I thought we were getting when we booked our last stop in Tennessee. That’s not to say we did not find our little niche in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. We enjoyed a number of scenic walks, a little dinner theater, as well as a guided tour of the Smoky Mountains.

Let’s start with a quick conversation about whiskey. Yes, I’ve said it. Judy and I (but mostly Judy) are hooked on peanut butter infused whiskey. Something we ran into early in our trip whilst in St. Augustine, FL, which has really blossomed into a wonderfully easy and enjoyable happy hour cocktail. We enjoy mixing it with coffee, either hot or cold. Or better yet, 4 ounces served over lots of ice. I never have to ask Judy twice (see what I did there, it rhymes). What better place to refill our coffers of peanut butter infused whiskey, than in Pigeon Forge, TN. A place synonymous with whiskey & moonshine. We had long since finished our last bottle purchased in Arkansas, so it was well past time to look to purchase our new favorite libation.

The day started out normally enough, with a trip to the Tennessee Museum of Aviation, which was located adjacent to the Gatlinburg–Pigeon Forge Airport. Another superb aviation museum, and, as we understand it, a mostly private collection of restored airplane engines and related equipment, airplanes, and helicopters. Just a wonderfully eclectic hodge podge of abandoned and reconditioned WWII, Korean, and Vietnam War aviation, with a smattering of unusual civilian aircraft. Most of the stuff was restored in-house at another building. Just a very interesting museum, and we were mostly by ourselves in the 50,000 sq. ft. hanger building.  

Judy in the cockpit of the F104 fighter

After lunch, we donned our backpacks and water bottles and started out for a walk along the West Prong Little Pigeon River. There is a nicely paved riverwalk that follows the river for a couple miles, ending at a shopping and entertainment metropolis called “The Island in Pigeon Forge” (read my earlier comments regarding the touristy nature of the area for a better understanding of the “Island at Pigeon Forge”).  Needless to say, we were about to turn around for our return trip to the camper when Judy spots a whiskey selling establishment called, “Ole Smoky Tennessee Distillery”.  And what-do-you-know, there’s whiskey tasting going on at tables and bars throughout the ground floor retail establishment. The first thing we spot is an entire wall of peanut butter infused whiskey; but after some further investigation, we have determined that none of the servers are currently offering a tasting of this particular variety. Waiting for an opportune time, we approached the counter and explained that we were well acquainted with the peanut butter infused whiskey, and we would like to purchase a number of bottles, but would like to try some first just to make sure. Seems our request was not so unusual, and within moments a manager was summoned. Shortly thereafter, a bottle of our preferred flavor was being opened and we were offered a sample for tasting. Yumm!  Needless to say, we negotiated a very reasonable purchase of 6 bottles of Ole Smoky Whiskey (some of which are pictured below) as well as nice “Ole Smoky” cooler, carrying bag. The downside to this whiskey buying binge was the nearly 2 ½ mile walk back to the camper carrying 30 pounds or so of whiskey. We celebrated by ripping into our first bottle as soon as we returned.  Don’t be a hater until you’ve tried it!

And then of course, there is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The most visited park in the United States. Breathtaking! There are not enough adjectives to convey the grandeur of the park. From a number of scenic viewing stops we saw Clingmans Dome towering above at 6,634 feet above sea level. This region of the Smoky Mountains contains 16 other peaks over 6,000 feet tall. (As a comparison, Mt. Washington in the White Mountains of NH is the only peak above 6,000 feet coming in at 6,288 feet above sea level. That means there are 16 more Mt. Washington Peaks in the Smoky Mountains.) The tour included a ride up to one of the tallest passes near the North Carolina border called the Ben Morton Overlook, which also happens to cross paths with the Appalachian Trail heading north to Maine. Our tour concluded at the Elkmont Historic District. The Little River Lumber Company established the town of Elkmont in 1908 as a base for its logging operations. By 1910, the company began selling plots of land to hunting and fishing enthusiasts from Knoxville, who established the "Appalachian Club". Over the next two decades, the Appalachian Club and Wonderland Club evolved into elite vacation areas, where East Tennessee's wealthy could gather and socialize. Upon the creation of the national park in the 1930s, most of Elkmont's cottage owners were given lifetime leases. The leases ended in 1992, and under the park's general management plan, the hotel and cottages were to be removed. However, in 1994, the Elkmont Historic District was recognized by the National Register of Historic Places, preventing the demolition of the clubhouse and cottages. In the years since, the National Park Service has restored the cottages and outbuildings in the Elkmont Historic District. We were able to walk the entire Historic District as if it were 1950. The community was situated along the Little River on a hill and, as a result, some of the cottages are currently tilted or crooked.  Not really in the original ornate state, but so interesting to walk through, nonetheless.

The weather is getting warmer, and we are starting to see signs of spring. We are on our 18^th stop out of 22, so we are really starting to head north to New England. We had a great time learning about TN these last 5 weeks or so, but it’s time to move on and visit another state. Our next stop is in southern Virginia, some 300 miles north-east of where we are in Tennessee.  We have some exciting excursions planned for our first stop in Natural Bridge, VA, so check back to this blog as we tell…. the Rest of the Story.