Our Vacation!
Smoky Mountains, Ah....how relaxing!
Russ and I started out Sept4th,and headed to the Smokies. We took the long way to get there, and it was so worth the drive. All the country scenery was beautiful. We got to our camp site around 3pm, set up camp and relaxed around the river, that was just outside our tent door. Then we went to get something to eat, then sat around the fire till it was time to hit the hay! Oh, did I mention that we took the LONG way around Townsend, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg to look for a general dollar or dollar general store to get an extension cord?? Then to find out if we would have gone straight about 50 feet and NOT turned at the light that took us the LONG way, both stores were right there! Well I wont! lol
Well, Here we are, set up and ready to do some camping. That is the river in the back ground. Ahhhh what a soothing sound it was at night with the water flowing over the rocks. It beats a sound tape of the good ole out door's any day. If you like to camp and want to do it in the Smokies we will tell you to stay here. It is a KOA in Townsend, TN. We were just outside the Smoky Mountain National Park. We had POWER!!! and WIRELESS INTERNET!! We just couldn't pick up a phone signal. Isn't this just beautiful?? This is what we
woke up to every morning.This is looking up stream. It looks just as beautiful looking down stream. There weren't any animals around. When we checked in the lady said the camp was FULL the day before. So I guess with all the people the wild life hadn't made it back down around the river. We did have a squirrel that hung around, jumping from tree to tree. I did see some tad poles in the water getting ready to loose their tales. Of course there were trout in the water, but none big enough to eat if you wanted fresh fish.
The next morning. Sept 5th. We got up and got dressed so Russ could go to Cades Cove to ride his bike. Cades Cove is an 11 mile trip in a valley where people lived long ago. The last settler died in 1992 or so. Most of the cabin's and all the churches and the little town still stand and you can hike to each of them that are still standing, walk inside and enjoy what it would have been like long ago in the Cove. We came back the next day and drove the loop and stopped at every site and took lots and lots of pictures. But on Wed. and Sat. from May to Sept the loop is closed to cars so that bikers can
ride. there are 2 dirt roads in the middle of the paved loop so you can shorten you ride to 5 miles or 8 miles if you don't want to do the 11 miles. Russ did the 11 mile twice! I walked about a mile down the road and took pictures. I saw geese, wild turkey and trophy deer! We got back to camp, took sowers, made the bed (zipped the sleeping bags up), locked up and went to find some lunch.....In Gatlinburg. It is a very pretty drive to Gatlinburg from Townsend. It's about 18 to 20 miles and the road is less traveled. So you can take your time and pull over and enjoy the view...... Like Maloney Point. lol This picture doesn't even to the view justice...do you think it's
because there are 2 funny looking people obstructing the view? lol (Thanks lady that came by and blocked our first shot of the valley for taking our picture!) Okay, site seeing is over...now off to Gatlinburg. Man that place has grown from the last time we were there. $8 to park all day! But it was worth it. We just walked around. We didn't do any of the tourist stuff this time. There was a new addition to the wax museum. Captain Jack Sparrow!! and of course we had to have a picture of Russ taking Jack's effects! haha We went through a few shops, had lunch at
McDonald's, did more walking, took more pictures, had a Chicago dog, meet folks from Alabama! (the man who sold us our hot dog went to school at Athens State!) There is more building going on. If there is an empty space big enough for a store, it is gonna be built on. The chair lifts are new, so is the space needle. Oh the aquarium is new too from the last time I was there. We were going to go, but changed our minds. We were getting tired. And Russ was ready to go back to camp and rest. After all, He did just go on a 22 plus mile bike ride, then drove to Gatlinburg, then walked up and down the almost 3 miles of Gatlinburg. On the way back to the car there is another new restaurant... Bubba Gump Shrimp! So We had to stop there to. We didn't eat there, But we did get Russ a T-shirt. Russell's favorite line in Forest Gump is the Shrimp line... boiled
shrimp, shrimp kabob...you get the picture. Well now he can ware that line anytime he wants to..lol They have a park bench out front with a box of chocolates and suitcase sitting on the bench and a pair of running shoes on the ground that you stick your feet into....yes, we got a picture!! We get back to camp, went to the store/restaurant. Got some dinner then sat by a fire and watched a movie on the DVD player we brought. lol and people think when you go camping it's rough! lol Boy, are they wrong! haha
Thursday we got up early to get to Cades Cove to do the drive around the cove. We wanted to see all the wild life before they all went deep into the woods before it started getting hot. It took us about 4 hours to drive around the Cove. We had to stop at all the sites and took pictures. Some places were a hike to get to, but once you got there, It was so worth the hike. It was around lunch when we were done. We went to a local restaurant for lunch, Oh man was it good. I really didn't want to have a big lunch because we were going to the Mystery Movie Dinner Theater in Pigeon Forge......Good thing I filled up at lunch!!! The Mystery was funny, But the food could have been better. But anyway, Like I said...Good thing I had a nice lunch!!! We took a hay less hay ride in Gatlinburg after dinner in Pigeon Forge.
Well, It's Friday. Time to check out from the camp ground and head home. We had such a great time camping. On the way home we had to make a stop in Chattanooga to "SEE ROCK CITY". Russ and I have never been there. It was really petty cool. I think we may go back around Christmas, we'll see. We came home with a "See Rock City" bird house. lol Russell had to have one. lol It is cute, I must say. We are glad to be back Home. We hope our next Vacation away from home is CHINA!!!!!! Hopefully by next summer!
Thanks for visiting!
Lisa & Russ
Happy New Year!!
Sawsan, Michele, Me, Brandi, & Monica (Tiffany took the picture)
Me, Sawsan, & Brandi
Monica & Tiffany
Michele & Me
Susan Leigh Skinner Gross
Mommy & Daddy & Gavin
