Day 48 ~ Pigeon Forge, TN

With the colors changing so quickly here in Tennessee, John and I decided we would take a nice Sunday drive up to Clingman's Dome in the Great Smoky Mtn. National Park.  The locals are saying the leaves are falling a lot earlier than normal this year.  The leaves are turning here at the campground, but of course they are really turning color up on the higher elevations.

We left around 11:30, thinking we would be at the Dome by 12:30.  Well, we took the LONG and WINDY road to Clingman's Dome!  The drive was incredibly beautiful, but the roads are so darn narrow!  John had to pull in his side mirror in fear that someone was going to hit it from the other direction!

At 6,643 feet, we were finally there!  Clingman's Dome is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  It IS the highest point in Tennessee, and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi.  We took the path to the top of the dome which is extremely steep, but paved!  It's a little over a 1/2 mile hike to the top.  Once you get to the top, they have built an interesting structure that gets you above the treeline and gives you the best view inside the park.  We saw views of Tennessee and North Carolina.  On really clear days you can see four states from the dome.  You can also access the Appalachian Trail at Clingman's Dome.  It is a continuous marked footpath (a distance of about 2,160 miles) that goes from Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia.  I really wasn't in much of a mood for a hike like that today!!

We enjoyed the views and spent about 2 hours sightseeing at the dome, then headed back to camp!  A little overcast today and cooler than it has been.  Our neighbors in the campground left today and John and I hustled over to their campsite and got all the wood they left behind.  We're so darn cheap!!!  So a nice fire in the evening, the sound of crickets in the background and a wonderful evening it turned out to be!  Fantastic Sunday.

Day 47 ~ Pigeon Forge, TN

After a big day yesterday, we decided to have a relaxing morning around camp.  It rained on and off this morning.  It's amazing how warm it is!  It reminds us of Hawaii when it rains here. 

We had our coffee and walked the dogs then decided to go to the Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg.  When we got to the Aquarium, we parked in their parking garage which just about freaked John and I out.  As we drove in this parking garage, it seemed the ceiling was getting lower and lower the further down we went.  We thought for sure we were going to wipe out the top of the cab!  Thank goodness it didn't!

The Aquarium was Fantastic!  Both John and I especially liked the Shark Tank.  You were able to see the sharks from above and below.  It was absolutely amazing.  This is by far one of the BEST Aquariums we have ever visited.

It's really starting to feel like fall.  The colors are certainly turning color.  Gatlinburg is definately celebrating the season, the fall decorations are incredible.  What a festive day in Gatlinburg.

We returned back to camp around 5:00pm.  I decided to do some laundry while John hung out with the boys at the park.  Once I finished up the laundry and got everything put away, we went into Pigeon Forge to do some grocery shopping and some touristy shopping.  So nice and warm out this evening, very relaxing. 

The one thing we love the most at night time is the crickets....Just lovin' this place!

 

Day 46 ~ Pigeon Forge, TN

The day started out pretty darn early!  John and I got up earlier than usual, we were heading to Knoxville, TN to visit my cousin and his wife.  It's been over 32 years since I last saw him.   I'm so excited!

We ended up leaving the camp around 8:30am  and off we went!  We thought we'd be at Larry's around 9:30, but it was more like 10:00.  I haven't seen my cousin in so long, I was so excited and so was he!  When we pulled into his driveway, there he was waving his arms, excited just like me!  We were so HAPPY to see each other again!  We hugged and both of us got tears in our eyes, it felt like we were embracing our childhood memories in those hugs. 

It was so nice to finally meet Larry's wife Darlene.  They both invited us into their home along with the boys, we were a little nervous at first since they had Kitty Kat's, so we kept them in the fenced back yard.  What a beautiful home they have!  Larry and I enjoyed talking about the good'ole days while John and Darlene hung out in the screened porch.  Poor Larry, I couldn't seem to stop talking...that's what happens when I get excited!

Once I stopped to take a breath (ha!), Larry invited us to go on their boat down the Tennessee River for lunch at Calhoun's.  We packed up, put on our shorts and flip flops and off we went!  It's crazy how close they are to everything here.  The dock where their boat is moored  is only a mile down the road.  They have this really cool boat lift that keeps the boat out of the water.  It's SWEET!  It was such an amazing experience to be going down the Tennessee River on a Beautiful boat owned by your cousin who's drivin' the boat and you as a passenger can close your eyes and remember the last time you were with this person on a lake, in a 12 ft. aluminum boat tied to the shore pretending to be in control!

The Tennessee River had some amazing sights to see.  The homes are incredible!  The boat ride was crazy fun and fast!  We got to the restaurant and enjoyed a fantastic buffet.  I have never had creamed corn as good as this in my entire life!  John and I enjoyed the catfish as well.  My Lemon Drop Cocktail was by far the BEST I've ever had  (I had two).  Freshly squeezed Lemon...Fabulously refreshing!  Thank you again Larry and Darlene for a wonderful lunch....I'm still full!

After our lunch we went back to the house, clouds were moving in so we were anxious to get the boat moored before it started to rain.  We made it!!!  The rain was spotty, nothing heavy at all.

We spent the rest of our day in the screened porch visiting.  We left around 7:30pm.  A lot of good stories were told and we can't wait to spend time together again.  This by far has been one of the highlights of our trip.  Incredible day!  Thank you Larry & Darlene.
 

Larry & Darlene's House!



Happy Hearted Cousins!!!




Captain Larry



Darlene, John and Larry

Lunch at Calhoun's....Amazing

Darlene & Jackie

Good Times!!  Larry & John

Yipes!!!  Forgot my brush!

Fabulous day!

Frankie & Kristie....exhausted after a hard day getting to know each other!

Day ~ 45 Pigeon Forge, TN

First thing on our Agenda today was to go to Gatlinburg and ride the Sky lift!!!  We did our usual this morning, 1) Take Dogs for Walk; 2) Feed Doggies; 3) Have our wonderful coffee made by John; 4)  Vacuum and clean up RV;  5)  Shower and GO!

Well, it may not have been exactly like that, but that's usually how are day begins!  We ended up in Gatlinburg around 10:00.  Found some excellent parking right by the Sky lift!  We loved the ride up the hill!  It was like a really old ski lift and it squeaked alot, this made it even more fun and exciting!  We laughed alot and got some really good photos.

We spent about an hour on top taking in the view of the Smoky Mountains and the views of Gatlinburg.  It's absolutely gorgeous here.

Once we got down off the Mtn., we were on the hungry side so we went and had a quick sandwich from Subway.  There were a lot of restaurants to choose from but we thought we'd stick to a light lunch and save a super meal for dinner time!

We strolled through town enjoying the Fall Decorations and talking with the locals.  So much fun!  We even scored on a couple of Christmas presents!  Our Christmas shopping is just about complete!!!  Could not ask for a better area to buy unique gifts.  This place is loaded with wonderful gift ideas!

We spent a good 4 hours downtown then decided to head back before the boys destroyed our 5th wheel!  It just makes us smile to see that they are such good dogs.  The 5th wheels stays super nice while we are away....They just watch Soap Opera's and sleep while we are gone!

Once we got back, we took the boys for a good run and swim in the creek.  They enjoy this RV Park as well because they get to play off leash here.  We let them swim and play until they zonk out under a shade tree.

John was able to wash the truck this afternoon at our RV site.  While he washed the truck, I cleaned the RV really good.  I also got the itch to make a nice dinner for us tonight instead of going out to dinner.    We are staying in tonight  as well , big day tomorrow and  we are sooo looking forward to it.  Also, Grey's Anatomy is on tonight and we can't miss this episode!!!  Another great end to a wonderful day here at Pigeon Forge, Tennessee!  

I don't know about this????


  

Up Up and Away!



Gatlinburg, TN, Smoky Mtns.,

Just LOVE it here!!!

Which Way should we go????

They sure do it up right here in the fall!

Day 44 ~ Pigeon Forge, TN

Fall is definitely in the air.  We got up this morning and the chill was so refreshing!  We walked the dogs and then we had a yummy breakfast here at camp.  We made Pumpkin Bread French Toast along with Hash browns and Sausage.  Oooh!!!  The visitors here in the campground were lined up at our 5th wheel door!!!  LOL!

We decided to go into Pigeon Forge and check out everything in the area.  We didn't get very far though....We saw a wonderful outlet mall and went into one store, then the next, then the next, then the next.  My goodness, this place is huge!  A shoppers paradise for sure!  We enjoyed ourselves strolling through the shops and the weather was spectacular!  It warms up so nicely in the afternoon.

We checked out the Titanic Exhibit and decided to go this evening.  So, we went back to camp which is only about 4 miles away.  Took the dogs swimming and enjoyed the property here at the park.  It's a wonderful RV Park, we can have the dogs off leash to chase the ball and enjoy the creek.  Tanner is crazy over the water!  He's so darn cute!

The brown leaves are falling, the skies are blue...it's paradise here at the park!  We relaxed outside for a couple of hours then went back into Pigeon Forge to see the Titanic Museum.  It was so much fun!  A little on the eerie side, but overall an excellent exhibit.  What a wonderful memorial, very very moving.  It definitely has a profound impact on you.

This area is filled with so much to do and see it's overwhelming.  I guess we'll just have to come back....darn!  Good thing we have two weeks here!!!

At Camp Nolte

Up The Creek RV Park...Love this place!

Fall Folliage on it's way!

Tanner having fun swimming!

Can't wait to go to the Titantic!

Day 43 ~ Pigeon Forge, TN

We were told that the Smoky Mountains got their first frost this morning.  We are certainly feeling the Season changing!  Fall is definitely here, very chilly in the evenings and chilly in the mornings. 

We got up super early this morning to take a drive through the Historic "Cades Cove" in the Smoky Mountains National Forest.  It is the number one rated attraction in the Smoky Mountains.  We were so glad we got up early to do this! 

Cades Cove was a farming community established in the early 1820's.  Prior to the establishment of this community, it's still not known when  Native Americans first  visited the Cove.  The history behind the families who settled here are so interesting.

The park was established 100 years later.  There is now an 11 mile Loop to allow visitors from all over the world to view the historic community.  It was certainly amazing to see these buildings still standing after all these years.  The scenery was beautiful!

We spent about 4 hours in the park.  It was incredible.  Later we went back to camp to have lunch and give the boys some play time.  Since we were up so early, we took a good rest and decided we would take off to see some more sites after our rest.

We enjoyed some antique stores,  local arts & crafts stores and by far the most enjoyable was visiting with the locals.  Everyone is so friendly here.  John was craving Pizza for dinner, so guess what we had???  There was a wonderful Pizza joint just down the road from our RV Park we went to...mmmm...Good!

When we got back to camp it was just a wonderful evening.  The evening crickets were so loud tonight!  We sat outside and enjoyed the evening and then called it a day.  What a wonderful fall day!

John Oliver Cabin in Cades Cove....built in 1820

John Oliver's Cabin...est. 1820

The Fall Colors are on there way!!!

Methodist Church est. 1902

We never did get tired of looking at this scenery!

Cable Hill Area's Grist Mill

One Way paved roads through the 11 mile tour.

Frankie & Jackie at Cable Hill area.  They warn you to watch out for snakes by the rocks & buildings!!!

This is a staircase in the Lawson Cabin built in 1856...Really Steep Stairs!  The boy's slept up stairs and the girls on the main floor.

A beautiful day in the Smoky Mtns.



Carter Shields barn, est. 1910