We decided on a trip to Gatlinburg for Labor Day weekend since we have friends who live fairly close by in Cosby. It's been years since we have seen them. Tom drove down and brought us a car for our stay which was really nice. The first thing we had to do was to tell him about our adventure. Somewhere along the way the good old GPS sent us thru the Great Smoky Mountain park. We had seen lots of rv's on our way up from Georgia, but suddenly none on the road. Mountainous, twisting, turning road...sign says take off your sunglasses and put on your lights! Tunnel ahead! Oh, and they were doing road work and I hollered "look out for the cones!" WHAM!!! This is fun...not!! And he's concentrating so hard on driving and I'm holding on for dear life and OMG!!...we are driving thru the parking lot of the major scenic area, we've left the road completely. Back on the road again and he decides to pull into one of the turn-outs. We need to catch our breath and the dog needs a walk. Gosh, you can smell the tar from the road work. No, he tells me, that's our brakes! So, Tom, can we drive home a different way? Luckily we have a few days to recover and a new way to go home.
We stayed at Camping in the Smokies. It never ceases to amaze me when you read reviews of rv parks. Do people just go somewhere without researching where they are going? There are some negative reviews for this park. If you're looking for waterslides, Yogi Bear or planned activities this is not the place. If you can't handle the rules go elsewhere. If you have children it's probably not for you. Dogs, however, are really happy campers and everyone had at least one.
Can't say enough about this campground...the owners are very nice and also helpful. The place is small but not at all crammed in like other parks in the area. The grounds are clean and many sites back up to a stream. Bath house, laundry, pool...all very clean. Great cable and two wi-fi transmitters...no problems with them. Pet friendly but there are breed restrictions. Everyone picked up after their dog(s) probably because everything is so clean around you. Sites are level, gravel and have grass, picnic table and fire ring. There were gnats but we got tiki torches from the Dollar store next door. The trolley stops right out front. You can sit on the bank of the creek at night with the water flowing and watch the waterfall lights in the big tree at the restaurant nearby. We hated to leave!
On a friend's recommendation we went to Three Jimmy's and it was the highlight of our trip. It's definitely where the locals eat and not easy to find but so worth it. It's not downtown with all the chain restaurants and microwaved food. I had the "shine" pulled pork with chopped apple wrap and a side of potato salad. The pork was to die for and I told the waitress there must be somebody in the kitchen making that potato salad, home made for sure. She said yes that everything was made fresh there...we even boil the potatoes for the salad. Hubs had a grilled chicken with bacon and fries (great fries, too!). They had a huge selection of beers on draught as well as bottles and cans. The waitress was friendly (born and raised in Gatlinburg), as was everyone there. We enjoyed a piano player while we ate. The music was like old timey saloon piano. We had to cheer "Rocky Top" to get a 10% discount...of course we had to follow it with "Go Dawgs!". A good laugh all around. Don't miss this place if you're in Gatlinburg.
We drove thru downtown Gatlinburg. Traffic was backed up forever. We're used to our suv's and this car was really low to the ground. It made for great people-watching however. We went all the way to the end and came back on a parallel street. We saw all we wanted to see of a myriad of t-shirt shops and candy shops and chain restaurants and fast food. Not really our thing. Parking is like $8 in town but some restaurants will give you a parking voucher. An alternative is to take the trolley.
Friday evening we drove out to Cosby for dinner with the Martins. It was a really pretty ride with gorgeous mountain views. They live a ways out a gravel road across a little bridge. A stream runs behind their house. Sitting out on the deck, in the evening, priceless.
Monday morning we had to pack up and move on out. A longer, mostly uneventful ride home. Had to look up what a "silver alert" was on the overhead road signs. Turns out it was for heavy traffic. Looking forward to a time when we don't have to wait for a holiday weekend to go off in the rv.
Next post will be for our trip to Cedar Key, FL. We will be celebrating retirement and staying at Low Key Hideaway. There are 3 rv sites, a refurbished 50's motel, a tiki bar and water and more!!
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