Day 11 & 12 of the Southeast Rhombus Rally Caravan with Friends – Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge

With two days left to go, before more of our friends join us, we have much left to see! This morning we grabbed the trolley from the campground and headed into the Old Mill area of Pigeon Forge. We wanted a quick and quiet ride into the depot …. We got the quick part, just not the quiet. There was a male trolley rider who was talking load, to anyone who would listen and he never stopped talking the whole ride into Patriot Park. He talked like he was a Hillary lover, big UT fan and an all-around guy who knows it all! We talked about matching him up with “chatty Cathy” we rode on the trolley with the other day … what a pair they would make!

At the depot we purchased our “trolley jewelry” as Pattye likes to refer to our all-day trolley ride wristbands! We hopped the Fun Time Trolley to the Gatlinburg Welcome Center. At the Gatlinburg Welcome Center, we caught the Gatlinburg Trolley. We rode the North Parkway Spur / Welcome Center Trolley, also known as the Purple line. This trolley took us to the Mass Transit Center near the Aquarium in downtown Gatlinburg. We wanted to walk the downtown streets, so we exited the trolley. The first stop Bully wanted was Donut Friar. As you can tell by the name, it is a donut shop. But, as Pattye said it is the best cake donuts anywhere! We could smell the aromas of freshly made donuts, cinnamon bread, and pastries drifting from this shop. I guess they are impossible to resist! After coffee and donuts were enjoyed, Pattye and I went to the Sock Shop to look for Christmas Socks for the day we volunteer at Camp Boggy Creek, for their Annual Christmas Party, aka the BEST PARTY ON EARTH! Oh, I digress … back to the topic … The Sock Shop. It has a huge variety of fun, crazy and cool socks, toe socks, over the knee socks, dress socks, leg warmers, wool socks, sexy socks, cashmere socks, socks, socks, socks … they have thousands of them. We wanted Christmas socks and we were not disappointed!

Both of these businesses are located in The Village Shops, adjacent to the Pancake Pantry. Here you will find 27 unique shops and eateries set in a quaint European village atmosphere. The brick pathways, abundant landscaping and bubbling fountains provide a tranquil escape from Parkway traffic. Tucked away in this quaint haven are gift and specialty shops, clothiers, galleries and eateries that break away from the cookie cutter variety of retailers. Whether you're looking for a remembrance of your visit or something refreshing to eat or drink, you can find it here. You know I am always interested in the history. How did someone in Gatlinburg, come up with the idea for The Village Shops? In 1965, two families purchased the property on which The Village Shops now stands. They did not want to make any hasty decisions about the property's future, they traveled in search of ideas for the property. Over a three-year period they compiled hundreds of pictures with unique architectural and cultural ideas and consulted with architects to plan the design for a unique shopping complex. In order to create the development in a style true to the faraway places that inspired the concept, they now began the search for architecturally appropriate building materials. Their search for old homes, churches and buildings that were being demolished yielded numerous unique items they could use for construction. They acquired thick roofing slates, heavy carved doors, antique trim moldings and gas lighting fixtures and handmade bricks to complete a sense of the Old World. Construction began 1968, and the first 18 shops were completed in 1970. The remaining 9 shops were added in 1982 to complete it.

We ducked in and out of shops as we moved along the main drag in Gatlinburg. After you have walked a while, all of the stores start to look like they contain the same items. We decided to cross the street. Pattye kept telling Bully, she wanted to go to where they sat in the chairs and listened to the music. On the other side of the street was Ole’ Smoky Moonshine. This is where the rocking chairs were and they played music, too. 

Today, we arrived about 15 minutes before Monroeville started to play. Monroeville is a blue grass band, so Charlie was in heaven! Monroeville was named the 2012 International Bluegrass Music Association Momentum Band of the Year. We sat, rocked and listened to their entire first set!

It was a crowed day on the sidewalks and the road! But, it was warm and we really enjoyed our walking tour!

We went back to The Island. We enjoyed it there so much last night. When we were there last night, there was an entertainer, so the water fountain light show did not play. 

Tonight, we get to see that show. It plays every 30 minutes, from 10am to midnight. But the views are more spectacular after dark! Two songs are played and the water jets create lighted designs to the music. The Island offers 200 rocking chairs for visitors, but we brought our fold-up chairs again. I had to research the mechanics behind the water show. 

This is a state-of-the-art, multi-tiered show fountain features a stunning presentation of water, dance and light, all perfectly choreographed to 14 different pieces of music. There are more than 89 vertical nozzles used to create lively movement and set the show’s pace, six motion based nozzles create graceful water sprays that swirl to the music. 

Seemingly competing for attention, a geyser nozzle shoots powerful bursts of water 60 feet in the air, creating more drama and flair.

While we were there, we visited the new Paula Deen Family Kitchen Store, which is located below Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen. This is one of her only two restaurants in the country. We did not see her, but we are told that Paula Deen can often be seen on The Island, visiting her restaurant and shopping. The most exciting item we found in her store was the purple cookware set. If my kitchen was a purple theme, I would have purchased them in a minute! Our second favorite item was a T-shirt with the saying “this is my eating shirt” … it was pre-stained … so, when you spilled your dinner, it does not matter!

We stayed at The Island until after 10 pm, so we caught about 7 water fountain light shows. Each was choreographed to two different songs. All the shows were awesome! Again, words do not do this justice, pictures do!

Naturally, it was another trolley ride back to the campground. At least this trolley ride was uneventful. We did have a driver that used to drive a city bus in Clearwater Florida, so he got us to where we were going on time!

 

On Sunday morning, we wanted to venture to the Great Smokies Flea Market, along I-40. It's claim to fame, it is the largest flea market in Tennessee. How did this huge flea market get its start? Charles Atchley owned a few small eateries in a Sevier county mall.  The mall generated high traffic but at the expense of a high overhead was too much. He wanted to produce this same customer traffic without this huge overhead. Then it hit him, “An indoor Flea Market – a cross between a mall and a flea market!”  

Although inside flea markets were rare in the early 1990s, Atchley charged ahead with the idea.  The overhead for vendors would be just a small percentage compared to that at the malls.  It would have to be located close to a busy interstate and a strong destination draw.  Atchley found 27 plus acres of farmland in Kodak close to one of the busiest interstates in the country at exit 407 off I-40. This exit 407 leads hundreds of thousands of visitors straight to the Great Smokies National Park. The farmland was the perfect location. Originally, the market had 240 inside booths and maybe ten outside spaces.  But, The first year or so, was very lean, there were probably 60 booths empty. Back then, the market had one restaurant, one restroom for women and one for men. In the early days the market averaged about 1000 shoppers a week-end. Today the market enjoys a yearly average of 15,000 shoppers per week-end. We can attest to that, we were there on a Sunday morning and it was very busy! The outside booths now number into the hundreds!

After we walked the largest Flea Market in Tennessee, we headed to the Tanger Outlet Mall in Sevierville. Well, I should say that Pattye and I walked the mall and Charlie & Bully held down the bench near the Nike store. Pattye and I walked the entire mall, we were looking for specific stores and wandered into a few others. We both purchased Sketchers and dreamed about purchasing much more! Did you know that the Tanger brand outlets began in 1981, with one outlet in Burlington, North Carolina. Today there are 43 outlet centers in 21 states coast-to-coast and in Canada. Before we went to the outlet, we decided that we would dine at Olive Garden, after we were done. So, Pattye and I wound our way back around to where we left the men sitting. We climbed into the car and headed across the seat to Olive Garden. We all enjoyed a leisurely late lunch. After two bowls of salad and entrees, we were all ready to head home with our leftovers and take a nap. 

We do need to rest, because tomorrow is the day, we pack up and move to another temporary home. It is a big move ... we have to travel 5.4 miles ... it will take us about 15 minutes with traffic! Stay tuned to read more about our adventures!

Day 10 of the Southeast Rhombus Rally Caravan with Friends – The Trolleys of Pigeon Forge

We have a rally in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee at the end of the month, but we came a few days early to do some exploring on our own. We are staying in Eagles Nest Campground. Our sites are across from each other and are great for the Passport America rate we paid of $17 per day! 

Today, we decided to explore the trolley system of Pigeon Forge. 

First we had to get ready, looks like Charlie had to help Pattye a little bit with that!

The Fun Time Trolley Service started in 1986 as a means to provide safe, affordable and convenient transportation to hundreds of thousands of people that visit the area each year. Today, they have a fleet of over 30 trolleys. There are over 100 stops throughout the city of Pigeon Forge. Just wait at a trolley sign or a trolley shelter and the trolley will come by and pick you up. We have a trolley stop at our campground. Our campground is on the Wears Valley line. It has its own loop from the depot, out past our park and back to the depot. This loop takes 45 – 60 minutes. 

We got on the trolley about 9:30 am and finished the loop into the depot. The depot is located at Patriot Park, next to the Old Mill. On our way, we saw an establishment that always makes us think of one special friend, Jack! When we go out to dinner as a group, we never let Jack pick the restaurant, if we did ... we would always end up here!

We waited at the depot for another trolley to ride. While we were there, we were verbally accosted by a friendly local girl. We named her “Chatty Cathy.” The North trolley arrived and we got onto it, to see how far north this trolley travels.

Well, lucky us … “Chatty Cathy” got on the same trolley. We tried to watch the unique fall decorations that are everywhere, but she could not be silenced! We quickly learned that is was her day off, there is a concert tonight at The Island, she was going to get a good seat for the show at 8 pm tonight, she wanted boots for her birthday in November, just boots form this particular store, she is a UT fan and trash talked the Florida Gators. I could go on, and on, and on …. Just like “Chatty Cathy.” It is amazing how quite the trolley was after she got off! We always seem to attract the unique individuals on our adventures!

The North trolley took us north on the parkway to Governor’s Crossing and Walmart. It goes into the Tangier Outlets, passes many hotels, shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. Country Tonight is accessible from this trolley, so is the Incredible Christmas Shop and Inn. At the Welcome Center we were greeted by this friendly guy and wondered if anyone would notice, if we brought him home to Karen! We learned that this trolley line no longer goes to our next campground. We will have to get all of our trolley riding done while we are at Eagles Nest.

We got off and on the trolley several times, while we stopped at the welcome center and enjoyed the shops at The Old Mill. We enjoyed our lunch at the Potters House Café. It is in the Old Mill area and features some lighter fare of foods, served on homemade pottery. Bully & Charlie had soup, Chicken Tortilla, and ½ a pimento cheese sandwich. I never knew Charlie liked pimento cheese. Pattye & I had soup, Loaded Baked Potato, and salad. 

We ate a light lunch, because right next to this restaurant is The Creamery. By the sound of the name, you know what you can find there … yup, Ice Cream! Of course, we had to have some. It is all homemade! Charlie & Pattye got Butter Pecan, I selected Peanut Butter, each of us had one scoop.

Bully could not decide between the Butter Pecan and Peanut Butter … I really think it was Pattye, but she blamed Bully! So, he got 2 scoops … which looked more like 3 or 4 scoops! Naturally, Pattye did help Bully eat his ice cream too!

Everywhere is decorated for autumn. There are corn stalks, hay bales, scarecrows and mums. It is very festive and beautiful!

We headed back to the campground, to relax and maybe catch a nap. We are going to head out later to listen to the music and watch the action at The Island.

We caught the trolley at the campground and rode it into The Island’s parking lot. There is a tram that picks you up in the parking lot and transports you to The Island, but we were in a walking mood and walked to The Island. 

Charlie had a great idea to bring our bagged fold up chairs. That was a home run idea! We found an area along the fountain water feature, that gave us a good view of the water, the ferris wheel and Ole’ Smokey Moonshine where the concert will be. This is the music we learned about from the “chatty Cathy” on the trolley earlier today.

We got to The Island early enough to enjoy the view with the sun setting in the background. The lights were visible once we first got there, but they came alive more with each moment as it got darker and darker! 

We did see a motor powered para-glider steak across the sky. If you look between the water spouts, you can see him!

I don’t think words describe how pretty it all is, the pictures do a much better job!

Charlie & Bully really enjoy people watching, so this is the perfect place for that! Pattye and I went to get coffee at Margaritaville. While we were there, we found boxes of Cinnabons … Charlie has been talking about Cinnamon buns for days … so we had to buy him a box! They even had jugs of milk for him!

We listened to the music and enjoyed the water fountain lights for several hours. When it was time to go, we figured it would be easy to grab the North Trolley at the island, ride around quick, get back to the depot and take the Wears Valley Trolley back to the campground. Now, the fun began! The North Trolley was very late, he was the slooooooooooooowest driver we have had. He had to stop at every stop, pull into every store and check the stops (even though the strip mall had been closed for hours and you could see no one at the stop waiting.) We finally made it to Patriot Park, the Trolley Depot, at 10:45. We got on the North Trolley at 9:45 pm. The last Trolley out to Wears Valley is 11 pm … so, I guess, he was fast enough to get us there before that!

While we waited for the Wear Valley Trolley, we got to talk to a sleazy Timeshare Salesman. He claimed not to work for Wyndam. He said people are begging him to buy into his timeshare. He was unshaven, loud, rude and very unprofessional, if in fact he was a professional at all! He hounded us about how great he was for the entire 15 or 20 minutes we waited. Finally, the Wears Valley Trolley arrived and we got on, thank God that he did not get on! God must have been with us ... because you can see Pattye's angelic glow! We rode home is peace and made it safely by 11:35 pm … that is pretty late for Miss Pattye!

Check back for more mis-adventures in Pigeon Forge!

Day 9 of the Southeast Rhombus Rally Caravan with Friends – Dillard Georgia to Pigeon Forge

It was a foggy start to the day, as we departed River Vista RV Resort and turned onto Route 441 / 23.

We quickly crossed the border from Georgia into North Carolina. The first town we came to was Otto. The only thing we saw in Otto was Culpepper’s Otto Depot, it is a unique “junk” store, specializing in architectural salvage, vintage lighting and hardware. It is located in a wooden railway depot. It is a replica train depot building, it is located where the Tallulah Falls railway depot used to be, but the design of the depot is fashioned after a depot in Oxford, Mississippi.

From the map, it looks like Bully is going to take us across US 64 to get to Pigeon Forge. Oh no, I see a sign that says “no tractor trailers” … this can’t be good! Well, we were on US 64 for a while, but maybe not now …. If this is US 64, we are heading east instead of west. We are on a narrow, two lane winding, steep, curvy, tree lined road. There are some homes on this road and some traffic, but mostly sharp turns, a one lane bridge and an almost U-turn. No wonder there are no tractor trailers allowed! I am beginning to think that Bully likes this two lane adventure traveling. Pattye most likely does not like all this up, down and around!

The road we were on ended at 107, and we had to go right or left. We later learned the Bully’s GPS was not telling him anything, so he turned left. Good choice! Otherwise, we would have been heading back toward Dillard, where we started the day! We did find a hidden gem of a lake and recreation area. Jenkins Lake, Glenville Lake and Pines Recreation Area.

Along this route, we found a historical marker. I marked the location of the boyhood home of John R Brinkley and his Aunt Sally. Who is he and why is his Aunt’s Marker so big? I said the same thing! He was a controversial man who fraudulently claimed to be a medical doctor who became known as the "goat-gland doctor" after he achieved national fame, international notoriety and great wealth through the transplantation of goat testicles into humans. He was also an advertising and radio pioneer who began the era of Mexican border blaster radio. Brinkley, was a demagogue beloved by many in Kansas and elsewhere. He launched two campaigns for Kansas governor, one of which might have been successful had it not been for widespread ballot tampering by his opponents. Brinkley's rise to fame and fortune was as precipitous as his eventual fall: At the height of his career he had amassed millions of dollars; yet he died sick and nearly penniless, as a result of the large number of malpractice, wrongful death and fraud suits brought against him.

Route 107, was another windy curving road. We finally came out the mountain two lane roads to “civilization” arriving at the campus of Western Carolina University. There are historical markers at the entrance to the WCU campus for Lewis J Smith, founder of the Cullowhee Academy, the forerunner to WCU and Robert L Madison, the founder and President of WCU. 

As the westernmost institution in the UNC system, Western Carolina University provides educational opportunities to residents of the state’s western region and attracts students from around the globe to explore the area’s vast resources. You know me, I love my quirky unique places we find along our two lane adventures. WCU’s vast 600-acre mountain campus property includes one of only six US body farms for the study of forensic science, forensic anthropology and criminology.

We have traveled the Delaware Water Gap, but what is Catamount Gap? A catamount is a medium-sized wildcat, it is also the mascot and nickname of the WCU athletic teams. The Catamount gap which is really where they “moved” an entire mountain with dynamite and created a gap, used when NC 107 was relocated for four lanes between Sylva and Cullowhee in western North Carolina. NC 107 took us into Sylva NC, where we picked up 276 North heading toward I-40 W. 

Charlie wanted to go over the mountain on 441, but Bully was unsure of going over it towing his car. After the adventure he took is on to get here … It would have been a piece of cake! Along I-40, you could really see that the leaves are starting to change at the base of the Smokey Mountains.

We passed the Martha Sundquist State Forest. It is a 2,000-acres tract of land that was purchased in 2001 from International Paper Company, who owned the property since about 1930. Prior to that it belonged to the Lambs Gulf Company and is how the property became known as the “Gulf”. It is the only forest that occurs in the Blue Ridge province. It is located in eastern Tennessee near the North Carolina-Tennessee border. The Martha Sundquist State Forest “Gulf Tract” is surrounded by the Cherokee National Forest on three sides. The Forest is composed of mature mountain and cove hardwoods. A harvest rotation schedule was developed and followed closely by the previous owners, allowing various sections of mature trees.

We turned off I-40 and onto 411 South, heading toward Sevierville. Since the last time we traveled to Pigeon Forge, they have redone a portion of this road making it wider and less winding. We turned a corner and came upon a great place to stop. The Bush’s Bean Factory, museum, store and café. 

It is decorated for fall with corn stalks and pumpkins. We stopped for a break and decided to eat lunch at the café. We have all been here before, but none of us have eaten in the café. Our meals ranged from beans and cornbread, hot dog with fries, hot dog with black beans and fried bologna with fries. All of it was delicious! Naturally, Pattye and I had to shop in the store. They always have some items here that we cannot get in the store. I got sriracha beans and a packet of flavoring to make hummus from a can of chick peas.

If you cut off 411, you can view the Historic Harrisburg Covered Bridge. The community of Harrisburg has contained a bridge at this location since the mid-1800s. Known as the McNutts Bridge, it washed away in 1875. In March of that same year, the Sevier County Court appointed a committee to oversee the rebuilding of the bridge. As was common then, local citizens contributed to the replacement of the bridge. Although only $50 could be privately raised, the Harrisburg community provided the wood and labor for the replacement structure. The county donated $25. 

In the late 1800s, the Harrisburg community grew, and with its several mills, blacksmith shops, a school, a doctor, and a post office, prospered. However, in 1915 the county built a new road that bypassed Harrisburg and the community disappeared. By the 1970s, the bridge was deteriorated and facing possible demolition when the Great Smokies Chapter and the Spencer Clack Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) raised funds to repair and maintain the bridge as well as seeking listing for it on the National Register of Historic Places. The Harrisburg Covered Bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 for its significance as a rare surviving example of a covered timber truss bridge.

We came into Sevierville and turned onto 321. Sevierville is the home to Dolly Parton.

Founded in 1795 and incorporated in 1901, Sevierville, was named for John Sevier, the first governor of Tennessee. It is the oldest and largest of Sevier County’s four cities and is the eighth oldest town in Tennessee. One of its most enduring symbols is the classic white clock tower on the 105-year-old Sevier County Courthouse with a clock that strikes every half hour in the time-honored tradition. 

The statue of Dolly Parton on the courthouse lawn was sculpted by local artist Jim Gray and unveiled by Dolly Parton, with her parents in attendance. There’s also a statue on the courthouse lawn in remembrance of our veterans. Sevierville has preserved its southern charm and the quaint personality of a small, historic town. The entire downtown area encompasses Sevierville’s historic district, where a walking tour unfolds the history of the nation and its expansion westward.

We passed through Pigeon Forge on our way to Wears Valley Road. We caught glimpses of the big ferris wheel at The Island and a large American flag flying. 

Our temporary home for the next 4 nights is Eagle’s Nest Campground.