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.
No comments:
Post a Comment