Our Tennessee Vacation – part 1

Travel  day…

                Our drive down to Tennessee was pretty much uneventful.  The weather was good, the traffic was nothing to write home about.  Nothing out of the ordinary for the beginning of a fun filled week.  We didn't make many stops since we had food with us.

I actually was able to make the drive pretty easily.  The shot in the knee (cortisone) that the doctor gave me on Wednesday helped get me tuned up for an 8+ hour ride in the van.  We were packed tight, but left my seat with a bit off room behind it thinking I may need to tilt back and stretch out.  Nope.  Didn’t need to.  The knee didn’t act up at all.

When we got down to the area, we decided we should probably stop at the Welcome Center and pick up some information on things to do.  We had four shows booked, but wanted to be sure to sneak in some other fun things too.

While at the center, we set up to do one of those tour-schpeels about a new resort they are starting.    We thought, why not?  The hundred bucks we were getting to do it would buy the souvenirs we planned to get the kids.  We would be heading to the resort, just up the street, on Sunday.  Sounded good to me!

Next stop, the cabin.  We drove the main drag through Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and the Gatlinburg.  On our way twisting and turning and twisting and turning, we wondered would we ever get up there AND were we getting into bear country?  We were.  But we never saw even one. 

We finally made it to the cabin.  Not exactly what we thought we were going to, but it looked okay from afar.  Cliff got out of the car and fought his way though some killer spiderwebs to get to the key’s lock box.  Cool.  The combination worked.  We have a key!  Then CRAP! The key broke off in the lock!  NOW what?? 

I got out the information on the cabin and Cliff called the emergency number.  It was Friday evening and any office would have been unattended.  They answered and after a few minutes decided to send out a locksmith.  Well GOOD!  Shouldn’t have been much to think about!  They suggested we “run back into town to get a bite to eat.”  It was 8PM.  This area doesn’t really do 8PM.  They close up early in these here parts.

Down, down, down the twisty, winding roads.  Into Gatlinburg.  There seemed to be a couple places to eat, but maybe not.  Looked like everyone was pretty much heading back to their motels and cabins.  Okie dokie well Pigeon Forge seemed like a town a little more with it.  Through the mountains and on to Pigeon Forge.

We drove around a little bit and ended up stopping at a place called Old Mill area.  The main restaurant seemed super busy.  No dice.  We were tired!  Instead we went to the Old Mill Potteryhouse Café and Grille.  What a good choice!  The menu was a good one and the food was reasonable.  I loved the decorating.  Might be the pottery lover in me.  I wish I had felt more like exploring and that we’d gotten there a little sooner.  The restaurant was about to close as were the other little shops around. 

We both ordered the Old Mill Chopped Steak.  It was a nice 10 oz. piece of meat topped with onions and mushrooms, served with mashed potatoes and cinnamon apples.  Mmm. 

             

            What a surprise we got too!  We were sitting and trying to relax a bit when this man came up and asked if we were the people in the grey mini-van.  Why yes.  We were.  “Did you know all the doors are wide open?”  Huh?  Wha what?  We had EVERYthing in that van.  Computers, cameras, all our belongings, our ECV carts.  Whoa boy.  Cliff got up and went out and sure enough, while he was sitting, keys in his pocket, he somehow hit the buttons and opened up the doors!  He closed it up and thanks to the couple who were sitting with their ice cream on the bench next to it, no one got in and took anything.

               

                I had hoped to shop for a little piece of pottery but it was late, we were tired, and the sidewalks were rolled up by the time we were done eating.  I put it on our possibilities list for our spare moments.  Didn’t happen.  But, now that I’m home and able to get on the computer, I see the prices were a bit out of my league anyhow.

               

                Time to head back to the cabin.  Boy these mountain roads were a little trickier in the dark!  But we made it.  After what we’d experienced so far, I told Cliff to check it out before I even started to get out of the van.  He opened the door and the inside seemed very nice. 

                When you walked into the cabin, you entered into the kitchen.  Nice big kitchen too.  It had all the kitchen things anyone should need for a Smoky Mountain getaway.  The table’s top came off and it was a bumper pool table.  Never did use it, but we had it.  The living area was just beyond the kitchen.  The area was split about even.  There was a fireplace, a TV on DirecTV and a leather couch (sofabed) and chair.  So far so good. 

The other side of the room had a door that opened to the porch.  On your left when you went out the door was the hot tub.  Not new, in fact the cover was pretty crappy and shed, but it would do the trick.  To the right was a porch swing, two wood rockers and three white stacking chairs.  This whole porch was surrounded by the woods and couldn’t be seen from the roads.  Privacy.

Back inside, we checked out the bedroom.  VERY big bedroom with kingsize bed, TV on a little corner shelf up high, dresser and two side tables.  The little lamps didn’t work very good, but oh well.  The Jacuzzi was very big and in an alcove off the bedroom.  There was a little cabinet there that had the sheets in it for the sofabed.  The bathroom wasn’t anything special.  Tub, sink, toilet.  And one and a half rolls of toilet paper.  Better go get extra.  We were staying a week.

Our only issue was it was warm inside.  And the windows didn’t have screens.  If there had been screens we could have opened up and cooled the place off.  We turned the thermostat down and figured we’d get cool.  Didn’t happen.  The thing froze up and continued to freeze up all…week…long!  UGH it got to nearly 100!

We unloaded, plugged our carts in, then hit the hot tub.  Nice.  Wow I wish we had one at home.

If you’re curious and want to check out the cabin more, it’s called Together Always and will be found in the cabin rental websites.  I just did a google check and it comes up if you type in Together Always cabin Gatlinburg.