Pigeon Forge – Walden Creek Campground

Pigeon Forge, TN - Walden Creek Campground

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Our ride from Breaks Campground to Pigeon Forge was another one of those “butt hugging” trips, but this time we were pulling the RV. We left early in the morning hoping to beat the coal mine truck traffic. The A’s and B’s parted ways at interstate 81 – they headed to NC and we went to TN. We had a great time traveling with them!

We arrived at Walden Creek Campground around noon. We are right off the main drag at Pigeon Forge. After checking in and setting up we were ready for lunch. The park owner suggested we try Mel’s diner – it was less than a mile down the road. It is a “Rock Around The Clock” diner! (see pic). We were too full to eat desert but knew we would return for their famous 9 scoop banana split.

Tuesday we checked out the outlet malls and the knife shop. On the way back to camp we returned to Mel’s for the banana split. Sorry, I forgot my camera – it was everything they said it would be.

Wednesday I wanted to go to Gatlinburg. It is a wall to wall tourist trap. **** They’re like ants running all over the place! *** I guess I have just out grown that kind of fun. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always ready to go to the mall when there’s a good sale. We drove through town and made a loop back to Pigeon Forge.

Buddy has been plotting our next move to northwest GA – Cloudlands Canyon. He was thinking about going on US 129 – nice scenic route. I found an article about it in one of those “What to Do” books. The article was called, “The Roads That Are Less Traveled” – Tail of the Dragon. The road segment earned its name from its curves resembling the back of the tail of a dragon. An 11-mile stretch of road is said to contain 318 curves. The speed limit was 55 mph prior to 1992; however, in the 1990’s and early 2000’s, the limit was reduced a number of times until 2005 when a speed limit of 30 mph was signed along the entire stretch. Crashing on ‘The Dragon’ earns you the right to hang part of your crash damage on the famous ‘Tree of Shame’ at Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort. Maybe we need to check this out, what do you think?

Breaks Park and Road Kill

Road Kill Kafa

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Wednesday night we (The A’s & B’s) were sitting outside enjoying the evening when we heard the people camping next to us singing Happy Birthday to one of their fellow campers. The singing was accompanied by the pleasing sound of a guitar. To our pleasure the player continued to play a few numbers. The music stopped and a couple of men from the group started walking down the road – as they approached our campsite they said they were looking for more people with musical instruments. I volunteered that the A’s had a dulcimer. Sue quickly said they were just learning to play and wanted to know if anyone from his group played one. The man said I think so – bring it and your chairs on over. Sue went to get their dulcimer and we all wandered over to the neighbor’s camp. It started off with a group of eight. Then there were twelve, then fourteen, pretty soon there were eighteen people. It was interesting to see how the music drew in the crowd. There were players, singers and listeners. The original player (a man in his late 50’s) who’s name was Bob, had an impressive guitar. It was a Resonator by National. Boy could he pick and sing too. He played several songs. Another couple that came said they only sang – so they sang a few gospel songs as he played background. Later another man strolled in with his dog and asked Bob if he knew a certain song. He said “No, but start singing and I’ll try to figure it out.” Sure enough, after he sang a verse Bob was accompanying him. Bob’s wife, Naomi, sang a Patsy Cline song, “Crazy” (I think that’s the name). She sang well, and then she sang a song that she wrote the lyrics to and he wrote the music. Just as it got dark another couple showed up with their guitars. It was an enjoyable evening.

On our way here we spotted a restaurant called “Road Kill Kafa”. We knew we would be back! Thursday we decided to try it out for lunch. (See pics) The owner, April, was the host, waitress and cook for the day. She told us her Mama was out sick. The menu was painted on the wall and bar area. Later April told us she had menus printed but everyone kept taking them for souvenirs. John and I tried the Road Kill Burger – It was a burger (made from the latest kill, just kidding) with cole slaw, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, chili and barbeque sauce. All this was piled high on a bun. Believe it or not, it was a very good combination. The place was not busy, so April took time out to visit with us. She said this was her second restaurant and that she served a lot of the local coal miners. She smiled and said she had a friend that would call her and tease her – Asking, “What’s the road kill for the day?” She said she was going to get him back. He called one day, she said, from his office to order lunch for his staff. She took the order. She said she won one of those stuffed animals from a machine (a pig) and decided that would be just what she needed to get him back! “I took that pig” she continued in her sweet VA accent, “outside and put him under my tire and ran back and forth and back and forth over him. He looked pretty rough. Then I stuck him between two pieces of bread and added lettuce, tomato and barbeque sauce. Then I wrapped the sandwich and put it in with the rest of the order.” She said his staff had a really good laugh and poked fun at him for a long time. So she finally got him back!

Friday night we saw Bob and Naomi outside their motor home. Sue and I went over and asked if they would like an audience. They said sure! So we went over and met friends of theirs, Harold and his wife Patsy. There were only eight of us so it gave us a chance to visit and get to know each other. Bob played and then we would visit. They were from NC and gave us some inside scoops on places to visit. Bob knew a lot of local history and folklore of the area.

Saturday night the park is having bluegrass music at the amphi-theater. Featuring: The Bluegrass Travelers and Green River Grass - keep you posted!

Littcarr to Breaks

Hummers @ Littcarr & Breaks Park

The humming birds were out in numbers – do you call them a “flock” of humming birds? Anyway, it was great entertainment. They are feisty little devils! I’m not sure what species of hummers they are – not sure if they are Ruby throated, but very similar. We had so many we decided to see how close we could get. (See pic) Also, we don’t have a dog to travel with so I brought my bonsai tree. It’s doing great and having a good time hanging out with the “big trees”.
The last day or two at Littcarr was spent preparing for the next move. You know, cleaning, laundry, looking at maps and routes. We have been taking a chance at some of the parks that have “first come first serve” sites. We heard Breaks Interstate Park was a good place (higher altitude) and the brochure looked real promising. There are lots of trails, whitewater rafting (only in October), pool, horseback riding, an amphi-theater, and a restaurant on site, hotel and even a conference center. Many famous people have been associated with this area – Hatfields & McCoys and Daniel Boone, to name a few. You see those names a lot up here!

The A’s arrived before we did and gave us a panic call! Sue told us John was trying to pull into a pull-thru site and got wedged in between the trees. It’s not easy to maneuver these things. They have a longer fifth wheel than we do. He ended up detaching from the truck and backing up at a 90 degree angle – reattaching and then was able to “crank it around”. Whew! I’m glad we missed that one! He said he did it without a dent or scratch! He added, “It would have been easier if I had my chainsaw!”
*****
Patsy and I pulled into the entrance and stopped at the gate house to read the sign on front of the gate house. The sign was directing us to the camp store to register. A nice lady (appeared to be in her mid to late forties) came out while I was reading the sign. I said, “Looks like we need to proceed to the camp store!” She said, “Yes that’s right.” And she continued with, “there was another big rig like yours just pulled in a few minutes ago! I think I might have upset the woman in the rig, when I said I just don’t see how those people get those big rigs into those little sites!” Patsy laughed and said, “That was our neighbors, the A’s!” This is a very nice park. There are 4500 acres of trees with beautiful mountain scenery. The only draw-backs are the sites are tight (hard to get into and out of— too many trees) and not very level! Also, they all appear to be gravel – don’t recall seeing any paved sites.

We decided to dine at the on-site restaurant for lunch. Nice place, nice view, nice waitress. We asked her where she lived. She said she lived in Haysi (pronounced -Heysa) and it was only 15 miles away. “Do they have a Walmart?” we asked. She replied in her best VA/KY accent, “It ain’t got one we only gotta Dollar General!” After she left the table we had a good laugh. Then we visited Haysi the next day.
*****

We didn’t ask her anything! Sue asked her where she was from – Patsy and Sue were sure she wasn’t from these parts due to her unusual accent. She replied, “ I’m from Hey sa.” I asked her how she pronounced it (Haysi)? She again replied, “Hey sa!” Then I asked her if there were any stores like Wal Mart or shopping centers in Haysi? She said in a very southern style, “There ain’t nun. Dare’s only a dol ler gin ral.” You should have seen Sue’s eyes dart around the table at the rest of us – we all had big smiles. She is without a doubt from these parts! And a very good waitress! She didn’t stretch things as far as Haysi is concerned. There is a Dollar General, Edward’s Groceries Store, Hardware Store (lots of stuff), a place to purchase gas and diesel, and the Police Station, Public Library, City Hall, Administrative Office were all in one small building. Neat little town!

Sounds like fun

Sounds like you guys are still having fun.....we packed it in and got back to Brooksville yesterday and we are glad to be here after covering over 8000 miles. We got onto some of those roads you have described here out in Oregon but we were in the motor home pulling the car and had logging trucks coming at us.. it got pretty scary too, but not "teeth marks in the seat" scary. Now that's scary!

your pictures are pretty awesome also, we are going the make our East coast trip next year....maybe, home feels pretty good right now.

Kingdom Come

Littcarr Camp I

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We are only posting this because we survived a day on the road to Kingdom Come. The day started off cool and sunny. I decided to make chicken soup in the crock pot for supper. I added chicken, potatoes, carrots, onion and celery flakes. I had a container of broth in the freezer so I threw it in and set off with the gang in search for Kingdom Come State Park. Sue has been talking to us about “John” roads and we soon learned what she meant. The roads began to narrow as they curved back and forth around the mountains. There are a lot of coal mines up here and we started meeting coal trucks coming down with full loads. Eventually we got to the turn off road to the park. It narrowed to what appeared to be a single lane road. We climbed higher and higher. We were beginning to understand where they got the name for the park. The road seemed to disappear from under us as we drove higher. Then out of now where here comes a truck heading toward us. With just inches to spare John managed to maneuver us by. We saw a sign that said Kingdom Come 2 miles ahead. **** I didn’t see the sign! My eyes were shut tight! And my as_ was tight too! That was the longest two miles I have ever experienced! Alas, we reached the top – there was a beautiful outlook. (See pic) We checked out the sites (like we were going to pull the RV’s up there). We took the other side (the correct way to the park) down – at the end there was a sign that said “Tent Camping Only”.

We arrived home (back to camp) around four. I was glad I had supper waiting! I made rice and served up chicken soup. Yum, Yum! I took a bite and Wow; something was wrong – very, very wrong. It tasted tart. I took another bite, yuck. I realized that what I thought was chicken broth was a container of key lime juice. I brought it to make Buddy a Key Lime Pie! I’m happy to say, “We survived with no ill effects”. **** Actually, I think the soup would probably be a big hit in a German restaurant. I ate two bowls of the stuff! Tasted like sauerkraut chicken soup. I suggested to Pat that in the future mark the bag with a marking pen. As for going to Kingdom Come, John (unknowingly) took us up by way of the back door! When setting up a route on the computer, you never know if the program is going to take you in on the best route. This was not the best way!! I was afraid my rear end was going to leave teeth marks on Sue’s front seat!

Too Much Time on Our Hands

July 14, 2008

Here is what happens retired people have too much time on their hands. Copy and paste this link for a good laugh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwedG77H3bA


We arrived at Littcarr COE campground. It’s real nice – excellent laundry room, clean bathrooms and pretty good shower area. We have a concrete pad to park on, shade trees on both sides and a strong satellite signal. The downside may be the internet and phone service. We will update you later.

Hey you guys!! Just wanted to let you know I'm still enjoying your blog and all your pictures and stories/adventures. Thank goodness you are as interested in the good eating spots as you are everything the places you visit have to offer. Everyone wants to know about that or there wouldn't be so many programs about it on the Food Channel! XX OO

Pal's Sudden Service

Warriors Path, TN

OOPS, I had a problem with the download of this album - there ARE new pics in here!

July 12, 2008

Yesterday while taking an evening stroll around the lake we spotted something in the path just ahead of us. It looked like a dark brown squirrel. It ran along the path toward us and stopped, took a look at us and quickly jumped into the water – it swam closer and crawled out onto the shore. It was as surprised and puzzled seeing us as we were at seeing it! It made a quick dash between us and disappeared into the trees. We knew it wasn’t a squirrel – it didn’t look quite right to be a beaver, so we continued on down the trail. Pretty soon we saw another one. John suggested that it might be a mink. A park ranger verified that what we saw was indeed a mink. I thought they were pretty cute, but according to the ranger, mink can be pretty nasty. He said they will eat the ducks. When we got back to camp we sat around and visited – we got new neighbors today – We think it is Darrel or maybe it’s his brother Darrel. He put a sign out on one of his three vehicles “Firewood for Sale”. He, his “woman” and Bo, his hound dog have an ole ‘67 Glendale camper. They seem to be nice people but I really wish he’d keep his shirt on! (Hairy is an understatement) **** It’s me! I really believe Pat is not used to seeing over-weight men with hair on their bodies. She must think every man should have a hard, bronze, hairless body like mine. Well my head lacks some hair! And, I don’t think the hairy guy is Darrel or his brother Darrel, but, is his other brother Darrel – he is really hairy!

One of the first things John A. does when we arrive at camp is start checking out the net for local places to eat. ***** notice she said John A, not Bud, worrying about where his next meal is coming from! *** He really, really, really wanted to check out Pal’s Sudden Service. (see the pic) It’s all fresh. It’s the home of award-winning quality and great food in a flash. We ordered the Big Chick, Big Pal, Chili Dog, Frenchie Fries and shakes. We ordered, paid and received our food in a FLASH! It wasn’t bad and pretty cheap too. **** I ate so much I hurt!

Tonight we attended the camp’s Folk Stories gathering. The program opened with pictures of the wildlife of the park. Marty, the park ranger, told old folklores and played a mouth-harp. The kids really got into the stories (Bud went back for a shower). **** Not my favorite form of entertainment*** It is nice to see that the people of the park have such conviction to the preservation of the natural resources and want to share their knowledge. **** Yes! I just wish they had more conviction on keeping good clean bathrooms. I’d like to see the rangers write some hefty fines for those individuals deliberately trashing the restrooms – kids and adults! Hey! Spiderman, you and Sharkboy miss me? I know you two do! See ya in about a month.

We will be heading out on Monday morning for Littcarr COE Park in KY.

warriors path - nat'l tunnel

Warriors Path, TN

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July 9, 2008

We have had daily rains and the trails in the campground are too wet for walking. So yesterday we drove into Kingsport to check out their Greenbelt Linear Park. According to the visitors guide book it is a 9 mile paved pathway. After discovering that most of the pathway is proposed, we gave up and started looking for – you guessed it – a restaurant. 12 Bones Smokehouse was close by and a great choice!

Today we took a day trip to the Natural Tunnel State Park in Duffield, Virginia. The natural tunnel is believed to be about one million years old. It is an 850 foot tunnel that can be accessed by the park’s chairlift or walking trail. (Guess which route we took) An active railroad line runs through the tunnel carrying mainly coal. Access through the tunnel is prohibited due to railroad safety laws. We missed seeing a train come through but still enjoyed the self-tour. On the way back to camp we ate at Riverfront Seafood Company which overlooks the Holston River and Bays Mountain. Another great meal!

Vanderpool to Warriors Path

Vanderpool Campground, Vilas, NC

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Our last day at Vanderpool started off with a brisk walk in the park then back to camp to do laundry then a get together potluck dinner. We didn’t want to miss our photo opp with the new RV Strummers! (see pic). We sure are gonna miss everyone! We had a wonderful time – we want to give the C’ & R’s a special thank you!

John and Buddy mapped out our route to Warriors’ Path State Park (I think it was about 70+ miles down the road). The roads were looking good – until, the lady on the GPS said “Turn left on 67”. Ok, we did it, although we both had our doubts. She must have been getting her jollies for the day, because we started going down some narrow back road. We ended up in the center of a small town (I don’t recall the name). Buddy was trying to drive and read the map. She (the GPS lady) said “turn left”, and we did. Buddy looked at me and said “Is this a one-way street”? Sure enough the cars were parked on both sides of the road facing us – and low and behold here comes a truck our direction! The guy in the truck must have been use to seeing trucks pulling RV’s going the wrong direction all the time, because he slowed down before he got to the intersection so we were able to make it to the corner to make a right turn. After a few *&%$#@ Buddy was able to get us back on track! The A’s didn’t make the same mistake we made, but they did miss another turn and had to do a U’ie. We arrived at Warriors Path around 11:30 AM – it is a 1000 acre park with hiking/biking trails, fishing/boating, swimming and golfing. It has 94 sites which are filling up fast. Oh, I forgot, sometime happened during our trip here --- the TV slid forward and hit the slide (from the inside) and broke a window. It didn’t come out, it just shattered. Buddy taped it up and said we will fix it when we get home. We will figure out a better way to anchor the TV in the meantime. That’s it for now!

Vanderpool Excursion

Vanderpool Campground, Vilas, NC

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Vanderpool Campground, Boone, NC

It was a great reunion – now there are eight of us. (Jim & Joanne C., John & Lu R., John & Sue A. and Buddy & Patsy B.) Vanderpool is a small, private campground that is very well kept! The people in this camp are very close-nit and friendly. Joanne started our evening off with Key Lime Cake and it was yummy!

The A’s & B’s went on a walk at the Valle Curcis Park. The park (as well as most of the places up here) was well manicured. Local people must spend some big bucks on up keep. The eight of us met at one of the local restaurants and ate (of course) and discussed our schedule for the week. This day was going to be our (A’s & B’s) best bet to check out Roan Mountain the next possible campground. It was only an hour away – it was a good thing we took the time to check it out. You should have seen the road going into the campground. It was a narrow road with hairpin curves – too narrow for our rigs! The campsites were on tight winding roads with trees that would make backing very difficult even for the most experienced driver with units like ours. But it would have been a great park! The vote was to check out the TVA Park on the Watagua River about 20 miles north. We had a little difficulty locating the place – the GPS couldn’t find it either! At least it didn’t take us two days to find the campground! Determined, we continued through a maze of subdivision type streets with out any help what-so-ever from signs that could have directed us to the campground we were seeking. Our first clue that we were getting close was – we were driving along the river and saw lots of people having a good time rafting, so we figured we were closing in. All of a sudden to our horror appeared a right hand 90 degree turn onto a single lane bridge with just inches of clearance on both sides of the truck! We knew there was NO WAY to maneuver our rigs into the campground from this route. But we continued on. After several minutes we finally came upon campers (very small campers) park down by the beautiful Watagua River. We could have been lulled to sleep by the sounds of the river rushing by! Unfortunately we had to scratch this one off the list too!

The next day was “Ladies Day Out”. We shopped at some local shops and had lunch at an open café. The guys hung out at the campground. That evening the John’s entertained us on the dulcimer. (see pic).

July 3rd we (the 8 of us) drove to Damascus, VA to ride the Virginia Creeper Bicycle Trail. The Laughing Dog bike shuttle drove us to White Top Mountain and dropped us off. We began our leisurely trek down the Virginia Creeper Trail and enjoyed the easiest, prettiest mountain bike ride we have ever experienced. -- it is the onnnnly mountain bike ride we have ever experienced. The 17 mile trail, which is actually a “retired” railroad bed, began at an elevation of 3576’ and ended at 1930’ back in Damascus. The trail had numerous bridge crossings where you could view the crystal clear waters of the river below. Mountain Laurel, wild roses and purple clover were in bloom along the trail. After riding about a mile, John R. discovered his rear tire was leaking. Of course, the excursion did not include a bicycle pump. It didn’t take long before he was riding on the rim. At ten miles out we found a Good Samaritan who offered to pump up his tire. John managed to ride it on in to the finish! All in all, it was a wonderful 3 hour trip. Next time we will make it a 4 or 5 hour trip. All eight of us made it back without a scratch. John A didn’t break any bones! Congratulations JA!!