As we left Spindale, we encountered a herd of buffalo (American bison) at the Pea Ridge exit on Hwy. 74. North Carolina has a lovely herd of those big hairy beasts, and we stopped to give them a look. Tuesday morning we headed for Pigeon Forge, TN, to relax and see the place we had heard so much about. We stopped just north of Asheville to visit with Fred's college roomate, Les Stowe. It's always grea
t to see him.
The drive over the Smoky Mountains on Tuesday was beautiful; we both love the mountains. Our day was sunny and comfortable. The views were spectacular! The clouds climbing the mountains as viewed from Newfound Gap were awesome! We took all day to get across from NC to TN and Pigeon Forge. It was definitely not rainy weather!
Before we crossed the Mountains, we enjoyed a stop at Cherokee, NC, to wander through the shops and to photograph their Bears On Parade.
While there, Fred found himself a beautiful leather jacket with all the trimmings. He wore that jacket every where we went and received many compliments for it.
WOW! Had
Pigeon Forge changed since we last passed through it some 20 or so years ago. Then it was a four-laned highway with a few shops on either side; now it is a whopping tourist/shopper town; it has grown tremendously since Dolly Parton began to add attractions and jobs. If you are an outlet-shopper, this is definitely the place to visit. 
ch was there, and the food was great. There were some nice artists' galleries and other shops to browse. Then we headed for Cades Cove, a favorite area in the Smokies.
Going out to the Cove was a longer drive than we remembered, but riding along the river almost all the way was a treat. Seeing the water falls, rocky rapids, and smoothe reflective areas...well, we stopped regularly to take pictures...it was soooo beautiful.
Our drive around the Loop Road in the Cove was lovely. Deer, bear, turkeys, raccoons, ground hogs...they were all out to graze and add winter fat. Again, we stopped regularly to take pictures. The mountains surrounding the Cove were a delight, especially as the sun set when they turned from blue to pink!
Thursday morning...Thanksgivings Day...found us up early and ready to scout around the city. At 11:00 am we parked at Dixie Stampede. You arrive early for the pre-show, a group of 3
Lunch was vegetable-cream soup you drink from individual handled pots, a rotisserie chicken, sliced pork roast, potato wedges, rolls & butter, with a puffed-pastry for desert. (We definitely brought out a "doggie bag.") And the whole time you are eating, you are involved in a wonderful show that included the neatest "snow" like we had encountered at Disney World one Christmas. We really enjoyed ourselves.
After the show, Fred and I drove back up into the Smokies. Our destination was The Chimneys Picnic area, but we went on up a little ways beyond, to The Chimneys overlook, so we could photograph the mountain's twin peaks. We ran into SNOW...real snow! We had lots of fun in the flurries; at that time, nothing was sticking. But I took a neat video of the experience. Now I know you folks who see snow all the time won't be excited by flurries, but for us warm-weather folks, this was a treat.
By 6:30 we were back in Pigeon Forge, and our Stampede lunch was gone. We decided to go back to the Old Mill Cafe, perhaps to have soup and a sandwich. Instead, since they were serving only Thanksgiving dinner, Fred and I enjoyed the most delicious meal one might find on a trip at Thanksgiving...stuffed-potato soup, ambrosia salad, turkey, ham, roast beef, dressing, mashed potatoes, lucious green beans, stewed corn, rolls, and for desert d-licious pumpkin pie. Once again, we walked out with a "doggie bag" for dinner the next evening.
Friday morning found Fred & I heading for home via The Smoky Mountains. We could have gone home more quickly by heading for the Interstate, but the chance to be in the mountains one more time was just too alluring...and what a parting gift we were given! First was our encounter with the bear on the Hairpin Curve.
Then we began to see the snow. We had encountered it in the flurries on Thanksgiving day. (I never could get the video to work on the blog.) Well it stuck on the upper regions...the mountains had been flocked with the white stuff!
We both took lots of pictures, and I will put them in below here. The frosty mountains were breath-taking. Every time you took a picture of what seemed the most beautiful scene, you saw a dozen more spots needing to be photographed.
By the time we arrived at Newfound Gap (state line for TN & NC), the temperature had reached 30 degrees and the wind was fierce...made the temp feel more like 15 degrees. The snow was and inch or two on the ground, so there were lots of snowball fights going on amongst the younger set. Everything was flocked with snow and ice...a Christmas card arriving early for those lucky enough to see it.
Once we started down from Newfound Gap most of the ice and snow disappeared and the temperature rose.
By the time we arrived in Cherokee, the temp was about 49 degrees and there was very little wind. Our drive home was pleasant. We arrived back home in WR in time to pick Augie up at the kennels. We were back in "civilization" and our adventure was ended. We ate supper from our "doggie bags" and reminisced about the trip. OH, WE HAD SUCH A WONDERFUL TIME at Pigeon Forge & The Smoky Mountains.
