Tag Archives: 50th anniversary trip. Great Smoky Mountain National Park

50th Anniversary-Part 5

4 Jun

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

April 13 Day 4 Shopping Day

Tuesday, April 13th was our last full day in Pigeon Forge. When we first visited Gatlinburg, Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Pigeon Forge was called the quiet side of the Smokies. Now among its many claims to fame is the shopping. The original Red Roof Outlet still exists even though some of the major outlets have moved out and until recently my favorite Corning Ware store was there. The store was a clearance gem and I have many of their bargains in my kitchen cupboards. My husband enjoys perusing the discount tool stores and sometimes he even buys something! My daughter and I checked out the Old Time Pottery store. She is the creative one and finds inspiration browsing their shelves. Afterwards we enjoyed a delicious cup of coffee at the newly opened Black Rifle Coffee Company cafe. The brand is veteran owned and we wanted to support them.

PhPhoto

Photo Credit customcarsusaonline.com

Several years ago a new mega outlet center opened in adjoining Sevierville and that is where we headed next. I don’t think we purchased a single item but we enjoyed browsing. Our daughter may have purchased something in the Columbia Sports store. I had planned to include a visit to the Bush’s Baked Beans visitor center in nearby Chestnut Hill, Tennessee but due to Covid, it was closed.

Photo credit Wikimedia

Photo Credit Wikimedia

My plan for our last dinner in Pigeon Forge was to find a locally run restaurant. Unfortunately, we seemed to be smack dab in the middle of chain restaurant heaven. After some brainstorming, I remembered a restaurant aptly named The Diner my daughter and I had seen when we were driving around one day while my husband rested. It advertised itself as “one of a kind and locally owned.” Perfect. It was styled as a 1950’s diner and specialized in milkshakes and other ice cream treats. I ordered a fried green tomato BLT and it was yummy. I may have even eaten a few french fries as well. I held off temptation to indulge in a milkshake. But is was hard.

Photo credit Flickr Carl Wycof

After supper we returned to the time share. I made a pot of coffee to enjoy while we streamed a television program. We called it an early night as we had to be out of the time share by 10 am the next morning. We would be sad to leave.

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2021 goal is continue touse my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.

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50th Anniversary Part 4

21 May

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Monday April 12, 2021 Cade’s Cove

Planning this day of our trip was frustrating. Our original reason for choosing Pigeon Forge for our celebration was to visit Dollywood. From their website:

Spanning 160 acres in the Great Smoky Mountains, Dollywood offers more than 50 world class rides, high-energy entertainment, award-winning dining and the friendliest park atmosphere in the world! We even received an award for being so friendly!

40 years of visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and we hadn’t made it to the theme park. The call of the outdoors and nature had always been more powerful. Credit card in hand, I read online the requirements for visiting the park, make a reservation, wear a mask, purchase tickets ahead of time and reserve a scooter for my husband. With my husbands unpredictable health, it felt impossible. I slipped the credit card back in my wallet. We would see how the elements came together.

Sunday night we decided to once more pass on visiting Dollywood. Instead we chose to visit one of our favorite places in the park, Cade’s Cove.

The valley has a rich history. For hundreds of years Cherokee Indians hunted in Cades Cove but archeologists have found no evidence of major settlements. The first Europeans settled in the cove sometime between 1818 and 1821. By 1830 the population of the area had already swelled to 271. Cades Cove offers the widest variety of historic buildings of any area in the national park. 

Scattered along the loop road are three churches, a working grist mill, barns, log houses, and many other faithfully restored eighteenth and nineteenth century structures. Pick up the self-guiding tour booklet available at the entrance to the loop road for information about the buildings you’ll see in the cove and the people who lived here.

https://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/cadescove.htm

Years ago when our children were small we enjoyed an evening hay ride along the loop road. It appeared the hay ride was not being offered when we would be there but a carriage ride was. The carriages were booked on a first come basis. We needed to get moving early! And we did. We were the first ride of the day. Unlike the hay ride, the carriage ride was through the woods.

Our driver was a “talker” and shared funny and interesting stories. At one point he stopped on the hewn path and explained we were riding on the equivalent of an 1800s interstate. I have a new appreciation for earlier generations who rode in carriages and wagons. I understand why they are shown traveling slowly. It was bumpy!

After the ride, we circled back to the loop road. We hoped to see deer and maybe even a bear. We didn’t see a single one even though we drove slowly and peered into the woods. I guess they had retired for the day. We did see some of the beautiful horses and spring fresh trees.

Our last visit to the cove, I saw a family picnicking in the field next to the cabin above. I had my heart set on picnicking there this trip. My husband being more forward thinking than I, wasn’t excited about the idea, but he went along with it. As he was taking a picture of my daughter and I, a woman in a truck on the loop road called out and offered to take a family picture. Wasn’t that awesome?

I soon discovered my husband’s forward thinking. I easily sat on the blanket, but getting up with nothing to hold on to was tricky and embarrassing. Notice he didn’t sit, merely knelt.

We were pleased to learn that one of the lesser known roads out of the cove, Rich Mountain Road was once again open after being closed due to the previous year’s pandemic. It is an unpaved one lane road that was used by the early settlers. In the past we have seen wildlife and even a bear on it, but not this year! From an overlook into the valley there is a beautiful view of one of the churches. It was a gorgeous day.

After leaving Cade’s Cove we headed back to the time share for a little R&R. While my husband rested, my daughter and I went to the swimming pool area. She was anxious to spend some time in the hot tub, loosening her tight muscles. I totally forgot to pack my swim suit but I enjoyed sitting under the shade of an umbrella and enjoying the view.

We weren’t in the mood for dinner out, so I made a run to a nearby Publix grocery to get my husband’s favorite meal, Publix fried chicken.

At the end of the day, I was completely happy to have spent the day in the cove, rather than in Dollywood. Maybe after Covid has passed and we can make a spontaneous decision, we’ll try again.

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2021 goal is continue touse my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.

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Oh April-50th Anniversary Part 2

6 May

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

April 10, 2021-Day 2

We began our first full day in Pigeon Forge with coffee on the porch, followed by a breakfast of peanut butter waffles and precooked bacon. I prepared the waffles before leaving home, so it was a simple matter of popping them in the toaster. Over breakfast we discussed our plan for the day. Afternoon rain was forecast so we decided to venture out to a short nature trail behind the Sugarlands Visitor Center.

The trail was an easy 1.1 mile walk, more like a stroll through the woods leading to Cataract Falls. Perfect! Shortly after we began walking, we felt a few sprinkles of rain, but nothing more. We came across multiple signs like this one, It was interesting to know not only the name of the plants, trees and bushes, but how they were used.

Of course, no self respecting mountain trail would be complete without a cheerful stream running alongside.

Just before the bridge was this odd tree stump. What stories it could tell!

When we arrived at the falls, a light rain began, but it didn’t last long enough to wet us. An interesting interaction happened where people were having their pictures taken in front of the falls. A bystander saw a group posing and called out a man’s name. Surprised laughter followed. To the best of my eavesdropping ability, it seemed they were acquaintances from the same town and I think they were involved in a sport. You just never know who you will see. We did the picture thing too.

Husband and daughter

After leaving the falls we discovered a shortcut back to our car. Not nearly as picturesque, but with rain threatening, it seemed like the best choice. We followed a couple who were walking confidently and seemed to know where they were going. I’m glad we chose that route as it brought us out in front of the stone ranger station. We admired the stone work. There’s just something about it that says strong and enduring.

Back at the timeshare we had lunch then banished my husband to take a nap. My daughter and I decided to brave the impending rain and do some shopping in Sevierville. I got a kick out of the ducks in front of the Dollar Tree store. Just before I snapped the picture their faces were pressed close to the windows.

Taco soup that I made ahead at home was a perfect rainy night supper, followed by streaming one of our favorite TV shows ended day 2 of our anniversary celebration.

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2021 goal is continue touse my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.

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Oh April-50th Anniversary Part 1

29 Apr

On the porch

Onisha Ellis

April 9, 2021-Day One

Our daughter arrived the previous night. She drove up from Florida. We made the decision over supper to not rush around in the morning to get an early start. We would be spending 5 nights at a time share in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee that our friend generously gifted us and check in was after 4 pm. The drive would take two to two and one half hours, depending on how often we stopped while driving through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

After coffee on the porch, a leisurely breakfast and some last minute packing, we loaded our daughter’s Toyota Rav 4 and set out. (Remember from last week, our car’s check engine light was triggered on our trip from Florida.) Over the years we have spent many happy hours in the GSMNP, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. In our younger days we would day trip with my husband driving late a night, back to our rented cabin in Franklin, NC. Often the fog was swirling thick, but my husband handled the driving well. Many nights I held a sleeping, exhausted child in my arms. Sweet memories. Since we are well past our younger days we haven’t been able to explore our favorite places on the Tennessee side. We would have 5 days to visit favorite places and maybe find some news ones.

We were almost to the Oconoluftee Visitor Center when we saw cars parked alongside the road. This usually indicates elk in the fields but we didn’t see any. Our daughter spotted the elk in a river partially hidden by trees. We had seen pictures of the elk in the river but never witnessed it. My daughter and I grabbed our cameras and strode across the fields. They were beautiful.

The ducks enjoyed the water as well. There were more elk on the opposite shore but we didn’t get them in the pictures or the video.

This website

Where to view elk in the Great Smoky National Park has helpful information should you be planning a visit.

When we arrived in Pigeon Forge, we easily found our holiday retreat. We weren’t sure what to expect, as the property had several room options.

At check in we learned that we were assigned a Pedestal townhouse. I was thrilled.

The stairs were a bit of a trial, hauling our suitcases, coolers and the assorted things we felt we just had to have. After settling in, we were ready for some supper. In Pigeon Forge the main highway is called The Parkway. It is lined on both sides with every kind of business and restaurants. We decided our first holiday meal would be at Cheddars. It’s a chain restaurant but one we don’t have in our small town.

Our meal was excellent. A good choice for our first night. We returned to our rental and discovered the wi-fi surpassed our expectations. We brough out our Roku and settled in for television streaming.

Next week, day two and the hunt for wildflowers.

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2021 goal is continue touse my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.

Tags: , ,

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