Blogs from Tennessee, United States, North America - page 7

We'd been waking up at 5am Central each morning (6am local Eastern time). We assumed we'd get up at the same hour today, and our plan was to head to Gatlinburg to do some laundry and get breakfast. We thought we'd swing by and do the SkyLift Park there and be back before lunch. Instead, we slept in. It was 8am Eastern when I woke up. I gathered up clothes for everyone to change into, gathered up the dirty laundry, and then we set out for a laundromat. We used Super Suds because it was the closest, and that worked out fine. From there, we drove back into town to get breakfast at Crockett's. We drove by there yesterday, and I wanted to check it out. We thought it was named after Davy Crockett. Once we ... read more

We spent the morning relaxing at the campground. Andrew and I cooked up a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, and we discussed our plans for the day. I thought it might be nice to have a picnic lunch up at Chimneys Picnic Area. After lunch, anyone who felt up for it could do the nature loop from there, which is supposed to be 1.1 miles. We thought this might be a good plan because it would be inclusive to everyone in the group, even if they didn't feel up for a hike. The kids and Andrew took it easy playing some video games that don't require internet (the kids brought the Switch along for the road trip). I drove down to the E and F loop and hung out with Colleen, Gene, and Carol ... read more

Andrew’s aunt and uncle are arriving later today. Paul drove their Tesla to Knoxville to power up at a super charger station there. Colleen opted to stay at the campsite to help set up for Gene and Carol’s arrival. So, it was just Andrew, the kids, and me. There was one tough trail I wanted to hike: Alum Cave Trail. I didn’t think Paul would be up for such a strenuous hike, so it seemed like the perfect morning for us to hike it. We filled our Cambelbaks and set out for the trailhead. We stopped at Sugarland Visitor’s Center along the way (which is super crowded, by the way! It’s difficult to get a parking spot). The Great Smoky Mountains is unique compared to other national parks that we’ve been to in that it’s free ... read more

Our campsite at Elkmont in the Great Smoky Mountains is absolutely stunning. It sits right on Little River. We strung a hammock on the trees overlooking the river and have been enjoying relaxing to the sound of the little rapids below. The campsites don’t have electricity or running water, although there are bathrooms in each numbered loop that have running, potable water. We take a short hike there to fill up our water bottles and jugs, and it’s nice to be able to use real restrooms instead of an outhouse. Unfortunately, there are no heated showers. For Christmas, my siblings got me a solar shower I’d asked for. It seems to work well. There’s not a lot of direct sun at our campsite (something I’m grateful for), but our solar shower still reached 92 degrees after ... read more

I don’t even know where to begin. The good or the bad. Let’s start with the good...better way to begin the day. “Start Your Engines!” Set your time machine to Wednesday, May 22nd. Work on PP is progressing nicely. We are awe-struck with the work that has been done! Our old Norcold refrigerator is out & our new residential Whirlpool refrigerator is in. WOW. It’s like we died and went to refrigerator heaven. It’s beautiful and SO big! It is a side by side with ice maker (on inside). The amount of room in it is like a walk-in industrial refrigerated cooler. When you open the door, the interior lights explode with brilliance. We have to shield our eyes and wear sunglasses to peer in. I’m squealing with delight thinking about ALL the groceries I can ... read more