2019-7
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| The Great Smokie Mts |
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| Elkmont Nature Trail |
Chattanooga Tennessee
Campground: Harrison
State Park, TN. $21.00 50amp w/electric Senior discount 25% off, $18
a night. Older park, campsites including many pull-thrus can be tight
with trees, curved driveways and sloping sights. I had to put my
rear-view mirrors in to back up on incline slope. Loop A is more
open and better for larger rigs.
Nice marina and
restaurant, swimming pool and lake beach.
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| Harrison State Park marina, swimming pool, tennis courts, golf course campground |
Campground: Eagles
Nest, Pigeon Forge TN. $21 PPA discount. 50 amp full-hookup w/cable
TV. Less for sites with 30 amp. Nice campground, good location to
Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Word has it that the place has been
sold and will close temporarily this fall for redevelopment. New
concrete pads, paved roads, etc. And no doubt an increase in price.
commercial campground
Distance traveled:
120 miles
Georgia into
Tennessee
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| Harrison State Park, many campsites are older tight curves, close trees, uneven.... check out loop A for large rigs |
My drive was
partially on I-75, always a busy highway but at least I was able to
get onto it north of Atlanta Ga. The usual heavy traffic at times
and lots of semi-trucks. Still, I was able to travel at a
comfortable speed of just under 65 miles an hour as it was a three
lane highway in each direction.
I booked the state
park campground and was pleasantly reminded that Tennessee gives all
seniors a 25% discount on camping. Keeping my camping fees under my
preferred price of $20 or less.
Lots of small
projects this week with a little bit of touring included. I’ve
been ordering stuff online and having it sent to my Mail provider in
Pensacola and they forward it to me via General Delivery to what ever
small town post office is nearby.
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| temporary fix, cracked wind guard (trees) |
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| updated loose wire connections |
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| installed new fuse box for solar system |
I’ll be installing a new fuse box for part of my solar panel setup since that item arrived in the mail and I also received my new Kindle Paper White. Was able to get $15 for trading in my old Kindle and also received a 25% discount on top of that, making for a very happy camper indeed. You know how I love a bargain. The paper White is easier to read both indoors and outdoors and I’m really looking forward to that.
My Roku stock has
done exceptionally well with their second quarter earning results the
other day. In effect doubling the value of my investment. It should
continue on an upward trend for quite some time.
Of course, as a few
people have pointed out, until I sell the stock, it’s only a profit
on paper and could be wiped out tomorrow.
Chattanooga Train Museum
I did take some time
the other day to drive over to the Chattanooga Train Museum. It was
raining lightly and I was hoping it would let up while I was there.
Surprise, they were having their yearly kids special with Thomas the
Train, “I think I can, I think I can”. Well the rains came,
there weren’t any good displays inside the main train station,
except continual movies of Thomas the Train and outside tents with
kid displays and games. Oh well, it got me out of the camper for a
while, even if in the rain.
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| Thomas the Train |
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| balloon lady, happy,, just before the downpour |
I did have a fun day
the following day, heading up to Signal Point to find a UFO house.
Having discovered it on the app “Atlas of the Obscure”. Along
the way I found a unique house sitting on top of a lift bridge.
Scoring two really cool looking buildings.
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| house on the top of a Lift Bridge |
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| UFO house |
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| what a fun find |
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| on the road leading to the top of Signal Mountain |
The Spaceship house
was built in 1972 during the Star Trek craze. It’s been sold many
times and I believe you can rent it through AirBB.
Distance Traveled: 126 miles. 4 hour drive, taking the secondary roads.
Traveling from the
Chattanooga area, I took hwy 58, hwy 30 to 441 and 321. 321 being
the narrowest of roads as it boarders the Great Smokey Mountains, ie
winding and climbing along the edge. 321 not recommended for larger Rv's, motorhomes.
Now this is probably
going to be the highlight of my summer travels, a visit to Elkmont
Tennessee.
Elkmont Tennessee
I knew about this
place by watching YouTube on my ROKU Tv. The town evolved from a
base for a logging company and eventually the land was sold to
hunting and fishing enthusiasts, becoming a summer camp resort. The
Wonderland Park Hotel was built in 1912, eventually becoming the
Wonderland Club and the area evolved into an elite vacation area for
the wealthy locals in the area.
After the Great
Smokey Mountain national park was established, the lifetime leases
were converted to 20 year leases and eventually all the land and
homes became a part of the NP. The hotel and cottages were removed,
but in 1994 many of the remaining cottages were designated as
historic places. Finally in 2009 the park decided to restore the
clubhouse and 18 cottages.
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| obviously I'm into old buildings |
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| triple extensions on this cabin |
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| these were simple summer cottages |
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| love the paint/stain used on many of the cabins |
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| this log cabin is the oldest structure in the town |
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| close neighbors, big porches to sit out on |
There are a number
of nice hiking trails along old road beds, where one can see the
remains of the millionaires row of cottages, stone fireplaces and
foundations standing alone in the woods. Only the Spence Cottage
remains standing and can be rented. I’m here to mainly take lots
of pictures and absorb the Smokey Mountain scenery. There’s a nice
campground where the original town once existed, trails for hiking
and a number of good rivers for fishing.
Needless to say, I’m
in heaven exploring this old town and I’m sure I’ll have to come
back to explore a number of the trails. What a grand adventure. So
much so, that a came back a few days later to take a hike on the old
railroad bed/road along the river. Talk about a babbling brook. The
rushing river was dancing, splashing, crashing over the large rocks
along the river bed. It was so loud I kind of missed that normally
quiet walk in the woods.
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| Wonderland Club I sat on the porch for a while, just enjoying the scenery of the Great Smokey Mts |
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| Wonderland Club |
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| all but one of the millionaire row of cottages was torn down before having been declared historic bldgs |
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| lots of fishermen and a few women along the banks |
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| my kind of hiking trail, very easy on the feet and not rocks to look out for |
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| one of the prime cottages torn down |
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| Spence Cabin, last of the millionaire row of cottages |
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| available for rent by the National Parks |
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| Spence Cabin |
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Pigeon Forge Tennessee
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| Titanic Exhibit |
Back in Pigeon
Forge, I toured the Titanic exhibit. It’s well done, with lots of
information on the building and design of the ship, the large staff
it took to run it (over 345 men required to shovel coal in the
boilers 24 hours a day) Stories about the people who survived and
those that lost their lives after hearing the fateful words “iceberg
ahead”.
Now Pigeon Forge is
definitely a major tourist attraction on the edge of the Great Smokey
Mountains. The buildings are excessively large, grand, gaudy in
design. Many of the restaurants are cavernous in size and design.
Not filled with tourists this time of year, but wait a few weeks when
school lets out and the summer vacationers arrive. Even the large
empty parking lots at Dolly-wood will be filled to overflowing. And
almost all of the attractions, restaurants and businesses are
advertising for “all positions hiring”.
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| the Great Smokey Mountains, from Pigeon Forge TN |
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| the Hollywood Wax Museum |
Just up the road,
surrounded by the Great Smokies is Gatlinburg. A tighter more
compact version of Pigeon Forge, with all of the large venues like
multiple Ripley’s Believe it or Not crowded on top of each other.
Oh, and the parking is not easy to find, definitely not available on
the main street. Parking lots including private ones for restaurants
charge for parking even if you’ll be dining in with them.
Travel Tip: The
Foothills Parkway has finally been completed and opened only a short
time ago. It’s taken over 50 years to complete. Search the Wears
Valley for the new entrance to the parkway. Hwy 321.
More photos:
Chattanooga TN, trains, UFO house, house on top of a bridge (92 pictures)
Great Smokey Mt, Elkmont town (297 pictures)
