At Rally Site - Yr 1, Day 304

Seiverville, TN

We were all packed up and ready to head out by 9:00 this morning, but check in wasn't until noon and there was someone in the site until 11, so I just got some more work done before pulling out at 11:30.  It took about 1/2 hr to hitch.  The 5 mile ride took almost 1/2 hr due to heavy traffic.

This is a really nice campground. Huge but the sites are well spaced and large, complete with picnic tables.  I'm meeting so many new and old friends and it hasn't even officially started yet!  We went out to dinner with 4 other couples (Joan and Mike, Tory & Dave, Candy and Dave and Bill & Bev) to a really nice Mexican restaurant (El Paso's) complete with mariachi band.  I can't believe I didn't take any photos!!  What was wrong with me???

It's a long walk from our site to the conference center, so we should be getting some good walking in this week.  Unfortunately I have 3 clients who need my attention, but I don't want to miss any seminars or socialization, so this will be a good test of my time management skills!

Can't promise to post every day; the next one may not be until after the rally.  So stay posted until further notice...!

Post Shabbat - Yr 1, Day 304

Pigeon Forge, TN

It rained a bit in the morning, but then the day turned out to be gorgeous, so we were able to take a few nice walks and sit outside reading.

And on Friday I received a phone call.  Remember the interview I had the other day (amidst the noise and after having all those free samples of moonshine)?  Person called me AND HIRED ME!!!  So now I have 4 steady clients, two of whom have very pressing deadlines this coming week, which, of course, is during the rally!

Just catching up on emails now and then getting started packing stuff up for our 5 mile journey tomorrow.  Mitch is outside disconnecting stuff like the antenna and sewer hose.

The Island -Yr 1, Day 303

Pigeon Forge, TN

First, I have to admit that I'm not really adjusting well to redefining my work hours (recall, since my work is project and not time oriented, I can choose to work whenever I want, as long as I get the work done.  I found myself still working regular business hours and therefore not getting out as much to enjoy my surroundings, except to take a few short walks around the campground.  I wanted to change this).  I had a client conference call from 10-11:00 but I decided that we would go out and enjoy the day for a few hours and then I would do my work in the late afternoon and into the night if necessary.  We returned at 4 and I worked until 8:30.  I confess I did not like that.  I think I've begun to look forward to the end of the day, having a glass of wine or drink and relaxing - either watching movies or sitting outside with a campfire or just vegging out - decompressing.  I don't like using the evening and night to work!!!  That being said, I guess I'll just need to figure out a good routine.  We have the rally next week and one of my clients already warned me that the week will be crushing as his book launches the following week and everything we've been working on for the past few months has to be finalized.  Obviously, next week I'll need to make some tough choices: give up some workshops, give up social and fun time or give up the evenings (no, give up working is sadly not an option!).

Anyway, we had a few places to go yesterday: there's an RV supply store down the road that is going out of business and everything is 50% off, so we wanted to see if there was anything we could stock up on (we saved about $80).  Mitch also had a 1/2 off re-ride ticket for the Alpine coaster (across the street from the RV place) so we went back there (I was still too chicken to ride).  We also needed a few items from Dollar Tree, which is next to The Island at Pigeon Forge, and since we missed going to The Island the other day, we decide to go check it out.  Below is our Island adventure.

The Island reminds me very much of Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, with big chain and mom & pop tourist-type stores and restaurants.  They just opened a Paula Deen restaurant here, and she was present, signing autographs (we had no desire to see her).

Naturally, I had to make this one of my stops (more free tasting).  We bought a jar of moonshine soaked marachino cherries.  It tasted really great in a glass of Bailey's!!!

The Wheel, which is the same as the one in Myrtle Beach, except here you see views of the mountains instead of the ocean:

Although I've been talking about going on it, at the last minute I decided to be cheap ($15/ticket).  I'm sure the view of the mountains would have been spectacular but I decided to put my money elsewhere, such as here:

Inside the maze (really, really cool!!!)

Mitch was standing NEXT to me!!!

Mitch in his 3D glasses - made the maze more challenging

The park also had a lovely fountain, which ran a synchronized show every 1/2 hour.  Photo and video clip.  It must be really awesome at night when you can see all the different colors.

Some photos of the "street" (walking areas between stores):

And lastly, you meet all kinds.  We thought this lady had a baby in her stroller.  Sure looked like a pig to me (later she was walking it on a leash):

No plans for Shabbat except the usual when alone here.  Rain is in the forecast so we probably won't get to pray or sit outside.  Sunday we leave for the rally site in Sevierville, which is 5 miles down the road (but it will still take several hours to pack up, hitch up, unhitch and unpack).  Looking forward to meeting old and new friends there.

Gatlinburg - Yr 1, Day 302

Pigeon Forge, TN

I didn't realize it was quite a few days since I've written.  I guess it's because, until today, nothing eventful has happened.  There are no shuls around (closest is 35 miles away in Knoxville) so we spent a quiet Shabbat on the deck overlooking the creek.

Today I decided to play hookey and took the day off to have a little fun.  Below is a photo story of how we spent the day:

We started the day by letting Mitch enjoy a new type of roller coaster (no, I'm still not ready to brave it).  It's called the Alpine Coaster and is more like a toboggan than a standard coaster.

Afterwards, we drove to the beautiful Gatlinburg Welcome Center in the heart of the Great Smokey Mountain National Park.  We parked there and took the trolley ($2.00 for an all day pass, which stops at a lot of places along the way).

Here's how we spent our time in Gatlinburg.  First stop:

Yep, we're spending the day getting free samples of hooch!

 

Not sure what these guys are supposed to represent.

 Before going inside, there was a great bluegrass concert.  I took a video but it's too large to post here and it will take some time before I get around to editing it down and I didn't want to hold up this blog post, so here is a picture of the band.  You'll have to trust me that they were really good.  Mitch almost bought their CD.

My favorite at this place was the moonshine soaked marachino cherries and the punch

The next stop:

And then the next.  Davy Crockett's sells whisky, not moonshine.  We bought a bottle of Cookies & Cream whiskey (similar to Bailey's Irish Creme)

 

By now, I'm feeling....

Time to head back to the transit center and get the trolley back. It was about a mile walk but I felt no pain.  This is a view of the downtown area.  Really lovely view, if you don't mind the commercialism of the stores.  I should stop to mention that while we were waiting the 25 minutes for the trolley, I got a phone call from a potential new client who wanted to interview me  (no warning or appointment)!!!  I think I passed although there was so much noise in the background.  The interview lasted more than that so I had to continue the conversation while I was boarding the bus and while I was seated, with honking horns and a baby crying in the background.  I did explain my lifestyle and assured him this was one of the very few days I took off and that my schedule (travel and otherwise) is always based around my clients' needs.  I guess time will tell whether he bought that or not, since he did seem very impressed by my skills and experience.

Here are some photos of the central transit hub:

Mitch (who wasn't tasting as much) drove back to Pigeon Forge.  We stopped at another touristy area, called The Old Mill.  This was the first place we visited:

We bought chocolate moonshine.  Yum!

Scenes from The Old Mill:

By the time we left here, it was about 6:00.  We had hoped to go to The Island where there is yet another distillery and winery as well as a ferris wheel that rivals the one in Myrtle Beach.  But we were exhausted and decided to call it a day, after eating at Mellow Mushroom (a great pizza chain).  Maybe another day....

Ride from Hell - Yr 1, Day 297

Pigeon Forge, TN

Well, here we are in Dolly Parton's hometown.  You'd think it would be quaint and rural, but from what we saw, it is as commercially ostentatious as Orlando, Myrtle Beach and other huge touristy towns (although hopefully some time during our stay, we'll explore some of residential areas.  The Great Smokey Mountain National Park is also not too far).  Here are some photos Mitch took along the way.

Mountains in the foreground

More mountains

 He didn't get photos of Ripleys, Wonderworks or MagicQuest -- all also huge buildings along the main strip.  But he got these, just to prove how big and eye catching everything is:

Hatfield & McCoy's

Titanic museum - complete with iceberg

Titanic museum

Hollywood Wax Museum

Also outside the Wax Museum

Now, to describe the title of this post, we thought it would have been an easy ride, being only 125 miles away.  I drove the entire way and I think everything I've ever been afraid of doing, I had to do, including driving on single lane winding mountain roads, driving on parts of the interstate (I40) that were winding and semi-steep, driving through narrow-lane construction zones, driving through a small local town, and driving in heavy shopping traffic.  We also had an hour delay as there was a huge accident on the highway and the road was closed for that long.  We also got stuck twice in construction traffic. But on the bright side, at least it wasn't raining and for the most part, the scenery was very nice.  It reminded us of the Bear Mountains in NY.  And best of all, thank G-d, we made it here safely and without incident.  It was just very frustrating and nerve wracking and a much longer drive than we expected.

As for the campground, we were a little surprised when we arrived as our first impression was a teeny, tiny parking lot.  Indeed, it is a very small park, with only 35 sites which are all very close together.  Fortunately, I had an expert guide me into the space.  It was very much like getting into the spot in Pompano Beach, although there's a bit more elbow space than that.  I'm told there's a huge car show in town this weekend, so it's a bit more crowded than normal.  So walking around the park itself offers nothing, but there's a nice office area and a creek that runs behind it (with a deck with a scenic place to sit).  I'll take some photos of the campground and creek tomorrow.  I understand we can fish (and swim) in the creek so that can be something to look forward to during the week.  We'll be staying here for 10 days, until the rally.

When we were setting up, this little fellow came right up to our steps and was "talking" to us!  He was probably looking for handouts!

The campground - Yr 1, Day 298

Pigeon Forge, TN

I don't know what the problem is, but my internal clock has been waking me up at 6:45 am every morning.  I started the day on a 1 hr. conference call with a client and then we went to the local supermarket (Krogers), which is also the only one in the immediate area.  Very large and nice store, so no complaints here.  The day was mostly spent doing client work but I did have a chance to take a walk around the campground and take a few photos.  In order to get a good walk in, I suspect I would need to do about 20 laps around it, as it is very, very, very small.  Still, I think the owners did a very nice job with the real estate they have, and they are such wonderfully nice people.  All around, you can see the personal touches, like little signs, statues, and bird feeders in the small trees.  In fact, every time I walk around, I find a new hidden gem. The parking area is not very pretty, but the creek (around these parts, it's pronounced "crik", not "creeek") and the areas behind the RV sites are more aesthetic.  I guess because of the smallness, it will be very easy to meet my neighbors and make new friends (in fact, I learned that a new RVillager checked in here today; can't wait to meet her!).

So, upon further ado, I present some photos of the campground (Walton's Creek):

What you see upon entering the campground and the sites:

There are a few "viewing" areas of the "crik" (with signs for feeding area for the ducks & squirrels):

The creek and surrounding area:

Little guys taking a nap

Cabins at the campground.  They are furnished inside with a futon, tv, mini-fridge and coffee table but there are very nice bath houses for folks renting these (as well as the tenters) to use:

The office and deck.  Love the decorations!

More little treasures: