The Arts and Crafts Trail

Posted on May 24, 2014May 24, 2014 by Dusty Roads

After the trip up the Space Needle and the Moonshine tasting I was ready to call it a day. I wasn’t sure where the trolley stop was on main street so I found myself walking back down the hill.

Back at the Aquarium I decided to take one more ride before I went home. I settled on the yellow line which takes you around to the various artist studios and craft shops. Gatlinburg is very “big” on crafts.

Gatlinburg’s craft community is the largest group of independent artisans in North America. This historic 8-mile loop has been designated a Tennessee Heritage Arts & Crafts Trail. Established in 1937, these artisans whittle, paint, sew, cast, weave and carve to create original collectibles such as candles, baskets, quilts, brooms, pottery,
jewelry, dolls, ceramics, scrimshaw, silver smithing, leather, stained glass, wearable fashions, fine photography, frameable art, oils, watercolors, and also lodging, restaurants, cafés, tea room, soda fountain and candy shops.

Although the loop is only 8 miles it takes an hour to complete the loop on the trolley because there are so many stops.

While riding along on this one we passed a covered bridge and farther along a beaver lodge. The driver insisted the lodge was occupied but the water was awful low and the lodge was in pretty poor repair. He admitted he hadn’t seen any beavers lately so my bet is on it being abandoned. It was still an interesting bit of scenery.

Pulling back into the stop at the Aquarium the driver mentioned a herd of elk that he’s seen recently. I had to find out more. He said I’d find them in the Cataloochee. Almost as soon as he told me he backed off telling me it was too far to be bothered with and that I’d get lost and on and on. He really tried to discourage me which of course had the opposite effect.

I’ve chased elk herds all over from Custer State Park in South Dakota to the lake country north of Sedona in Arizona and have ever seen a one. Maybe my luck is about to change!

Sky High In Gatlinburg

Posted on May 19, 2014May 19, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Tummy happy it was time to try out Gatlinburg’s Space Needle.

The tower takes you up above Gatlinburg about 400 ft. It’s located in an arcade. Not quite the same as the Space Needle in Seattle which is all high tech and sparkly new looking.

Space Needle, Seattle

This space needle is more rustic, rough around the edges, the elevator isn’t the high speed top of the line mechanical marvel as in Seattle but it got the job done.

Once on top you look out over the whole city. Up here in the sky there’s a breeze that you don’t get a street level. It’s so much cooler that the folks up there with me were all commenting on it. Since it was easily high 80’s at street level, this cool oasis was a welcome change.

No one seemed to be in a hurry to go back down. Many choosing to sit on the metal benches and enjoy the view.

There were information boards for each direction.

These gave me the best overview of the layout and what to expect of anything I’d come across at this point.

North

I wasn’t careful when taking the pictures. I just walked around the observation platform clicking pictures of the views. It was after I’d done that I noticed the boards. He are some of the other pictures but I don’t know which are north, south east or west.

And the little wedding chapel that started it all! Now there are cute little wedding chapels all over.

Gatlinburg

Posted on May 17, 2014May 17, 2014 by Dusty Roads

I woke up bright and early. The sun was shining. It looks like it’s going to be a nice day. Yesterday it was 88 degrees when I drove into town. I bet it gets there again today. Love it!

Over night my subconscious had apparently arranged my day for me. I’d do what I normally do in a new place, I’d take a trolley ride. For $2.00 you can ride around all day on the Gatlinburg trolley.

I drove through Pigeon Forge on my way to Gatlinburg and my first impression was of one long, giant midway or arcade. Even in the car I had the impression of a carnival atmosphere. One of the trolley lines runs to Dollywood so when the time comes that’s how I’ll travel. I’ll leave the car at the Welcome Center but today I’ll explore Gatlinburg.

The Purple line picks up at the Welcome Center where the parking is free and drops you off at the Aquarium. Here you can wait for a different trolley or walk. I decided to walk.

I crossed a little bridge in front of the Aquarium to reach street level and crossed to the main drag.

I found myself standing a the base of a long hill. The street climbed straight up it and looked like a miniature version of Pigeon Forge.

There were candy shops and old time photo shops on every block.

There were arcades and restaurants and even a Dunkin’ Donuts!

The Skylift on the right and a bit farther on the left, the Space Needle marked the top of the hill. I dug out the camera and started up.

The street was lined with benches so I took my time, stopping to rest and chat with who ever happened to be sitting there. I met folks from Chattanooga up for the weekend and a gentleman from California. Another couple were from Idaho and had come out for their honeymoon.

As I neared my destination of the space needle I spotted Ole Smoky Moonshine. I’d tried to get a tasting in Sugarlands but I was ignored at each tasting station so I left. Maybe I could get a taste here.

Better have lunch before I start downing white lightening!

The Hopper

Posted on May 16, 2014May 16, 2014 by Dusty Roads

This is kind of cool..I love getting plugs for my blog. I opened up my email and there was this notice. I followed the link ans sure enough, there was my blog.

Hey there,I’m Maggie, a product manager at Hopper, a Boston-based travel startup. Hopper catalogs the best travel-related content on the web to help travelers find inspiration and advice from knowledgeable bloggers.I wanted to write you personally to let you know we recently featured your post about Gillette Castle State Park on Hopper!Click here to view it or to sign up to reach new readers.

Hopper wants to reward awesome bloggers like yourself with more and better exposure, so if you have any feedback or questions please reply directly to this email.

Thanks,

Maggie
Product Manager, Hopper
maggie@hopper.com

Let Confusion Reign

Posted on May 16, 2014May 16, 2014 by Dusty Roads

What is wrong with me? Did I forget to pack the well planned and organized me?

I arrived at the condo without a hitch. I checked in and was immediately introduced to Jessie and Branden, the 2 concierges. Jessie you may recall had reached out to me before my trip. Even more impressive is that she remembered me and our conversation. They gave me a welcome packet and a jar of local honey, made tons of suggestions for how to spend my time and made me promise to let them know if I needed anything, any thing at all!

Now after unpacking I am on my way to find someplace for dinner and a grocery store for breakfast items and I realize I have no idea what I’m going to be doing the next couple of days! I planned my vacation. I did it right here in these posts but now that I’m actually here I feel like I would be just as happy to plop myself out on that porch and just relax. Who wants to run around all over. Why not just sit back and relax?

I need to give myself a shake. As nice as that might be I can do that at home. Why spend all that time and money not to explore the sights. But what to do first? I feel almost as if I’m frozen with indecision. There are too many choices and I want to do them all.

I had a pleasant dinner at a little road side stand. Barbecue ribs, onion rings and something called “apple sticks”.

The closest thing I can compare this to is a skinny McDonald’s apple pie. The whole meal was good but those apple sticks were The Best! And the whole thing only cost $11:00 , soft drink included! I am beginning to understand why I haven’t seen any thin women yet. Rich barbecue sauces and all that deep frying… oh my, my arteries are groaning already!

Since I was on a mission I didn’t take my camera with me. Big mistake. I saw so many quaint churches, run down barns and shacks that would make the best pictures. But eventually I found a Walmart. I picked up a few things for breakfast and headed back. The shadows were getting long now and I wanted to see if I could figure out a game plan.

Maybe getting a good night’s sleep would make it easier to decide what to do tomorrow. My travel day is catching up with me.