Knoxville

Posted on May 15, 2014May 15, 2014 by Dusty Roads

I think I may have jumped ahead in my trip narrative so I’m going to back up just a tad. I have to mention the Knoxville Airport.

It is beautiful. As you leave the secured area and enter the main concourse there is a water feature with rocks and flowers. The glass windows allow the sunlight to create a natural looking oasis.

I did something I rarely do in airports. I stopped to take a picture.

I’m not sure if it was just a coincidence or if they are really that efficient but by the time I made it to the baggage claim my luggage was already circling on the carousel. I heard other passengers making surprised comments as well. I was off to the car rentals in record time.

I’m using Enterprise this trip. And it was at the Enterprise counter that I realized the first thing I had forgotten to pack… my GPS. Yes I can get one from Enterprise but at the cost of $11.00/ day. Normally I’d say skip it but the directions to the resort seem kind of involved and I don’t have a partner in adventure this trip so I would have to keep stopping to read them myself. I bit the bullet and added the GPS. (It was a good choice if a tad expensive)

The other unusual decision I made was to add the extra insurance. This essentially doubled the cost of my rental and again deviates from what I usually do. I had coverage on my own insurance and also coverage on my credit card but one thing neither of these insurances cover is the “loss of value” that the rental companies are now pursuing. It’s no longer good enough to cover the cost of the repairs if you have an accident. Now you have to worry that the accident will lower the resale value of the vehicle. (Show me the car fax)

Usually I take my chances that I won’t have any accident so won’t have to be concerned about resale value but for some reason I can’t explain I just wasn’t comfortable with that risk today so I took their insurance. Go ahead, call me stupid but at least I have peace of mind.

GPS set, luggage stowed, seat adjusted and it was time to hit the road. Gatlinburg here I come!

Where’s the Fun?

Posted on May 13, 2014May 13, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Traveling is so much fun.

You know I love to travel but maybe it’s time to clarify something. I love visiting new places, I don’t love getting there. I can’t wait for the day we can just “beam” ourselves to our destination.

I roused myself at 6 am to feed the cats, shower and head to T.F. Green Airport for my flight to Knoxville.

I am not now and never have been a morning person. At my age I doubt that I am going to change that so any morning that starts at 6 am is a challenge to begin with. The only reason I can do it is for the reward at the end of the tunnel.

When I arrived at T.F. Green I was pleased to find out that I was Prechecked by TSA or something like that. Apparently it’s something new to make the TSA appear to be kinder and gentler. Passengers are selected at random (or so they say) and get to skip some of the more intrusive pre-screening at the security check point.

I didn’t have to take the laptop out, or my shoes off or even my sweatshirt (jacket). I just put everything on the belt to be screened and trotted through the scanner, not the new full body scanner but one of the old ones where you just walk through. Easy Peasy! I like this.

I flew US Air because Southwest doesn’t fly into Knoxville. I got to pick my own seats when I booked my flight. I like that so much better than Southwest’s first come first serve policy. Anyway boarding went off without a hitch. We boarded like normal down the jet way. We were on one of the little skinny planes.

Sandy (my sister) calls them pencil planes, just 2 seats on each side of a single aisle and 1 flight attendant. I had to change planes in Washington at Ronald Reagan International. The flight was just 1 ½ hours. Pretty short by my standards.

I was in for a surprise at Ronald Reagan. We landed and taxied not to a gate but to some spot in the middle of the tarmac. The stairs were lowered and we climbed down that way where we were ushered onto a waiting shuttle. It was sort of like a bus with the interior of a trolley or subway car. There were hand loops and poles but no seats. This shuttle delivered us to the terminal.

Hmmmm. I felt like all that was missing was the paparazzi with flash bulbs popping and cameras clicking. Isn’t that where the president steps out onto the stairs of Airforce One and waves for his photo op?

I killed the time between flights by having lunch. The special of the day was Maryland Lump Crab Cakes so I gave them a try. Good but not worth $15.00 and the waitress wasn’t rude but was severely lacking in the personality department.

When it came time to board for the 2nd leg of the journey we were once again loaded into a shuttle and ferried out to a row of “pencil planes” sitting in the middle of the tarmac. We were in a line of shuttles. Smaller utility vehicles buzzed around making me think of scenes from Star Wars where all the little robots and droids are zipping around.

Eventually we were unloaded and escorted to one of the pencil planes that had the stairs down. 1 ½ hours later we landed in Knoxville. The flight was uneventful which is always a plus.
Oh and we exited off a jet way this time. No steep stairs in the middle of the airport.

Missing All The Modern Inconveniences

Posted on May 12, 2014May 12, 2014 by Dusty Roads

I told you I’d be back in time for vacation but now there is a technical snag. I am completely isolated here in Gatlinburg. I am not happy about it. I have no cell service at all. Forget about “spotty”. It is non existent. The resort offers wi-fi but I can only get on a couple of websites. Facebook is not one of them.

I only gave my computer a quick test run after I had it tuned up and it seemed fine but maybe the problem is with my computer and not the wi-fi here.

I can get to both aroundustyroads.com and dustyroadsphotos.com but I can’t log into either of them. I am beyond frustrated. I used my credit card for the rental car and they applied extra charges for deposits etc. I also used it to check in at the resort. I wanted to check my balance after all that activity but I can’t even get on the bank’s web site. And with no cell service I can’t call them.

Maybe if I go into downtown Gatlinburg tomorrow I’ll be able to get some cell service. Good thing no one is looking for me!

I will say that the resort is beautiful. I am in a one bedroom deluxe and it is more like a suite than a one bedroom.

The bathroom has a shower and a whirlpool tub.

I have a kitchen , a small dining area and a living room.

There is a large screen TV in both the living room and the bedroom.

Speaking of the Bedroom, it boasts a huge king-sized bed. I’ll be lost in it.

There is a porch and a screened in section with a table and chairs. I may not want to go any place else and just spend my time relaxing on the deck. (Just joking)

The living room has a gas fireplace too but it was 88 degrees today so I don’t think I’ll be using that. Nice touch though.

The resort is Bent Creek Golf Village so you know it overlooks a golf course. That’s ok with me. The golf course is on one side of the resort and the Great Smokey Mountains National Park is on the other side.

I’m worn out from today’s travels so I’ll pick this back up in my next post.

There’s Something Missing

Posted on May 9, 2014May 9, 2014 by Dusty Roads

So you probably gathered from my last post that I’m preparing my belongings for my vacation. Monday morning I’ll be heading off to Tennessee for a week of fun and exploration. So what’s missing?

My helper, my always in the luggage kitty cat (and not Smokey). It’s Rocky. He hasn’t paid one bit of attention to my suitcase, even when it was open on the bed. That’s always been his invitation (in his mind) to hop in and stretch out making packing impossible.

Once I do manage to get packed his normal response is to sit guard duty on top of the suitcase, as if that will stop me from leaving.

This time he walked by, looked at it and went back to the living room. Packing was completed in no time since I had no interruptions. I’m not sure if I’m happy about this turn of events or sad. It’s been such a routine for almost 14 years that I miss him getting in my way.

I wonder if it has anything to do with our recent loss? I do believe animals mourn so maybe Rocky’s just missing Smokey and doesn’t care what I’m doing at the moment. I know Diane (my pet sitter) will take good care of Rocky and Buddy while I’m gone. I just wish Rocky had been his usual endearing but annoying self when I packed.

Concierge

Posted on May 6, 2014May 6, 2014 by Dusty Roads

I got a phone call. The caller identified herself as Jessie from Bent Creek Golf Village, the concierge. My first thought was that there was a problem with my reservation. I figured that would be par for the course (pun intended) after the way Smokey’s cancer went so I braced myself disappointing news.

To my surprise she wanted to know if I got her email with upcoming events. I confirmed that I had so she went on to welcome me, telling me how much she was looking forward to meeting me. She wanted to know if I had any questions but then she surprised me once again.

She gave me her phone number and told me to program it into the phone. She said she liked to do that if she knew she had someone traveling alone, especially a woman traveling alone. She told me any problems en route to just give her a call and if she could help she would!

All of the Diamond Resort properties that I’ve ever stayed at have a concierge desk. Often I’ve gotten a call from them once I’ve checked in making sure everything is satisfactory. They are very useful for tickets, often with discounts and they know which places, from attractions to restaurants, to recommend. But I’ve never had one go so far as to call me at home in advance of a trip. I think that’s a pretty special touch.

If you saw an episode of Undercover Boss you might not find it so unusual. The Diamond Resort slogan is “We love to say yes.” In the episode on Diamond Resorts the extra touch was what the boss was looking for.

I will have to be sure to fill out a comment card when I get there and give Jessie some high praise for going the extra mile. Do you think it might be a southern thing?