WOW! I finally did it! I published my 1000th post on aroundustyroads.com! I almost missed it too until a little notification from wordpress popped up to let me know.
The exact post was “Sky High in Gatlinburg”. That’s a real milestone.
Cheers!
Now I just have to do it all again. Thanks for coming along for the ride. 🙂
Everyone like to listen to a babbling brook and the attraction of running water carried over into the activity this week. The photo of the week with a total of 37 points is Babbling Brook.
To order prints click here: http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p161572686/h2339db98#h2339db98
I had to try it. I’m not much of a drinker anymore, not like in my younger , wilder days. Drinking makes me tired and leaves me with a head ache even when it’s just a little so I usually abstain. But you can’t go into the southern hills of Appalachia and not sample the moonshine. I admit I was curious.
There’s still a difference in what is commercially available and legal and what the “old timers” brew in their homemade stills in the “hollers”. From what I was told that stuff will curl your hair. Its more than 100 proof and nothing smooth about it.
The highest proof alcohol that can be sold legally is 100 proof. At the Moonshine tasting that was where it started, at 100 proof and worked downward.
At each tasting station a bartender stood in back of a row of bottles, 2 clear and about 5 colored and a jar of maraschino cherries. As soon as you step up to the rough board bar he plops a tiny shot glass in front of you. It’s about the size of a thimble.
We started with a 100 proof version that had been distilled 4 times. There was no aroma or bouquet to speak of even though we all lifted it up to sniff it first. It didn’t have lot of taste either but it did have heat. You toss it back and swallow, no rolling this stuff on the tongue. That heat starts in the mouth and runs down your throat until it slams into your stomach. In my case it roiled around there a bit then started spreading through the rest of me.
Almost immediately it was sample number 2. That one was also 100 proof and he called this one White Lightening. This one had only been distilled twice so it wasn’t as smooth as the first one. This one followed the trail blazed by that first mini shot and my eyes might have crossed. I liked this one. It may not have been as smooth but it had character, body. I wasn’t sure it was going to like me. But eventually it settled down.
We now moved to the flavored versions. The bartender told us to expect something like Boonsfarm. Everyone in my group remembered Boonsfarm, that cheap apple wine we drank in college. The thought of that was enough to make me hesitant but these flavored versions are only 40 proof. The first one was Peach.
It was Peach alright and sweet! Definitely not to my taste. We moved onto the cherries. They were in a bottle of moonshine. I skipped the cherries but my tasting neighbor said that they went off like a bomb in your mouth. I’m not sure what the next few were. I think there was a blackberry and maybe a “punch bowl” but I skipped those too. I was waiting for the alleged crowd favorite..Apple Pie.
Apple Pie tasted suspiciously like that afore mentioned  Boonsfarm. I didn’t give it very high marks. Nope my favorite had to be the 2nd kind, the 100 proof with a kick like a mule, White Lightening.  That was my choice but at $25.00 a bottle it can stay on the shelf.
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.
I’ve finally made it to the top of the street. The Skylift is closed for maintenance so that just leaves the Space Needle but I think I’ll have lunch before I take that adventure. If I get dizzy I want it to be from the height not from hunger.
The couple from Chattanooga had told me about Dick’s. They said good food, good prices. They were  on their way there when I spoke with them.  It seemed as good a choice as any so I started toward the entrance. Almost immediately a young man yelled at me. ” Stop reading the menu and come in, you’re wasting time!” I was surprised and I wasn’t reading the menu. He hopped down from the fence he was standing on, yes he was really standing on the top rail and stepped up to open the door for me. At that moment I heard a huge  “Fart”. It came from a cartoonish statue next to the door.
Inside were long tables for family style service. A young man yelled at  me from across the room…”Hi Lady”. Soon he came bounding over with the menu. He quickly pointed out that there are only 2 food groups at Dicks’s…meat and fries and he was right, well maybe some fish.
Everyone had these silly paper hats and he asked me if I wanted one. I’ll play along so I said sure. As he was folding the hat for me he asked me how many cats I had. That threw me for a minute because I couldn’t figure out how he knew I had cats. When I admitted I had 2 I became the cat lady for the rest of the meal. It finally dawned on me…my luggage tag on the camera bag is a picture of Rocky. Very observant, my waiter.
So now with my silly paper hat on with the gross comment “I eat my chocolates from the kitty box” (yuck) my meal was delivered.
I ordered the shrimp. Yes , you guessed it, fried again. Â They were very good but the fries were a bit soggy. Just as well, I didn’t need all that grease.
While I was looking around and eating my meal a couple of the waiters opened the sliding window and climbed outside. My waiter stood on the same railing that the fellow who greeted me had stood on but he tried to perform the crane move made famous by the movie Karate Kid. He seemed pleased when I recognized it.
I was about done at this point so I asked if he would take my picture with my stupid hat so I could share the fun with everyone. As he got started everyone got into the act. Dick’s is a fun, loud and raucous place to be. And yes, the name Dick’s does refer to the male anatomy..not a man’s name.