Tennessee Shindig

K: The Great Smoky Mountains at the peak of fall colors was spectacular. The weather front finally moved ahead of us, and we were able to camp for two nights. We found a beautiful campsite next to a creek that was nearly raging given all the recent rain in the area. I never thought a raging river would keep me awake at night.

This national park is the most visited in the US, with nearly 10 million visitors per year. At first I thought that was because of the accessibility for cars throughout the park. Now I think it is because of the towns of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg that are the gateway to the region. Imagine a combination of Orlando. the Mall of America, the Jersey Shore and Las Vegas without the casinos...."dinner buffet theater", amusement rides, miniature gulf on steroids, the Guiness World Record Museum, the Comedy Barn, the Titanic Attraction (in 2010), outlet malls, pancake house after pancake house, Christmas stores, taffy and fudge shops, every chain restaurant ever created, the Big Bear Jamboree, Dollywood Splash Park, Dolly's Dixie Stampede, and, of course, the Tennessee Shindig. Fortunately or unfortunately, we only had an afternoon to explore. Who knew?

We were active and completed a hike to the park's highest waterfall. With the fall colors, it was just gorgeous. And the high water levels made part of the trail more like a small stream than a path.

V: The beautiful moonlit sky made this campsite one of our best. The river appeared to glow, it was such a bright moon.

Clang - bang! Karen awoke with a start, and asked me "WHAT WAS THAT?" I said, "you mean that noise?" She said, "yeah, is it a bear? I just know it is a bear." Despite her fears that claws would be scratching the vehicle or ripping the nylon on her side if the tent, I was pretty sure I knew what caused the noise. Yeah, she thought is was a bear messing with the it was those masked, striped-tailed varmints at work.

I should have known. Karen was absolutely gleeful and giddy at our attending the show at the Tennessee Shindig. And, yeah, she was right, that the gentleman who escorted us to our seats was a little too inquisitive about where we were from and what we were doing. The first half of the show was really well done, featuring songs throughout the decades of all genres of popular music. A highlight was the show's young singer portraying Elvis. He had the moves and the voice down perfectly. The second half of the show was, yup, the Tennessee Christmas Shindig. It was obvious that this was what most of the crowd was there for. But I don't think anyone, especially me, was prepared for me and two other large gentlemen up on stage modeling women's Yuletide lingerie. (That seat usher had me pegged for this song). I had a cute little green number with bells attached. (Yeah, got the free DVD to prove it). Yes, Karen was grinning broadly as I was kicking up my heels with one of the cute elves.

I never thought I would like Tennessee this much. I definitely want to return to Great Smoky Mountain National Park and explore the carnival-like atmosphere of its neighboring towns. Anyone want to join us for a hoot and a holler? Maybe by my next visit I will decide if I want the "Paddle Faster I Hear Banjo Music" or the "You Got a Purdy Mout'" t-shirt.

Highlights:

Bites: Three Bear Pancake House - Viggo needed pancakes. It was tough to choose given the number of establishments. At the campsite - sweet potatoes roasted on the fire, grilled turkey sausage with peppers and onions and for dessert, jiffy pop.

Sights: Smoky Mountain National Park, the Newfound Gap, the Appalachian trail on the Tennessee/North Carolina border and a full moon.