Picture Perfect Cooking

On Saturday afternoon, we arrive back in Bluegrass land!  How about that fence?  It’s supposed to keep falling rock from smashing cars on the interstate.  Sure hope it works!

We are on our way home when we decide to take a side trip.  Sometimes it is easy to forget what is available in your own state.  Both C & I had been to Cumberland Falls when we were children, but had never gone back.  Since it was just off the interstate a few miles on our way home, we wanted to see it again.  It is just as beautiful now as it was then!

It is state park inside of a national forest so the drive is a curvy, tree-lined lane.

I have to confess that when we first parked we didn’t read the sign very close and walked the wrong way to the overlooks.  We ended up thinking that we must be in the wrong area and drove around some more.  When we looped back around to this area and actually read the sign, we felt a little silly!  Oh, well.  We had a good laugh out of it.  Enjoy the view!

We took a couple of self-portraits in front of the falls.

We hope you enjoyed your virtual trip because we really enjoyed the real thing!

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After spending most of Friday in Gatlinburg, we made our way back to Pigeon Forge.  This is an interesting place.  There are no casinos, but the lights and signs almost remind me of photos of the old Las Vegas.  There were music shows, mini golf courses, and go-kart tracks galore.

There is also a building that looks like it landed upside down.  It is an “amusement park for your mind”.  We didn’t have a chance to visit this, but it looked neat from the outside.

Also being built is a new museum set to open spring of next year.  It is a Titanic museum that is going to look like the actual Titanic!

Friday evening we visited a store that was right up my alley.  It is the Christmas Place and they have Christmas decorations for sale all year long!  I could have spend hours in there just looking around.  The people who own this store also have a hotel across the road.

Saturday morning began with a new adventure for C.  When he and his family visited here years ago, he had wanted to try indoor skydiving but changed his mind.  This time he was determined to give it a go and he did!  He really liked it and was an adrenaline high for a while afterward!

We hit the outlet malls for a little while after this.  One of my co-workers gave me a tip for a wonderful place to visit and eat.  Before we headed back toward Kentucky, we checked it out.  Boy, was I glad we did.  The Apple Barn is a great place to go!  They have 2 restaurants, The Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant and The Applewood Grill.  We ate at the Farmhouse and it was delicious!  They start everyone’s meal with an order of apple fritters with apple butter and their house “Applewood Julep” which is a combination of apple, orange, pineapple and lemon juices.  So refreshing!

C had the angus burger and fries and he said it was very good.  I had the applewood grilled pork loin with fried apples, mac & cheese and biscuit.  Oh, my goodness!  It was some of the best restaurant food that I have EVER had!  Loved it!

There are several shops at the Apple Barn complex and we visited the candy store and gift shops.  I could have worked in their candy shop.  It was darling!  We picked up some gifts here and purchased 2 bags of the apple fritter mix at the gift shop.

Now, we’re on the road again!  Come back soon!

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Once we were done in the mountains, we toured Gatlinburg itself.  The shop buildings in this little town are quaint and cute.  They remind me a little of an alpine mountain town.

One of the places we had planned to go was the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies.  If you are ever in the area, you really need to go here.  It was wonderful!  It has something for every age group.  This would be a wonderful place to take a school or church group.  We loved it!

We did a lot of walking through Gatlinburg.  There were numerous attractions that we just did not have time to get to, but they looked like they would be fun as well.

Next stop…Pigeon Forge.

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Last weekend, C & I took a short vacation to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  C had been there years ago and I had never been.  We had a blast!  We had a beautiful drive down on Thursday until we got to Knoxville, then the rain started.  I was never so glad to see a Hampton Inn in my life! 

Friday was a very full day! This may turn out to be a multiple post story. We started the morning by driving up in to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  How amazing was this?  Sugarland Visitors Center welcomed us with maps, information, and a small park museum.

We decided to go all the way to the highest point in the park which is Clingman’s Dome.  On a clear day, you are supposed to be able to see 100 miles and 7 states.  Well, that was not to be that day.  This sign said it all.

We would drive and stop and drive and stop.  There were pull-offs at the scenic stops.  There was water everywhere, but I couldn’t find a good place from which to shoot.  Wait, the Chimney Tops trailhead was dead ahead.  I found what I was looking for there, only about 200 feet from the road.  I love water and could have stayed here for hours.

We pulled off at another overlook and I happened to turn around and look at the rock wall on the other side of the road, and what appeared before my eyes?  A face!

The next stop was Morton Overlook.  On the trip up the mountain, there was dense fog hanging in the air.  When we traveled back down a couple of hours later, the air had cleared and you could see for a long, long way.

At Newfound Gap, we started our multi-state vacation as this is the location of the Tennessee-North Carolina state lines.  The view would be amazing on clear days.  We weren’t so lucky.  We were starting to see the difference in the elevations though.  The types of trees and plants that grow were starting to change.  The temperature was much cooler and there was a stiff wind blowing.  This area also is part of the Appalachian Trail.  We can now say that we have hiked part of the App Trail, if only about 20 feet of it!

Now it was on to Clingman’s Dome! I was so excited!  The elevation there is 6600 feet above sea level.  Where we live is about 600 feet above sea level.

You are able to drive most of the way, but the last half mile is a steep walk on a paved path.  Here is where you can really tell that the air is thinner.  There are benches placed every .05 of a mile on the path, and believe me, they come in handy when you are not used to the atmosphere.  It was worth it though.  I really wish it had been clearer, but we can still say that we have been to the top.

It was only 55 degrees at the dome, the wind was blowing and there was a nasty little rain falling.  When we arrived back in Gatlinburg, the sun was shining and it was 82 degrees. The trip down was much faster than the trip up the mountain.  We still stopped to snap a few shots, but the traffic was much worse coming down than up.  I really enjoyed this and would like to have the time to explore more of this beautiful country.

Come back soon for more of our trip!

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