Gatlinburg TN
Today was not a work day for us, so we decided to get out of the campground for a while. We started in Cherokee. Because we’d gone there to gamble a while back, the casino had sent us some coupons. We had coupons for a free lunch and “free” $5 for gambling. Naturally, we went for the lunch.
The lunch was nice and we came out ahead on the gambling (OK, I came out ahead, but it was enough to make up for what Kelly lost.). I used my winnings to buy us each a truffle at the casino’s chocolate shop. Not really a big profit, but enough. I found a slot machine I liked – Star Trek. I liked listening to Mr. Sulu beam people aboard and all the other voices from the original Star Trek TV show. The chairs for those two machines were different, too. They had tall backs and were decorated with Star Trek designs. The casino has found a way to suck in even the math geeks like me who sit there and think up not-so-random number functions.
We couldn’t decide what to do next. We weren’t ready to go home, but it was too hot to visit the Cherokee village and too early for the drama, “Unto these Hills.” So, we set off on the Blue Ridge Parkway (http://www.blueridgeparkway.org), headed towards Asheville.
The views were spectacular. I saw a bald eagle, soaring over a mountain pass. Our ears popped so many times we lost count.
Kelly decided we should aim for Linville Falls (http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/recreation/wncwaterfalls/linvillefalls.htm), in the Pisgah National Forest (http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc) in North Carolina. As the crow flies, especially crows on the Interstate, it wasn’t far. But for two little people on the Blue Ridge Parkway, with a top speed of 45 mph, it was very far. Too far. After miles and hours, we wore ourselves out and took the exit to Asheville, North Carolina (http://www.exploreasheville.com/index.aspx).
We’d heard this town was a great one to visit, and I’d done quite a bit of research a couple months ago, but couldn’t remember one useful name or address. So, we called Debbie and Linda and asked them for some real-time on-line assistance. They gave us the names and addresses of a couple restaurants. One was out of business and the other was closed for the day. We drove along a main drag off the Interstate exit ramp and ended up in a Zen Japanese restaurant. The food was good and we enjoyed the break.
On our way home, we watched the sun set and then watched as stars became visible in the night sky. It was a long day with way too much driving, but it sure was nice to get out of the campground for a while.
In other news, my cracked tooth stopped hurting yesterday. I was able to chew real food on that side of my mouth with no pain. I’m not sure why it’s taken so long to settle down, but I’m hoping this is a good omen.
Today was not a work day for us, so we decided to get out of the campground for a while. We started in Cherokee. Because we’d gone there to gamble a while back, the casino had sent us some coupons. We had coupons for a free lunch and “free” $5 for gambling. Naturally, we went for the lunch.
The lunch was nice and we came out ahead on the gambling (OK, I came out ahead, but it was enough to make up for what Kelly lost.). I used my winnings to buy us each a truffle at the casino’s chocolate shop. Not really a big profit, but enough. I found a slot machine I liked – Star Trek. I liked listening to Mr. Sulu beam people aboard and all the other voices from the original Star Trek TV show. The chairs for those two machines were different, too. They had tall backs and were decorated with Star Trek designs. The casino has found a way to suck in even the math geeks like me who sit there and think up not-so-random number functions.
We couldn’t decide what to do next. We weren’t ready to go home, but it was too hot to visit the Cherokee village and too early for the drama, “Unto these Hills.” So, we set off on the Blue Ridge Parkway (http://www.blueridgeparkway.org), headed towards Asheville.
We’d heard this town was a great one to visit, and I’d done quite a bit of research a couple months ago, but couldn’t remember one useful name or address. So, we called Debbie and Linda and asked them for some real-time on-line assistance. They gave us the names and addresses of a couple restaurants. One was out of business and the other was closed for the day. We drove along a main drag off the Interstate exit ramp and ended up in a Zen Japanese restaurant. The food was good and we enjoyed the break.
On our way home, we watched the sun set and then watched as stars became visible in the night sky. It was a long day with way too much driving, but it sure was nice to get out of the campground for a while.
In other news, my cracked tooth stopped hurting yesterday. I was able to chew real food on that side of my mouth with no pain. I’m not sure why it’s taken so long to settle down, but I’m hoping this is a good omen.
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