Day #179 – Cades Cove

Gatlinburg TN

Today was a busy day.  Busier than I like, but probably about right for Kelly.  Our goal was to get out of the house and see some sights without making my tooth throb.  Not an easy task.

We started with the Gatlinburg Farm Market (http://gatlinburgfarmersmarket.com).  We’d seen signs for it all week and were very excited at the prospect of finding locally grown produce.  It seems the weather here, at least in terms of last frost, spring temperatures, etc., is close to Pittsburgh’s, so I expected to find greens and maybe some beets.  What we found was a gem, and a surprise.  This was not just their first market of the season – it was their first ever market.

It was small, but wonderful.  We apparently missed the local berries; there were no beets; we found lots of spring greens.  We bought some bread and brownies from the local bakery, some soap from the local soap maker, and some fresh greens.  We talked with a couple farmers about herb plants, but didn’t buy.  There was live bluegrass music.  I won a raffle – reusable-man-made-from-recycled-bottles-save-the-earth shopping bag from our favorite outfitter.  We helped a woman take down her tent – turns out she was on the market’s board.  She and I chatted about the market and how fantastic it was.  She had heard about the markets around Pittsburgh and was happy to see a tourist at this one.  I told her about our experiences with the Saturday farm market in Williamsburg VA and how they cater to tourists as well as locals.  I told her we would certainly be back next week.

On a lark, we headed over to the Roaring Fork motor driving tour (http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/autotouring.htm) within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  There were signs warning that the road was closed, but it wasn’t blocked off and the road was freshly paved.  So, we gave it a go.  We got pretty far.  Actually, the motor driving tour didn’t start until after the trailhead for the Rainbow Falls trail.  By the time we’d reached the trailhead, the road had narrowed to one lane.  The parking lot for the trail was full, so cars were parked along the road, alternating on either the left or right side.  It was very difficult for us to drive through that area – we were sure we’d either clip a car or fall off the mountain.  Kelly cursed the whole way.  And, naturally, just down the road a bit was an overflow parking lot, nearly empty.  I guess a sign pointing to the second lot was part of the upcoming construction.

The road for the tour really was closed, so we looped back and stopped at the Noah “Bud” Ogle nature trail.  The grounds around the house and the nature trail were practically deserted.  The Ogle family was one of the first to settle in the Smokies.  By 1879, when this 400-acre farm was started, the family was a powerful force in the community.  The house started small, but additions were added as the family grew.  The downstairs was used for living; adults and girls slept downstairs and the boys slept upstairs.  The spring house was located quite a ways from the house.  An open wooden flume was wedged into the stream and angled to carry water to a sink outside the house.  The sink, too, was wood – dug from a single massive tree trunk.  This plumbing was all very modern, and rare, for this time period.

A custom in these parts was the “weaner” house.  After a couple married, they moved to a “honeymoon” cabin, near one of the parental homes, for one year.  This gave them time to build and establish their own place while remaining close to their parents.  We saw the remains of one of these houses, now just a big pile of rocks.

Most families built and operated their own grinding mills.  The one on this farm was a tub mill – the water wheel was horizontal and enclosed in a tub-like box.  Families who did not have a mill would bring their grain to a mill and pay the “toll” of one gallon of meal per bushel of corn.  The tour notes indicated that widows and “other unfortunates” were not expected to pay.

The Ogles built a drive-through barn.  There were pens on each side, with a common roof over them and the center aisle.  The aisle was wide enough to accommodate draft animals pulling farm equipment.

On this tour we learned a lot about how plants were used for medicine.

• Hemlock trees: use the tea for boils.  Mix the juices from the bark with corn meal and spread the paste on burns.
• Wild black cherry trees: render the inner bark into cough syrup.
• Butternut tree: use the hulls and bark to dye cloth brown.

After our walking tour of the Ogle farm, we headed off to Cades Cove, another driving tour in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  The road to the cove had been closed, so this was new territory for us.  The road was a twisty turny narrow two-lane that soon went down to one-way, one-lane.  The road is closed to all motor vehicles at certain times of the week so that hikers and bicyclers can enjoy the tour without risking life, limb, and respiratory system.

The tour had 18 stops along its way with opportunities to examine houses, churches, roads and lanes, and a mill.  The touring guide included this letter, addressing common problem encountered during the Civil War.  While Tennessee did secede from the Union, many people supported the Union.  “We the Primitive Baptist Church in Blount County in Cades Cove, do show the public why we have not kept up our church meeting.  It was on account of the Rebellion and we was Union people and the Rebels was too strong here in Cades Cove.  Our preacher was obliged to leave sometimes, and thank God we once more can meet.”

We saw lots of wildlife on the tour, some of it human.  At one point, all traffic stopped – a bear jam.  A mother and her cubs were wandering through a meadow.  We saw too many people, including children, way too close to them.  (Remember to click the photo to see a larger version - with bears!)  Later, we became particularly frustrated by the driver in front of us.  Despite numerous parking spots along the road, she insisted on driving well under the speed limit and stopping every now and then to gaze into the woods.  She never noticed the long string of cars behind her.  Several drivers honked their happiness when she finally turned off onto another road.

We finished the day with dinner at the Texas Roadhouse, hosted by the campground manager, Don.  We talked politics over steak and baked potatoes.  He is a wealth of diversity – a conservative man who did not support Mr. Bush, who does not like Mr. Obama, and thinks our country is going to the socialists.  He is a well-read man who reads from many sources and watches news on many TV channels.  Neither of us could keep up with him, but we had a great time listening.

Day #178 – Campground Neighbors

Gatlinburg TN

Today, we finally met our neighbors across the way.  Fran works part time here at the campground.  She used to be the activities director at a campground in Arizona.  She taught us a new game called Pegs and Jokers (http://pegsandjokers.net/rules.htm).  Kelly says it’s based on a game called Aggravation, but I’d never seen anything like it.  We played it several times and I won once.  I’m pretty sure they let me have the win.

Some full-timers, like Fran and Paul, are called “workers.”  While the arrangement varies from one campground to another, in most cases workers sign on for a season.  They’ll stay at a campground for that region’s season and work part-time in exchange for some combination of free camp space, free laundry, and/or money.  When Fran was an activities director, she probably had a budget for supplies in addition to the camping arrangement.  Workers have a variety of job titles and responsibilities.  They clean, handle reservations and check-ins, handle security, greet new campers, help folks set up their sites when necessary, and so forth.

Getting to know fellow full-timers is always a tentative process for me.  It’s that age-old question of how much to reveal and still maintain safety and privacy.  Since we’re all in the same campground for a while, and in fairly close quarters, you want to be friendly, but you can’t be in other peoples’ business.

It seems that full-timers build bonds more quickly than “house” neighbors do.  At the KOA in northern Florida, I found myself in a serious discussion with a mother about whether or not to home-school her children.  The conversation ended with her having more information than she’d expected and me having a better understanding of the decisions inherent to a family travelling full-time.  Here, Fran, a very social person, was faced with a nearly empty campground and a manager with no interest in setting up activities.  Kelly’s love of games gave us something in common.

Fran and Paul are Sabbath Keepers.  They are Christians who observe Sabbath from sundown Friday through sundown Saturday.  They follow various Jewish customs regarding food and clothing, but with a decidedly Christian spin.  They seem to be very conservative about religious ideology, but lean to the liberal or even radical on politics.  I am fascinated by religion and love an opportunity to learn about peoples’ beliefs, but am wary of putting ourselves in an uncomfortable position.

This campground is far away from stores.  When we run errands, we’ve begun to ask all our neighbors whether they want us to pick anything up for them, and they do likewise.  When someone stops by around meal or snack time, it’s normal to ask that person to join us.  Over time, these small interactions open up dialog on all kinds of topics.

I haven’t figured this out yet.  I haven’t found the balance between privacy and being social.  It’s hard to “see” only one familiar face every day.  It’s hard to talk only with strangers every day.  Even I, the eternal anti-social introvert, need some human contact.  I’ll keep telling you stories as we go along and maybe there will be a conclusion to the analysis at some future date.

Day #177 – Aquarium

Gatlinburg TN

I was feeling pretty miserable today, so we decided to do something fun.  My broken tooth was still throbbing, so hiking has been put on the back burner for awhile.

The campground manager kindly drove us into town and we visited Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies (http://gatlinburg.ripleyaquariums.com).  We had a great time!  Along with skeletons of creatures, such as giant turtles and whales that once called this region home, we saw all manner of fish, frogs, crabs, sharks, and penguins.  They have a moving walk-way that goes underneath a very large tank.  Some sharks were just draped over the top of the tunnel – it was cool to see their undersides.  There were lots of observation tubes built into the other tanks so you could crawl in and pop up in an enclosed space within a tank, too.  The gift shop was a bit disappointing – probably because we’ve been so spoiled by the National Park shops.

We walked up to the other end of Gatlinburg to visit our favorite outfitter.  We saw a kayak that was used in the Olympic trials back in the 1970s.  Technology sure has come a long way!  The boat was fiberglass and wood.  Kelly bought a new fanny pack that would hold two water bottles, plus a couple stuff sacks to protect our new camp chairs.

Our last stop was the chair lift up the mountain.  It was fun to dangle our feet in the air, but not so fun to clutch all our packages.  There was, of course, a gift shop at the top of the mountain.  It was very disappointing, so we rode back down with no new purchases.

Day #176 – Temporary Crown

Gatlinburg TN

Today, we drove back to Dandrige so I could get a temporary crown for my broken tooth.  Kelly got a full set of x-rays and a treatment plan.  I was advised to take it easy with the temporary crown so that it would not pop off.  Everyone agreed to the following dental plan:

• Two fillings for Kelly to prevent gum disease
• Some deep cleaning and antibiotics for Kelly to treat gum disease to one tooth
• One new crown for me
• A full set of x-rays for me to determine a treatment plan

On our way back home, we found a Kroger supermarket with an extensive selection of organic produce and meats.  We bought some groceries and headed home.

Day #174 – Applesauce Bowls

Gatlinburg TN

We haven’t done a whole lot in the last few days.  If I move too fast or hard – anything that gets my heart rate going - my broken tooth throbs.  We’re still both coughing and healing from our illnesses.

We managed to organize the Bunk House over the weekend, consolidating and eliminating more stuff.  We found another bag of trash and another bag for Goodwill.  We managed to eliminate two storage boxes.  That may not sound like much to you, but, for the size of this trailer, it’s huge.  It means that someone can visit, sleep in a bunk, and have another bunk for suitcases.  We still have to figure out the under-sink storage, but I’m thrilled with our progress.

This morning, we got into a discussion about…well, it was about a lot of different things on different levels.  On the surface, it was about applesauce.  Kelly wanted to find the perfectly sized bowl for applesauce or ice cream.  She was so tired of looking and waiting for the perfect bowls that she wanted to buy whatever worked from the local Corning outlet.  She would then send these off to Goodwill when she found the “perfect” bowls.  I was dead set against it.  I thought our current bowl collection was working quite nicely.  On a bit deeper level, it was about money, space, and hey, we’re trying to simplify our lives and more bowls does not move us toward that end.  On another level, and this is probably what we were really “discussing”, it was about our different approaches to life.  She likes to have exactly the right “tool” for each occasion in our lives.  I like to “make do” with whatever is at hand.  She will purchase a temporary version of what she wants until the right one comes along.  I’ll wait because I don’t like to buy something twice.  The “discussion” ended when she told me she wanted another set of bowls to help with portion control.  She hates to eat a little bit of something out of a big bowl.  She offered to serve me applesauce in a mixing bowl until I got the message.  I understand about portion control.  You know what kills me about this?  I’m probably going to be the one to find the “perfect bowls” and they won’t be from Goodwill at 50 cents a pop.

The discussion ended and we headed off to find some lunch and some applesauce bowls.

The Historic Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community was founded in 1937.  Members have shops and studios scattered along an eight-mile loop outside town.  Today, we made our second trek around the loop, in search of the perfect applesauce bowls.  We found a yummy lunch, a pushy shopkeeper, and a delightful woman who wanted to talk about how our lives had changed with the road.  We did not find bowls, but we had a nice day.