Day #225 – Game Night

Gatlinburg TN

This evening, we played Five Crowns with Paul and Fran.  Paul generally doesn’t like card games, but for some reason, he likes this one.  Maybe it’s because he wins.

We’d missed a lot the last couple days.  Between Dollywood and our road trip, we hadn’t heard that Tom got fired from his work camper position.  The reasons varied from one account to the next, but the bottom line was the same.  We were very upset about it because we like Tom a lot, but we knew better than to get in the middle of it.

Day #224 – Asheville NC

 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.

Day #223 – Dollywood

Gatlinburg TN

Today we were guests of the campground owners at Dollywood Park (http://www.dollywood.com).  The park is filled with rides, wonderful (and healthy) food, great shows, and a museum.

The first thing we happened upon was a replica of the cabin (decorated by her mother) where Dolly Parton grew up.  She was, I think, the fourth of ten children.  Both her parents were illiterate, but they made sure she finished high school. 

We often hear of someone, even someone from our lifetime, being raised in a cabin, or without running water, but I don’t think we really understand what that means for daily survival or lifestyle.  I’ve seen so many small cabins here in the Smokies that families have lived in for generations, but this was the first that was linked to someone I knew in some way.  This cabin wasn’t much different from the others I’ve seen, except that it was more modern.  The walls were papered with pages from a Sears catalog and the cabin was insulated with cardboard.  There was no plumbing, but there was a wood-burning stove.  The only heat source was a fireplace.  There were lots of pictures on the walls, mainly from calendars.  I recognized a church fan, very similar to one my grandmother had – with a very colorful picture of the Last Supper.  There were lots of quilts, all hand sewn from scraps, and each one a work of art.  There’s nothing romantic about this – most folks in eastern Tennessee live in terrible poverty.  She must have had a very strong family to accomplish all she has.

Here’s a challenge for you:  for the next day, think about how each little thing you do would be different if you lived in that cabin, and without car or bus…not for a vacation, but for years.  Then, email me or post your response.

The next thing we saw was her old tour bus.  As RVers, we felt obligated to check it out.  It had a big fancy pink bedroom in the rear and a bathroom with a large pink bathtub in it.  There were bunks for the second driver and Dolly’s best friend.  The dinette was about as big as ours, but fancier.  There was no couch and the kitchen was tiny.  I liked our trailer better.

I wasn’t sure we’d like the museum.  Pictures of stars with other stars and cases of costumes are generally not fun for me, but this museum was different.  There was an “attic” filled with all kinds of junk.  Most interesting to me was the old exercise equipment – a butt massager, a stationary bicycle, and a treadmill were all visible.  I wondered whether Ms. Parton was as obsessed with body image as I’ve been.

Dolly Parton has done much to improve the lives of people in her home county of Sevier Tennessee.  The most impressive is her Imagination Library project (http://www.imaginationlibrary.com), begun in 1996.  Her foundation provides a free, age-appropriate book every month to every child from birth to the age of five.  The foundation provides these books in the other locations where her businesses operate - Branson MO and Myrtle Beach SC.  The foundation also works with communities across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom to help those communities provide similar materials to their children. (http://local.cincinnati.com/share/news/story.aspx?sid=164304&cid=164304)

Well, think about that challenge.  I look forward to hearing from you.