Day #195 – Camping World

Gatlinburg TN

Today we went on a big adventure to Camping World.  Kelly found a new gear box for the truck bed.  We investigated mattresses – the one that came with the new trailer is quickly breaking down.  We found a surge protector for the entire trailer – much easier than protecting each appliance individually.  I found a large variety of chemicals.

I’ve been researching the maintenance requirements for this new trailer.  Many cleaning jobs can be done with simple products.  And, many products will do double-duty for various uses.  But, there’s no way to get around cleaner and sealer for the rubber roof, and cleaner and conditioner for the slide mechanism.  We had the cart completely full by the time we’d been up and down every aisle.

In addition, we picked up some things that Don needed, mainly a pair of camp recliner chairs.  Most of it fit in the new gear box, but Don’s stuff was big and took up the whole extended cab.  I found a rig on the lot, waiting to be serviced, that was a “Care-a-Vann”.  Its owners RV from place to place, working on Habitat for Humanity builds.  I took down their names and phone number, in the hopes that we’ll start doing some volunteer work soon.

Don told us later that he loved his new chair.  He’d put chicken on the grill, fallen asleep in his new chair, and awoke some time later to the smell of burning chicken.

Day #194 – Ober Gatlinburg & Front Porch

Gatlinburg TN

Today started with a trip to Ober Gatlinburg (http://www.obergatlinburg.com).  As an employee, Tom is entitled to 20 free passes to Ober Gatlinburg to share with his family and friends.  His mother, stepfather, brother, and brother’s girlfriend arrived at the campground mid-morning.  His mother makes the best buttermilk biscuits, but didn’t bring any today.  They were bound for the mountain top and insisted we come along.  Fran and Paul, who are Sabbath Keepers, also came along.  Fran, who used to be quite the motorcycle trick rider, became afraid of heights during menopause.  She really didn’t want to go, but decided that Kelly and I would be enough support to get her up the mountain.

The campground manger, Don, drove us to the bottom of the mountain in the campground shuttle bus.  The gondola was large and firmly attached to a very thick cable.  Fran’s husband, Kelly, and I tried our best to keep Fran distracted on the ride up the mountain.  It kinda worked.  Everyone else enjoyed the ride and the view.  At the top, we all got little wrist bands that allowed us free access to most of the attractions.

Kelly and I jumped onto a chair lift and rode up to a higher part of the mountain.  There, we found a gift shop, a refreshment stand, and a live bluegrass band.  Despite rain, the others who came up after us had to drag me away from the music and back to the resort part of the mountain.

After the rain stopped, Kelly and I led part of the group back up the mountain to ride the Alpine Slide.  The plastic sleds have a brake, but no steering.  You ride the sled down a trough in the mountain side.  We both went as fast as we could, which really surprised all the teenage Amish boys who were also enjoying the slide.

The gondola ride down the mountain was harder on Fran than the trip up.  There wasn’t a way to look at anything except the elevation.  Plus, it was raining again and the wind had picked up.  We were completely safe, but she nearly collapsed at one point.

It must be very difficult to deal with a sudden and unexplainable fear.  She has had no trauma related to heights and does not suffer from vertigo or dizziness.  All she knows is that, as soon as she started menopause, she became afraid of heights – like someone flipped a switch.

After we got back to the campground, Tom’s family left.  Fran and Paul, Kelly and I, and Don, headed off to the Front Porch restaurant (http://www.tnvacation.com/vendors/the_front_porch_mexican_restaurant and http://dininginthesmokies.com/_cosby/aafropor.htm).  This place is open only on weekends, serves Mexican food, and always has live music.  The musicians are generally not professional, hence the name: the owners want patrons to feel like they are just sitting on the porch, eating and listening to music.  This night, the regulars managed to convince a couple other regulars to take the stage and perform.  One woman sang a wonderful blues song.  A man sang a gospel tune.  Another woman sang a folk song, very off-key.  All got good responses from the audience.  Some folks in the audience brought their own instruments to accompany the performers – wooden spoons for percussion.  I had a great time and didn’t want to leave, but I was out-voted.  Kelly has agreed to a return visit.

Day #193 – Kelly Goes Fishing

Gatlinburg TN

There’s a guy at the campground, Tom, who is hiding out from his wife.  He’s been married several times and this one didn’t work out so well.  He’s born and raised in east Tennessee, with the accent and sweet sense of Southern hospitality to match.  He’s a lovable guy who talks nearly non-stop.  He would do just about anything for anyone and always has a funny story to tell.  He also has heart disease.  He’s stopped eating beef and dairy, but rolls his own cigarettes and smokes pretty much non-stop.  He works at the camp ground in exchange for free camping.

When Tom found out that Kelly had never fished, he decided to take her out and teach her.  We got her a one-day permit online and set an alarm clock.

They got a very early start and were gone most of the morning.  They came home dirty, smelly, and happy.  Kelly’s first fish was too small to even photograph, let alone keep – not even four inches.  Her second one was respectable.  Tom was too busy talking to catch anything.  Since the catch was a single serving, Kelly gave the fish to Tom.

Despite her fishing lesson and success, her favorite part of the day was seeing a river otter.

Later in the day, we had another pot luck with the other full-timers.  Tom cooked up a pork loin on his grill, along with cabbage and turkey dogs for the folks who keep Kosher.  We brought salad and a water melon to round out the meal.