First Stop: TN!

"I like mountains," I said.

Carrie set the theme for our trip: Mountains.

We drove north and west through Asheville and a tunnel to pop up in the Great Smokey Mountains.

It was a scenic drive...

...made more scenic when Carrie decided to take the "local" route. We ended up on a 1.5 lane road, no lines, ditches, trees, and two-way traffic (with trucks). Carrie was on edge until we re-graduated to a fainted line divider. I don't think she was comfortable until we found a double yellow (the muttering, "This is crazy!" stopped).

Our first stop was a hilltop lodge outside Pigeon Forge, TN.

Carrie picked a gorgeous spot that reminded me of the House Mountain Inn (Was that really 5 years ago?)

Breakfast was served every morning.

The views and trails were daily.

The nearest neighbors were on the hill over there.

You've got great eyes if you can see them before I zoomed in.

Carrie's a fan of the rustic, timber look.

We explored the indoors more than the outdoors. Carrie's knees were still sore from a pair of cortisone shots. The movie library was impressive.

We were on the road to Gatlinburg after we unpacked and got the lay of the land. Carrie ended up with a white knuckle grip on a windy mountain, scenic approach into town. I got to appreciate the view.

The main route into town was solid red with traffic. I think the hairpin turns were worth avoiding staring at the same bumper in front of us.

We passed several homes that were clearly affected by the fires last November. I read about the disaster in the news. It was more real seeing the aftereffects.

Carrie visited the area for a parks conference when she was still in college. The area has grown wildly since. Gaitlinburg was so jam-packed with traffic we ended up on the road out.

Pigeon Forge was no different. It was like an endless strip mall of miniature golf, bumper cars, tiny theme parks, dinner shows, and tourist traps. There was so much it blurred together for me.

We did stop at a restaurant called the Local Goat. It was fantastic! I ordered a sampler of some local beers and Carrie and I played Hangman while we waited for our food.

The highlight of my night was when we got back to the inn. Carrie asked, "What game do you want to play?" I broke out a Sherlock Holmes one I've been eager to see. Carrie's opposed to anything with 

It was like an interactive novel. We spent over a couple of hours reading, talking, and solving the case! I loved it. Carrie had fun, but I doubt she'll agree to one of the remaining 9 cases. I don't know when we'd ever have a three hour, stress free block of time to allow for a leisurely murder mystery anyway.

Bed time followed. The Lodge was the most luxurious of our lodgings for the trip.

We were up early for day two. I'd left my credit card with the signed receipt at the Local Goat yesterday. I solved the mystery of the missing card and the manager put it in the safe, but we had to pick it back up. The restaurant didn't open until 11, so Carrie and I found ways to amuse ourselves in town.

Like a mountain side roller coaster!

The coasters had their own hand brakes, so Carrie and I raced.

Carrie's original plan was to go to Dollywood. However, her left knee still hurt and I needed new work shoes. We visited an outlet mall and went back to the lodge to unwind with some high class entertainment.

We watched a Sherlock movie afterward (It was extra fun after the game).

That night on the back porch, we watched amazed as at least ten orb weaver spiders constructed a bug force field before our very eyes. The spiders worked at a tremendous pace.

We finished the night with some cards, Code Names, and TV. We would move on the following morning. There was some talk about attempting to go to Dollywood again, but we decided to spend more time in Knoxville instead.