10 October – Pigeon Forge to Blue Ridge

 Today was a moving day, so we packed the van up and hit the road. We started on the interstate but soon turned onto state highways and smaller roads. There was a long section along the Ocoee River which was quite beautiful. There were lots of signs for white water rafting, and we went past a quite substantial car park with lots of national flags up, including Australia. Wikipedia tells us that it was the location for the white water slalom events during the Atlanta Olympics in 96.

We have a nice and quiet RV park, about 2 miles from the centre of Blue Ridge. There is a river that winds by, not far from the door of the van. 

9 October – Pigeon Forge

 It was forecast rain, so we opted for a rest day. We spent the day reading and listening to the rain on the roof of the van. Very relaxing.

8 October – Pigeon Forge

 We had a long drive today. Mick and Matilda rode their Harley and we drove their Dodge Ram. The little bike doesn’t cut it for rides over an hour.

Out over Newfound Gap to Cherokee for a quick lunch stop, then along the Blue Ridge Parkway. 

The Parkway follows the ridge tops of the range, with stunning views of the mountains, valleys and forest. We didn’t have time to do the return trip, as Mick and Matilda had to head home, so we short cut back via back roads and minor highways, Lots to see on the way.

Coming back into Pigeon Forge we noticed that the Xmas decorations are out – and its only early October!

We farewelled M&M until we see them again in a few days back in Jackson. We helped them pack the Harley onto the bike trailer, and they headed off. We are going to miss the Ram, it’s a great vehicle to drive.

7 October – Pigeon Forge

 In the morning Steve and Mick took the motorbikes along the Foothills Parkway and part of what is called the Tail of the Dragon – a well-known motorcycle ride.

We went to Mellow Mushrooms to get pizza for lunch. The staff all seemed quite relaxed!

After lunch, we went to one of the Christmas shops and bought a few tree decorations. The shop is huge and sells everything Xmas. It was pretty overwhelming with tinsel, lights, glitter everywhere you looked.

In the afternoon, we all drove up to Cades Cove to do a wildlife loop. We arrived around 5 ish which is ideal for viewing the animals as they start to come out to eat. We saw deer, including a buck with a big set of antlers. We also saw a big black bear, who answered the age-old question for us about what a bear does in the woods. We can confirm it does. 

The wildlife loop took a good couple of hours, including a stop at an old church and graveyard. People put coins on the gravestones. A local told us it’s a sign of respect, particularly if the person is a veteran.

It was a bit of a drive back, so we got in rather late. We did some more moonshine tasting in the RV with cheese and crackers.

6 October – Pigeon Forge

 Today was forecast to be wet, so we took Mick’s ute into Pigeon Forge for lunch at the Hard Rock Café, then we went for a drive in the mountains above Gatlinburg. 

We saw bears! We saw 2 on the side of the road eating, then a bit further on we hopped out of the car to look at a historic log cabin and barn. There are around 80 old homesteads in the Smoky Mountains National Park. When we turned back towards the car park there was a mum and her 2 cubs walking down the hill past us. It was a bit nervy having a nursing mother bear between us and the car as they get very protective of their cubs. We stayed still and they ambled on past and down the track. We made sure to make lots of noise walking back!

The rest of the drive was uneventful. We saw a turkey on the roadside, and stopped at another historic homestead (no bears at that one!) and got some photos of creeks and the surrounding trees.

We stopped in Gatlinburg for moonshine tasting at Sugarlands. There were 13 flavours in the tasting, ranging from blackberry to peanut butter. There was an apple pie flavour that tastes like apples when you drink it and caramel when you breathe out after it goes down. Dinner was at Bubba Gumps Shrimp Factory. The rain finally arrived and looks set in for the night.

5 October – Pigeon Forge

 We rode the motorbikes over the mountains to a place called Cherokee for lunch and back. At the top of the range we found that the Appalachian trail meanders along the range. It traverses 14 states, from Georgia to Maine. The range top is also the Tennessee / North Carolina border.

The views were spectacular. Quite unexpectedly cold up there too.