September 19. After being bored for a week, we decided we needed to do something. Gatlinburg was waiting for us, so we headed north over the mountains. What a spectacular drive that was. These mountains are so different from the Rockies. They have a softer, more serene beauty. It was only about 35 miles but the mountain roads prohibit fast driving. It took us nearly 2 hours. Of course we also stopped a few times at overlooks to take pictures. We were fortunate enough to see a field with elks at one stop. They are such majestic creatures.

We saw beautiful streams and waterfalls, green valleys and of course the magnificent, tree covered mountains. As we looked out across the mountains it was hard to believe that 80% of the trees had been destroyed by logging in the early 1900s. The National Park Service finally began buying up the land, and in 1934 they established the Great Smokey Mountain National Park.
    On reaching Gatlinburg, we dropped Jax off in a very nice doggy jail so we could spend the next couple of days touring.  Dogs are not allowed on trails in the National Parks. Our first stop was the Arts and Crafts District on Glades Road.  Lots of nice pottery and hand-crafted items.  Then for the big disappointment: the Main Street in Gatlinburg. I could swear that we were in Branson, Mo!  There was even Ripley’s Believe It Or Not.  One good thing we found was the Pancake Pantry. It is a famous place that some friends, that we met in Nashville, told us about.  Great recommendation!  Another fun thing we did was the Moonshine and Whiskey tasting at the Ole Smokey Distillery. We were in Tennessee after all. Got to have some moonshine 😂. Even Pops participated. We bought a jar of Apple Pie Moonshine and some Cinnamon Whiskey. Yum!

Later in the evening, we had a delicious steak and salad supper and then returned to our awful motel room. Just remember that you get what you pay for. To overcome the disappointment of the room, we sipped on some whiskey and went to bed.