September 6, 2018 Train journey.   This morning we dropped Jax off at  “doggy jail” and drove on to Bryson City. At 10:00 am we boarded the Great Smokey Mountain Scenic Railroad Train. We chose the Nantahala Gorge Excursion and decided on the open gondola car because it would be the best for taking pictures.  It was a fun day. Traveling along the Nantahala Gorge we saw the "smoke" on the mountains, hence the name Smokey Mountains.  We saw an old Civil War cabin and lots of kudzu. I know the kudzu is extremely invasive and destructive but it is eerily beautiful, too. As it covers the trees and plants, it creates strange hoodoos in the shape of animals and people.  Some areas looked like Hobbit villages. Our server and narrator on the train was a Cherokee Indian native from the area who shared many stories and legends with us. She was very entertaining. We crossed over Fontana Lake on the old Fontana Trestle. Fontana Lake is the largest lake in NC and is part of the Little Tennessee River, which is one of three rivers that flow into the Nantahala. Our seat mates were a very friendly couple from Florida, Kelly and Bob. It was fun to share the adventure with some new friends. Our tickets included lunch and an hour layover at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. At this layover was a branch of the Appalachian Trail. We walked a little way down the trail just so we could say we had been on the famous trail. Hopefully, weather permitting, we will be able to hike a few miles on the trail next week.  Also, I am trying to convince Pops that we should do a whitewater rafting trip. Stay tuned for that decision😄. We returned to the depot at 3:30 pm in Bryson City.  After rescuing Jax, we returned to the the campground, tired but happy. Another great day!

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September 3, 2018. Journey into history.  This morning, after a beautiful 2-mile hike in the mountains, we drove into the town of Cherokee, NC.  It is a town on the reservation of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, in western North Carolina.  It is a quaint little town, but unfortunately there are too many cheap souvenir shops and touristy places.  However, we discovered the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and it was fantastic.  This museum takes you back to the beginnings of human life in these beautiful mountains. It starts with hearing ancient stories and myths in the Story Lodge, including the story of the mythical First Cherokees who lived here.  As you continue through the museum you follow them through the ages with artifacts, dioramas, more stories, and photos.  It is a very moving, sometimes sad, story. Despite the Cherokees’ peaceful, open-hearted welcome to all visitors, they were still forcibly exiled to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. But it is also their tale of survival and “rebirth” into this area once again.  This museum really brings to life this wonderful collection of Cherokee treasures and history.  We thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

September 1, 2018. Journey onward.  Today we left Nashville and headed for the Smokey Mountains.  This ended up being a very long, hard day.  Because of the size of our rig (and some tunnels) we had to drive slower and detour around the mountains to get to Cherokee, NC.  Also, because of Labor Day weekend, there was a lot of traffic.  We left Nashville at 8:45 am and didn’t get to the campground until 3:30 pm. And it’s only 250 miles.  Anyway, we arrived safe and sound and the scenery on the drive over was beautiful. We are in a very nice campground with a rippling stream behind the campground and mountains all around.  It is a huge place and it is full of Labor Day crowds.  But the park has activities for all ages and everyone is having fun.  We will be here a month and we are looking forward to many day trips, exploring the Great Smokey Mountains and the surrounding area.

August 29, 2018  “Sharing the journey can double the fun”.   Tonight this was certainly true. Our new friends, Don and Bonnie joined us for an evening at Honky Tonk Row in downtown Nashville.  Honky Tonk Row consists of several blocks, on Broadway St, with bars and clubs that have become famous for starting the careers of many famous country music stars.  Regional musicians play for tips in hopes of being discovered. You can hear some pure talent floating out of these places at all hours of the day and night.  Most of the clubs and bars have no cover charge, so you can wander in and out for as long as your feet hold up. We spent about 5 hours down there and heard some great music and ate fantastic BBQ. One of the most famous places we stopped at was Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge that has been in continuous operation since 1958. It was a home for many struggling musicians before they became famous.  These include Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Kris Kristofferson, and many more. The walls are lined with photos and memorabilia, creating a Tootsie’s Wall of Fame.  It was the most crowded bar we stopped at, and had some of the best music. We also went to Legends, AJ’s (Alan Jackson), Nudie’s, Second Fiddle, The Stage, Luke Bryan’s and a few others. We had a delicious BBQ supper at Jack’s (recommended by the corner policeman that overheard us talking about where to eat). It was the most enjoyable evening we have had in awhile. Thank you to Bonnie and Don for “doubling” our fun!

August 27, 2018.    “It’s a journey of discovery “.  Pops is not crazy about country music, but we are in Nashville!  Today I  “encouraged “ him to go to the Country Music Hall of Fame and the RCA Studio B tour. The Hall of Fame is fun and has so much history that it is, at times, a little overwhelming. Pops grudgingly admitted that he enjoyed it, but the most fun was the Studio B tour. The guide admits she loves this place and it shows. She shares stories and music from many of the famous people who recorded there over the years, since 1956. It became famous in the 1960s for the development of the Nashville Sound ( more background vocals and strings, less twang). This pretty much revived the popularity of Country Music. The guide said that Elvis Presley recorded more than 250 songs at Studio B. It was his favorite recording studio.  Another interesting fact was that Chet Atkins was a record producer and manager of Studio B before he became a recording artist. It was a fun day.   Back at the RV Park we tried to listen to the evening entertainment but the weather has turned so hot and humid that we had to escape to the air conditioning.

August 25, 2018. “And the journey continues “.   Today we packed up and moved on to Nashville, Tennessee. We are staying at the Grand Ole RV Park. It is a small park with some interesting amenities. Every evening on the back porch they feature live music and a meal. The music is free but the meal is not.  Our first evening we met a very nice couple, Don and Bonnie, from North Carolina. We enjoyed the music and the new friends.

August 21, 2018. “Journey equals adventure and surprise”.   We had an adventure today at Greer Springs, the second largest spring in Missouri.  This spring flows from two outlets 300 ft apart at the bottom of a steep ravine.  Its daily flow is 220 million gallons of water and is said to double the size of the Eleven Point River.  One person told us that the hike down to the river is a mile and the hike back up is a mile and a half.  I would agree with that.  The path was narrow but in good shape, with switchbacks.  It wound through the forest and was quiet, shady and peaceful. However, the whole area was full of poison ivy, considered to be Missouri’s best crop:).  The water from the spring flows over a rock- filled canyon for a mile beforeemptying into the Eleven Point River.  The bottom of the hike involved climbing over and around some rocks and getting our feet wet, but it was worth it.  The hike took us a couple of hours but it was fun to discover another beautiful secret gem of a place in the Missouri Ozarks.