Tiggerdad is heading to the Smokies! Y'all come

Got an early start this morning in park. Early morning to me is best time to get in the park. Had big rain last night so I knew the mist off the mountains would be good.
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It also means the waterfalls will be better as well. Started girls off on an easy hike this morning to Laurel Falls.
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Passed some other hikers as wellIMAG0213.jpg
Finally made it there and it was as good as I had hoped.
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Looks like a everyone is enjoying themselves Know this isn't really your thing but can I ask you to check out if that CG has a dog park for now and foreseeable future the Savage Sisters will need one
 
I know pets are
Looks like a everyone is enjoying themselves Know this isn't really your thing but can I ask you to check out if that CG has a dog park for now and foreseeable future the Savage Sisters will need one
I know the pets are allowed. Folks walking them all over the place. No sign of a dog park but I'll ask. Actually saw one that looks like Yeti (@garneska). Only this one is brown.
 
Aight, after Laurel falls we headed for Cade's Cove and it's 11 mile loop of views, animals, and old rustic cabins.
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While there I took girls on hike number two. This one was 2.5 miles in to Abram's Falls.
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By then it was 5pm and the girls were beat so we headed back to Gatlinburg for dinner. We decided to try Calhoun's.
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Have to admit it was really good. Salads are large. The ribs had good flavor as did the chicken.

Then it was walking the strip. On the way we did the Sky Lift up the mountain. This is where I got my shock of the day. During the big fire it burned this entire mountain side including some very large cabins. Along with those it also burned the gift shop and lookout point at the top of the mountain where the Sky Lift goes.

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This before
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They had to completely rebuild the lift all the way up but ran out of time before they could build the lookout . So, you ride up and come right back down.
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From the lift you get really close to what burned, and it was far more impressive up close. Just bare rock now where there used to be trees. You can see old cabin sites and burned out buildings. What was worse is when you reach the top and come back down you see all the larger mountains behind Gatlinburg and they are just covered in brown dead spots where the fire went. Just tears me up to see it. I didn't get any pics as I wasn't about to pull out my phone and risk dropping it.

For now it's shower time and tomorrow gonna go to Dollywood and the watermark. There will be no pictures or report from there as it would be against my better judgement to put pics or info on another theme park here on the Dis.

Night all.

P.S.
While in the park there is no phone signal so I didn't check the boards until we sat to eat around 5pm. I had something like 28 likes on this thread. Wow!
 


What fun y'all are having! Lots of good memories for your girls being made on this trip. The waterfalls are beautiful!
 
Looks like y'all are having a good trip, yet another top notch trip report brother, y'all be safe and have fun! I've been offshore with no Wi-Fi, and I'll admit that the pictures from the Ol Mill has my stomach talking to me, my favorite place to eat there in the Smokies.
 
For now it's shower time and tomorrow gonna go to Dollywood and the watermark. There will be no pictures or report from there as it would be against my better judgement to put pics or info on another theme park here on the Dis.
The Dis has US and SW forums also, a peek into DW would be fine.
 


The Dis has US and SW forums also, a peek into DW would be fine.

Aight, a brief review of Splash Country which is where we went today. It's Dollywoods water park.

Now, I can't compare it to Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach as I have never gone to either of them as my stays have never left time for them.

There are no pics as my phone is not waterproof.

My observations are that it is very clean, lifeguards are kind and plenty of storage lockers all over the park, not just at the entrance. They have two separate splash areas for younger kids, the larger one being Bear Mountain Fire Tower which is huge and plenty big for adults.

Now the slides.

One word: slow
What I mean by that is the lines don't move fast enough to keep up. We got there at opening at 10am and stayed until 6:30. I know it's July, but we were not able to ride anything more than once except the lazy river. A lot of slides here require mats or rafts to ride on. You wait two forevers for the prior occupant to come down the slide and hand his off to you. :furious:

When you got the mat and walked all the way up the stairs you arrive at the start to find the lifeguard waiting. It was bad enough that a few times I noted how long it was between riders (I had plenty of time to kill). Sometimes it would be 20 seconds, then it might be 50 seconds and a few times nearly 2 minutes! Just too slow to be moving that many people. I heard several people commenting about it so I wasn't the only one noticing.

All in all I'll give it a B. Availability of plenty of chairs, lockers, and the pretty cool splash area saved it from a C-.
 
Now, after the water park we came back to the camper and I grilled steaks with beans and potatoes.
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Then rode the 5 minutes back over to Gatlinburg for some golf at my person favorite, Hillbilly Golf. It's been here since 1971 and is a staple around here.
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The parking and office are along the street but the courses are up on the mountain and you play your way back down.

They get you up there using a lift that carries 9 people at a time.

Here's looking up
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And here's looking back down.
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The course (two courses of 18 holes) are stepped down the mountain. The theme is old farming implements so your hitting the ball through old horse drawn hay mowers, rakes, plows, planters, disks, etc.
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At the end of the 18 holes your halfway down and you wait for the empty lift to come back down from taking the last group up to the top.
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We love the Hillbilly golf. I wonder if the problem is people getting scared and holding up the lines while they build up their courage. Great TR!!!
 
Aight, today was back in the park! We headed out on Newfound Gap Road over to Cherokee, NC. This is the main road across the Smokes from Tennessee to North Carolina. Right at first this is where the fire started and burned through. It was horribly obvious on the first several overlooks.
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You're not supposed to see brown or barren rock here. It was always lush and green.

Next up was my favorite spot in the park. Chimney Tops. The fire was started by two worthless pieces of humanity on the north rock.
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This has always been my favorite trail to the top. It is 2 miles of strenuous hiking with deep hollows. At the end you had to climb up the rock to get the view.

And what a view it was! Of all the trails (and I've done most of them) in this park it was the most rewarding. Especially when you have a distaste for heights like I do.
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I hate to be blunt but it made me angry to see it. I actually sat on the stone wall at the overlook and just stared at it.

There are two kids somewhere who deserve to be monkey stomped in the street. Especially since the justice system failed to do anything.

Let me finish dinner and I'll post some more of the park.
 
Michael Take a few deep breaths and remember You are there with your Lovely and SAINTED WIFE your two BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS who will surely one day bring home some young men that you can take some vicarious revenge upon as you instill the fear of God in them. For now grab your girls give them each a big public, pre-teenage embarrassing hug and kiss and thank GUS for the opportunities to make these memories with them
 
Man I'm officially jealous. I've missed my annual bike trip to the Smoky Mountains two years in a row now. We used to go every year around the same time as our GSP Dismeet. It broke my heart to see the fires burning and hearing of the loss of life. I have a friend that lost his vacation cabin he owned and rented out in Wears Valley. He decided to not rebuild after the fire. Love the trip report. You do it so well. I'm hoping to take my camper up there one day. But first I need a better truck. Enjoy your time off and good luck on the new job. I got one too. Will post an update on the GSP thread. Oh and go ride the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster if it's still there over in Pidgeon Forge. It was better than the one in Gatlinburg or the one down the street with goats on the roof. Get the two for one ride tickets. You will want ride go again. Trust me. It's a blast.
 
Congrats Joe. Can't wait to hear about the new gig.

I'm sitting here watching an episode of Barnwood Builders from 2 weeks ago where they rebuilt a log cabin in the hills around Gatlinburg after the fires. They said there were 35 log cabins in this one area. Only 11 remain.

j
 
IMAG0312-1632x918.jpg IMAG0305-1632x918.jpg IMAG0305-1632x918.jpg IMAG0312-1632x918.jpg Once your over the mountains one of the first things you come across is Mingus Mill. It is/was the largest mill in the Smokies and operated right up through the 60's I believe.

It's different however. Most of us think of a mill as having the big water driven wheel, but Mingus Mill runs on a water turbine instead. The principle is still the same. You need to divert water higher up stream...
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You bring it down a man made trough
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At the end of the trough was a pipe which the water goes down and through a turbine that turns the belts to operate the mill.
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The milling stone
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Notice the stones out front have Roman numerals in them designating which stones in the mills history.
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There was another wheel with 11 on it.

There was a miller on hand who walked us through it and showed us how it all worked. He pointed out something interesting on the scales in the mill. Check out the patent number.
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I got more pictures from Cherokee coming up.
 
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Loving all your pictures and observations! Our favorite park and destination as we've gone there every year since we've been married, and also have hiked many of the trails - the Chimneys only once though, as the top 1/4 mi. was pretty perilous - the view, priceless!
Actually, the Mingus Mill is still operational! We've purchased corn meal there.
 
Look, you guys have to forgive me. I'm a history nerd. Yes, Mingus is still operational, just not on a full time basis. Currently it's down though as they broke the belt.

Aight, past Mingus Mill and right inside the parks Eastern boundary is another park visitor center. This one has an old farm on it as well.
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A river runs next to the farm
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There are sometimes elk in the fields around the farm but not on this visit. Usually better seeing them in fall and cooler months.

After that we headed into Cherokee NC, which is Indian reservation property. Not nearly as commercialized as Gatlinburg but rich with culture.
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I had intended to take the girls to the bear park there as they haven't gotten to see any in the park but found out it had closed about 4 years ago. Dangit!
 
Now, yesterday's dinner was at a long time favorite in Gatlinburg. Howard's Steak House.
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It's the only locally owned restaurant in town.
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A local stream runs right under the restaurant.
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I had the 14oz Kansas City Cut with the potato, broccoli, and salad.
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Man, that's good! Highly recommend it.

Now afterwards we walked the strip again, this time touring the shirt and hat shops.
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And my personal favorite:
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We ended up at Ripley's Aquarium. Now, Ripley's (after Robert Ripley, look him up) has a lot of things up here. The aquarium, mirror maze, motion ride, haunted adventure, Guinness book of World Records, 3D ride, and the one Robert Ripley is best known for is Ripley's Believe it or Not!

The aquarium is easily comparable to Under the Seas with Nemo. In fact, I like this one better.
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Piranha looking at me like a steak
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Jellyfish are always cool
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Kids love seahorses
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Sharks are cool as well
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I can't make this up!
I looked all over and could not find one.
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At the end the kids can feed and pet the stingrays.
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