Pigeon Forge, TN - October 11 - 15, 2020

 Pigeon Forge, TN

 October 11 - 15, 2020

On Monday, October 12 we went to Dollywood.  We had purchased season tickets last year and because of the Wuhan virus they were extended until next spring.  They are having their Harvest Festival now and everything is decorated in pumpkins.  Here are a few.

During the festival they also have gospel groups.  We saw the Kingdom Heirs, The Carolina Boys, The Sound, and Messiah's Call.

Dollywood is a beautiful park.  Right now reservations are necessary because they limit the number of people in the park.  It was still pretty busy.  There were a lot of children and we found out that KY and TN are on Fall break.

On Tuesday, October 13 we went to the Titanic Museum.  The ratings were good and I can see why.  It was very well done; a lot of information but not overwhelming.

We weren't allowed to take pictures with a couple of exceptions.  Wallace Henry Hartley was the Titanic bandleader and violinist.  He and the whole band went down with the ship, playing "Nearer My God to Thee".  He had a life vest on and when he was found floating on the sea he had a valise strapped to his chest.  Inside the valise was his violin.  The valise and violin were the only pictures of the inside we were allowed to take.

It took about two hours to tour the museum.  If you are ever in the area it's well worth it.

Wednesday, October 14 we decided to take a drive.  We went south on Hwy. 321 to the Foothills Parkway.

We looked at the map and decided since the Tail of the Dragon wasn't far we'd do it.  We did it in the other truck so it was only fair we do it in the new truck.  John says he wants to do it on his motorcycle someday.

We had a picnic lunch near Fontana Dam and found the campground that's below it.  I knew it was there but never figured out how to get there.  Here's a view from the campground.

From there we went around by Bryson City, through Cherokee, and into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  We tried to go to the top of Clingmans Dome but there was a long line of traffic to get to the parking lot.  After about 30 minutes we decided to turn around and go towards the Sugarlands Visitor Center.  I was surprised that there weren't more red colors, mostly yellow and gold.

The traffic around the parking areas was extremely crowded, but the roads weren't too bad.  We stopped at the Sugarlands Visitor Center to get my National Parks Passport stamp, as we had done at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center.  There was a backup of traffic going towards Gatlinburg so we decided to take Little River Road and cut across towards Hwy. 321.  It may have been longer mileage but I think we got back faster.

We had a great trip and head for the barn tomorrow.

Roving on...

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork.  Psalm 19:1