We weren't on the road but an hour or so
when a tire on our camper blew. We have since learned
that the Carlisle tire put on by Starcraft was a retread,
and many people experience blow-outs with this tire.
If you have Carlisles on your camper, check them
over carefully or just replace them.
The beautiful Smokies awaited us, but first
we had to make one stop on our journey.
After driving for about 8 hours, we stopped just
outside of Nashville and camped overnight at Countryside Resort.
There, a nice pool and hot showers awaited, and by 9 a.m. the next day
we were off to the Smokies.
Our checkin at Crazy Horse was fairly uneventful;
being a large campground, we had to wait in line a bit.
But it was worth the wait! A beautiful site awaited us,
right next to a rushing mountain stream.
However, our vacation was marred by frequent trips
to Pigeon Forge (1 and a half hours round trip) to:
A) Pick up the spare tire we ordered by phone,
B)Return the tire they gave us, (wrong size);
C)Pick up another tire, but it wasn't actually there yet; and
D)finally GET the tire.
In the meantime, we did have some time for some fun.
A highly recommended and memorable adventure
was the drive tour through a part of the Smokey Mountain National Park.
Along the way are mountain streams and several old
homesites you can enter, as well as old mills.
Some have short hiking trails that are just beautiful.
Don't miss Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies; there is
nothing else like it anywhere. Thre you will see
sharks swimming literally all around you as you
pass by on a motorized walkway.
Between the wonderful opportunities to enjoy nature
in the various parts of the Smokey Mountain National Park,
and the fun "touristy" thing to do in Gatlinburg,
(which is, by the way, a breathtakingly beautiful town),
you can easily fill a week with activities, not to mention
all the things to do at the campground.
We did not have time to go to Dollywood this time around
due to all the traveling to get the tire,
but beware of the traffic around opening and closing time!
There are many places to choose to go horseback riding,
but unfortunately the one we picked was the WORST
trail ride experience I've ever had!
I rode togeter with my 4 year old daughter, and the
saddle kept SLIDING SIDEWAYS! Twice the horse
started prancing sideways himself,
almost going over theedge of a steep, deep crevace.
The trail guide, between her puffs on her cigarette, kept yelling at us
to "sit straight", cursing frequently. She also kept telling the children not to let
the horses eat the surrounding grass and threatening
to make them get off their horses and walk the rest of the way.
Whew! We survived, though.
A stop in Nashville on the way back allowed us
to see country singer Buddy Jewell debut his first album with a free concert
at a Wal Mart near there, followed by a Meet-and greet inside the store.
What a treat!
For more information about what to do in Gatlinburg, click here.
For more information about what to do in Pigeon Forge, click here.
Recommended things to do:
Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies
Pirates Cove Adventure Golf
Ripley's Adventure Golf
Roaring Fork Auto Tour
Great American Buffet
Not Recommended;
Middle Creek Riding Stable
Pizza from Crazy Horse Campground
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