Finally decided it was time to come down off of the ridge and get a new perspective on things.
So we packed up the Pilot and hit I-40 East headed for the Smokey Mountains. We had made reservations to rent a cabin, way out in the mountains, out from Pidgeon Forge. We had seen the picture of the place on the internet, but had no idea just how remote the place was. We followed the directions we had been given and the road(?) kept getting narrower and narrower and very steep with plenty of curves up the mountain side. We finally found the owner, got the key, and more driving up the mountain, almost to the top where the road ended, and there was the cabin! This place was deluxe! Everything you could want, including bears, eagles and all of the other animals that live in the mountains.
The owner had given us a short tutorial about the bears, as well shared with us a picture of a huge black bear that was seen about 50 yards from the cabin a few days ago......great! I am no fan of bears, so listened to the owners words carefully.
We settled in for the week, and only made one trip into town for provisions, yes, back down that steep narrow road!
We did take a day and went into Gatlinburg, as I wanted to see for myself the fire damage. I can't imagine what it was like to look up and see the fire all over the mountain tops. It will take years for the trees to regenerate,and the people who lost everything to re- build. The town itself was not harmed, just the area's going up the mountain right next to town. We pretty well left the junk shops alone, as everywhere was wall to wall people, so back up to the cabin we went.
One day I was sitting on the porch and got to thinking, what would happen if a disaster struck and there was no way out. We could last maybe a week with the food we had. The thought of hunting for food, was almost laughable as all I had with me was the .380. Maybe a turkey, but certainly no big game! It was a sobering thought. Hats off to the preppers!
Finally, after a week of peace and serenity, it was time to pack it up and head back towards middle Tennessee. Over all, it was a great adventure. Would I go back and spend a week with the bears, well, No!
Our Dachshund, Toby, was glad to see us after a week of boarding. He walked right into the house like he had never left! Some dog!
We had a lot of catching up to do, Lawn, Wash and Grocery. Speaking of grocery's, boy, the prices just keep going up, even China*Mart is keeping pace with Kroger and all of the rest. On a fixed income, this is becoming a challenge! If we ate high on the hog, we could cut back, but there is no more cutting to do. I guess I had better learn to love SPAM again, and the many ways you can fix it!!
That's about it from here on the ridge, where women are huge, the men skinny and their kids will break into your car!
So we packed up the Pilot and hit I-40 East headed for the Smokey Mountains. We had made reservations to rent a cabin, way out in the mountains, out from Pidgeon Forge. We had seen the picture of the place on the internet, but had no idea just how remote the place was. We followed the directions we had been given and the road(?) kept getting narrower and narrower and very steep with plenty of curves up the mountain side. We finally found the owner, got the key, and more driving up the mountain, almost to the top where the road ended, and there was the cabin! This place was deluxe! Everything you could want, including bears, eagles and all of the other animals that live in the mountains.
The owner had given us a short tutorial about the bears, as well shared with us a picture of a huge black bear that was seen about 50 yards from the cabin a few days ago......great! I am no fan of bears, so listened to the owners words carefully.
We settled in for the week, and only made one trip into town for provisions, yes, back down that steep narrow road!
We did take a day and went into Gatlinburg, as I wanted to see for myself the fire damage. I can't imagine what it was like to look up and see the fire all over the mountain tops. It will take years for the trees to regenerate,and the people who lost everything to re- build. The town itself was not harmed, just the area's going up the mountain right next to town. We pretty well left the junk shops alone, as everywhere was wall to wall people, so back up to the cabin we went.
One day I was sitting on the porch and got to thinking, what would happen if a disaster struck and there was no way out. We could last maybe a week with the food we had. The thought of hunting for food, was almost laughable as all I had with me was the .380. Maybe a turkey, but certainly no big game! It was a sobering thought. Hats off to the preppers!
Finally, after a week of peace and serenity, it was time to pack it up and head back towards middle Tennessee. Over all, it was a great adventure. Would I go back and spend a week with the bears, well, No!
Our Dachshund, Toby, was glad to see us after a week of boarding. He walked right into the house like he had never left! Some dog!
We had a lot of catching up to do, Lawn, Wash and Grocery. Speaking of grocery's, boy, the prices just keep going up, even China*Mart is keeping pace with Kroger and all of the rest. On a fixed income, this is becoming a challenge! If we ate high on the hog, we could cut back, but there is no more cutting to do. I guess I had better learn to love SPAM again, and the many ways you can fix it!!
That's about it from here on the ridge, where women are huge, the men skinny and their kids will break into your car!
