2010 Pigeon Forge Jeep trip
Day 3

January 17 Because I was up so late last night watching DIY Network I slept in this morning without effort. It was supposed to rain today so it will be a shopping day in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. I peeked outside to check on the weather. It was hard to tell. The cabin was enveloped in cloud cover. It appeared to be drizzly, or maybe that was just the cloud moisture. By the time I had taken my shower and gotten dressed the sun had burned through a little bit. Visibility had increased to a few hundred feet. I had a few questions about the cabin locations I had scribbled down yesterday so I ran up the road again to clarify a few things. It was after 1:30 by the time I headed off to Gatlinburg. It was a drizzly drive. I parked in the lot behind Calhouns. I'd been there a couple times before and it's one of few places where parking is free sometimes. It was today. I had already decided I was going to eat at the Smoky Mountain Brewery. I had steak yesterday so today I wanted something different. Maybe something more Italian. On the short walk from the parking lot to the restaurant I stopped at a small bridge that crosses a stream. In 2006 Sarah and I had taken some pictures of the stream, and Sarah took a picture of her and I on the bridge. I stood there in the drizzling rain for awhile watching the water flow under the bridge...a metaphor for life. The last time I was in the Smoky Mountain Brewery the waitress was tall, blonde, and big chested with a low cut shirt. Today my waitress...is a waiter named Ian. Can't win them all. I decided on chicken parmasean. There was a lot more than I thought there'd be but I ate it like a man. As you might expect a lot of people at home are Indianapolis Colts fans. As I ate I watched the Colts on TV. Then they showed the score. Oops...it's the Dallas Cowboys. Sorry Colts fans. After a delicious meal I decided some exercise was in order, so I walked towards downtown Gatlinburg. The weather swayed between drizzly and dry. At one point the sun tried to make an appearance. The place was fairly crowded. No shorts like you'd see in summer, but plenty of nice tight jeans. I walked until I got to the multi-level mall building downtown. I browsed a couple levels but didn't find anything that interested me. I guess I felt like walking more than shopping. I headed back to the parking lot via the other side of the street. I saw the Baskin Robbins ice cream store where Mike and I stopped back in September was closed. I've noticed several stores in the area are closed. Victims of the economy I guess. When I got near the parking lot I stopped at the reminiscent bridge a while longer, then headed back to Pigeon Forge. Back in Pigeon Forge I veered off onto Teaster Lane, eventually stopping at the tool outlet store. It's the typical tool outlet place...name brands advertised but 99% of the stuff inside is generic stuff. I checked out every aisle and found $19.60 worth of odds and ends stuff I could use. Some of the clothes outlet places in the area appeared to be closed for the season, so I headed for the outlet stores near Walmart. This place was packed! So much so that I kind of lost interest to even mess with it. I hate shopping for clothes. It was starting to get dark so I headed back to the cabin via Apple Valley Road. Bluff Mountain. I've stayed on Bluff Mountain every year since 2006. The cabins go about halfway up the mountain...approximately 750 feet higher than the valley below. From my cabin exploration the other day I know the cabin I'm staying at is near the top of the cabin line. When you're approaching the mountain you can see cabins lit up, and now I know where mine is. Just trivia for my mind. There was still some light left when I got to the cabin and the rain looked cool, so I sat on the porch and pondered the past year, the paths I've taken in life, and my demons. I was still so stuffed from lunch that I decided I would subsist on it for the rest of the night. I started watching DIY and decided I would hit the hottub after the good shows were over. 3 hours later (!) I got in the hottub. I really like DIY. While I was in the hottub I heard scampering. Yes...one of the raccoons made a personal appearance. He walked over to the hottub, realized I was in it, and high-tailed back the way he came. I don't know if it's the same one that came around last year. That one wasn't as skittish. I didn't want to get out of the hottub tonight. Tomorrow I'll be heading back to Indiana. I could buy a hottub, but it wouldn't have this beautiful view. I eventually started getting sleepy, so I headed back inside. I lit the fireplace and filled out the journal the cabin guests fill out. I went back and read the ones Sarah and I had left in years past. 2007 2008 2008 I thought about doing some pre-packing but decided I would just do it all in the morning. I sat on the cold porch and took in my last night views of Pigeon Forge and Walden Creek, then went to bed. 39 miles. Click here for the next day's adventure. Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Epilogue