Lights, Sights, and Coasters

We were in Sevierville and Pigeon Forge for a little over a month during the Christmas season. Other than making sure we went to Dollywood prior to the park's winter closing (Jan 2), we tried to do things mid-week until after the new year started. The towns leave their Winterfest lights up unti mid-February. Roads and attractions are far less crowded. Some of the dinner shows do close down though. If that's your interest, you may want to check first.

The Winterfest Wonder of Lights Walking Trail essentially goes from The Island district to the Old Mill district following the paved pathway along the river. Regretably most of our photos of the lights didn't turn out. Guess we should have read the blog article on how to take photos of the lights.

Dad (Wade) and Catherine visited!

Inspired by Sevierville's sponsored episode of When Couples Go on Vacation by It's a Southern Thing, we got our obligatory photo with the Dolly statue. We did not get our picture with the moonshine still or attend a tasting.

We missed the Old Mill tour, but that didn't stop us from purchasing some yellow corn grits and steel cut oatmeal milled onsite. 

The Island in Pigeon Forge was all decorated and we enjoyed our shopping stroll, especially the cookie stop. 

Tippy toes for cookies

Mellow Mushroom

After seeing mountain coaster after mountain coaster, we decided to give one a try. We chose the Rocky Top Coaster that offered a second ride for half price. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that they had a military discount that gave a half price discount on the first ride. 

There's plenty to do in the area from amusements and shows to shopping  - all set in a beautiful mountain area worth seeing.  So bring your patience, a lot of spending money, and enjoy!

Where Are We Going Next?

Dollywood Christmas

We had heard that the Christmas lights at Dollywood were something to see. I don't know that it was much different from any other amusement park's holiday lights, but we did enjoy them. Most of our photos of the lights did not turn out though. 

Our first day at the park, the day after Christmas, the park opened late due to the extreme cold. We figured we'd catch a couple of the indoor shows and come up with a game plan for subsequent visits. Well, the park ended up closing less than 5 hours later. The flurries forecasted became a steady, light snow around dusk. Dollywood itself has a lot of elevation changes, and the paths around the park were slick. Everything quickly became a treacherous mix of ice and snow. The roads around Pigeon Forge were a mess. Temperatures stayed below freezing for much of the next day, and Dollywood stayed closed. 

We went to the park in the early afternoon on our next visit. The park was super crowded with folks squeezing in their Dollywood visit. The plan was to stay late and see the lights. Well, it got rather cold when that sun went down. Temperatures were above freezing, but it was cold. We rode the coal-fired train, made a quick lap around the park, and called it good. I was so glad I had bought a heavier coat just before the cold snap!

Our last day we got to the park at opening. Our goal was to ride a couple of rides before the lines got long and see one more show. We left around mid-afternoon. The temperatures were much nicer that day, making the experience much more enjoyable. That should have been our late night to see the lights. Oh well. We were quite glad we had gotten the 3-day pass. We didn't feel like we had to do everything and see everything in one day. 

Park closing, time to go

It's freezing out!

About our speed

Wild Eagle - great roller coaster

Cinderella - coal fired

Cinderella and the Old Grist Mill

Cinnamon Swirl Bread - Yum!

Dolly tour bus

Where Are We Going Next?

It's Cold!

We knew that Tennessee had the potential to be cold in December and January. We just weren't quite ready for the severe cold snap that occurred around Christmas. Much of the country was experiencing blizzard and subzero temperatures. In comparison, we had it good. Still, we managed to set a new record low for our RV experience, 0° F.  

Thankfully, the New Aire performed great. We heat through our Oasis hydronic heater. Electric elements in the heater put out 10,000 BTUs. The diesel burner component of the heater puts out 50,000 BTUs. We burned a fair amount of diesel during the cold snap. We do not have any propane onboard. 

I was a bit concerned about the fuel filter freezing or even having the diesel fuel gel up. I guess we kept fuel flowing often enough that the filter didn't freeze. I learned that most of the diesel fuel sold after October has an additive to help prevent freezing. 

We were ever so grateful for the heated tile floors and that we never lost electric power. Well, there was that 15 minute rolling blackout that we didn't know was going to happen. Talk about a moment or two of panic. Anyway, we turned the floors up as high as they could go, moving the floor rugs to areas of the floor that were not heated, namely the dinette slideout and the engine cover hump in the bedroom. That radiant heat really helped us stay warm.  Between the Oasis and the floors, we stayed a comfortable 66 - 68°F. 

We did frost up the front windshield since we don't have a dehumidifier. We also stuffed throw pillows into the side window boxes next to the headboard in the bedroom.

We do have a heated water hose, and we insulated the water spigot upon our arrival. Even so with the extreme cold, we drained the outside hoses and shut off the spigot, running water from the tank and filling as needed. 

A couple of days later, we even had a bit of snow. The kids from Florida next to us had never seen snow. They were delighted. I'm thinking we head further south next year. 

Zero!

Guess the shade worked to insulate us too

The flamingos weren't happy

Staying toasty

Snowy Sunrise!

 

Where Are We Going Next?

Quiet Before the Crowds

We were heading to Pigeon Forge, TN, over Christmas. Knowing that we were heading for crowds of people in a tourist area, we opted first for a week at nearby Panther Creek State Park. It was our second visit there. With disc golf, bike riding, and plenty of hiking, there is plenty to do in the park itself and our last visit was too short. 

Alas, the weather did not cooperate. It rained several days of that week. So, no disc golf or bike riding for us. We did get in a couple of hikes, despite the somewhat muddy trails. We were thankful for hiking poles to aid our steps, especially on the steep sections. 

Nearby Morristown has an elevated sidewalk, called the Skywalk. Built in the 1960's after a flood did damage along Main Street, it was hoped that the Skywalk would help the downtown compete with a nearby mall that was being built. While things didn't happen the way merchants hoped it would, the town continues to try to revitalize the district today. With the recent interest in shopping local, shopping small, etc. the area has potential.

Foggy morning in the park

Along the 7 sink hole trail

Love the lone fern on the rock

A little fall foliage left

Looking out toward Cherokee Lake

A bit steep in sections

Morristown Skywalk

Where Are We Going Next?

Friends, Family, Lookouts, and Socks

After Thanksgiving, we moved down the road just a little bit to Wytheville. We were still close enough to my sister Karen that we indulged in a visit to their home and a little Christmas craft show shopping. We enjoyed helping them decorate their tree. 

We enjoyed visiting with my friend, Connie, who lives in nearby Pulaski. Connie and I grew up together through church and school. We were guessing that the last time we had seen each other was at Harold's and my wedding, over 21 years ago. We were well overdue for a visit!

Southern Virginia is a well-known motorcycle riding area. We took in a portion of the Bland Loop of the Claw of the Dragon, stopping at Big Walker Lookout. Even without paying to climb the observation tower, the views were pretty good.  We took a short hike to the top of the ridge for more views.

We took a day trip over to Mt. Airy, NC. Mayberry is alive and well. However, I think I spent a good portion of my time in the Nester Hosiery Outlet. Nester makes Farm to Feet merino wool socks as well as a few other brands. We love merino wool socks and getting them at bargain prices is even better.

Where Are We Going Next?