Cherokee to Cherokee via Great Smokey Mountains NP

We get up this morning and once again have the complimentary breakfast before heading out into the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, a short 8 minutes to the Park Entrance. We arrive before the Park opens so we just drive in. We spot some elk just inside the entrance and keep going. The traffic is sparse, just to our liking. The weather is overcast and spitting rain but that doesn’t deter us. As we climb into the hills we get glimpses of foggy overlooks and we hope for the sun to come out. Not to be had, at least this morning. Foggier and foggier it gets as we climb. So this is why they call this area the “Great Smokey Mountains”! The fog appears like smoke and is beautiful to look at!

We come to the road to Clingmans Dome, an overlook from the top and the border of two States, along with the route of the famous “AP” (The Appalachian Trail, which yours truly has hiked 400 miles of in my younger years although not this section) but we choose not to go to at the moment due to severe fog and we drive on towards Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

We get to the Sugarlands Visitor Center and acquire the info that we missed at the other entrance that was closed when we entered this morning and we decide to drive to Cades Cove and go through the loop there. It’s a long yet enjoyable drive that is quite scenic. Once in the loop, the traffic comes to a halt and it turns out it is because of a mama bear and 3 cubs that we never get to see. Once the traffic gets moving again, a half hour later we get stuck behind 5 cars again because of a young bear. We get to see this one, but alas, we get no photos as the bear is too quick and the camera angle is too difficult.

So we get moving again and head back across the pass and this time the pass is clear and we stop at Clingman’s Dome and walk the half mile trail to the top and access the tower there for views of the valley below right before the fog and storms cover it up. Elee even stands on the marker that shows her in both Tennessee and North Carolina at the same time! So we hoof it down to the parking lot before the rains set in and head back to Cherokee for the night.

We find an American Indian Restaurant for an IPA and a cold Cider and Dinner and we are tucked in for the night! See you all tomorrow!

Charlotte to Cherokee NC

Getting up this morning the rain is gone. We take advantage of the complimentary breakfast and head out. We head in the direction of “Chimney Rock”, a scant 2 hour drive. When we arrive, it even turns out there is an elevator up through the mountain for old fogeys like us to forego the 500 step climb and we pay the price to use it.

Once out on the rock, the views are good, in the vicinity of 75 miles out over the valley and over Luna Lake. We spend about an hour taking photos before moving on along and driving to Asheville for a mid afternoon lunch with a cold IPA and Hard Cider. Then it’s on to Cherokee, NC for dinner at Granny’s Buffet.

When we leave Granny’s, we cross the Eastern Continental Divide so now we have been across both east and west divides! The skies are dark and they open up and lightning lights up the skies for another show. We make it back to the Cherokee Econo Lodge Motel and manage to get inside dry. But the place has enclosed porches and I sit outside with a glass of wine and watch the storm. It’s been decades since I watched a good thunderstorm and it’s a fun evening!

Well, the plan is to go into the National Park early, weather permitting, in the morning, so I’ll turn in. Good night and I’ll see you all in the morning!

Myrtle Beach to Charlotte NC

This morning dawns with pelicans flying by our windows gracefully if that can be possible 14 stories above the ocean for birds that never appear graceful! Coffee poured and a peaceful morning begins. And surprise, surprise, right on time, the glass company shows up with the correct panel of glass for our sliding window and it only takes them 20 minutes to install the hurricane panel that we ordered 4 months ago. So we are happy campers after all.

The road is calling us and we pack up and get rolling and a short four plus hours later we roll into Charlotte, North Carolina. A new state for the bucket list and our list of 50 states to visit becomes shorter. We find a winery to do a tasting at before dinner and get to try a couple new varietals on our hunt to try 100 varieties of grapes.

Next, we seek out “7th Restaurant” in downtown Charlotte that was recently featured on Restaurant Impossible with Robert Irvine and we are more than impressed with the food and service. I have the Seafood Gumbo and Elee has the Clam Bake. Our waitress visits with us and we are doubly impressed as she was on the show. The Manager stops by and is quite congenial and I highly recommend the restaurant if you are ever in Charlotte!

Then we drive around downtown in the last remaining minutes of daylight and get some photos of the downtown area as they are lighting up for the night and rain starts to set in. As the rain becomes torrential, we find a high rise parking garage that has emptied out and drive to the top and get photos in the rain from the top and from the last covered level looking out at the downtown buildings in the rain. Eerily dark and deserted in the garage, the rainy city has a strange glow about it.

So we make our way back to our hotel on the dangerous and wet streets where it was difficult to see the lanes of traffic but it turned out uneventful. Until tomorrow…

Charleston to Myrtle Beach SC

This morning we took advantage of the hotel’s Continental Breakfast and then got on our way north. It was an uneventful drive to Myrtle Beach where we checked into our condo that we own to check out but not before stopping to book a helicopter flight over the beach to arrange at sunset tonight.

We check in to find out that some maintenance items have not been performed as promised so we jump on top of these items and start arranging for their completion. Changing out bedroom curtains and quilts, etc. Getting on top of a glass company that was supposed to have completed a sliding door unit 3 months ago seems to be the biggest item. It seems they can come in the morning to complete it while we are still here. I’m not holding my breath.

So now for a little fun. We walk down to the beach and play in the surf. The ocean is a balmy 86 degrees and the surf has 2-4 foot waves. It has been decades since we have played in such water. So play we do for most of an hour before these old bodies are tired out. We dry off and shower before resting a bit and then find a good seafood restaurant as this will be our last day on the shore before heading inland. Then we head to the helicopter pads to hopefully get some shots that the resort can maybe use for advertising and maybe I can get some fun use out of them also.

Now it’s back to the resort to get some rest to see what tomorrow will bring. Until tomorrow!

The road to Charleston, SC

Woke up today jetlagged, but ready to go. The hotel had a complimentary breakfast, our favorite kind. Refreshed a bit, we head out on the road. The GPS tells us it is a simple 2 hour drive from Savannah to Charleston and it is a simple drive. We stop at the Tourist Info Center and the clerk there is very helpful with a map and shows us where to park and what to look for.

We follow his instructions and we are soon walking around downtown Charleston in the sweltering heat and we locate the “Circular Church” for some fun photos before finding the horse and buggy rides for a guided tour of downtown Charleston. We pay for and arrange a front seat ride and are not disappointed as our guide, Will, educates us about the downtown area and the buildings and streets that we see with his mighty steed, “Gary”, the horse that pulls us around the streets without hardly breaking a sweat.

After thanking Will, we depart to find our way on our own the the “Rainbow” section of Old Town where the colorful houses don’t disappoint and the old architecture amazes us with centuries old style. We make our way down to the waterfront and catch many photos along the way as we go. The heat and humidity are breaking us into the South in the fastest way possible. So we make our way back to the car and revel in the air conditioning in the best way.

We had heard about an old tree, the “Angel Tree” along our way. We asked Will on our Horse and Buggy ride. Will identified it as the “Angel Oak Tree” and said it was on “John’s Island”. We thanked him and looked it up. It was a 30 minute ride and we set our GPS and head out to find it. It turns out it is in a protected park that is open until 5PM. We arrived at 4:35PM and had just enough time to get some shots so we were lucky. The tree is estimated to be 400 years old, however there is controversy about its age. Suffice it to say it is old, very, very old. I would guesstimate the trunk to be in excess of 15 feet in diameter. The branches spread more than 200 feet and its height is in excess of 100 feet. The branches are gnarled and twist in a beautiful dance.

We chat with the lady in charge, Maria, and would you know that she is from the city next door to ours in Southern California? Wow, it IS a small world! Well, before we know it, the area is closing and we need to leave so we reluctantly walk out. But we are tired and still jetlagged and we find our way to our hotel, the ‘Tru’ Hotel in North Charleston. We check in and then locate a ‘Low Country’ restaurant for dinner, for when you find yourself in ‘low country’, you eat ‘low country’ food! We find “Nigel’s Good Food” restaurant and sit down for some good Soul Food. The food was good, however they were out of a lot of their BBQ and their Greens so there was some disappointment there. I will say after eating in the South that I understand the expression now, “A moment on the lips, A lifetime on the hips!”

Well, until tomorrow….