DAY 118- Knoxville to Nashville…

The rain had continued all night long.  It was still coming down pretty good when I left my hotel.  I drove to downtown Knoxville, TN to explore what I could in the rain.  I first parked in the Old City area which is being renovated and there’s a host of new businesses opening soon.  There wasn’t much going on during a Sunday morning except for some brunch at some of the restaurants.  Some of the menus looked pretty good but I had a free breakfast at my hotel.  There were some rather neat old buildings in the area.

Photo- Some really neat old buildings in the Old City part of downtown Knoxville, TN.

I wandered over to the Market Square area of Knoxville next.  There was a plaque that explained that the Market Square started out in the 1940’s as an area for farmers would pull up the back of their trucks and sell goods out of the back of their trucks.  It now has a series of restaurants with patios and other business around the edges of the square.  There was a large tented area in the center that is currently being used as an ice skating rink.  I could imagine on any other day than Sunday it would have been a place of activity. 

Photos- Market Square area of Knoxville.

I wandered south through Market Square and across the street into Krutch Park which was a lovely city park area with large sculptures on display and some of them were even available for purchase.  I walked south some more on a main city road through the area, turned a corner and there was a HUGE sculpture coming out of the sidewalk.  I will say there was a great deal of artwork in the downtown area which was rather nice.  I walked by a theater in the downtown area that had lines waiting to buy tickets.  I also walked by a café that had outdoor seating behind a clear vinyl hanging barrier that was different.  It was like looking at people through a shower curtain.

Photo- Krutch Park a city park south of Market Square in Knoxville.

Photo- A VERY large sculpture in Knoxville's downtown area.

Next I drove over to the World’s Fair Park but there wasn’t much going on because of the weather other than one runner getting soaked in the rain.  I admired the tall tower with the sphere a little closer but the rain clouds were dropping and I couldn’t see much.  I decided I would go ahead and drive on to Nashville which was my next stop.

Photo- World's Fair Park in downtown Knoxville, TN.

About 10 miles out of Knoxville, I was white knuckle driving through thick fog where I could barely see the car tail lights of the car that was maybe 20 ft. in front of me.  I slowed down to 50mph but didn’t want to slow down too much for fear of getting rear ended.  This went on for almost 20 miles where there were patches of thick fog and then patches where it was very hazy.  The whole time it was still rainy too.  The radio station faded from an alternative rock to a twangy country station (which I HATE) and I just let it go because I was concentrating on driving. 

Finally, the clouds picked up off the road way but it was still raining pretty good.  I decided I needed a break and I turned into a truck stop.  I filled up the still half-filled tank and cleaned out the front passenger side seat of garbage.  A little while later, I was back driving on the interstate through rain but no fog.  As I got closer to Nashville, TN the rainy weather started to clear up but a cross wind had started to blow hard out of the north.  As I passed a truck, I had to be ready for a gust of wind to hit the car.  As I got even closer to Nashville, the traffic picked up. 

I took the exit to head over towards the Opryland area where my hotel was near.  On one exit there was a long line of cars almost ½ mile long.  It was the exit before the one I needed to take and it looked like there was a huge shopping mall off of it.  I think last minute Christmas shopping was in full swing!  The next exit was pretty busy too but not quite as much.  It still took about 8 minutes to get off the interstate.  Thankfully, I managed to get into the right lane to make a turn I needed to.  I took a quick right after going left over the overpass and then I was on an almost empty road to the hotel.  Yeah!

I got checked in and settled into the hotel.  It would soon be dark and I went down to the front desk.  There was information about a free shuttle service over to the Gaylord’s Opry Grand Hotel which I guess is a HUGE resort hotel.  In fact, the guy at the desk said that you could easily fit 10 of this hotel which had 150 rooms into that place.  He went on to tell me that there were restaurants, shopping, shows and Christmas lights too.  I signed up for a shuttle time and went upstairs to get cleaned up.

Photo- In side the large Gaylord Resort.

It was like a three block drive in the shuttle to the Gaylord Resort but then it was about a block and a half drive around to a loading-drop off zone in the back.  The busy mall was adjacent to the back of the Gaylord Resort and there were people walking back and forth between both locations.  The guy in the hotel shuttle van gave out the hotel business cards for us to call when we needed to head back to the hotel.  I walked into the Gaylord Resort through a foyer area, down a hall, and into a HUGE atrium area.  It was packed full of people and there was a map of the layout.  I looked at it and discovered there were three floors of restaurants and shops in the atrium area.  There were four ballroom areas and it looked like there were about 10 floors of hotel rooms on the outside areas.  It was HUGE!

Photo- The Giant Panda that kids can visit and have their picture taken with.

I proceeded to wonder around.  There were Christmas lights on trees, draped from the ceiling in some areas, balloons with lights, and towers of poinsettias.  I walked by displays where there were characters of Shrek and the Panda where kids could visit and get their pictures taken with them.  There were restaurants both high end and middle range serving all types of food.  There were all kinds of stores.  It was very much like a shopping mall within a hotel area.  It was rather confusing and I ended up backtracking to a map to figure out where I was quite often.  I ended up having dinner at a Jack Daniels Restaurant and watching the football game from near the bar.  I opted for just a bowl of chili and corn bread.  The steaks sounded good but they only had a 12oz. portion which was more than I could handle.  I was able to see out to the “mall” area through some barrels and also did some people watching.  There was a great deal of families with young kids wandering around.

Photo- Outside in front of the Gaylord Opryland Resort.

After dinner, I wandered out front of the Resort and there was a row of carriages lined up for people to take rides in.  There also was a great deal of the landscaping with trees that were filled with Christmas lights.  It reminded me a bit of the Temple Square in Salt Lake only quite a bit more down scale but it was a nice display.  There was a manger area and a very large tree with huge light holly formations at the bottom of it.  There were sitting areas and a little fire pit area where people could stand and warm their hands.  It was a fun festive air.  I walked around and just enjoyed.  But soon I was ready to head back to the hotel for the night.  I called the hotel and caught the next shuttle.

DAY 116- Helen, Anna Ruby Falls, & the Appalachian Mountains…

It was dark when I arrived in Helen, GA last night.  Helen is a cute small German town on the south end of the Appalachian Mountains.  About all I could see were these cute German-like hamlets decorated with Christmas lights as I drove through.  My hotel recommended a German restaurant in the middle of town called Bodensee.  I had a wonderful pork dish that came on a skewer served up with a sauce and a side of cold German potato salad.  It was delightful and the German potato salad was better than I had in years. Yum!

Photos- Helen at night with Christmas Lights.

The next morning I could see the town much more clearly.  It was adorably cute with all of the German touches.  I jumped in my car and headed over to the visitor’s center.  I got directions to a trial head of a local waterfall called Anna Ruby.  I then decided that I would explore some of Helen before I headed north out of town to the waterfalls.  Well, long story short-- I ended up going back to the hotel to ask if I could park there because everywhere else in town it was a $4 to $6 fee for parking in lot that was 90% empty.  The gal at the desk said that would be fine and apologized for not telling me about the parking situation. 

Photos- Helen, GA during the day.

There’s plenty of parking but they charge and to me it doesn’t seem conducive to encouraging people to stop and visit.  However, when I talked with a coffee shop owner he said that on some weekends it gets packed with people; especially during Spring Break and the Christmas Season.  Well, maybe that’s the reason but it seemed ridiculous to me during a week day when the lots were empty.

I explored around Helen, GA going into several different gift shops and cute clothing stores.  There was a nice selection of items for a smaller community.  I also saw signs leading to a tubing area north of town where during the warmer months for $3 you could float on an intertube down the nice river past and through the town area and be picked up just south of town.  That sounded like fun and it also would explain all of the signs in the shops saying no shirts, no shoes, and no service.  There were also quite a few little hotels with cottages that you could stay in that would be romantic for a weekend getaway.  I stopped for coffee and talked with the guy for a bit while he made my coffee.

I headed north out of town about 3 miles and took a paved road to a local state park.  I drove through the park to National Forest Land where the Anna Ruby Falls Trail head starts.  There’s a National Forest Land Visitor’s Center right next to it.  I went in, paid $3 fee and then headed over to the start of the .4 mile paved trail.  I ended up talking just before I started the hike with a forest ranger.  He found out that I was from Utah and started to gab with me.  He was a nice older man who had visited Zion’s National Park and asked me what brought me to their neck of the woods.  I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to get to the hike.  He sure did like to talk.  Eventually, another couple came up and side tracked him.  He invited me to come back and he would give me directions to where I wanted to go later in the day.

Photo- The stream along the hike on the way to the Anna Ruby Falls.

Photo- The Anna Ruby Falls.

The Anna Ruby Falls Trail is a pretty hike that goes along a stream area.  There are a couple of bridge areas where you go over the stream.  There are also bench areas to sit down as you go along, and it’s a bit of an incline to get to the Falls.  But it well worth the short little hike and drive.  It was like a triple waterfall, with two starts off the top; one started lower to one side and the other one where it ran into another waterfall area enjoyed the quiet for a while but then others with kids started to arrive and it wasn’t so quiet.  I headed back down to the visitor’s center.  The forest ranger took me to a map area and he gave me several different ways that would be a pretty drive over to Ashville, NC where I would be staying the night.

Photo- The view from Popcorn Overlook.

Next thing I found myself zooming this way and that way down some curvy two lane highway roads with some wonderful views of the Appalachian Mountains off in the distance.  But eventually I needed to get on an interstate and into Asheville before it got dark outside.  I pulled up to my hotel just as the sun was going down.

DAY111- Mobile to Montgomery with a Florida Pit Stop…

I woke up to pure fog this morning and I was being to wonder if that was all they got along the coast during the winter time.  I took my time before checking out because I didn’t want to be driving and trying to find my way in the fog.  About 10am, it had finally lifted.  I headed south through the downtown area of Mobile.  It was quite the skyline to look at and it was rather cool to drive through a tunnel under part of the city area.  But I didn’t stop.  I wanted to check out some of the coastal communities and make a quick drive through Pensacola, FL before heading north to Montgomery, AL.   On the way out of Mobile, I passed a HUGE naval warship, the USS Alabama.  I thought better of trying the inside of another warship after my panic attack I had inside the last one.  But I did get to admire the bay as I drove along.

Photo- The city skyline of Mobile, AL.

Photo- The tunnel under part of downtown Mobile, AL.

I drove along the scenic highway route to the small township of Fairhope that I had heard was a small artistic community.  It was a cute little town.  I saw bicyclists and runners along a path that ran parallel to the road.  There were three square blocks of businesses for the downtown with a marina off in the distance.  There were quite a few artistic looking shops and a cute garden shop with metal armadillos walking across the front lawn area.  But it being Sunday, mostly everything was closed up and the only areas packed with cars were the churches; especially the Catholic Church as I went by.  I wasn’t dressed for church at all and so I continued on.

Photo- Bicyclists along the street near Fairhope.

Photo- Armadillos for Christmas anyone?

Next, there was the town of Foley which had a few more people out and about.  Pickup trucks and trailers were more common and I was driving away from the coastline over towards the Florida state line.  After that, there were several other communities that I drove through very similar to Foley with most of the businesses housed in metal warehouse like buildings off to the side of the road.  The land was very flat.  There were a lot of fields that looked like they were fallow cotton fields and other crops that I wasn’t sure what they were.  I drove over a bridge into Florida.  Here the landscape changed a bit and became more hilly.  There were also a lot of Naval Base areas.  I drove by a large Naval Medical area.  I followed the signs to the historic downtown Pensacola. 

Photo- Andrew Jackson Statue in a Plaza Square in Pensacola, FL.

I stopped at a town plaza square that had a statue of Andrew Jackson.  In July of 1821, General Jackson received West Florida from Spain and raised a flag in this very square to claim it as part of the US.  But as I read the inscription on the back of the statue, it sounds like this square got a lot of use as they listed other dates that other countries were raising flags over this part of Florida.  In fact, there had been ten times that the flag had been “turned” over prior to General Jackson earning the flag the last time.  This was a career boost to Andrew Jackson who ended up being a military governor and then ended up in the position of President shortly after that.

Photo- A statue of Ponce de Leon near the shore in Pensacola. 

Next, I walked down through the historic downtown area towards the shoreline.  The only places that seemed to be open were restaurants.  There were a fair amount of people down by the shoreline; some sitting on benches and enjoying the view with friends and family, while others were fishing.  It was an overcast cloudy and rather windy day along the coast.  I could see sailboats out on the water.  Here there was a statue of Ponce de Leon standing in a circle with fountains spraying behind him.  The fountains were accessible to play in, but with the cooler temps there weren’t any takers.  I slowly worked my way back to the car.

Photo- Fishing and watching the sailboats.

I still needed to work my way north towards Montgomery where I was staying the night.  I drove north through some forested land where there was new growth and old growth.  This land was being used for logging.  I had noticed seeing some logging trucks and I now knew where some of them were coming from.  The more north I went the more hilly the landscape became.  There wasn’t many small towns just off the road in this area and gas stations were sparse I’m glad I filled up before leaving Pensacola.

I came to one small town just after crossing the border to Alabama and stopped for a late lunch at a Hardee’s.  I didn’t know any of these existed anymore.  I used to work the graveyard shift during my college years at one in Iowa.  I stopped.  The menu was quite a bit different but it looks like they still made their biscuits for breakfast.  I asked one of the girls behind the counter if they still made their biscuits from scratch every morning.  Yes, she said there were two different people trained to do that and they would take turns coming in at 4am.  I told her I used to do that in my college years and that they didn’t have Hardee’s up in the mid-west anymore.  She didn’t find that very interesting; I guess because I got the doe in the headlights look.  I sat down and waited for my food.

It was just starting to get dark when I drove up to my motel in Montgomery and I have to say that my hotel was a bit of a dive.  In fact, right next door there was an abandoned dilapidated old motel but it was easy to find and relatively cheap.  The room was clean but was in poor need of updating.  I had been looking at the money situation of late and it was starting to dwindle faster than what I had planned.  I needed to find cheaper places.  I may only have about another 30 days before I may have to stop and do some work. 

Photo- Downtown Montgomery, AL.

But enough of this, I drove around and explored some of the downtown area of Montgomery.  There was a whole street area where there were Christmas lights along both sides of the streets.  It was a rather nice little downtown but was a bit annoying to get around because they sure do like their one way streets here.  On the way back to the hotel I had quick and cheap dinner at a Captain D’s which was like a different version of a Long John Silvers.