Dollywood or Bust!
Because of the possibility of snow (that didn't amount to a hill of beans), we packed up in just a couple of hours and left Nauvoo a week early. Since we weren't expected in our next destination for another 2 weeks we decided to head for Tennessee where Joel wanted to show me the fall colors on the rolling hills. Well, we got to thinking- why not pick a real destination, something like Dollywood? We didn't know much about it but that never stopped us before! So as we were driving I grabbed the map and quickly rerouted us and off we went. We drove until 2 in the morning, went to church at a little branch sized ward in southern IL then pushed on into the wee hours again in an effort to arrive near Dollywood at a decent hour the next day and get un-hitched and set up in our chosen campground.
Finally, after all that was successfully accomplished, it was Monday afternoon at 4pm and we sat down and got around to looking up details about the park on the internet. What's that? The park is closed tomorrow and they close at 6pm today? And it cost how much?! $104.00 just for the two of us?!
Ok, change of plan... Welcome to the Smoky Mountain National Park!
And it cost how much? Yea it's $FREE !
A note to those of you who have never been to the area: Dollywood is near Pigeon Forge, TN in the southeast part of the state where Dolly Parton grew up. I don't know what it was like back then, but know the road is a 10 mile strip of Outlet stores and tourist attractions. Your eyes don't know where to look next there is so much going on.
And then you get to the entrance of the Smoky's and everything stops and you enter a different world.
It's a beautiful park and we definitely got to enjoy the start of all the fall color.
I've done more than my share of chatting already so now I'll sit back and just let you enjoy the view.
True to their nature (hence the name I'm thinking) by the late afternoon the fog had rolled in to the "Great Smoky Mountains" and it was time to head back home.
3 comments:
love all the fall colors!
I love the smokey mountains!! I have only driven through them once, but they were beautiful. Seeing the fall leaves and just the type of scenery in the pictures reminds me of when we lived in Vermont. So pretty!
Wow! That is stunning.
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