Yesterday I discovered how to get to Wal-Mart without getting on the Parkway! I can't begin to tell you how much time that saves. Now the only hard part is just getting out of the parking lot!
Today we discovered that Corky's Barbecue has a drive-thru! A pork platter with rolls and two sides is mighty tasty after spending the day at Wal-Mart!
If you want to eat at Bubba Gumps in Gatlinburg, park in the lot right behind the restaurant and they will give you a coupon for a free appetizer. Then you won't feel so bad about paying $8 to park! You can park for free behind Calhoun's if you show the attendant your receipt from Cherokee Grill, Smoky Mountain Brewery, or Calhoun's.
A lot of businesses give discounts to the locals. Showing a valid driver's license, Chalet Village Club Pass, or a utility bill is all that is required.
The biggest local speed trap seems to be anywhere on Veteran's Parkway. That's the road that goes from Sevierville to Pigeon Forge by way of Dollywood. If you go that way, you can expect to see cops giving tickets on both sides of the road. Tourists beware!
Since there are a lot of trees, our lights tend to go off during windy storms. Just about every time we go back, I find all the clocks flashing because the power has been off. I finally unplugged all the alarm clocks in the bedrooms because I got tired of resetting them. The power has gone off a couple of times while we were there (once for over an hour), but the power company does a good job of getting it back on.
I guess it's no surprise that fire is a big threat. I imagine everybody heard about the big fire in Pigeon Forge that destroyed so many homes this past year. Unfortunately, that's not a rare occurrence. Most of the homes are wood construction. During our first year on the mountain there were two house fires on our street! One of them was severely damaged and one was destroyed. Both were rental properties, one with cause unknown, the other caused by a cigarette on a couch. No one was home at either. There was also a brush fire on the bank just down the street from us. That one was probably a cigarette thrown out the window. (Now I hate smoking even more!). One of our neighbors has just rebuilt after his house burned down because of a faulty fireplace. Directly across the street from us there is a paved driveway that goes up to a vacant lot. I suspect there used to be a house there as well. Yep, fire is a big threat!
This past winter I made a nasty discovery about our water. Every time the firefighters open a hydrant in our neighborhood, it stirs up the water and the stuff coming through our taps looks like coffee! I was sick and achy and really wanted to just soak in the jacuzzi. Imagine my surprise when I saw a tub full of brown water! Yuk! We talked to the water department and found out what was going on. When this happens you just have to wait until the firefighters are finished putting out the fire and everything clears up again!
We knew the road (Wiley Oakley) that goes up the mountain was steep and full of twists and turns, but we had no idea just how dangerous it really is or maybe just how careless/stupid people can be. This past year, two different cars ran off the side of the road in the same place! This spot is so steep that one driver couldn't climb back up and had to be rescued! Of course his intoxication may have had something to do with that. The other driver was probably distracted by the two kids in the car with him. Both cars had to be towed out by multiple wreckers. And there's the rub-when this happens you find yourself stuck in traffic for a long time since the road is two-lane and there's no good place to turn around and you really don't want to back down Wiley Oakley! Well, I wouldn't turn around or back down, but somehow Keith and Jeff managed it! I'm glad I wasn't with either of them.
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