The Libators go Corner to Corner: Playing Across the Middle.

We left Kansas City early to get to our next Harvest Host early enough to enjoy it. We stayed at the American Tractor Museum in Perryville, Missouri. Our next one night stay was at the Clarksville RV Resort in, you guessed it, Clarksville, Tennessee. Then we got a break from fast travel again in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. This route through Tennessee was specifically so I could buy a mountain (or country) dulcimer at Smoky Mountain Dulcimer. I have a hammed dulcimer (a 12/11 size) at home, but it doesn't travel well, so I figured I would try an instrument of a different color, er... size. It's played completely differently, but I still liked the sound and the feel of it, so its mine now. The second day in the Pigeon Forge area was devoted to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which we hit at an excellent time for leaf peeping. Fall color extraordinaire.

Illuminating drive.

A Fantastic Museum.

Our quiet spot at the American Tractor Museum.

They have an amazing collection.

I think this was the Mississippi, or maybe the Missouri?

A very brief trip through a small corner of Kentucky.

The Ohio River.

Sweet Tennessee.

Downtown Nashville. This is as close as we got to the big city.

 

Views from the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Alum Caves Bluff.

A kind fellow hiker took this picture for us.

Fall color from Inspiration Point.

My new beauty.

At the Old Mill Restaurant.

As we left Kansas City, we hustled out of town because we needed to get to the American Tractor Museum in time to enjoy the exhibit without rushing like we did at the WWI Memorial and Museum. The distance was considerable, and it always takes longer than I think it will to get there with the trailer. We usually stop and rest a bit around lunch, and give the cat a break. It was worth it, though. I really enjoyed the Tractor Museum. All the tractors were beautifully restored and the collection was extensive. Plus, we were alone in a huge gravel lot next to a tree belt and a short walk to the town's main street area. It was quiet and dark, and Cedar loved it during his walk the next morning.

A small hole, perfectly formed.

Clouds and corn fields.

The museum was behind all these garage doors.

Our spot next to the trees.

There was a clear expansion of the building.

The front space made it seem small, but it continued on...

Lots of tractor themed folk art graced the walls.

The oldest tractors seemed to be from around 1900.

Stop in if you get to Perryville, MO.

A man and tools.

The John Deere Section

They had six rows of tractors in this section of the museum.

Old tools for old toys.

I had no idea the word Tractor came from "Traction" and "Motor"

Nice logo.

Outside but not out of mind.

After leaving Perryville, we drove to Clarksville, Tennessee for a single night at a full hook up RV Park. We mostly just needed a place to sleep with the right number of miles attached. It was a fine place for one night, and we were able to top up our propane tank after several very cold nights.

Yogurt breakfast with fruit, honey and granola.

Terrific mural as we were leaving Perryville.

Perryville was a lovey town.

Country roads.

Bridge over the Mississippi.

What makes it a memorial bridge?

A brief run through Illinois.

Cairo was a town in decline. It was sad to see it.

Lots of abandoned buildings from those in poor repair to outright collapse.

Even when the building was standing, it often was boarded up.

The main street.

Collapse was common.

Overgrown walls and structures was normal.

What happened to Cairo?

Welcome to town.

Another bridge over a big river.

This is the Ohio River.

From the bridge deck.

Much of the river bank was undeveloped.

Welcome to Kentucky.

We did see a lot of trains.

Small town Kentucky was in better condition.

Another river, this time the Tennessee River.

Several bridges at this location.

Fields of golden flowers. I don't know what is growing in this field.

Go in all directions.

Welcome to Tennessee.

Tennessee was absolutely lovely. Partly, it was the perfect weather. Partly, it was that we finally started seeing some evidence of fall, especially when we got to the Great Smoky Mountains. Originally, I attempted to find camping in the town of Gatlinburg, TN, but there was either no space or the campground required a 7-day stay. Instead, I found a campground in the neighboring city, Pigeon Forge (love that name so much). The campground with room was (luckily) the one off the main drag, which felt like Las Vegas to me, too many lights, traffic and action. Gateway RV turned out to be a shady, quiet oasis. It was pretty full too, but the neighbors were nice. I thought at first that we would be able to just pop in to Dollywood across the street for dinner or something, but the basic ticket was priced for a full day of roller coasters, which are so not our thing; we elected to skip Dollywood in favor of a quick visit to the closest Great Smoky Mountain visitors center to round out my dulcimer day.

 

Downtown Nashville from the truck window.

Lots of trees in Tennessee.

Thrilled to find Buc-ees has made it to Tennessee.

It was recently opened.

Banana pudding.

The interstate always had a green screen on both sides.

River.

Our campsite at Gateway RV.

Gin and Tonic celebration.

I would love to know the origin of the name.

Waffle House breakfast.

Halloween themed nails on our lovely server.

She was terrific.

I had fun at breakfast. I love eating at the bar top.

Nice manhole cover.

More green tunnels on the way to Gatlinburg.

The luthier was located in this charming shopping village.

Ready for Halloween.

This is more like what I expected from these towns in the mountains.

Learning the basics.

Trying it out (this was the second instrument I tested).

I was so happy with the dulcimer, but disappointed that they don't have cases.

We had a more leisurely morning after all the long driving days, getting up late and having breakfast at the Waffle House. It's nice to go to these restaurants that don't exist near us. We drove into Gatlinburg through a tunnel of green trees and found the luthier. I tried to connect online with my phone for my Spanish lesson, but there is just not enough signal in these wrinkly hills (this is also one of the reasons why this blog is about a week behind).

The dulcimer was all that I had hoped for, but I was disappointed that they don't sell cases for them. In fact, I may have to get a case custom made. I'll try to find something when we get home. In the meantime, the dulcimer is traveling inside the R-Pod in a cardboard box.

After the main task, we decided to use the rest of the afternoon to explore our Great Smoky Mountain National Park options for the next day's hiking. This turned out to be a great choice, because we needed a parking pass to park anywhere in the park, even at the trailhead. I think this is because they don't have a payment booth in this park, since the interstate cuts across it. We were able to buy a parking pass for the next day, and then get to our first choice trailhead early enough to get a space.

We then drove back into Pigeon Forge and Russ found a charming restaurant for an early dinner, the Old Mill Restaurant. It was a long, but a pleasant wait, and I managed to buy a postcard and a replacement lip balm (in a cardboard tube) in the Old Mill Market before dinner. My old lip balm suffered a total loss as it fell out of my purse and we flattened the tube with the truck.

This was classic southern food.

The pigeons kept looking for food at this gate.

The ramp was shaded and comfortable while we waited for a table.

These old building were a vibe.

Like bookends of the falls.

Pigeons.

The Old Mill.

Geese mate for life.

Married for 16 years.

The next morning we had an early start. I wanted to get to the trailhead by 7:30, which was about when the sunrise would happen, so we got going in the dark. We didn't quite make it, and all the trailhead parking was full, so we had to park in a spot up the road and hike an extra half mile or so. We chose the Alum Cave Bluffs Trail. It was so spectacular, with views, creeks,  fall colors, and even through it was busy, it never felt too crowded. The temperature was cool, but not cold, and as the day progressed, it was sunny, but not hot. Perfect.

Because we got started early, we were able to finish by about noon, and drove a small section of the Blue Ridge Parkway before grabbing dinner in Cherokee and returning home to the R-Pod. It was a really nice day in the park.

 

I was chilly when we started.

One way distances.

The elevation gain is more evident here.

The trees were in their fall finery.

It looked like a frosted roll cake, or maybe a yule log.

The sunrise touches the hills across the valley.

Arch Rock.

Selfie with Arch Rock.

Through the arch.

Fallen leaves.

Split decision.

Inspiration Point views.

Illumination.

Climbing.

Alum Cave.

Alum Cave Bluffs and Lunch.

A nice lunch spot.

Sit and stare.

Descent.

The trail.

More beauty.

Twisted tree.

Other hikers are so kind.

Rocks and leaves.

Pools in the creek collected the detritus.

Shadows and fallen leaves.

Stripes.

Don't know what these were, but they lined the road in the park.

At the other visitor center.

CCC Projects.

The start of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Low bridge.

The parkway is narrower than I expected.

The famous blue ridges.

A better view of the blue ridges.

The names of things are different here.

Big views interspersed with trees that blocked them.

Moon over the changing tree.

This was such a wonderful stop. I enjoyed Tennessee more that I expected and would love to come back here for a longer visit (maybe try Dollywood next time).