Back from our Alaska Adventure and seeing signs of fall here at home, we quickly got ready for a long weekend with family in the Great Smoky Mountains. Alex, Bethany and her parents Jim and Dawn convinced us that it was going to be a good time, so we all booked adjoining sites at Clabough Family Campground just off the main drag in Pigeon Forge. But Jim and Dawn had to change to a larger site, seeing as how they just upsized from their trailer to a very nice, long Class A motorhome that would not fit in their original campsite. Oops.
About two weeks before the trip I wanted to give the motorhome a once-over and check things like tire pressure, oil and coolant levels, charge up the house batteries – all things that are just good practice. Well the engine barely started up after a few tries, so I put the trickle charger on overnight to boost the engine battery. Next day it was a slow roll to start but it failed to start later that day. So I took the battery to NAPA, exchanged/bought a new one and had the same problem once again when it was installed. No real start, just a lot of clicking.
A little research, a few videos and a call to a mobile tech pointed to a faulty starter being the culprit. Mobile tech wasn’t available, we were only days away from the trip, so I decided to add to my “new skills” and picked up a new starter to install. I got halfway through the process when Alex volunteered to help and together we crawled under and replaced the starter. It was really only two screws and the heat shield, but one of the wire connections was so corroded, we had to snip and replace the terminator, all in a rather awkward position underneath. But it worked – problem solved (and a new battery in the process).
Our drive to Knoxville was pretty easy on the interstates. Well, except for when we exited a backup near Ringgold and took a back way to avoid it. It was a good idea, since the road met up with the interstate heading toward Knoxville again, except we were suddenly faced with a low railroad overpass. It was posted 13’6” and a train was of course rolling along the overpass as we slowly, and I mean slowly crept under. My motorhome height is supposed to be less than 13 feet, but I have never put it to the test … but we didn’t get stuck, didn’t scrape or lose anything off the roof, so you won’t see us on a YouTube video of what not to do. But it was close.
Anyway, my navigator was doing a great job on ‘maps’ guiding us through downtown Knoxville heading to Pigeon Forge until she directed me to turn up a hill that was marked “no trailers or motorhomes.” How’s that? A bit late notice, but I was committed. I soon found out why, with sharp turns on a narrow road, twisting our way up. Towing the Jeep only made it a bit worse, but we managed not to mangle any other cars, mailboxes or signs and soon were approaching the campground. We seem not to learn the lesson that the mapping apps show you the shortest way to go, assuming you are in a car, which isn’t always the best shortcut for an RV.
So we checked in, got to our site as Alex and Bethany were also setting up and we each quickly got set up. Next was to check on Jim and Dawn and get the tour of their nearly new motorcoach. Very nice Georgetown unit – maybe 40’ if I recall. Full size fridge, washer and dryer and lots of room and storage. Good deal.
So what did we do for the four days in town? If you have ever been in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, you know that there is PLENTY to choose from. This place has one of everything and a few extra oddities thrown in. But top of the list for Alex and Bethany were the rollercoasters of Dollywood. I think it was a special challenge to see how many they could get me to ride. And I think I held up pretty well. We all decided the best way to visit was to park in the city lot, take the trolley shuttle to the park and split the day with lunch back in camp. That way we could do all the coasters before it got busy, but still be refreshed enough to return for the light displays at night: Great Pumpkin Luminights.
It was a beautiful fall day, the three of us rode 7 or 8 coasters, never really waiting in line, and just enjoyed the decorations for the Harvest Festival. Yummy cinnamon bread! Jim, Dawn and Jackie did some window shopping and Dawn did brave the Lightning Rod coaster, though I think that ended the coaster rides for her (it was really fast, with plenty of loops and barrel rolls). The three coaster riders did agree that the newest coaster, Big Bear Mountain, was the most fun. Very fast and smooth with some hills and turns, but no loops or barrel rolls.
And the return to see the lights at night was really special. The pictures hardly do it justice – it was colorful everywhere, with hints of fog. We also rode the steam train around the park, though the cinders were plentiful in our hair afterward. So Dollywood was a great day, with PLENTY of walking up and down.
Another day was spent driving in and around and through the Great Smoky Mountain Park. The weather was beautiful again, almost hot in the afternoon. A stop at the visitor center for our daily parking pass showed us just how many folks were in the park, even though it was a weekday. We opted not to do the Cades Cove loop of 11 miles that is known to take 3 – 4 hours when busy. Instead we drove to some overlooks and had a picnic lunch along a stream at Chimney Tops. Jim kept saying we should take the Mother Nature Trail – which I thought was an odd name, but OK. We did, but I soon learned I heard him wrong. It wasn’t a hiking trail, it was the Motor Nature Trail, a single lane road with nearly no parking or stopping allowed.
It was on this drive when we stopped to check out a log cabin that we got our first glimpse of black bears. Now you know from our previous blog of Alaska bear searching it is something we want to see but had great difficulty finding. But here we were in the Smokies easily watching a mother and good sized cub making their way along a creek. Almost too easy, but we definitely enjoyed it and had a good look.
Last activity choice was the Titanic Museum. Bethany had this on her list and we agreed it would be a worthy tour. It was a cleverly interactive museum of artifacts recovered by one of the first diving teams to reach the wreck with photos and stories of the builders, the designers and the many passengers aboard. You receive a boarding pass for one of the passengers and learn by the end of the tour whether or not you survived. I did not. It includes a replica of the main stairway and a few staterooms. One room was the bridge, complete with icy cold water outside that you could run your hands through. It also featured a large model of the ship built of LEGOS. And in the gift shop I found the perfect item: a Titanic duck for the Jeep.
The campground had a lazy river that was really a lot of fun, since the water was warm and weather was great. Alex and I floated around several times one night. We finished off the weekend with some outlet shopping and of course a stop at two breweries. In Gatlinburg we had a flight and pretzels at Gatlinburg Brewing and in Pigeon Forge we sipped on a large flight at Smoky Mountain Brewery. All good choices, plus a great lunch at the Applewood Farmhouse Grill.
Well the weekend was a success, but like all motorhome trips, there has to be at least one thing that requires further attention. This trip we had two. First was when retracting the living room slide, something caught the carpet, tearing and crumpling the carpet under the couch enough that the slide would not close completely. Solution was to tear back the carpet in that spot to allow the slide to close. Secondly, the “check engine” light came on after a fill-up at Bucc-ees (that is an entire gas station world). That one is unresolved for now. I connected a diagnostic code reader and got the code for a knock sensor that either means replace the knock sensor, check engine fuel for pinging, change spark plugs … or in my case wipe the code and see if it returns. There were no other obvious problems with overheating or rough running engine, so I will monitor it on our next trip down and back to Florida. Once back I will have a full engine overhaul before winter.
Sometimes it is just nice sitting around the firepit at home, especially with cooling fall temperatures.
Next stop is two weeks in St. Andrews State Park, Panama City Beach, Florida to enjoy some sand, salt and swimming (and maybe a little beach bar hopping). Catch you later!
Adventures with Doug and Jackie 
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