Back from Knoxville

Knoxville seems like a pretty cool place. We drove trough downtown and old town a bit. But also made it out to the freak show know at Sevierville. Holy cow what a madhouse that place is. It's the Gate Way to the Smokies, but it's also done up for kids and families that don't do the outdoors: Miniputt, go carts, Ripley's, funhouses, etc. It's not a themepark, but just separate businesses as you go down the street.

Smokies was pretty. Stopped the car when we saw a sign for "Quiet Walkway." The short trail split a few times, and following the most trod path we ended up in a damn cemetery!

Someone who has an account with a heritage site (ahem, Ma) can look up the names. Judging from the dates a nontrivial amount of children were lost due to influenza epidemic in the nineteen-teens.

W.H. Bohanan: March 20, 1845 - June 29, 1880

Martha L. Bradley, Wife of W.H. Bohanan and R.R. Reagan: 

November 11 1848 - September 7, 1918

Clifford Bohanan: November 9, 1895 - October 18, 1896

Pearl Stinnett, Daughter of Eli Russell: May 8, 1914 - 

September 17, 1917

Richard Stinnett, Son of Eli Russell: March 14, 1912 - April 14, 1912

Sarah Jane Bohanan: October 29, 1873 - February 6, 1879

Elmina Bohanan: November 22, 1857 - August 15, 1885

Mary Bohanan: August 8(?), 1877 - December ??, 1877

OK, enough of dead people. Here is one of Gatlinburg, which is totally touristified. Not sure there is anything authentic to see.

And one from the same viewpoint, but of a light dusting of snow in the trees.


This day of driving around started with a nice BBQ lunch at a chain called Buddy's. It was goooood!!

And then was driving through the Smokies, and then on the way back we stopped by some outlets. One was supposed to be a power tool outlet, but they didn't seem to have much in the way of tools. Mostly they had odds and ends and ten this stuff that I though was joke stuff:


But they may be real, for people with bad eyesight. I'm going with joke.

Had Japanese that night. Lots of college kids apparently can afford hanging at the Japanese restaurant on a Sunday. Then Monday we met Idiot Friend in town and had lunch at a nice little Hippie Shack (called Tomato Head) on the market square. The more BBQ at a Famous Daves for dinner. Should have taken a picture of that too, because we got the meal for 4 that comes on a garbage can lid.

So anyway, driving was fine, it snowed but didn't stick all day Monday, and leaving Tuesday morning there was snow in the parking lot but the roads and the rest of the way was clear. the car did excellently the whole way, and we convinced Idiot Friend to upgrade his Subaru.

Even though the trip was fun, we don't have any guns to show for our cost and effort. poop.