Tennessee – the land of many surprises

June 26^th

The sign read “Welcome to Tennessee” and I do believe it is sincere.  

After leaving the Smoky Mountain National Park we drove through Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville.  To say Gatlinburg was the least congested gives you an idea as to the number of tourists in late June.  It was bumper-to-bumper for much of the drive to I-40.  Think again if you believe I-40 is a picnic, again the traffic is heavy and the number of East bound semi-trucks is amazing, I wonder if there are any trucks left in the western half of the US?

After a few hours drive we arrived at Cumberland MountainState Park which is just outside Crossville TN.  The area was settled during the 1930s with the assistance of the US government.   New residents were selected through a lottery system and moved to the area as homestead families;  first they built barns and farms.  Eventually they built homes of distinctive brick work which dot the landscape.  The project was a success providing depression era work, new skills, new homes, and meaning to the lives of those with little.  

It is refreshingly quiet, sunny, and friendly.  The road rolls over the hills into the park and then steeply climbs to the campground.  The lady in the office gave us a list of the available campsites and we selected a lovely site on the upper loop. 

Setup was brief and we found time to explore the park by bicycle and foot.  First we pedaled down and up the grades past the golf course to the swimming pool.  As it was late in the afternoon we opted to try the pool at a later date and canvas the area.  Bill said “Let’s ride down the lake path.”  Famous last words, the path was beyond my cycling skills so we walked much of the trail to reach the lodge and restaurant.  The ride concluded with a tour of the cabin areas and trail heads.

This had the promise of a good visit in Tennessee.