The Rattlesnake, the road not the animal..
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Forum Name: Camping Adventures
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Topic: The Rattlesnake, the road not the animal..
Posted By: Olddawgsrule
Subject: The Rattlesnake, the road not the animal..
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2021 at 2:20pm
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We turned fully north and heading out of Tennessee using the MABDR as the guide. I have no idea what wrong turn I took to end up in Pigeon Forge... but I did.. What the heck was all that? We did learn later... It's all part of travel and exploring! https://youtu.be/B00dg0vlRtk - https://youtu.be/B00dg0vlRtk [TUBE]https://youtu.be/B00dg0vlRtk[/TUBE] ------------- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJduGeZNFgtptH67leItRFQ - Byways no Highways 2017 Tacoma http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=72408 - Truck Camper Build 2004 F150 My Overlander |
Replies:
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2021 at 2:55pm
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Thanks again for the tour! Ahh, Pigeon Forge is the place to take the family to! Activities for all ages and a great alternative to Disneyworld for those who have more conservative values. Also, the last time we were there we were in the midst of the biggest classic car show I have ever seen in my life. For probably 4 miles there were classic cars by the hundreds and hundreds lined up on both sides of the road through all of Pigeon Forge, a memory I will never forget. ------------- God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2021 at 10:10am
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So I guess we will now need liberal themed amusement parks as a counter to places like Pigeon Forge (Disney as a huge global conglomerate tries to walk a fine line in the middle and not ever annoy anyone anywhere, which of course doesn't work in today's environment). Then liberals and conservatives can always vacation completely separately and never see or talk to each other. Maybe not such a good thing?
A good thing about camping is that its truly apolitical,affording folks with diverse viewpoints an opportunity to interact. Let's please keep it that way.... ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Ben Herman
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2021 at 10:18am
Thanks for posting this. People seem to want to politicize everything these days. We just got back from Grand Teton NP, some old guy had two big Trump flags planted in front of his campsite. What is the point?
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Posted By: Olddawgsrule
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2021 at 10:48am
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I meet so many folks of so many backgrounds and beliefs while on the road. I steer away from anything but camping, the local, what we've seen / they've seen and talk about what's next. That typically takes well into a good campfire and a few beverages of choice! Safe Travels all! Do hope to catch a few of ya's at some point. ------------- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJduGeZNFgtptH67leItRFQ - Byways no Highways 2017 Tacoma http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=72408 - Truck Camper Build 2004 F150 My Overlander |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2021 at 2:38pm
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Pigeon Forge is certainly family oriented. No strip clubs, dive bars or honkytonks that I know of. And no casinos, by the way. I don't think that makes it a conservative (as in Republican) kind of resort town. Pigeon Forge has been there a long time... since before Dolly, but Dollywood did pretty much transform the place for sure. She has been fantastic for the local economy. Obviously a lot of people like the place but I think it's a scar on an otherwise beautiful part of the world. Many people who go to Pigeon Forge never even visit the GSMNP, which, i suppose by the criteria we seem to be using is much more conservative. Of course, a lot of them do, which contributes mightily to the traffic issues in the park.... Somewhat ironically, there is a casino in Cherokee, on the NC side of the park, and Cherokee as suffered/benefited mightily, but it is still the "quiet side of the Park" and is much more enjoyable to my tastes. I will drive a hundred miles out of the way to avoid Pigeon Forge on a car show weekend!!! Those four miles of road can take over two hours to traverse on those days. I'm probably in the minority regarding my feelings about Pigeon Forge, but that's just the way I feel about it. All that said, there are some good restaurants there and some place I'll shop. I suppose there is something there for everyone... TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: Olddawgsrule
Date Posted: 16 Oct 2021 at 3:17pm
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"Many people who go to Pigeon Forge never even visit the GSMNP" Man are they missing out! The area, rural countryside, was awesome to say the least! Using the MABDR as a guide to plan/plot a travel route I found to be worthwhile. These folks that put together these Backroad Discovery Routes spend quite a bet of time traveling over these roads and vote on what would be the best to put forward. Obviously, I can do more of the routes with my new setup, yet as a guide.. check it out. They have them most everywhere! Safe travels ------------- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJduGeZNFgtptH67leItRFQ - Byways no Highways 2017 Tacoma http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=72408 - Truck Camper Build 2004 F150 My Overlander |
Posted By: MoPod
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2021 at 2:00pm
Not exactly Pigeon Forge, but close enough. My Mom and Dad honeymooned in Gatlinburg, TN 1950. As I grew up my mother talked about how beautiful and quiet it was with the mountains, streams and such. So after I married, hubby and I took a trip to Gatlinburg in the early 70's staying what was billed as a quaint establishment on the edge of a stream. What they didn't say was it was between the stream and highway 321 which was already starting to carry a lot of traffic for a 2 lane highway and pancake houses were starting to pop-up - but it was still somewhat laid back. Fast forward to the late 90's/early 00's when we made our last trip. Dollywood and other commercial enterprises had totally ruined the quaint mountain vibe and turned it into a tourist trap with multilane roads, stoplights on every intersection, with the usual tourist trap stores and attractions. It made me sad. In Missouri, my home state, we managed to do the same thing to a small town named Branson in the Ozarks. You got there on narrow, twisting, two lane roads (can't call them highways), with log cabins and fishing cabins along the way. You prayed you didn't get behind a travel trailer or a hesitant driver, but even if you did when you arrived it was totally worth it for the serene surroundings. Now you wouldn't recognize the place, the tops have been blown off the mountains to fill it the valleys to make it level for music shows, outlet malls, and tourist attractions.  ------------- Bill & Nancy 2015 RPod 179 Previously 2010 RPod 176 2014 Explorer Sport |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 18 Oct 2021 at 8:24pm
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I guess I get it. There's a whole hell of a lot of money changing hands in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Branson, etc. I'd always wanted to go to Banff, AB, and finally made it a few years ago. No place I've ever been that reminded me more of Gatlinburg. It was a long way to go for pancakes.... TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2021 at 7:36am
I haven't been to Banff since 2008 but was amazed at the signage by a lot of the buildings. The messages were in three languages: Japanese on top, next was French, and at the bottom was English. ------------- God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
Posted By: Olddawgsrule
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2021 at 8:26am
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We drove down to Banff from Jasper, staying 4 days along the Icefields Parkway. Staying outside town was better and just visited Banff. We did meet a member from there while provisioning! I would rate Banff above Pigeon Forge though.. The Canadian Rockies, in it's entirety, is a huge WOW! Every area/region we visit has it's own uniqueness, beauty. Pigeon Forge leans more towards unique.. LOL Very happy we visited/explored the region! Safe Travels ------------- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJduGeZNFgtptH67leItRFQ - Byways no Highways 2017 Tacoma http://tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=72408 - Truck Camper Build 2004 F150 My Overlander |