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Day 3 & 4 - leaving Franklin and driving on the most beautiful, winding mountain roads meant that we stopped every 5 minutes to take photos! After about an hour and a half drive to cover about 30 miles or so (because of the windy roads) we arrived in Pigeon Forge. First thing I saw 'buy 1 pair of boots, get 2 pairs free'. Pull the car over and loose about an hour while Mel and I root through hundreds of pairs of boots. Yeah I bought another pair of cowboy boots...but at the equivalent of £40, I'd challenge anyone not to!
A short time later and we arrived at the log cabin. (Wifi didn't work there and we cancelled the maintenance man when it got dark as he took forever. Something felt completely unnerving about seeing a van pull up out of the darkness and then our only sign of him coming would be heavy echoing footfall on the cabins creaky outside decking)
So, a few games of pool, air hockey, electronic darts and a jacuzzi bath followed by some over the top nature programme and its bed time. By this point my cough and cold had become worse so sleeping was difficult. Iv seen too many horror films and have a very active imagination, so sleeping was difficult. Cold medicine and sleep deprivation coupled with instructions to not feed the bears made sleeping difficult.... Turns out that while Mel had dreamt about her collage work being handed in late, I had dreamt that I had to punch a bear in the face to protect us as it had got in the cabin. Paranoid?! Well the deadly silence, occasional banging noises and my lack of sleep from the last 3 days had made it worse.
Other than my night time obsession with expecting an axe murderer to turn up with a bear as a side kick...it was the most remote and stunning place to stay. Check out the photo albums to see.
Next day I felt even worse so chose the most direct route to Chattanooga, straight down the Interstate. Which is like a motorway except undertaking isn't frowned upon here and even the 18 wheelers are at it. Mental! Needless to say my 2.5 litre go kart can get the power out when I need it to...sorry Nissan Altima or whatever it's called (yeah cool car...not!)
After a few stops to eat, drink, and try to feel better we end up in Chattanooga. Again, everyone is just always helpful and friendly. That's one 'Americanism' we need more of in the UK.
I found a nearby attraction called Ruby Falls. I can't say anything about this absolutely stunning natural feature so will just let the photos and videos do the talking. Sorry about the video being long, i cant edit it on the NetBook. Go with it and it will soon be revealed. When the lights come up try not to think that you are watching a Disney film, even though the lighting and music tell you differently. It was worth the 45 minutes or so walking through tight caves and tunnels.
Last night we went for dinner in the Chattanooga Choo Choo Station House restaurant. Fillet steaks, cocktails and 'unlimited' shrimp and salad. Though she took my plate away so not really unlimited! Oh and every few minutes out waitress would vanish and appear on stage to add some backing vocals to another waiter who was singing (iv uploaded a video on here). It was the best entertainment you can have while eating the best steak you can buy. The lead singer in my video clip, she appears again at the end, looked like a fairly frail old waitress. We couldn't believe that she could sing like that. When they all finish its like they realise they havnt made it 'on Broadway' and reluctantly put their aprons back on to carry on serving. Even still, the service was spot on as usual.
Jack Daniels distillery today.
I'm about to upload photos/videos from the past 2 days so have a look.
Tom
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