The Ghouse Anniversary in Smokey Mountains

Our Anniversary in Smokey Mountains (March 26, 2011)
Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeghouse/sets/72157626250800093/

We chose Pigeon Forge resort in the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee to spend our anniversary weekend. They named the Cabins with amazing names, ours was “changes in latitude” that sat on the ridge of the mountain with a winding road leading up to it. An amazing place with paradise like weather…the temperature was around 43F with Fog and clean air to breathe.

The town of Pigeon forge is designed for full family entertainment with amusement parks for Children; even the Comedy Barn was for the whole family. It was a different comedy with audience participation including several six year olds… I like that clean family environment out there. It was houseful with perhaps 2500 people capacity.

Gatlinburg is a town next door surrounded by the smoke (fog) covered mountains; the other town was Sevierville with lots of shopping. One single street stretches for 10 miles and runs through the Cities like a landing strip; it has shops, hotels, restaurants, amusement parts on either side of the street. Dollywood theme park on the north side is named after Dolly Parton.

Being a tourist destination, the place was truly cosmopolitan, the T shirt store was owned by an Israeli, the knick knack store by a Korean, another store by a Russian, jewelry store was run by an Uzbek lady, plenty of Chinese stores and we ran into an Indian store as well. It was fun to hear that many accents and the openness of the people, Yasmeen thought the people were friendly… Lots of places to eat, we ate at a Thai, and enjoyed the Bang shrimp at Bull fish, there was poor food at some Ribs place, we ended eating grilled Salmon after returning two dishes of Ribs… there was incredible shopping center called Tanger on Sevierville and I believe every major name brand shop was there.

The uphill drive to the Cabin was incredible… I recall my frozen knees whenever I go up the hill, this time, I had zero acrophobia, even when we rode on the air tram that carried over the hill for about 2 KM, I did not feel my knees freezing… it is quite a change for me to drive up the hill and ride the tram without discomfort.

Way back, we pulled over in Jacksboro Tennessee to eat Japanese food; it was one of the smallest farming towns with two lakes and three Japanese restaurants that were odd but good. Two men were eating in three piece suits... I talked to them, one of them was Editor of the Local Newspaper, a Polish American immigrants and the other one was a insurance agent from Germany, both have made home in Jacksboro. We chatted about Murfreesboro issues and perhaps we may hold a conference on Sharia Law there in that town, if he sponsors. He was receptive to the idea of building a cohesive America that I am working through America together Foundation. By the way, the offer is open to your town also, we have to work to mitigate pitting one American against the other, and we have to work towards a cohesive America.

It was a blessed time for both of us, and we are happy to be back home. On the way in I drove and took 7 hours, way back Yasmeen did it in five hours. It was all the way through Mountains till Lexington, Kentucky.

Quiz - Yasmeen has lived in Kentucky for nearly 18 years, and she has not stepped in to KFC - Kentucky Fried Chicken yet! I have had KFC in Saudi Arabia (1978), India, UK and everywhere in the US... next time, we will go to KFC, deal! Their Chicken Pie is fabulous!

Mike Ghouse
http://www.mikeghouse.net/