Caitlin: Uncensored: Tennessee

Our journey began with waking up around 4:30 AM and shoving in the last of our bags into the little red Kia Rio5 and saying our goodbyes to our parents and our dogs. We set out before the sun even rose and from then on out the drive was honestly uneventful other than Mother Nature’s monthly gift and a lot of rude, impatient drivers who don’t use their turn signals. Hours later, we arrived in the town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Unexpectedly, the town reminded me of Las Vegas. There were no strip club business cards scattered around the streets or posters plastered inside the walls of phone booths for a little midnight rendezvous –no. Instead of the traffic jams and promiscuous feel of Vegas, there was the more commercialized effect. There were dozens of tourist attractions spaced on each side of the road including a Hatfields and McCoys dinner show, Ripley’s Believe It or Not zoo, and a Titanic exhibit. After about twenty minutes of driving, we finally turned off the strip and onto a road that had more of what we were hoping to see. Instead of the more modern wonders of America, we set our eyes upon the more beautiful, scenic, and less hectic tourist areas of the country…The Smokey Mountains. This is what our dreams were built on, and it made me proud to know that there was still something so common yet so overlooked that it can still attract nine million visitors each year.

As we traveled up the mountain to get to our campsite, Ry and I took in the beautiful landscape and savored the fresh air (something we’re not quite used to). During our time at the Smokey Mountains, we drove into town and went to a pancake house for breakfast where we each had omelets with three small pancakes. We also observed the nearby Laurel Falls and enjoyed a nice, cool rest at the waterfalls. We even witnessed a man propose to his now-fiancée at the base of the falls! Everything went smoothly other than having to get up in the middle of the night to grab my comforter out of the trunk due to the sudden drop in temperature. We also had to throw out some food that was spoiled. Other than that, everything was great. (Un)fortunately, we saw no bears. Overall we both really enjoyed Tennessee and I’ll always remember its beauty. Definitely a treat on our road trip!

Interesting Facts:

1. There are only about 1,600 bears that roam the Smokey Mountains (about

two every per square mile)

2. Bears mainly obtain their diet from the wild berries that sprinkle the

mountainside

3. Tennessee has more than 3,800 documented caves

4. Width: 120 sq. miles

5. Length: 440 sq. miles

6. Became the 16th state on June 1, 1796

Likes:

1. Gorgeous scenery

2. Nice and cool at night