smoky mountains TN - aug 2010

vivekiny2k · 18th August 2010, 00:40

So we did a trip to the smoky mountains last weekend. I took two days off and started on Wednesday evening. The plan was to reach knoxville, TN from where smokies would be just an hour away.

I always thought cabins were just a hype, but decided to take the plunge this time. hype, so what? we booked a 2 bedroom cabin for three nights and a room in holiday inn in knoxville for the overnight stay. I always use priceline for overnight stays because I don't care which hotel I get. We usually get hilton or hyatt suites type accommodation within 50$ that way.

so we reached knoxville around 10, spent the night there, and stated in the morning. The check in at cabin was not until 3 PM so we went ahead to the new found gap, one of the high points in smokies, and from there to clingman's dome.

By the time we came down it was past 1, so we just took lunch at a pizza hut and headed straight to the cabin rental. as expected, the cabin was ready so we didn't have to wait till 3.

they gave us the directions, and there starts the fun part, I entered them in GPS and we went on a merry go round of interior mountain roads with 45+ degrees of ups and downs until a dead end, and our destination was just .3 miles from there. So we drove back to the main road, followed their direction and finally reached the cabin. Surprisingly, it was really in the wild, nobody around, I could see only two cabins from there, and they were at a steep incline at least a quarter mile from us. There was no cell signal either, unless I went on the deck and raised my cellphone trying to "catch" the signal.

smoky mountains TN - aug 2010-untitled.jpg

The next day we went to the chimneys picnic area which was pretty good. every car gets it's own picnic spot with seats and grill if you want to grill and eat.

picnic area attached to the car parking

smoky mountains TN - aug 2010-img_1432.jpg

We had carried our food and after finishing it moved on the the water stream. I am a big fan of small streams and we had a really nice time there.

smoky mountains TN - aug 2010-dscf9320.jpg

While returning form the other side I decided to follow my wife's directions for a shorter route and splashed into the water. Also caught a leech and took it out immediately.

smoky mountains TN - aug 2010-dscf9332.jpg

after lunch we came back to the cabin and spent the rest of the day looking at the mountains and the greenery.

next day was again spent in the same way, but instead of the chimney area we went towards cades cove and stopped in a picnic area on the way.

one of the night I opened the door towards the deck and damn, it was like a storm of cricket chirps, plus I also heard some movement, probably a racoon or something. we were told not to leave any eatables outside and trash cans were locked with bungee cords. I could understand why a visit from a bear could not be very surprising.

We returned on sunday, with an uneventful drive. we were home by 5 PM and life was back as usual. Gatlinburg also offers a lot of entertainment, shows, eat outs etc but we decided to stay in the cabin.

other pics and views from our cabin

panoramic view from HS10.

smoky mountains TN - aug 2010-dscf9300.jpg

TSEA · 18th August 2010, 07:17

I always wanted to visit the smokeys but plans never materialized. Post more pics, specially of the cabin.

vivekiny2k · 18th August 2010, 07:50

I don't have any different pics of the cabin. from inside it was as good as a typical 2 bedroom american house. absolutely no difference.

Wish I had taken pics from outside, but they are here at the official link

aargee · 18th August 2010, 08:58

First I thought TN? What's Vivek doing in TamilNadu? Then I thought must be Tennessee. Sorry, I know nothing about this place; What did you drive? Nissan? Was that Altima?

MX6 · 18th August 2010, 09:20

I drove all the way from Libertyville, IL to Gatlinburg, TN and spent a couple of days there. It was a nice family trip. I took loads of videos. Sadly, I lost the few photos I took.
We had taken packed food too! All kinds of rice items. Had it with chips near the streams!
I loved the smokies for their natural beauty! Hope to see more photos from your side.

Abhay · 18th August 2010, 09:37

I have been to the Smokies 2 times when I was in NC for a couple of months. I love that place and these photos made me feel nostalgic.

If you haven't already I hope next time you go for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway too, one of the best roads to drive on in the US.

vivekiny2k · 18th August 2010, 19:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by aargee

First I thought TN? What's Vivek doing in TamilNadu? Then I thought must be Tennessee. Sorry, I know nothing about this place; What did you drive? Nissan? Was that Altima?

, I didn't think of TN as in Tamilnadu.
I was driving my nissan quest, trusted minivan for last 3 years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MX6

I drove all the way from Libertyville, IL to Gatlinburg, TN and spent a couple of days there. It was a nice family trip. I took loads of videos. Sadly, I lost the few photos I took.
We had taken packed food too! All kinds of rice items. Had it with chips near the streams!
I loved the smokies for their natural beauty! Hope to see more photos from your side.

we almost always take a place with kitchen because of the kids, and prepare our food. Unless it's a one day trip. The other thing I hate to do is a lot of planning and sightseeing. If I am on vacation, I want it slow and comfortable. being able to "see" more has never been my motivation. Hence no travelogues from me until now

MX6 · 18th August 2010, 19:34

Good. I do that too when I'm abroad. No rushing. I do a lot of planning but select only few places to see. And the passion to drive. That's why I drove from northern part of Illinois to Gatlinburg, TN.
Roll out the photos dude! I've forgotten many of these places because of losing the photos. And my camcorder is not recognised by stupid vista. Maybe I shall dig out the minidv tape and watch it in my tv today!

vivekiny2k · 18th August 2010, 20:39

unfortunately all the photos are just a minor variant of these same photos, When I selected the pics to post, these are the only pics that made here. The problem is I do all the driving, and take pics only when I reach the destination.

here are some from my last trip in fall. smokies look gorgeous in that time of the year.

smoky mountains TN - aug 2010-img_5555.jpg

smoky mountains TN - aug 2010-img_5559.jpg

a little to much processing I guess. But I was obsessed with the colors.

smoky mountains TN - aug 2010-img_5572_1.jpg

smoky mountains TN - aug 2010-img_5575.jpg

smoky mountains TN - aug 2010-img_5611.jpg

smoky mountains TN - aug 2010-img_5625.jpg

cades cove if I rememeber correctly

smoky mountains TN - aug 2010-img_5628.jpg

Mpower · 18th August 2010, 21:04

Was there 2 years ago. Hiking, rafting and entertainment. Good Fun.

Highlight was white water rafting. Really scenic freeway once you get closer.

Did you catch KFC birthplace on the way?

vivekiny2k · 18th August 2010, 21:14

no, actually it surprises me that I have never been to KFC. Wife is pure vegetarian and I eat meat only to expand my choices when needed.

but we are looking for more places around though, have been to most of the popular destinations within 8 hrs from here. We plan a lot of things, hiking etc, but most of it changes depending upon the mood my boys wake up in the morning.

idlebrain · 18th August 2010, 23:31

Nice pics. I had been to Smokies couple of times, but never stayed in a cabin. Fall is the most beautiful time to visit in my opinion. Hopefully we might visit again for this fall & stay in a cabin.

Could you please share more info about cabin, like pricing, maintenance, neatness etc.

thanks.

kaushik_s · 19th August 2010, 02:38

Baah, I opened the thread expecting some new unknown place in TamilNadu which is called Smokey Mountain. :(
But anyway, nice lovely place. Love those riots of colors. Thanks for sharing..

aargee · 19th August 2010, 05:23

IMG_5572_1.JPG looks like being processed, but very beautiful; IMG_5611.JPG looks awesome place. But, why is it called smokey mountain? Due to fog or something?

ampere · 19th August 2010, 06:53

The texture colour makes the place remarkable. There are other places like this though, but this one has its own character.

18th August 2010, 00:40	#1
vivekiny2k Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: cincinnati, jabalpur,chennai Posts: 1,264 Thanked: 209 Times View My Garage	smoky mountains TN - aug 2010 So we did a trip to the smoky mountains last weekend. I took two days off and started on Wednesday evening. The plan was to reach knoxville, TN from where smokies would be just an hour away. I always thought cabins were just a hype, but decided to take the plunge this time. hype, so what? we booked a 2 bedroom cabin for three nights and a room in holiday inn in knoxville for the overnight stay. I always use priceline for overnight stays because I don't care which hotel I get. We usually get hilton or hyatt suites type accommodation within 50$ that way. so we reached knoxville around 10, spent the night there, and stated in the morning. The check in at cabin was not until 3 PM so we went ahead to the new found gap, one of the high points in smokies, and from there to clingman's dome. By the time we came down it was past 1, so we just took lunch at a pizza hut and headed straight to the cabin rental. as expected, the cabin was ready so we didn't have to wait till 3. they gave us the directions, and there starts the fun part, I entered them in GPS and we went on a merry go round of interior mountain roads with 45+ degrees of ups and downs until a dead end, and our destination was just .3 miles from there. So we drove back to the main road, followed their direction and finally reached the cabin. Surprisingly, it was really in the wild, nobody around, I could see only two cabins from there, and they were at a steep incline at least a quarter mile from us. There was no cell signal either, unless I went on the deck and raised my cellphone trying to "catch" the signal. The next day we went to the chimneys picnic area which was pretty good. every car gets it's own picnic spot with seats and grill if you want to grill and eat. picnic area attached to the car parking We had carried our food and after finishing it moved on the the water stream. I am a big fan of small streams and we had a really nice time there. While returning form the other side I decided to follow my wife's directions for a shorter route and splashed into the water. Also caught a leech and took it out immediately. after lunch we came back to the cabin and spent the rest of the day looking at the mountains and the greenery. next day was again spent in the same way, but instead of the chimney area we went towards cades cove and stopped in a picnic area on the way. one of the night I opened the door towards the deck and damn, it was like a storm of cricket chirps, plus I also heard some movement, probably a racoon or something. we were told not to leave any eatables outside and trash cans were locked with bungee cords. I could understand why a visit from a bear could not be very surprising. We returned on sunday, with an uneventful drive. we were home by 5 PM and life was back as usual. Gatlinburg also offers a lot of entertainment, shows, eat outs etc but we decided to stay in the cabin. other pics and views from our cabin panoramic view from HS10.
	() Thanks

18th August 2010, 07:17	#2
TSEA BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 420 Thanked: 852 Times	I always wanted to visit the smokeys but plans never materialized. Post more pics, specially of the cabin.
	() Thanks

18th August 2010, 07:50	#3
vivekiny2k Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: cincinnati, jabalpur,chennai Posts: 1,264 Thanked: 209 Times View My Garage	I don't have any different pics of the cabin. from inside it was as good as a typical 2 bedroom american house. absolutely no difference. Wish I had taken pics from outside, but they are here at the official link
	() Thanks

18th August 2010, 08:58	#4
aargee Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: TSTN Posts: 6,236 Thanked: 9,642 Times	First I thought TN? What's Vivek doing in TamilNadu? Then I thought must be Tennessee. Sorry, I know nothing about this place; What did you drive? Nissan? Was that Altima?
	() Thanks

18th August 2010, 09:20	#5
MX6 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: City of seven islands. Posts: 2,877 Thanked: 231 Times	I drove all the way from Libertyville, IL to Gatlinburg, TN and spent a couple of days there. It was a nice family trip. I took loads of videos. Sadly, I lost the few photos I took. We had taken packed food too! All kinds of rice items. Had it with chips near the streams! I loved the smokies for their natural beauty! Hope to see more photos from your side.
	() Thanks

18th August 2010, 09:37	#6
Abhay BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 727 Thanked: 11 Times	I have been to the Smokies 2 times when I was in NC for a couple of months. I love that place and these photos made me feel nostalgic. If you haven't already I hope next time you go for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway too, one of the best roads to drive on in the US.
	() Thanks

18th August 2010, 19:34	#8
MX6 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: City of seven islands. Posts: 2,877 Thanked: 231 Times	Good. I do that too when I'm abroad. No rushing. I do a lot of planning but select only few places to see. And the passion to drive. That's why I drove from northern part of Illinois to Gatlinburg, TN. Roll out the photos dude! I've forgotten many of these places because of losing the photos. And my camcorder is not recognised by stupid vista. Maybe I shall dig out the minidv tape and watch it in my tv today!
	() Thanks

18th August 2010, 20:39	#9
vivekiny2k Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: cincinnati, jabalpur,chennai Posts: 1,264 Thanked: 209 Times View My Garage	unfortunately all the photos are just a minor variant of these same photos, When I selected the pics to post, these are the only pics that made here. The problem is I do all the driving, and take pics only when I reach the destination. here are some from my last trip in fall. smokies look gorgeous in that time of the year. a little to much processing I guess. But I was obsessed with the colors. cades cove if I rememeber correctly
	() Thanks

18th August 2010, 21:04	#10
Mpower Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 10,409 Thanked: 1,730 Times View My Garage	Was there 2 years ago. Hiking, rafting and entertainment. Good Fun. Highlight was white water rafting. Really scenic freeway once you get closer. Did you catch KFC birthplace on the way?
	() Thanks

18th August 2010, 21:14	#11
vivekiny2k Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: cincinnati, jabalpur,chennai Posts: 1,264 Thanked: 209 Times View My Garage	no, actually it surprises me that I have never been to KFC. Wife is pure vegetarian and I eat meat only to expand my choices when needed. but we are looking for more places around though, have been to most of the popular destinations within 8 hrs from here. We plan a lot of things, hiking etc, but most of it changes depending upon the mood my boys wake up in the morning.
	() Thanks

18th August 2010, 23:31	#12
idlebrain BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Atlanta, US Posts: 117 Thanked: 16 Times	Nice pics. I had been to Smokies couple of times, but never stayed in a cabin. Fall is the most beautiful time to visit in my opinion. Hopefully we might visit again for this fall & stay in a cabin. Could you please share more info about cabin, like pricing, maintenance, neatness etc. thanks.
	() Thanks

19th August 2010, 02:38	#13
kaushik_s Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,088 Thanked: 164 Times View My Garage	Baah, I opened the thread expecting some new unknown place in TamilNadu which is called Smokey Mountain. :( But anyway, nice lovely place. Love those riots of colors. Thanks for sharing..
	() Thanks

19th August 2010, 05:23	#14
aargee Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: TSTN Posts: 6,236 Thanked: 9,642 Times	IMG_5572_1.JPG looks like being processed, but very beautiful; IMG_5611.JPG looks awesome place. But, why is it called smokey mountain? Due to fog or something?
	() Thanks

19th August 2010, 06:53	#15
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,952 Thanked: 12,940 Times View My Garage	The texture colour makes the place remarkable. There are other places like this though, but this one has its own character.
	() Thanks