The End . . . of Alumalina! We were splitting off from our friends and John, Suzie, Tom and I were heading for the Great Smoky Mountain National Park – less than 3 hours away. On the road by 10:30 we were on the outskirts of Gatlinburg by 1:30, and stopped for a BBQ lunch at Jimmy’s – enjoying the outdoor patio dining. By 3:00 we were circling the Elkmont campground, claiming our sites and getting set up. It gets dark in the deep forest very quickly, and the temperature goes down dramatically with the sun. By 7:30 we were done with supper, sitting around a fire and enjoying “real camping.” Bedtime was 9:00 and we made it through the night in good shape without the furnace. Monday, Oct 28 - Thursday, Oct 31 John, Suzie, Tom and I spent the first 3 glorious, sunny, warm, days at Elkmont, waiting for the rally to officially begin on Thursday, October 31. I’m not blogging the details of those first 3 days, although we made some admirable shopping and driving and out-to-eat trips to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. On Wednesday Georgia and Rick joined us. Unfortunately, the rain also moved in, and the weather took a nasty turn. The campground had been closed due to high winds (80 mph) and downed trees on Saturday and Sunday . . . and again on Thursday morning! Rick and Georgia had gone for a Thursday morning drive and found themselves unable to get back to the campground until the road was opened at 2:00 p.m. Yes, it was windy, but only 25 mph gusts. Many campers packed up and left, but we just packed everything up under cover and put down the awnings and waited it out. By mid-afternoon the winds seemed to be over, the temperature had dropped from 70 – 55, and the rain was still strong. Tom and Judy Moran arrived in their beautiful, long, vintage Airstream, and we had a chance to briefly meet them. Alan, Carie, Chris and Lauren appeared in the afternoon, having driven in wind and rain all the way from Kentucky Horse Park. They set up and headed into town with John and Suzie . . . where a Halloween party was going full-force in the streets despite the damp and cold. Friday, Nov 1 I guess you could say today was the first “real” day of the rally. Several (four couples) had cancelled out due to the weather, and we were left with six rugged couples . . . facing four days of beautiful sunshine with temperatures in the 50’s! It takes longer to get up and fed in the morning when the temperature is 29 degrees and there is no electricity; nevertheless, Georgia and Rick left at 8:00 for the trails. Sue, Carrie and I loaded up in our truck, and Tom, John, and Alan in the Couger truck as we headed out for the Roaring Fork Motor Trail, just 8 miles away. The narrow, one-way road meandered through the woods; the sun hadn’t reached the canopy yet and the trees were decorated with a sprinkling of snow-frost. We were all in awe, and hanging out the windows for pictures! By 2:00 we were in Jimmy’s restaurant enjoying a wild and crazy lunch as our waiter mixed up every order, food delivery, and the bill! The boys headed back for the campground, and the girls hit the streets for a little shopping expedition. By 4:30 we were all back at the campground ready to socialize with a pot-luck dinner!
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |