I would drive 500 miles and I will drive 500 more...

We started Wednesday in St. Louis.

We ended it in the Blue Ridge mountains of Tennessee.

Just a tiny little 500 mile dido to see Dollywood.

However, we couldn't leave St. Louis without visiting the City Museum.

The City Museum is... well, imagine your fantasy tree house, aquarium, craft room, climbing structure, all in one place. Then fill it with slides, and mosaics, and recycled architecture, and art, and hidey holes. Imagine surprises in every corner. Imagine that you go down a slide, climb up through some branches, and find yourself in the middle of a model train set being attacked by space monsters.




Worlds largest pair of underpants

Hipster cafe



An ADULT SIZED BALL PIT!!!

I swear to God, within 10 minutes of visiting I was trying to figure out a way of hiding out in the top floors and staying forever. We're covered in bruises and abraded skin, with weird sore muscles all over, but part of me really want to go there and play forever.

But Dollywood beckoned, so we continued south, through yet another time zone, and arrived late at our airbnb nestled up the great smokey mountains. It was a cozy little cabin, unfortunately with a massive amount of air freshener in use. I took a piece of art off the wall and used it to fan out the air.

Looking at the great smokey mountains, which are quite pretty, it makes me realize what a drama queen California is by comparison. Highest peaks! Lowest points! Big freaking mountains! Other states have arable land - we have a gold rush. The east coast has rocky/sandy beaches - we have that, plus beaches made of shells and glass. You have flat, gentle waves - ours will kill you if you turn your back on them. Have you seen our redwoods? Tallest AND widest - make up your mind.

If California could figure out how to have fall color, it would be purple. Or rainbows.

Be that as it may, today was Dollywood.


Yes, we went on water rides.

Dollywood is consistently on the list of top theme parks to visit. And it was an interesting experience. Plusses include some great rollercoasters. We also arrived during their Southern Gospel Festival, so there was a lot of really good music all around the park.

Another thing is that a large part of the park is given over to craftspeople - glassblowing, forging, leatherwork, etc. - we had a lovely conversation with a guy who specializes in historical paper marbling techniques, and a woman who makes lamp work beads (extra points to her for knowing who Iris Apfel is).  There's also a bald eagle sanctuary (v. cool).

Good cinnamon bread from the mill

The colt of many colors

If there was a downside, it was the mild amount of culture shock. The prevalence of bumper stickers saying "I support women's rights - the unborn ones" or "evolution is a theory - creation is a fact." The number of families with four kids, all under 8, and the parents are in their late 20's. The huge piles of breaded fried food.

"If God wanted us to be vegetarians, he would
have made broccoli more fun to hunt"

As I said to Frankie, we are strangers in a strange land.

Dollywood was also having it's Great Pumpkin LuminNights.


Had a lovely chat with the carver and got some tips on
how to carve a transparent style pumpkin. 

To end, some random thoughts:
  • In Pigeon Forge, there are a number of stand-alone roller coasters snaking up and down the sides of the roadway. They are named things like "Goat on the Roof"
  • The Quickie Mart employees are sometimes Indian/Pakistani descent, but when they are, their accent is a curious melding of the South Asian accent with the Kentucky twang.
  • There is a curious phenomenon - when a city wants to announce that it's "arrived" it undoubtedly puts in a millennium wheel. We've seen them in St. Louis, Phoenix, Marseilles, Seattle - it's the big truck with KC lights of the inter city bragging wars.
  • No matter where you go, as long as there is a moderately sized city, you can find a hipster cafe. I find that comforting.


This is the wheel for Pigeon Forge, which has, apparently "arrived."

Well, toodles and off to bed. We've a long drive tomorrow and I don't want it to be the long dreadful drive.

Less this



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Location: Pigeon Forge, TN, USA

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