TRAVELS WITH JANET SINCE 2006

SUMMER NIRVANA

Janet and I have been a couple since 2006 and because of our job limitations the only time we had to travel early in our lives together was during the month of July, which is standard for many of us working stiffs. Janet has retired and my workload has slowed dramatically which allows us the freedom of going when we want and not limited to the calendar.

Now, we are limited in traveling by this COVID pandemic and July 2020 will be the “slowest” travel month for us of the fourteen years of traveling. This week we were supposed to be in a rental house at the New Jersey shore that was large enough for all of our families, but we cancelled it because of the pandemic and because family from England were unable to travel to the U.S. 

Vacations From Home started in 2009, but Janet and I already had a rich tradition of traveling before this blog was started. So, because we ain’t traveling at all, here is a quick list of the places we have been over the years in just the month of July.

2006

Windjammer Cruise – St. Lucia, the Grenadines, Grenada, Bequia and Carriacou  

It had been a bucket list item for me to travel on a sailing ship in the Caribbean and I had gotten two berths for a good price. My son didn't want to go and so on our second date I asked Janet to come along. Thankfully she said "yes."

ST LUCIA SUNSET

The ship sailed out and back from St. Lucia. We anchored off islands I had never heard of before, like Bequia where whaling is still allowed and Carriacou. The displays of love for America were everywhere in Grenada when we anchored there overnight, decades after the U.S. “saved” the island from a Communist takeover. It was in the idyllic waters of the Grenadines that I went scuba diving for the first time.

2007

North Carolina Outer Banks - Rodanthe Outer Banks, NC Historical BBQ Trail, Shenandoah National Park

We rented a house for a week in Rodanthe on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Then we attempted to eat as much Barbeque as humanly possible while following the North Carolina Historical BBQ Trail. Yes… there is such a thing. Eastern North Carolina BBQ is vinegar based and in the west it’s red. The trail goes from Ayden to Murphy. We only lasted 2 days and never made it to the red sauces. 

I have it on good authority that too much BBQ will stress your plumbing. 

NORTH CAROLINA HISTORIC BBQ TRAIL INTERACTIVE MAP

We headed north and got on the Blue Ridge Parkway and entered Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive and stayed overnight at Big Meadows, one of three lodges in Shenandoah. We recently traveled to Shenandoah again when we drove home from Tennessee and stayed at the same lodge..

SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK

2008

New Orleans and Southwest Louisiana road trip - Grand Isle, Lake Charles, Lafayette, Thibodaux 

Somehow, I convinced Janet to leave the food of New Orleans and go on a nearly three-week road trip through southwest Louisiana. After eating our way through New Orleans at places like Galatoire’s, Bon Ton Café and Acme Oyster Bar we headed south for Grand Isle following the remnants of Bayou Lafourche. A frequent guest of Grand Isle was the pirate Jean Lafitte. We stayed at Rick's Motel. Be sure to call ahead for reservations or you'll sleep in the parking lot like we saw a family doing.

TIGER BAYOU, LA

We drove along the southern coast of the state stopping briefly at the Cajun Riviera, Holly Beach, which was devastated by Hurricane Rita not long after Hurricane Katrina, and briefly into Texas before turning for Lake Charles, Lafayette, Thibodaux and visiting areas like the Tiger Bayou and the Atchafalaya Water Basin. This trip was my first foray into blogging and it’s still online at: CAJUN COUNTRY TRAVELS:

CAJUN RIVIERA

GALATOIRE'S - NEW ORLEANS

RICKETT'S GLEN STATE PARK

2009

Rickett’s Glen, Pennsylvania - camping 

The summer that inspired me to begin Vacations From Home was financially lean for me, so we kept our vacationing close to home and camped at Rickett’s Glen State Park in Pennsylvania. I have a nice tent from Eastern Mountain Sports and Janet had us all set up with a blow-up mattress and sheets and all so it was it was nice. Rickett’s Glen has the Falls Trail System that features 21 waterfalls from 11 feet to the 94-foot cascade of Ganoga Falls. I enjoyed hiking the trail so much I took my son up there the next week to hike

RICKETT'S GLEN STATE PARK, PA                                                                                                               

OMMEGANG BREWERY

            

2010

Cooperstown, NY – camping

Still in the throes of our economic downturn we camped next in Cooperstown, NY. Went to the MLB Hall of Fame and watched a lot of World Cup matches at a local bar where they served Ommegang beer on tap. Also traveled to the brewery for one of the best brewery tours ever.

OMMEGANG BREWERY

We also went to a Yankees game and house sat for friends in the Milford Delaware area. 

DRINKING IN BRUGES

2011

Nantwich and Liverpool, England, Edinburgh, Scotland, Bruges and Brussels, Belgium

Janet’s daughter had her English wedding celebration at the centuries old Crown Hotel in Nantwich, Chesire. After having a proper 4th of July celebration at the Rifleman Pub, we then took the train to Edinburgh just to drink some scotch whisky at the Bow Bar, a proper whisky bar.
THE BOW BAR, EDINBURGH

We then flew to Belgium to drink beer in Bruges, a UNESCO heritage city, and then Brussels where we were drinking Lambic beers before traveling to Liverpool to tour that city.

We took a Duck boat tour of Liverpool and the harbor. . 

This year was an exceptional travel year. We had visited my daughter who had moved to New Orleans (she must have read my blog) in the spring and celebrated Christmas in Denver with our families.  

FALLING WATER

2012

Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania – camping

We were back to camping this year, but with a full itinerary of planned activities which included white water rafting on the Ohiopyle River, bicycling on the Great Allegheny Passage bike trail that travels 150 miles from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland, where it’s possible to pick up the C&O Canal Towpath all the way to Washington, D.C. We also visited the famous Frank Lloyd Wright home, Falling Water and watched fireworks at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort.

HILTON HEAD, SC

2013

South Carolina – Myrtle Beach, Beaufort, Charleston, Hilton Head, Savannah, GA

We were in FULL MOOCH form when we asked friends on Facebook to help us plan a trip this year. We ended up graciously accepting a week with friends at their place in Hilton Head. We drove down, and before we reached that beautiful Low Country island we stayed in Myrtle Beach, Charleston; where we watched the Single A Charleston River Dogs play a game and toured Ft. Sumter; and made stops at Pawley Island, Edisto Island and Beaufort, and also visited Savannah, Georgia for the day. The barrier islands of the Low Country are very beautiful, and there’s some great eating.

Waikiki

2014

Hawaii – Oahu, Maui, Big Island

This was my 7^th time visiting these islands and Janet’s first. Over the years I had worked Sinatra shows on Oahu and vacationed there and the Big Island. This was my first time to Maui.

 

CHINAMAN'S HAT OAHU

We flew into Honolulu and it was our first stay with an AirBnB sponsored place. Janet wanted to stay in Waikiki but I pushed for the North Shore and Wailua, just outside of Haleiwa where it was a quick drive out to Kaena Point. It's quieter and a better Hawaiian experience.

We mooched a time-share off her step-mother and father at Ka'anapali on Maui, and watched the sunrise at Mt. Haleakala and rode bikes down it and did the infamous "Road to Hana." On the Big Island we rented a house for $35 a night. The house was a short drive from Volcano National Park and Uncle Robert’s Farmers Market in Pahoa where the Wednesday night party very popular with locals and tourists is not to be missed.

MARCO ISLAND, FL

2015

Marco Island, Florida

Courtesy of Janet’s cousin her entire family vacationed at a timeshare on this south Florida barrier island. Janet’s college friend lives on the island and we met up with them as well. We bought dinners in gratitude.

Also in July we attended the BLOB FEST in Phoenixville, PA, where much of that film was shot. Part of the festivities is the recreation of the famous run-out scene when the Blob oozes through the projection room. Tickets for that are hard to come by.  

YORK, ENGLAND

2016

Nantwich & York, England

Had to see Janet’s in-laws and grandson in Nantwich again, but this time we also planned a side trip to York, a walled city founded by the Romans in AD 71. York is very popular tourist destination for foreigners and the English. We rented an AirBnB just outside the city walls.

Earlier that year we traveled to Austin and San Antonio, Texas to visit Janet’s other daughter and Washington, D.C. to visit my daughter. Another highlight of that year was visiting the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. ESP was the first style of prison that pushed inmates into a “penance” approach to rehabilitation.   

2017

Nashville, Tennessee

My daughter was on the move again and we visited her in Nashville. Lot’s of partying along Broadway at all the Honky Tonk bars. Great food like Nashville Hot Chicken at Hattie B's!! It was worth the long wait in the heat of the afternoon. Somehow we got a reservation at another great restaurant, Husk, where I was introduced to Tennessee whisky and bourbon. We also went on a requisite tour of the  Grand Ol’ Opry.

Janet retired that year and took a whitewater rafting trip through the Grand Canyon a bucket list item for her. I was not interested and she was okay traveling alone.

Yes, we also went to England again for Christmas.

KINZUA SKY WALK, PA 

2018

Coudersport and Cherry Springs, The Grand Canyon of PA, Wellsboro

We traveled to northern Pennsylvania with the idea of visiting the only Dark Sky Park east of the Mississippi in Cherry Springs. I had never seen the Milky Way and there was a good chance I would finally be lucky to espy this celestial display, but alas it poured for all the time we were there. We even missed the 1^st Annual Elliott Ness Fest. Ness had moved to Coudersport after his crime fighting days and we stayed in his old room at the Critterdon Hotel. The Ness Fest ended the day before we arrived.

HOTEL CRITTENDEN, COUDERSPORT, PA

We did visit the Kinzua Sky Walk Park. The span was an engineering marvel in its day and called the 8th Wonder of the World. The Kinzua was built to save miles of track work hauling coal and timber by traversing a steep ravine. Strong cross winds forever cursed the span and eventually tornado-force winds toppled much of the span. Today the remnants has been turned into a sky walk.

KINZUA STATE PARK

Later that week we drove to Wellsboro and rented bikes to tour the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. We stayed at the very posh La Belle Auberge B&B where we had our breakfasts on the porch overlooking their beautiful gardens.   

LA BELLE AUBERGE BED AND BREAKFAST, WELLSBORO PA

In September we had a destination wedding on Marco Island, Florida and honeymooned at the Sandals in Antiqua. I started the certification training for scuba diving with the instructors at Sandals.

2019

Croatia

In July we traveled to Croatia for three weeks, although this beautiful trip was certainly not the only destination for us last year. In February we drove the length of the Florida Keys eventually spending a week in Key West. In May we traveled to England with a side trip to Lancaster and a day trip to the Lake District where we enjoyed spectacular sunny weather while boating on Lake Windermere. From what I understand sunny skies are a rarity in the Lake District. In September just after Labor Day we stayed at an AirBnB in Wildwood, New Jersey. Janet used to spend her summers as a child at this Jersey shore town. It was my first time. Later, in December we stayed at another Sandals in The Bahamas where I completed my Open Water certification with PADI.

DUBROVNIK, CROATIA

Back to Croatia… We were able to get free airline miles signing up for a credit card and flew in and out of Dubrovnik, a walled city on the Adriatic. After running around that very beautiful city we boarded the MV Infinity sailing with Unforgettable Croatia. We hopped around to islands like Mjet, Korcula, Hvar and Brac for a week. We stayed in Split for a day then drove up to Plitvice Lakes a very popular destination for hiking. After fighting the hordes at the park, we spent another day in Split before taking a bus to see old dear friends in Trpanj on the Peljesac Peninsula. I met them during the Sarajevo Winter Olympics and they insisted we stay with them at their summer home.

There’s very good wine found throughout Croatia. Each island has it's own distinctive wine. On Peljesac Dingac and Postup grapes are grown

A GOOD RUN

Janet and I have had a great run of traveling over the years. July 2020 has been ruined, but at least we can sit and admire the memories of the places we’ve traveled in the years past. Hopefully all of these troubles will pass and soon we won't torture you with any more "Best Of" compilations.  .

At Beach Divna, Trpanj, Croatia

Thanks for reading.

Remember to visit the OFFICIAL VACATIONS FROM HOME store.

Love Janet and greg

VACATIONS FROM HOME OFFICIAL STORE

© 2020 by GREG DUNAJ

If you need something to read you can also buy my books:

HI, HOW ARE YOU - my first novel

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HIKING IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK

THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT…                             

There are 800 miles of hiking trails in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, the most visited National Park in the United States. Straddling the states of Tennessee and North Carolina, it is estimated 12.5 million people visited GSMNP in 2019. In June we rented an isolated cabin in Seviersville, Tennessee, adjacent to the park and the frenetic tourism of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

The view from our cabin

Whatever idea we had about going out to a bar and hearing some bluegrass or country music was squashed when we got into the slow busy traffic of Pigeon Forge and the even slower busy traffic on the roads and sidewalks of Gatlinburg. People were not wearing masks and were elbow-to-elbow. Given this pandemic and the uncertainty of how it spreads, we saw no one keeping socially distant or wearing a mask. So, we decided to hike each day instead and return for happy hours in our hot tub at the cabin. Thankfully, there are plenty of trails to choose from in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

HEAD FOR THE HILLS

Janet found two great sources for finding different hikes in this unfamiliar place. Both are good for a smart phone, although you can look up information about any trail in the United States on your computer with Alltrails.com. Just type in the city or area you want to hike and it comes up with a list of trails in the area. The website features maps of the trails, reviews, photos and details like the degree of difficulty, length and elevations. There is a free version and a “pro” version. You don’t think we got the pro version, do you?

Janet preferred the National Parks app available free through Apple. Only for use with an iPhone or iPad. Search for National Parks Trail Guide. Specific to the U.S. National Parks system the app gives similar information as AllTrails, but with much more details like best hikes, family friendly hikes AND driving directions to the trailhead. The app opens with pictures of all the national parks and you click and search.

ALL TRAIL

This is a screen shot for the iPhone or iPad APP:  

We hiked every day we were not traveling in Tennessee. 

Here’s a quick list of our hikes in the order we took them.

Cataract Falls and the Fighting Creek Trails

Have I failed to mention it’s busy here in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park? To reach our first hike we drove along the length of the Parkway through Pigeon Forge gaping at all the family attractions and inched along in traffic through Gatlinburg. It was shocking, because our cabin is so isolated, yet just a few miles away from all this commotion. Traffic did not abate when we reached the Sugarlands Visitor Center. The parking lot was crowded, entrance to the visitor center was staggered and masks were requested by the rangers. There are nature exhibits at the visitor center, but the movie was shuttered because of the pandemic. There’s a gift shop.

SUGARLANDS VISITOR CENTER, GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NP 

The hike begins just past the visitor center pavilion and is flat, easy and very heavily trafficked and eventually leads to a moderate waterfall that would be pleasant to look at it there weren’t so many people clamoring on it. There was a lady smoking a cigarette. We wore masks every time we neared another party.

AT CATARACT FALLS

Make sure you follow signs to the Fighting Creek Trail on your return. Few people did and for about a mile loop we had the trail to ourselves. We saw three large woodpeckers and an historic cabin.

It was a good quick hike despite the crowds. It was a Saturday. Afterwards we bought some local bourbon, Old Forge and Kings. Old Forge is in the midst of the hordes on the Parkway in Pigeon Forge, and Kings was a short drive out of town.

OLD FORGE DISTILLERY

KINGS DISTILLERY

Metcalf Bottoms and Little Brier Gap Trails

We took this hike on Sunday, Father’s Day and the area of Metcalf Bottoms Trail Head was packed with picnickers settled in for the day with BBQs and tents and families were flouncing in the Little River. We turned onto Lyons Springs Road off of Wears Valley Road and soon we were passing ominous signs alerting RVs and trucks to turn back and NOT follow the GPS. To reach the parking area we had to drive along a hilly, tightly curved road and eventually cross a narrow wooden bridge single file. Larger vehicles would not be able to take this route. We drove around the grounds marveling at the amount of people all gathered here with NO social distancing at all. Eventually we found a parking spot and headed for the trailhead by crossing back over the narrow bridge. Cars passed us dangerously close.

 

Can't get there from here

It’s an out and back hike and it starts off with a steep uphill and crosses some streams and ends up at the historic Little Green Brier school house and a cemetery dating from the mid-1800’s. Janet lapsed into teacher world immediately and gave a lesson at the blackboard. We continued another mile to another historic building called the Walker Sisters House. In the cemetery we noticed the graves of several Walkers.

Despite the crowded conditions at Metcalf Bottoms there really were not that many people on the trail, and even less on the second half towards the Walker Sisters house.

It was a good hike, moderate in difficulty. We saw a deer in the woods across a small creek oblivious to us.

 

Don't "F" with the teacher

On our return we took the Little River Gorge Road towards the Sugarlands Visitors Center. It’s a beautiful winding road passing different views of the river. Despite the rural setting, it’s an integral roadway and busy with cars driving quickly in either direction. There was no chance to enjoy the views and the traffic only slowed near the trailhead for Laurel Falls. This is a heavily trafficked, easy, family friendly hike that was very popular and extremely busy. Cars were parked on the shoulders for a good half mile away from the starting point. We thought we would never hike the Laurel Falls trails because it was so very busy.

CHIMNEY TOPS

Chimney Tops

There are strolls and there are hikes. Chimney Tops is a great hike for the adventurous and the hardy and we were left with a sense of accomplishment completing it. Just under four miles in this out and back trail, there is an almost 1,000-foot gain in elevation in the second mile. Very steep! There was a seemingly unending series of rock and roughly hewn wooden steps for a tortuous stretch. We were panting throughout and sweating profusely, but reaching the vista and viewing the Chimney Top was worth it. It rises like a spire out of the mountain range. A spectacular view.  

The trail ends at the vista point, a seemingly improbable trail to the actual summit of Chimney Top was damaged in bad weather and is now closed. This was my favorite trail for the week.

To reach the trailhead we drove past Metcalf Bottoms, Laurel Falls and Sugarlands Visitor Center. Today, Monday, Metcalf Bottoms was empty and serene with few cars in the parking lot. Along the beautiful Little River Gorge Road though traffic still chortled frenetically. The parking area at the trail head for Chimney Tops was packed and we had to park on the shoulder hundred yards away. Despite the crowded parking there were relatively few people on the trail and there were a lot of people in the stream at the start of the hike.

Laurel Falls

A severe weather pattern almost washed out our plans to hike today, but when the rain let up in the afternoon, we decided it was the perfect day to make this very popular hike, thinking that less people would be on it. We were lucky to find a parking spot, but the trail was crowded. It’s paved and a gradual climb and along its entire length we never were alone. There were always other hikers, some pushing strollers, in sight.

LAUREL FALLS

The trail ends at a pretty waterfall that had two cascades. The first one is where the trail ends and plenty of people stood here to pose for pictures. The water flows beneath the wooden bridge at the end of the trail and cascades a second time.   

People had climbed down the rocks to get close to the waterfall. Janet wanted to climb down, but we decided against it.

Rainbow Falls

This hike was Janet’s favorite. It’s busy and parking is scarce, but it’s a long moderate climb of just over 5 miles out and back, and the payoff is the longest single cascade in the Smoky Mountains. On sunny days rainbows form in its mist. Very dramatic falls with people clamoring on the large boulders. The hike rises in elevation more than the steep Chimney Tops hike, but there are several switchbacks in the steeper sections making it comparatively easier.   

 

RAINBOW FALLS

Driving home we decided to stop somewhere for some beer and wings. We took the Gatlinburg bypass and entered Pigeon Forge with the intent of stopping by the Yee-Haw Brewing Company, but their facility here was located on “The Island”, a massive, crowded area of bars, restaurants, shops and attractions. 

We drove by the very crowded entrance. No one was wearing a mask. So, we decided to visit the Smoky Mountains Brewing, a little further down the road. We were hoping for outdoor seating, but had to settle for a table in the bar area, set away from others. We walked in wearing masks, the wait staff wore masks, but no one else in the joint wore masks, elbow-to-elbow at the bar.

 

On the way to RAINBOW FALLS

Didn’t like their IPA or their wings at Smoky Mountains Brewing, and under different circumstances would opt for Yee-Haw. I had bought a six-pack of Yee-Haw Eighty, a Scottish Ale at the grocery store for the week and liked that better.

YEE-HAW BREWING

SMOKY MOUNTAINS BREWERY

                                                         RAINBOW FALLS

Hen Wallows Falls

We decided to drive a bit further to reach our last hike for the week to get a more remote feel to hike rather than the racetracks we had run along on some of the hikes. To reach the trailhead we had to drive about 17 miles beyond Gatlinburg. The trail was especially alluring to Janet because black bears are regularly sighted in the area, but she only told me this AFTER we headed out. At the Cosby Picnic Area where the trailhead is located, we saw some serious back country hikers with full packs and full beards. I hope they read the NP guide to dealing with black bears.

IN CASE OF BEAR 

HEN WALLOWS FALLS

Despite the more remote location there was still a far amount of people on the moderately challenging 4.5-mile hike to the falls and the constant chatter coming from some of the other hikers ensured we would not unexpectedly happen upon any bears. Plenty of switchbacks made the 800-ft elevation manageable. The 90-foot Hen Wallows Falls starts out narrow at the top, just two feet wide, but then spreads out in dramatic fashion to 20 feet. The surrounding boulders are covered with moss and are slippery and hikers are cautioned not to climb on them. We posed for pictures and headed home, not bothering to search the pools for salamanders that are apparently abundant.

Finally! Some social distancing

The Wild Bear Tavern was a joy to find. It’s at 4236 Parkway in Pigeon Forge and it’s part of a massive motel complex of the same name. They serve plenty of German food and German style beer from the Schultz Brau Brewing Company of Knoxville. They offered four styles of beer: Hefeweizen, Schwarzbier, Dunkel and Pilsner with plenty of bratwursts on the menu. But, most importantly, there was only outdoor seating at the Wild Bear Tavern. Half the tables on the outdoor deck were closed off. Before we were seated a guard checked our temperature with one of those scanners, and wiped down the table and chairs. It was the only place we had come across in our Tennessee travels. It was refreshing and appreciated, plus the food and beer were very good. We had worked up a good appetite with a week of hearty and hale hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains.

SCHULZ BRAU BREWING 

Thanks for reading. Please stay healthy... and feel free to visit the store.

                                                    HEN WALLOWS FALLS

Love Janet and greg

© 2020 by GREG DUNAJ

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK

A POPULAR PLACE

We really did not do our research about this area. For whatever reason we thought visiting a National Park would be all about wilderness and solitude. Turns out the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which straddles Tennessee and North Carolina, is the most visited NP in the US at 12.5 million visitors in 2019. The Grand Canyon is second with 6 million yearly visitors, but it is a more remote location. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s popularity is due to its accessibility. Several major cities are nearby, like Nashville, Knoxville, Asheville, Charlotte and Atlanta, but it is also a reasonable drive from such varied places like Louisville, Cincinnati, Washington, D.C. and Jacksonville, Florida.  

 GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are on the very edge of the National Park and they are very very heavily touristed. On a stretch of road several miles through the home of Dollywood there are several other amusement parks, arcades, fast food restaurants, miniature golf courses, pancake houses, motels and shopping outlets in a seemingly unending expanse of family fun. Traffic is horrific despite three lanes in either direction. It was shocking to see this for first time; we did not expect this at all. There is an area called “The Island” that is incredibly busy with people being shuttled to this area of restaurants, bars and attractions from a massive parking lot. We drove through this area and were shocked to see people elbow-to-elbow and no one wearing masks. We did not stay at all.

GATLINBURG, TN

Gatlinburg is about five miles south of Pigeon Forge and it was much more of the same, only this time traffic was pinched into two lanes and people shuffled along the narrow sidewalks that had the feel of a New Jersey shore boardwalk, but without the ocean. We could count on one hand the number of people we saw wearing masks as we crept through Gatlinburg. We decided very quickly we were not going to stop for a round of Hillbilly Miniature Golf.

HILLBILLY GOLF GATLINBURG, TN

No, we had not expected this level of frenetic tourism at all. We thought the area would be sleepy mountain towns, and the National Park would be a woodland dream. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park does have 800 miles of trails from easy to difficult, day hikes to overnights. The park has a number of historic structures to visit and it is a great place to see wildlife like black bears, deer and woodpeckers. So, instead of mingling with Cov-idiots, we have decided early on to pick out a new hike every day. There are plenty, and when we’re.finished hiking we’ve lingered on our deck to watch the sunsets, drink happy hour libations and soak in the hot tub. Hiking has proved to be a fun alternative way to vacation.

Perhaps in another time with no virus and with grandkids in tow Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg would be viable destinations, but Janet and I were wondering if we would ever return to this area. If not for the solitude of our hilltop cabin our experiences would be decidedly different. I will tell you about all the hikes in the next entry.

Thanks for reading... find your happy hour.

Love, Janet and greg

© 2020 by GREG DUNAJ.

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TENNESSEE ESCAPE

WORKING 9 TO 5

Team VFH had been to Tennessee a few years before when we visited my daughter in Nashville where she was living at the time. THAT town is an incessant party along the strip of honky-tonk bars on Broadway with every place blaring fantastic music, but after three days of carousing there it was enough for us. Given today’s issues with Covid-19, being jammed together, hooting and hollering to the extremely talented musicians who are trying to make it to the big-time in the Country Music world, just seemed stupid and dangerous.

Craving travel though after three months of isolation we decided to go somewhere, but we weren’t foolhardy enough to chance it by thundering about with the hordes. Janet came to the rescue, of course, when she happened upon a cabin for rent on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in eastern Tennessee.

She found it on AirBnB. We have traveled throughout the United States and Europe using the website, which connects property owners with prospective guests. Other places we’ve stayed using AirBnB have been several locations in Hawaii, England, Croatia and Texas. Our little cabin in Sevierville is just outside the National Park and near to all the attractions in Pigeon Forge, which is home to Dolly Parton’s Dollywood amusement park, and Gatlinburg. The cabin sleeps 4 and has two porches overlooking the mountains. On the lower porch is a hot tub and the lower floor also has a recreation room with a pool table. It’s comfortable and still rustic and fairly isolated.

Our plan for the week is to escape, but still isolate ourselves. We have been going on hikes daily in the Great Smoky Mountains and either cooking at the cabin or getting takeout for meals.

 AIRBnB

COUNTRY ROADS

The ride down route 81 in Virginia is quite spectacular with the Blue Ridge Mountains off to our left. It’s big wide-open country on a road that promises opportunity as it goes deep into the center of the Shenandoah Valley. We picked up the highway just south of Gettysburg and took it all the way to Tennessee. On our return trip we will take the Skyline Drive that follows the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Shenandoah National Park and stay at a lodge there called Big Meadow.

I had downloaded some bluegrass music for appropriate onboard entertainment as we hurtled down 81. Along the way we stopped in Bristol, Virginia AND Tennessee. The twin cities of Bristol is considered the birthplace of modern country music. In 1927 the Bristol Sessions went on at a converted factory building on the Tennessee side of State Street. State Street is the border between Old Dominion and the Volunteer state. The sessions were instrumental in recording regional music at the time and it introduced America to the music of Southern Appalachia and Bluegrass. The factory where the sessions were held has been converted into a parking lot, but the Country Music Museum is a block away on the Virginia side.

 COUNTRY MUSIC MUSEUM

IN VIRGINIA AND TENNESSEE, BRISTOL

We did a drive by the museum, and then parked the car so we could pose for pictures straddling the border on State Street just because it was there. Establishments on either side of this unique thoroughfare flew their state’s flag. It was a good stop, even Janet said so!

FITTING IN

We finally reached Sevierville in the late afternoon and bought food supplies at a Kroger supermarket. We wore masks inside the store and wiped down the cart before shopping. I would guess it was about 50-50 with the mask wearing, but no one gave us a second look. Staff at the market all wore masks.

We had heard that some places people feel the whole Covid-19 is a hoax and minimize the threat of the pandemic and even consider people wearing a mask are complicit in some sort of grand evil scheme, but so far, we hadn’t gotten that feeling.

Even at our next stop before the cabin, Boss Hogg’s BBQ, we were the only ones wearing a mask. It’s a rustic though clean place serving great bbq. We sort of felt out of place wearing a mask, but they were polite. Boss Hogg’s came highly recommended by our AirBnB hosts and the brisket and pulled pork did not disappoint, although they had run out of potato salad…. We got our food to go and headed up rural route 321 towards the rental.

BOSS HOGG'S BBQ

DON’T TRUST GPS!

The cabin is along a steep, winding narrow patch of macadam with a steep steep drop off on one side. I asked Janet what was there and she replied, “DEATH!” The GPS though took us a different way that evidently is only open during the winter months. We came to a gate and had to back down the treacherous road a couple of hundred feet before we could reach the proper turn. A few times I could not see the road as it pitched and rolled.

Finally arriving at our place, we sat on the back deck overlooking the mountains to eat our BBQ and then soaked in the hot tub and watched a brilliant sunset. We had done all right!

Thanks for reading. Hope you find such love and serenity in your lives as well.

Love, Janet and greg

© 2020 by GREG DUNAJ

SLOUCHING TOWARDS SEVIERVILLE

SMOKY MOUNTAINS GETAWAY

We had been watching the news with great trepidation for weeks now. Anxious over recent spikes of convid-19 in various states that had eased restrictions on the pandemic that is still ravaging this world we watched as Tennessee was highlighted in the nightly television news graphic that showed the Volunteer State was having problems. Not until two days before our departure was Tennessee no longer seeing a rise in cases. Our concern was personal after all; we were going there! We had decided to get out of the house for a road trip to stay in a cabin in the Smoky Mountains of Eastern Tennessee and it would have been bad luck to wade into troubles.

In deference to the pandemic and smart social distancing we have made this a road trip. Instead of flying we rented a car and are driving from Pennsylvania to Tennessee. This is a big concession for Janet. She does not like long road trips and has placed her limit at no more than 6 hours a day in the car. Me? Heck I once drove from Lambertville, NJ to San Antonio, TX in less than two days to research my second novel, The Music Made Me Cry, and I made a point of taking a lot of back roads mimicking the actions of my characters.

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VIRGINIA IS FOR LOVERS

So, rather than driving directly to Sevierville Tennessee, which is just outside of the revelry of Pigeon Forge and Dollywood, we left a day earlier and stopped in Harrisonburg, VA which is right off I-81, the major thoroughfare in western Virginia. We mooched a night’s stay with a college friend of Janet’s. Of course, we made arrangements weeks beforehand and didn’t just knock on her door.

She was so happy to see us that she bought us beer! After a time of reminiscing on her back deck we went OUT for dinner. That was the first time in months we had been out like this. We sat at outdoor seating, appropriately distanced from others. All the servers wore masks. Janet and I were so happy to be out that I graciously paid the bill, although our hostess offered to pick up the tab. (One must open their wallets in order to ensure future moochability you know.)

GREG’S WAY v GETTING THERE

Readers of this blog know I am more of a meanderer when it comes to driving, but when you are traveling great vast distances one must approach the road with alacrity. Still I loathe driving on busy highways and before we reached Highway 81 which runs brisk but really without non-threatening Kamikaze weavers it was only after several hours of driving along tertiary roads. Normally I wouldn’t mind the slower pace, but with every slow-moving truck and every construction site and every traffic jam (Route 15 outside of Gettysburg was stopped for a while) the clock was ticking and Janet’s patience was waning, as was mine!

When we finally reached our friend’s house we were spent! But being greeted by our friend with her brilliant smile AND a couple of cold six-packs made everything all right. It was a good stop.

A LAZY DAY IN PANAMA CITY

We had one final full day in Panama before heading home. Rather than disembarking from the M/S Panorama to immediately head for the airport, we decided to spend a day in Panama City. Our original idea was to explore further this gleaming metropolis, the largest city in all of Central America, but we ended up staying at the small rooftop pool at the Doubletree Hilton for most of the day before venturing out for dinner. Afterall the next day we would be back in the cold wintry Northeast; better to bask in the blazing heat with refreshing dips in the pool while nibbling at those fabulous Doubletree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Our small ship adventure with Variety Cruises took us along the Pacific coasts of Costa Rica and Panama. Every day we were very busy with shore excursions to national parks and idyllic islands. These mini adventures were informative and fun and exposed us to the beauty and biodiversity these two Central American countries offered. We saw a vast array of plants, birds, fish and animals, from sloths to whale sharks to howler monkeys. Even prior to our departure we hiked in the rainforests of Monteverde and drank enough coffee at a plantation to keep us awake for weeks.

VARIETY CRUISES

By the time we reached Panama City we were spent, and it was a good day to just relax. The only items on our agenda that last day were eating Doubletree Chocolate Chip Cookies and to swim in the pool.

GREAT NEWS

If you, my well-traveled reader, have ever stayed at a Doubletree you know about their cookies. Warm, gooey, chocolatey, nutty; these cookies are delicious. Well, just recently Doubletree posted their recipe for these delightful confections so you may bake them at home.

DOUBLETREE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPE

PANAMA CITY SIGHTS

We had already seen two of the main tourist attractions in Panama City; the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal, and Casco Viejo, the old quarter of the city. It might have been nice to stroll some more along the cobblestone streets of Casco Viejo and perhaps linger over a drink at a tapas bar, but this section of the city was too far away from the pool at the hotel.

 

JW MARRIOTT PANAMA CITY

We could have gone to visit the remnants of Panama Viejo, the original site of the city that was ravaged by the pirate Captain Morgan in 1671. It’s a popular tourist attraction, but that too was far from the pool.

We could have explored the gleaming modern city that now bristles with unique architecture that just seemed so fantastic and futuristic. Until 2000 there were barely any tall buildings but construction has accelerated since and now there are nearly 200 buildings rising dramatically into the sky, including the JW Marriott looking like a massive sail unfurled in the wind and the F&F Tower or Revolution Tower, nicknamed the “Tornillo”, ‘screw’ in Spanish. Turns out we could see the Screw from the pool. We could also see from our pool La Iglesia De Carmen a beautiful church in a gothic style that is a popular visit with tourists. It was just around the corner from the hotel and we nodded in agreement that it was beautiful from our chaise lounges.

Revolution Towers in a store 

CEVICHE FOR ALL

We did manage to visit the Mercado de Mariscos earlier in the day. It is a sprawling, bustling fish market at the edge of Casco Viejo popular with local families, restaurateurs and tourists. Our driver suggested we stop. We had arranged for the ride through the cruise line and she picked us up at the Flamenco Marina on the Amador Causeway and after taking the Cinta Costera, a viaduct several hundred feet off shore that wound around the Casco Viejo peninsula which alleviated heavy traffic in the area and preserved the UNESCO World Heritage status, we parked curbside and entered a swirling world of just caught seafood.

The market is right at the water’s edge and opens early in the morning. The fishing boats unload their haul and it doesn’t have to travel very far. There is an outside area where men are preparing the fish for the market and a vast interior area of dozens of stalls where one can buy by the pound everything from tuna and salmon to game fish like marlin, sailfish and wahoo. Shellfish and prawns are all for sale and everything is very inexpensive! We saw one fish called Atun Chico for $1.50 / lb. and some sort of shellfish for $2.00 / dozen.

Outside there are a number of food stalls and ceviche stands. It was too early in the day to have the little restaurants open, but our driver pointed out that ceviche is very cheap, and obviously very fresh in these little no-frills places. You can also order fries or patacones (fried plantain) which make for a great snack as you walk around. There is also a more formal dining area on the second floor where chefs will cook your purchase for you.

TINAJAS

It might have been a great adventure to return to the market for dinner later in the day, but we opted to stay close to the hotel. A couple who had also traveled on the Panorama met us at the hotel and we walked around the corner to Tinajas Restaurant. Tinajas serves typical Panamanian fare and several days a week there is a very entertaining show of Panamanian music and dancing on a small stage at one end of the restaurant. Given the food and the culture, Tinajas was an ideal place to end our trip.

There is great food at decent prices at Tinajas. There is a modest cover charge, for the folk dancing show, but it was worth it for the experience. Our typical Panamanian meals did not disappoint.  We split an appetizer of Patacones topped with Ropa Vieja and for her main Janet had Grilled Octopus and I had a whole Red Snapper grilled Caribbean-style. The best part of the evening was the show though. We were one of the first patrons that evening and the restaurant was empty, but by showtime, the place was packed.  

We were greeted at the door by a woman wearing a very ornate and colorful pollera, a long one-piece skirt used in traditional festivals. Her hair was festooned with a pearl headdress and her make-up was immaculate. She looked preternaturally perfect, like a Disney character. Later she proved to be one of the dancers in the show. Several other women in the show also wore pollera which they would proudly unfurl as they swirled around the dance floor with their partners who wore plain sackcloth clothes and hats.

Shows are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

TINAJAS PANAMA CITY PANAMA

                                                                                             

CAUTIONARY TALE

This was our last stop in a last-minute trip. We had booked the cruise, flights and hotel stays in mid-December for a mid-February departure. Costa Rica and Panama was not on our original list as traveling destinations, but serendipity and chance came to our rescue. We were also very fortunate that the Covid-19 pandemic did not affect us while there or in our travels home. We were lucky that we were not stranded or have gotten sick before “social distancing” had become a standby approach to a healthy life.

Doing research for this final article I have seen how the pandemic has shuttered many places in Panama City. The Doubletree is listed as temporarily closed. The fish market has pandemic measures in place. Tinajas is currently closed.  

Please be smart. Safe travels.

Thanks for reading.

Love Janet and greg

© 2020 by GREG DUNAJ