Our Last Day

August 24

Today was a good day.  In the morning we had originally thought we'd go for a hike but after we all got up we just felt like hanging out and enjoying the cabin until after lunch.  And the morning was most productive.  At dinner last night we'd discussed what had been the major goal - besides getting together again - of the week.....where to travel.  We picked a Viking River Cruise through Eastern Europe.  So this morning I reached out to our travel agent, the BEST travel agent in the world Nancy Nelson and by mid-morning we were booked for a November 2021 trip.

Around 1 pm we headed out to Gatlinburg and spent about two hours going through a lot of very unique shops.  Saw a lot of things I WANTED but nothing we needed.  We did find a Christmas ornament, which we try to pick up on every trip.  Soon we were on our way to a very late lunch or early dinner at Crystelle Creek, a restaurant Mary Pat had found that had been described as the best restaurant in Gatlinburg.  The other three had trout which they raved about.  I had BBQ ribs and an "Apple Pie Momosa Moonshine" drink.  All amazing.  Keith joined us after he turned in his rental car and soon we were headed back to the cabin for our final evening.  We got a group shot and then played cards - BooRay (which we'd played last night) and we again shared a lot of laughs.  Just an amazing week with great friends.  We'll now try to coordinate a getaway for the entire eight of us and look forward to our cruise in about a year and a half.

Miami Redskin Grads

A Lazy Day

August 23

Not a lot to write about today.....after four pretty busy days we decided to simply enjoy the new cabin and hang out all day.  Kim and Keith were up early for the lone real activity of the day as they went on an ATV excursion.  Tom & Mary Pat went to the pool for a while but then it started to rain.  It poured, and POURED for about two hours and then it turned into a beautiful sunny day.  I worked on the highlight video and watched races from Monmouth Park (won four!).  After dinner we had a discussion about future travel plans and hope to include the other two couples.  Tomorrow is the final day of the trip and we plan to be pretty active before topping it off with a nice dinner out in Gatlinburg.

Waterfalls and THE MOVE IN!

August 22

And so FINALLY we got what we've been thinking about since we made plans to get together back in January.  As I mentioned in the early post to kick off the adventure, we had downsized to a two-bedroom condo because there were only two couples left, and Keith.  And the loft above seemed like a great option to fit all of us.  Even though it was smaller than what we'd been envisioning it was all about getting together.  And certainly that would have been a wonderful vacation.  BUT.....on the first day when I tried to connect to the Internet it was password protected.  When I called I was told that there was NO INTERNET in this cabin/condo. That night when we went to bed, both TV's in the two bedrooms - and there wasn't one in the loft for Keith even though it was advertised there were four TV's - BOTH only worked with an Internet.  Then the next morning the coffee maker leaked all over everything....and we had no dishtowels to clean it up.  I called again the next morning and was assured that there WAS a password and they'd find it.  They promised to bring a new coffee maker and a pot holder, some dish towels and bath towels.  When we returned at 5 pm....nothing.  I called, and a guy came shortly...with A potholder and some dishtowels.  Pulled out his phone and said, "Yep, you need a password, I'll report that."  So we went a second day without WiFi (though we could use our phones) and no TV.  Not the biggest of deals.  When the third day rolled around and still no progress - again being told there was no Internet, Mary Pat suggested I ask for a supervisor.  And after a long "negotiation" we arranged to move into a four bedroom cabin, a real cabin.  So this morning we went on a short hike to a waterfall.  Then out to lunch and to the grocery.  We had to wait about 45 minutes for the final preparations and then we moved in.  JUST WOW.  As you can see from the photos below, just wow.  Everything we'd hoped for....three levels, two big scenic decks with plenty of space and the lower deck had the much anticipated hot tub.  Very happy.  We plan to spend most of tomorrow on the property soaking up the amenities of our new "cabin."

The New Cabin

The Caverns.....and more wine

August 21

Yesterday when Keith rejoined us after dinner he shared with us many pamphlets about things in the area he'd become alerted to, one of which was the Tuckaleechee Caverns.  These began with two youngsters in the early fifties who explored the caves with bottle-candles and now it's a tourist spot.  We were amazed at how many people were here considering how far out in the middle of nowhere it was.  But the tour was spectacular as we climbed down 205 steps (and then back up them) to get deep underground!

Afterwards we stopped at a winery and in spite of saying I wouldn't I couldn't pass up another bottle of wine which was super sweet and tasty.  We topped the day off by going out to eat in Gatlinburg at a restaurant that was reviewed with the comment, "If you're going to Gatlinburg you MUST go here."