Second Week Smoky Mnts July 2018

Famous Ashville House

July 15, 2018

Well the second week in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Lake Junaluska

Spent a day in the Maggie Valley area and walked the trail around Lake Junaluska.  Very nice scenic trail 2.6 miles around the lake.  Beautiful weather.

Following day

decided to do the “Hop on and Off” trolley ion Ashville.  Very nice tour, 2 ½ hrs and very well narrated .  Lots and lots of history here.   10 different stops, all with a little different venue.  Could easily spend a day just doing this.

Wednesday did the Scenic Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Ride out of Bryson City, NC.

Lovely Homes

Major Famous Homes

Great Smoky Mnt Train

Our Car

Took the First Class ticket with a full meal service.  Was a 4 ½ hour ride with a brief stop over and turn around at Nantahala River Outfitters Camp, whitewater Rafting, zip lines, mountain biking, etc.  Great trip with awesome views. 

Rafting

Thursday a cabin rest day.  Friday spent the day in Cherokee, NC.  An Indian reservation.  Little known fact, the Cherokee Tribe goes back further than the Inka’s.   Of course, reservation includes “casino” world.  Stopped at the one in Cherokee.  Huge!  Endless machines and tables.  Also included bowling alleys.  Event center was having a national “Corn Hole” tournament.  $50,000 purse.  Watched some pretty skilled tosses.  Never new they had such a thing.  Jersey’s, sponsors, the whole gamut.  Fun to watch.

Later found a nice river stream.  Family’s rafting, swimming, just having a good time.  We spent an hour or so just relaxing in our bag chairs on the water.

Saturday, our last cabin day, heading to Brevard, NC.   Drove the Blue Ridge Parkway to Brevard.  Spent the day at PARI Astronomical Research Institute.  Located in the Pisgah National Forest, an old NASA facility turned to a Science Learning Center.  Pretty amazing stuff.  200 acre site dedicated to providing “hands on educational and research opportunities” for a broad cross section in science, technology, engineering and math. A public not for profit foundation, founded by Don Cline.  As a NASA facility, this was the site in the 60’s that tracked and monitored our manned space flights, Yea, “The Eagle has Landed”.

Our tour was very professional and well done.  Lots of history, science, and meteorites artifacts.  Treated to holding Dinosaur egg, rocks from the Moon and Mars.  We  were given a “Planetarium Exhibit”, StarLab, a portable unit for visitors and students, having hosted more than 80,000 visitors, showing all of the constellations.  Wow!  Very worthwhile visit.  A  rather “sterile” entrance and seemed not “user friendly”, but once inside changed our view.  Thanks for the recommendation from friend Bill Harper.

Well, tomorrow we head home.  A great two weeks in the Smoky Mountains.  Wonderful cabin accommodations.  Loved the area.   Over and out until the next adventure.