August 5th, 2014

My Summer Road Trip

August 5, 2014

Previous day Next Day
Part 2 of this day
Back to Main Page

	After the habitats and visitor center, it was back to 221 then the BRP.
	Along with the spectacular views, I also got rain.
	You wouldn't necessarily expect that looking at this picture but it would be dry on one side of a ridge and POURING on the other side.
	I eventually made it to New Switzerland which is a small town JUST off the Parkway.
	There was a store specifically selling goods related to the "Diamondback", 226A, which is growing in its reputation as a great motorcycle road. Although I bought a souvenir for my friend, Ann, there, I didn't bother with 226A stuff because I knew I'd be skipping the road due to the wet weather. I DID ride 226 (beside it) though, and although it's not twisty the way 226A is, I had NEVER been on a rode with signs (at the top) saying SPEED LIMIT 20 MPH STRICTLY ENFORCED. There was even a police officer right there keeping an eye on traffic. On top of that, there was construction on the way down so I doubt any of us (cars, trucks, bikes) even hit 10 MPH.
	From highway 26, I turned onto 70 which became an Interstate (40). Along the way I had a bit of "excitement". Near Asheville, NC, ON the interstate (luckily in the right hand lane), my bike TOTALLY died. I coasted onto (oh joy!) a narrow shoulder and as trucks and cars whizzed by, I wondered (1) could I get the bike restarted? - no! and (2) if I can't get it restarted, how do I get off the bike? Trucks especially are VERY close and I have to crawl off the left hand side!! After several unsuccessful attempts, I finally got the bike going. Bad gas? Didn't know. I stuck to the right lane until I was able to pull off the Interstate and check out the bike. I opened the tank cover to check my battery and one of the cables was a bit loose. Was that the reason I stalled? I'll never know for sure but I did tighten it with my handy tools (which thank goodness I always take along) and was able to get to Pigeon Forge without further incident. The pool awaited!
	But before a swim, time to walk to dinner. If you've ever been to Pigeon Forge (I rode through it once), you know it's a theme park haven. Here's an upside down house (Wonderworks) right across from my motel.
	I considered going to the Hatfield and McCoy dinner show but it was much later and I was hungry NOW!
	Don't know what they do to you on the Titanic... I didn't want to be on a sinking ship that night...
	... and there were a couple of music shows along the way to dinner... hmmm... maybe!
	Don't these look like pink lilacs? I never did find out what they were, but I saw them everywhere in the area and I thought they were so pretty!
	After eating at O'Charlies, the sun was getting lower but evidently people still were taking rides up this attached balloon. As I walked back to the motel, I saw the "Memories Theater" and on a whim, decided to go in.
	The show was to center around an Elvis impersonator with other "tribute" acts included.
	I had just enough time to look at some actual Elvis memorabilia...
	... before the call to your seats came. I ended up getting a seat, center front, second row.
	The show began with "Jackie Wilson". The young man portraying him was excellent. I thought I'd be able to find the gentleman's name online after the performance, but unfortunately, he must have had a limited engagement at Memories and it was not there.
	Next up, "The Blues Brothers".
	The guy portraying Elwood/Dan Aykroyd was hilarious. During the intermission he also came into the audience to kick our chairs as he passed by and general give us a "hard time". Lots of fun.
	"Jason Aldean" was very very good. The young man playing him was very talented and also a good host.
	After the break, "Conrad Twitty", portrayed by Travis James appeared. A very talented man. I had the opportunity to chat with this man after the show and he also does other characters like Neil Diamond, for one. I asked how he got started and he said he used to like mimicking people and just found he had a talent for it.
	The final act was "Elvis" by William Stiles. He said after the show that there were a couple of reasons Elvis came so easily to him. (1) He's from the same area of Mississippi that Elvis was from so the accent isn't an accent. It's real. (2) Charlie Hodge who was one of Elvis' inner circle, allowed him access to a lot of bootleg tapes and videos that helped him portray Elvis more convincingly. Did I tell you I got "Elvis'" last scarf? Remember when I said that I was sitting center row 2? He threw that last scarf right at me. Basketball reflexes never die, I guess. Even though I wasn't expecting it, I got it despite all the others grabbing at it. Don't know what I'll do with it, but for now it's a nice reminder of a great show. Thanks to all the performers!
	Route: US321 south to Blue Ridge Parkway Blue Ridge Parkway to US221 US221 to Grandfather Mountain US221 to Blue Ridge Parkway Blue Ridge Parkway to New Switzerland Blue Ridge Parkway to 226 226 to US70 US70 becomes I-40 I-40 to 411 411 to Sevierville 71 to Pigeon Forge Next Back to Main Page