Looking for the Colors of Spring - 3

The Return Trip
On Sunday morning I woke up with a sense of dejection for the fact that this was the last day of the vacation. The weather too was a bit glum as there was a forecast of rainfall. It was decided that staying further in Asheville was of no use due to the weather, but we should head back and maybe stop somewhere on the way where the weather might be better. We made a few calls to some river rafting companies, but the one that was on our route was closed. Another one a bit further away was open, but they started in the afternoon and we didnt have enough time to wait till then. We started our journey back and on the way we stopped at any rafting places we saw. Unfortunately most of them hadnt even opened for the season and some of them that were open were closed as it was Sunday.

We moved on, V being the driver and me the navigator. After scanning the map for possible places to visit, we decided upon Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge in Tennessee. Me and V had already been there during the fall season last year, but we didnt mind going again. These two towns are close to each other and located at the foot hills of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park on the Tennessee side. Gatlinburg is a lovely, lively, quaint little town and the main street is full of small local shops. You could spend hours just exploring these shops. The last time we had been there, we had booked a cabin at the top of one of the steep roads leading to the top of the mountain. The mountain around these two towns are dotted with these log cabins which you can rent. Staying in such a cabin is one of the best experiences I ever had. The creepiness of being in an isolated cabin in the midst of a forest infested with bears... mixed with the sense of excitement and adventurousness...the whole experience is awesome. Reminds you of movies like Wrong Turn

Last time we had been there during Halloween so the entire town was decorated with huge pumpkins, straws and scarecrows. This time around the town was decorated with huge colourful easter eggs and chocolate bunnies. We roamed around Gatlinburg for some hours...again clicked lots of pictures and set off after lunch. We just passed through Pigeon Forge and didnt stop. Pigeon Forge is like a small Orlando with lots of small activity parks and shows. They have everything from Nasscar go-kart track to Chinese acrobats to Ripley's Believe It or Not. I guess the most famous of all is Dollywood. Yes, you read it right , they have Dollywood!! Its a kind of amusement/theme park solely dedicated to the famous country singer Dolly Parton. This is her home town and she often visits and performs there.

N drove on the way back while me and V slept. V had been driving all the while and the night before was awake till 3am connected to his office network and working. The journey back was uneventful. We had to make a stop in Louisville to return the rental car and get out own cars. It was raining heavily in Louisville and all the way till Columbus making it difficult to drive in the dark. We had a burger at Mc Donald's and came back home. Watched TV for some time and then went off to sleep with a heavy heart for the fact that the next day I would have to wake up early and drive 1 hr to work.