The Great Smokey Mountains Adventure

The mountains are calling and I must go. John Muir
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/mountains.htmlT

 The Great Smokey Mountain Adventure

"The mountains are calling and I must go." - John Muir

The mountains are calling and I must go. John Muir
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/mountains.html

The mountains are calling and I must go. John Muir
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/mountains.html

Ad·ven·ture

noun

• An unusual and exciting or daring experience.

‘her recent adventures in Italy’

Verb

·         Engage in daring or risky activity.

‘they had adventured into the forest’

Saturday, June 24, 2017, was the beginning of our travels toward adventure in the Great Smokey Mountains. We left just around noon and drove at a leisurely pace until we reached Savannah, Georgia for an overnight stay. Once we arrived in Savannah, we located our quaint digs for the night…the Biltmore RV Park (NOT to be confused with the Biltmore Estate) which was a perfect location for the night for us.  

We unhooked the Marshmallow (aka Casita) and took off for historic River Street in downtown Savannah. J had been to Savannah before, but this was a first for me and everywhere we turned was a feast for the eyes. So much history from the 200 year old cobblestones that run the length of Savannah River to the gas lanterns and stunning architecture of the buildings.

 

 

River Street was once the location of warehouses holding King Cotton (“King Cotton” is a phrase referring to cotton and cotton-growing considered, in the pre-Civil War South, as a vital commodity, the major factor not only in the economy, but also in politics). An epidemic of yellow fever took over the neighborhood and it never fully recovered after the quarantine of 1818. This area was abandoned for over a century and later rediscovered in the 1970s by local landowners and urban planners determined to revive old River Street.

 

We also visited one of the oldest Roman Catholic Churches in the South and the oldest Roman Catholic Church in the State of Georgia: The Victorian and Gothic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. 

 The original building was nearly destroyed by fire in 1898, but quickly rebuilt using the original plans. Some of its impressive features include stained glass windows made by glassmakers in Tyrol, a western Austrian state, and installed around the 1900’s. It has been noted that in July 1850, Pope Pius IX erected the Diocese of Savannah and the Church of St. John the Baptist (the only Catholic church in Savannah at the time) became the Cathedral. 

 

We didn’t have nearly enough time to explore as we wanted to, so we vowed that we would come back to Savannah again with more time to learn about this historical city.

As we were making our way past Georgia and into South Carolina we heard (and felt)a loud POP! The Marshmallow had a tire blowout on the highway!!! Luckily we weren’t  being hugged by any 18 wheelers and J quickly manuevered the truck and camper to the side of the highway like a pro.  One spare tire changed later and we were back on our way toward the mountains of Tennessee.

As soon as we spotted the makings of a mountain in the distance we began to get more and more excited….we were almost there!!!  The roadway became more steep and narrow and our ears began to pop as we circled our way around the mountain roads higher and higher. We traveled through some tunnels –literally through a mountain - until we reached our exit. 

Our first stop was to a little place called “Goodwater Vineyards” to find out if they knew where our campground was because we were, well, a bit lost. Turns out a “Wine Tasting Room” is not a bad place to stop and get directions! It was a small building which housed wine made by a family owned/operated vineyard in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains and we would later sample and buy the absolute BEST blackberry wine ever tasted!!!

Once we finally made it to our destination, we unhooked the Marshmallow and checked out our home for the week.