After being completely worn out by our last week in Atlanta (two waterfall hikes, Zoo Atlanta, and swimming with Gentle Giants), we woke up on Sunday morning (April 16) refreshed and ready for our next adventure. We had left the house hitched up to the truck and, thanks to some rainy weather, we had already packed up most of our outdoor equipment so getting ready and on the road actually went really smoothly. The drive from Bald Ridge Creek Campground to Norris Dam State Park was supposed to be just under 4 hours. Thanks to some traffic issues and road construction, we actually spent almost 6 hours on the road. Even with the traffic, the scariest part of the drive was coming up the hill from the entrance of the park to the actual campground at the top of the hill.
The road was super steep and had several tight switchback turns. It was scary enough in our car and we were really nervous about driving the truck up the hill with the house in tow. Thankfully, we didn’t meet any other cars on the way up and John was able to swing into the opposing lane and take the turns wide. People often asked us why we opted for the truck that we did – the Chevy 3500 dually. The truck is rated to pull around 36,000 lbs and the house only weighs around 14,000 so why the overkill? For the extra power on steep inclines and extra stopping power coming downhill. It was slow going but we made it to the top and found our site. The campground is set up in an oval-ish shape on top of the hill with larger sites on the inside of the ring and small sites on the outside. There are tons of trees which made backing into our spot a little tricky but John eventually got things lined up and we settled in to our home in Rocky Top, Tennessee for the next two weeks.
For those that aren’t familiar (I wasn’t really either until we started looking at staying here), there is a song from the 1960’s written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and originally recorded by the Osborne Brothers in which we learn that the singer now lives in the city but is mourning the simple life in the Tennessee hill country. The song is one of 10 state songs of Tennessee and provided a great title for the blog for this week.
The scenery here is absolutely gorgeous and our campsite, nestled among the trees, is so peaceful. Our site has electric and water hookups but no sewer. We have a portable gray water tank (for shower water and water from the sink) but the dump station here is a little tricky to get to so we have been using the public restrooms for our showers. I was a little worried but they are actually super nice. It is one building with 4 entrances, one at each corner. When you go in one of the doors, you are in a full bathroom which you have to yourself. There is a toilet, sink, and shower and there are hooks and benches for your belongings. Most shower houses at other campgrounds we have stayed at are set up kind of locker room style with multiple shower stalls in one big room. Sometimes there are doors on the stalls but usually its just a (usually gross looking) shower curtain for privacy or nothing at all. You also just have to leave your belongings in the common area and hope no one messes with them. Here, you have the entire bathroom to yourself with no worries of anyone else coming in. The building is really clean and well stocked with toilet paper – the rangers clean it every morning around 9am and empty the trash- and the water pressure is great. The hot water is so good that we often have to turn the heat down once things get flowing because it is so hot.
The outdoor amenities throughout the park are also pretty nice. Because last week was so busy for us, we mostly just hung around the house this week. There are so many hiking trails! John and Harley have explored a few but they are a little too steep for my knees so I mostly stick to walking around the paved ring at the top of the hill. There is a Canteen nearby that supposedly sells snacks, drinks, firewood, and souvenirs but they have weird hours and we have yet to catch them open. There is also a Visitor’s Center with a gift shop that has the cutest merchandise and local honey from right here in the park. There is a laundry room, conference center, cabins to rent, and basketball and tennis courts. It even looks like there might be an inground pool but it isn’t open yet for the season.
We did decide to go for a drive on Wednesday night to see the dam that the park is named for. There is a lovely lookout area up one of the hills where you can look out on the lake and the dam. The views were so pretty. I wish our campsite was closer to this area but it was only about a 5-10 minute drive for us.
We also drove to an old grist mill and threshing barn located nearby and found a small waterfall down one of the backroads just past the mill.
On the way back, we found a little brewery called Clinch River Brewing. John had been craving a cold a beer so we stopped by. We were pleasantly surprised to find that Wednesday night was Wing Night so we enjoyed some Lemony Pickett and some Kimchi wings with fries for dinner. They had a great patio area with a large pond and the weather was just perfect for enjoying our food outside.
We spent a lot of the week catching up on television shows, doing a minor projects around the house, and lounging in our hammocks. There aren’t a lot of food options nearby so we mostly cooked at home although we did go out for a few errands on Friday night and stopped at a Mexican restaurant in town called Habaneros III where John got an enormous Molcajete (a sizzling hot bowl filled with chicken, steak, chorizo, onion, cactus, and peppers). It was impressive.
On Saturday we decided we needed donuts so we drove into the nearby town of Clinton to a donut shop we had found online. We also drove on into the small downtown area and found a small art festival. One of the things we love about traveling is getting to experience our Three F’s: fairs, festivals, and farmers markets. We could see dancing, vendors tents, and food trucks so of course we had to stop by. We enjoyed a meatball sandwich, some brisket Mac & Cheese, and (MY FAVORITE!) a Pina Colada flavored Kona Ice while browsing work by local artists and craftsmen and even bought a new art print for the house which pretty much sums up our lives. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.
We had big plans for Sunday (look for that in next week’s post) so we decided to take a leisurely drive through some nearby towns and then head back home for the afternoon. It’s so easy to get caught up in doing a million things during our travels that we really love the weeks where we don’t have anything scheduled and get to just recharge our minds and bodies. I know it doesn’t make for super interesting blog posts, but it definitely makes for good living.
We also celebrated the third anniversary of adopting our sweet Heraldine. We hadn’t planned to adopt her but on April 21, 2020 she entered our home and our hearts and has filled our lives with love and weirdness every since.
