Spring 2022-On the Road Again!: Days 22 & 23

Monday, May 9, 2022

Days 22 & 23

We've been pretty much off the grid for the past two days; no internet & no showers, but we're loving it!

Our first stop of the day was the National Cemetery in Chattanooga where, among many others, are buried Andrews Raiders who stole the train in Kennesaw, Georgia. The eight raiders who were caught were all hung; nine others escaped.

The grave of James Andrews who led the raid.

An adorable display in front of a dog kennel in Chattanooga.

The Smoky Mountain Railroad Model Train Museum in Bryson City, NC. Over 4000 cars & engines combine to make this display, and another 3000 cars & engines are in storage awaiting another layout. For those who want to know, these are 99% "O gauge" trains.

One of the many tourist traps in Cherokee, NC.

Poplar Tulip

Our campsite, B-24, at the Smokemont Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

We may have been off the grid, but that didn't stop us from celebrating Derby Day with a couple of Mint Juleps.

We started Day 23 at this museum in Cherokee. This museum not only focused on the Cherokee tribe, but covered the earliest Native American settlements in North America. Although there was a lot of repeat information that we'd encountered in other museums, it was still very informative and we were glad we went.

This simple map gives an indication of how large the Cherokee lands were before they were forced to give them all ups and move to Oklahoma.

Plotting our next stops for the upcoming days.

After leaving the museum in Cherokee, we returned to the Smoky Mountains National Park, driving over the Newfound Gap, elevation 5,049 ft., which crosses the Appalachian Trail. Newfound Gap is also the dividing line between Tennessee and North Carolina, with Tennessee to the north.

This stream ran parallel to our campground and provided just enough white noise to block out any noisy campers who were running air conditioners or portable generators.