Singing the Country Blues: Bledsoe Creek State Park, Gallatin, TN 6/15/08

Before we left the Smoky Mountains for the flatlands, we thought it would be fun to visit the Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in the park at about 6600 ft. (Yes, I know, nothing like our Sierra’s). It was a cool morning, about 60 deg., and it felt good to stretch our legs on the trail to the dome. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to see the 7 states or the advertised 100 miles because we were in the clouds! It was still a gorgeous walk and it was fun to see some backpackers come off the Appalachian Trail. According to the park literature the visibility in the summer is down 80% from when the park first opened in 1948 - thanks to pollution. Even on a clear day it is supposed to be extremely hazy. How sad. As we drove down the mountain, we descended thru breathtaking beautiful broadleaf forest and suddenly emerged into abject tackiness. We’re talking Dollywood, and the town of Pigeon Forge that has every conceivable carnival type amusement for miles. It’s really bizarre. The North Carolina entry to the park is kitschy Cherokee trading posts gone berserk and the Tennessee entry is just amusement park on steroids, and in-between is some of the most gorgeous mountain forest land you’ll ever see. Thank you federal government and park service for keeping it this way! In fact there is no cell phone coverage, electrical & water hook-ups or showers available. This seemed to attract a much more down to earth crowd. We continued thru Knoxville (didn’t see much) toward Nashville, our destination for the evening. At the last minute, we picked a different state park than originally planned because we thought it would be easier access to Nashville. It’s a small, quiet park, but feels more like a county park than a State Park. We picked out a site and then headed for Nashville. (We also gained an hour back so it was nice having that extra time to play). We toured Music Row, checked out Opryland and “The District” (see photo), ate a bar-b-que restaurant and for the first time in weeks saw beef on the menu. (It’s been fried chicken or pork for ages!) We also had two choices of sauce, mustard and molasses, and we were given toasted bread, not plain white bread. Times they are a-changing. Upon arriving back at our campsite, at about 9:30, we noticed that our camping chairs were missing. In all my 50 years of camping, this is only the second time that I’ve had something taken. Maybe I should write a Country Blues song about our chairs being stolen. (Ex. “How can I get buzzed, when my buzz chair is gone…”) Tomorrow is the Natchez Trace Parkway. Really looking forward to that!