The neighborhood McDonalds had school kids from two school buses standing in line. We waited about 5-minutes before deciding to try another McD. Before we drove off, we noticed the drive thru was empty and the found the Roadtrek fit under their awning. With two coffees and a Cinnamon Melt we were on our way.
The drive was uneventful. We stopped at the Ocoee Dam, which is part of the Tennessee Valley Authority. I’m still looking for a TVA museum but I don’t think I’ll find one before we leave Tennessee.
We spent a while at the Asheville Botanical Garden. It is a volunteer based garden and it definitely shows. A nice creek runs thru the facility with trails following its banks. The trails were well maintained but all the plants looked tired and very few were in bloom.
We couldn’t find anything to keep us in Asheville. The areas of town we visited were run down and graffiti covered. The only attraction we saw listed was the Biltmore estate. The hefty $38 entrance fee was more than our interests were willing to pay.
We stopped for gas at a TA facility between Asheville and Great Smoky. I was hoping they would have an air pump with some muscle but no luck.
Our next challenge was to find an entrance to Great Smoky Mountain Park. It seemed every road we tried lead around the park, nothing lead in. The GPS was no help. Finally, Mary found a route that got us in to the Cosby Campground. The Golden Age pass got us a nice campsite for only $7. No electricity or WiFi, but its nice to be away from the city. The men’s toilet had an attendant that was busy eating a bar of soap someone had left.
