Anchor Down

Beautiful RV park!  Fireplaces, beach, pickleball, pool, and dog park all overlooking the lake with mountains in the background.

Bear met his twin at the dog park:

They had a great time playing together!  Bo was only nine months old.  This was one of the first times that Bear was the old man!  Our little boy is growing up so fast!

I think that the fireplaces were the best feature as each site had a different design.

While we were walking Bear by the lake we found a wonderful piece of driftwood:

Now we have to clean it up and figure out what to do with it!

For dinner we got Mexican take out from Don Marcos since it was Cinco de Mayo!

Note to self:  There are two Don Marcos in the vicinity of Anchor Down so make sure that you order and pick up from the same one!

We had to make a trip out to FedEx and the USPS the next day and right across the street was Aubrey’s – a restaurant that was open.  We got to go inside and have a nice dinner!  So exciting to be eating out again.  Things were a little different as half of the tables were X-offed and we used paper menus which the establishment threw away right after our use.  That didn’t dampen the fact that we were able to eat out!

The following day we drove to Pigeon Forge (home of Dollywood, still closed) as stores are opening up.  Hit the Outlet Mall.  About half the stores were open.  Headed to the Ole Smoky Moonshine to try some local moonshine.  The tasting part was closed due to COVID pandemic.

We bought five mason jars and a sixth one was free!  Strawberry Mango Margarita, Sour Watermelon, Cinnamon, S’Mores, Shine Nog (think eggnog), and Salty Caramel Whiskey!  Some of them taste like Jolly Rogers.  Yummy!  Due to COVID-19 they were also making this:

Please read the label!

Kevin and Kathleen Fluharty came to visit us.  Yeah!

Went out for dinner at Local GOAT.

Outstanding farm to table food!

Kat and Kathleen got a workout in everyday:

Taught Kevin and Kathleen how to play pickleball.  Switched partners around and had a lot of fun.

Picture on our walk over to the courts.

Rented a pontoon boat for 1/2 day to cruise on Douglas Lake which is a dammed up lake on the Tennessee River.

Part of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) program to help get the United States out of the Great Depression.  Had another dinner at NAMA – outstanding sushi and a yummy dessert:

Walked around Market Street in downtown Knoxville – cool place with restaurants and bars.

Not all open yet.  Some open with bars closed.

Played Mexican Train and Yahtzee for couples.

We headed up to Gatlinburg so that Kevin could get some moonshine.  Got to walk around and noticed that many people had the same idea.

(Looks like I need to lose some weight!).  Sidewalks were somewhat busy with a few officers making sure that people social distanced.  That night we tried the Habanero Mango Whiskey – excellent!  We also finished a mason jar of the Cinnamon moonshine.

Guess we will need to restock our cabinet!  Tasted like liquid Hot Tamales!

Always so nice to have the Fluharty’s come visit us in the Busse Bus.  Always sad to see them go.  Boo!

Kat and I went back to Ole Smokey to get more Cinnamon Shine and Habanero Mango Whiskey.  Stopped at The Forge to buy a new cast iron skillet.  Ended up with two.  Since we have been quarantined we have found the thrills of cast iron.  Afterwards, we headed back to Local GOAT!

Outstanding establishment with yummy food!  Maybe it’s just being able to get inside a restaurant again.

The next day I was seasoning the new skillet and it cracked!  Had to head back to get it replaced.  Guess what?  We stopped at The Local GOAT again.  I guess we are regulars now.  Although they didn’t call me by my name.

Interesting architecture in the Pigeon Forge area:

Talk about a tourist trap!  Maybe it was a good thing after all that we were under quarantine and a lot of the places were closed!

Time to pack up and head farther north!  The weather is getting better.  Hope the COVID situation improves.