Great Smoky Mountain NP & 3D Printed Willys!

(This is the week of 10/04/24 in my travel journal.) Parts of I-40 in Tennessee and North Carolina were completely washed away from Hurricane Helene. As in, the road is totally gone. So it will take a while to get that rebuilt. Through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, the highway 441 is now open. Well, it appears that people are using 441 as a go-around for I-40, including commercial trucks. The road has switchbacks and isn’t big enough to handle commercial trucks so it has always been closed to them. Some truck drivers went on through, passed the permanent signs that say no commercial trucks, and have caused a lot of problems. In fact, last night there were 2 huge wrecks: a car hauler crashed into a wall and then went down an embankment and another was a semi-truck that had the brakes catch on fire. In a 24-hour period, more than 45 commercial trucks were turned away.

Most every morning here in Heiskell, TN, there is a severe weather alert about all the fog in the area. We left just before 8:00 a.m. and saw some fog in the hills. In a parking lot in Sevierville, TN, we saw 2 pickup trucks that were pulling large green generators. Across the road we saw 9 electric company utilities trucks parked. They had their buckets up in the air. There are motels around so we assume the workers are staying there. We assume they are here to make repairs after Hurricane Helene.

Gatlinburg, TN 10/24

We continued south to Great Smoky Mountain National Park to the entrance of the park.

We saw behind us a large semi truck and trailer. I took a picture through the mirror; we knew he was illegal going through here anytime and would be turned around by the officers at the check point. Sure enough.

We stopped at Sugarlands Visitor Center and learned what roads are open after the hurricane. Then we bought a hat and an ornament and got in line to pay and buy our $5.00 parking pass. The rule is, if you stop somewhere more that 15 minutes you need the pass. $5.00 for a day, $15.00 for a week, $40.00 annual. The line was so long and wrapped around the entire length of the store. Reminded us of Badlands National Park store and how the ranger told us that wasn’t even a busy day. HAHA Got our stuff and headed out.

We wanted to see the history stuff first so drove to Cades Cove. Kevin had been here with his parents years ago; he thinks they didn’t drive through the other parts of the park. It takes about an hour to get there, through narrow, twisty road, a lot of time following a small river. The speed limit was anywhere from 25 to 30 mph. The leaves, if they will change color, haven’t changed yet. There were a few pull offs for trails. Close to Townsend the traffic stopped. The road has split to one way. We see about 5 vehicles in front of us with the people looking and taking pictures of the trees. Ah, a bear with black fur and it was up in a tall tree. Cades Cove is 11 miles, one-way loop that goes around the valley. It was hunting grounds for Cherokee Indians. European settlers first came here in 1818. This place has the widest variety of historic buildings in the whole park. The visitor center is just a store but outside you can walk around and see a house that was moved here. Also there were several other buildings.

Most Photographed Mill, I Later Learned, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN 10/24

The gristmill had a waterwheel that was turning. The people had to move when the land became part of the park.  (I looked up several places to see the history of this place; and each one I read varies greatly from the others. I find that pretty interesting in itself.) As you continue on the loop you can see several old houses and a few barns. Traffic stopped 4 more times, each time seeing a bear. We didn’t see those. The people were in the back of a pickup bed in camping chairs. Made them taller to see and very comfy. Good idea.

Fog, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC 10/24

Back we went on the same road to pass Sugarlands Visitor Center and we turned right to go on Hwy 441. This road, the ranger had told us, is for the views. It was a pretty busy road. We took the road to Clingmans Dome. I read you can climb a tower of sort and see the views. Sadly, the parking lot was completely full and so was the overflow.

Looking Over North Carolina, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC 10/24

We stopped at a few pullouts and could see below to the hills of North Carolina. (We were actually in North Carolina at this point.) Back down we went. I was surprised to find that this was the most visited park in 2023. The article continued on saying the park gets so many people because it is close to so many people in the US. In the millions, the numbers are 13- Great Smoky, 4,7 – Grand Canyon, 4.6 – Zion, 4,5 -Yellowstone, 4,1 – Rocky Mountain, 3,8 – Yosemite, 3,7 – Acadia. Interesting!!!

Main Road, About 1 Mile Long, Took 45 Minutes. Gatlinburg, TN 10/24

We got to Gatlinburg and decided to drive through it to find Everything Auto, a tow truck guy we sometimes watch on YouTube. Gatlinburg, Hwy 441 through the town was crazy. I mean, crazy. And the crowds of humanity was overwhelming. People could hardly move past each other. There are restaurants and lots of tourist trap place. Obviously, lots of people like that. We got to the property of Everything Auto and saw his new red tow truck.

Secret City Commemorative Walk, Oak Ridge, TN 10/24

Manhattan Project Oak Ridge Visitor Center National Historic Park is housed in the children’ museum, which we thought interesting. I saw somewhere that it opens 10-4 on Sundays. We got there and found out I had wrong information. On Sundays it doesn’t open until 1:00 p.m. We had three hours, what to do. Kevin found on google after typing what to do around me, The Secret City Commemorative Walk. It is at a park close by. We are very glad to find this place. It is in a circle and has large signs posted for each year from 1942-1949. Very well done and informative. Highlights: the area was just a few farms. The US government made them move away and took over the area. They built a secret city, with fences around and guarded gates to get in and out. As we know, the people didn’t know what they were building, only that it was to help with the war. In 1949 it was decided to open the gates and let the world in. 🙂 It was a big party.

Then just before 1:00 p.m. we drove back to the NPS. We went in and it was a little surprising. The NPS part is just a small desk in the corner, with a passport stamp, a few brochures, and a sign that says no ranger today but the museum has a film. Kevin talked with the guy at the museum desk, same room, and he didn’t say anything about the film. I said we want to see the film. Oh, ah, yeah, he said. Then he turned on the TV which was right by the door before the ranger desk. Thankfully it was captioned. Us and about 6 other people just stood around and watch the 3 short films. That was all there was.

Next we went to the second place on our list, the American Museum of Science and Energy. This place costs $10.00. It gets an F for failure to have closed captions on the two films they show in the theater. I was disappointed because it really gave the history of the Manhattan Project and the other film was interviews with the people on Enola Gay (the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb). I would have sure like to have read the words of theses films. We even asked the lady at the front desk when we first got there and she said no, they aren’t captioned. NOTE: the next day I emailed the head person to remind them of the American With Disabilities Act, ADA, and how that pertains to deaf. As of this posting, I haven’t received any word from them.)

They had a good signs that explain about atoms, nuclear energy, etc. I like the quote from General Leslie R Groves who was over the entire Manhattan Project.. He said, “In answer to the question, ‘Was the development of the atomic bomb by the United States necessary?’ I reply unequivocally, ‘Yes.’ To the question, ‘Is atomic energy a force for good or for evil?’ I can only say, ‘As mankind wills it.’” 

This Willy Jeep 3D Printed! American Museum Of Science & Energy, Oak Ridge, TN 10/24

And then, what did we see? A 1952 Willys M38 Military Jeep…3D Printed Replica! Not kidding. Even touching it, Kevin said he would never had known it was printed. Wow, that is crazy! The museum had a lot of displays and information. We were there about 2 hours.