Positive Altitudes

I titled this blog post "Positive Altitudes" because that's the name of the condo we rented in Gatlinburg!  

I've never been to Gatlinburg, so I wanted to spend a few days there before heading home to Florida.  When I started looking for accommodation options, I was so overwhelmed with choices.  Hotel? Cabin? Air Bnb / VRBO? Rental company? In Gatlinburg? In Pigeon Forge? In town or up the mountain?  Something practical?  Something romantic?  Something basic or something a little more luxurious?

Thankfully we had gotten some of the Gatlinburg Welcome Center's materials which included a whole directory section dedicated to lodging.  And thankfully I started planning this trip two years in advance, so we had time to sort through and research places that might work.  I was leaning towards a cabin for the two of us, somewhere we could stay a few days and enjoy the last of our adventure before heading home.  Somewhere we could do laundry and cook a meal or two.  Somewhere that wasn't completely surrounded by tourists as I had learned some areas are.

We use a rental company when we spend time at St. George Island that specializes in managing vacation rentals, so when we found a similar company in the Gatlinburg area, we scoped out their available units and found one!  The company is Mountain Laurel Chalets.  It's a smaller company but has been in business for over 50 years.  And they had a perfect unit for us - a 3 BR/3 BA condo with full kitchen, washer/dryer in unit, and located out of the busyness of Gatlinburg.

I know what you're thinking - how is a 3BR condo a "perfect unit" for a couple?  In our case it was because it was less money than a rental place for two people, and we could invite DH's sister and brother-in-law and his brother and sister-in-law to spend a few days with us!  

I don't think in the 34 years that DH and I have been together that we've ever had a time when it was us and them and no other family around - just a chance for the siblings and spouses to be together.  We've had opportunities where two couples might get together but it's rare when all three are together and usually there are children (and nieces and nephews), grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren around!  So a bit selfishly, I was looking forward to time with my slbling-in-laws (I'm the baby of the group) in a beautiful place!

So the condo!  The condo is at Windswept Condominiums on Ski View Drive, and the unit was named Positive Altitudes.  It was a third-story unit, but thankfully the main level from the parking lot was level 2, so we only had one set of stairs to negotiate for getting into the condo.  The main level of the condo had the kitchen, living room, laundry room, and two of the bedrooms.  Each bedroom had its own bathroom.  There was also a screened in porch off the living room / one of the bedrooms which provided additional space to enjoy.  The third bedroom was up one more set of stairs.  DH and I took this one to save the knees of the other couples.  (And you'll see why we chose it, too, in a later picture.)

Let's get to the pictures!  These should give you a photo-tour of what was one of our favorite accommodations on our trip.  

Dining room (laundry is through the door at the end of the table)

The kitchen is a bit dated but serviceable.

Headed into the living room.

The living room - we loved that picture window!

The 2-bed bedroom

Bathroom for the 2-bed bedroom.

Fireplace in living room.  We pulled the chair around to join the conversation.

Look at that view!

The king bedroom on the main level.  Screened porch to the side.

Bathroom area for main level bedroom.

Upstairs bedroom.  I loved that seating area!

View from upstairs

View

Sunrise, June 4th

While I saw a black bear on the road near the condo, I was content to just look at this picture hanging over the sofa in the living room.

Afternoon view

Sunrise June 5th

I loved sitting here - it was a great place to do my daily Bible reading

I couldn't get enough of this view!

The condominium had a pool but it was a little too cool for me still.

So here's the reason I really liked the upstairs bedroom - they had an arcade machine!

With Ms. PacMan.  And Galaga.  And several others!  It was so fun!

There were stuffed bears all around!

One more look at my favorite spot!

The screened in porch.

I loved this chicken in the kitchen.

And one more bear picture!

We really enjoyed the time we spent at Positive Altitudes.  It was so nice to have the opportunity to be with DH's siblings and just hang out together.  The condo was clean and comfortable; the only thing we didn't like about it was that the drive to the condo wasn't just a curvy road, but a curvy road with a steep incline!  

Yep, you can tell this flatlander didn't take that into consideration when making the reservation.  Thankfully our Subaru Outback handled the trips up and down the mountain like a champ.  One of my brother-in-laws ended up having to get a brake job, and the other one had to be strategic when the light rain made the road slippery and his back tire was just spinning on their way up!  We are thankful there weren't any serious incidents, but this flatlander will be happy to stay on a lower elevation should there be a next time!  (Also, the siblings have decided I'm no longer eligible to make the family trip arrangements, haha.)

~ Cindy D.

Knob Creek, Kentucky

We've reached the end of the Lincoln trail of our Middle States itinerary.  When we originally laid out the itinerary, we didn't plan quite so many Lincoln sites, but the last two were add-ons after we got to Hodgenville,  We didn't know about the Lincoln Museum, and we thought there wasn't really anything to see at Knob Creek.  We were wrong about both!

Knob Creek is just a few miles from the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park main visitor center.  The Knob Creek site is known as the Boyhood Unit of the park, and it is staffed by rangers and volunteers who also work at the main site.  

The Lincolns lived at Knob Creek for a period of time, and it was here that young Abraham nearly drowned as a child.  His friend Austin Gollaher saved him.  You can read an account of the events here.

There is a visitor center that tells about the Lincolns' life in this part of Kentucky, and what I found especially interesting here and at the main site is the emphasis on how the Lincolns weren't poor.  Sure, they had humble beginnings, but for the time period and area, they were doing okay economically.  If you zoom on some of the photos in this post, you can read more about it.  The Visitor Center was originally used as a tavern for a time.  Additionally, there is a cabin that is a replica of what the Lincolns' cabin likely looked like when they lived there.

There was an interesting display that compared Lincoln's speeches and addresses with passages from books that must've made an impact on him.

Here's a comparison of Lincoln as a boy and Lincoln as a man.

This is the land at Knob Creek.

And this is Knob Creek.  It wasn't much of a creek the day we were there, but the ranger said it can get to really running when the water's up.

The National Park Service has done a good job of providing information at this site about the time Lincoln lived there.  If you're in the area, it's a nice place for a short visit.  And if you're like me, you've gotta "collect 'em all" so this was just one more of the Lincoln sites to check off my list.

~ Cindy D.

The Lincoln Museum in Hodgenville, Kentucky

In the small town of Hodgenville, Kentucky, is a museum dedicated to the history of Abraham Lincoln and his birth family.  The Lincoln Museum is located on the town square and offers exhibits about significant events in the life of Abraham Lincoln from his childhood through his death.

We visited the Lincoln Museum one afternoon while we were staying with DH's brother and sister-in-law.  We had been to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park the day before, so we were curious about what else we might learn from the museum.

The museum includes replicas of clothing worn by Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd Lincoln.

It also includes part of the cornerstone of a home built by Thomas Lincoln at Mill Creek, Kentucky, as well as a horseshoe that was buried beneath it to bring good luck.

Most of the museum is laid out in scenes with wax figures representing well-known events in Lincoln's life.  I've included most of them here with what they are representing listed beneath each photo.

1811-1816

The Berry Lincoln Store

Rail Splitting - 1825

This is a wafer from a branch of the Boundary Oak

The Lincoln - Douglas debates

Emancipation Proclamation

Matthew Brady was Lincoln's most-used photographer.  This represents a time he had his photograph made with his son.

The 2nd inauguration

In addition to the scenes from Lincoln's life, there are other memorabilia on display.  Such as castings of Lincoln's face and hands; we saw similar things at other Lincoln sites on our trip.

This log cabin was made of pennies.  I thought this was pretty cool!

The museum is located on the town square.  On one side of the middle of the square is a statue of young Lincoln as a boy, and across the way is a statue of Lincoln created by the same person who made the one at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.

If you find yourself in Hodgenville visiting the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park, you should take an hour or so to go downtown and see the museum.  The folks that run the place are really nice, and it's air conditioned.

~ Cindy D.

P.S. - Just one more post about Lincoln, I promise.