Knoxville, TN by way of Tchotchke-ville (Pigeon Forge)

Here are a couple of pictures of the Oconaluftee River flowing through the campground just before we left. On a side note: The re-hooking process went much more smoothly when we packed up to leave...perhaps our learning curve is almost over (I hope).

In order to leave the park Monday morning, we continued north on Newfound Gap Road, a twisting, winding, roller-coaster of a road through some absolutely gorgeous mountain areas. The few pictures I was took do the park no justice at all in showing its true magnificence. As we exited this gorgeous national park, we entered one of the most tchotchke-laden, tourist-trappy areas I've ever seen...Pigeon Forge, a town dedicated to providing the polar opposite experience the park provides. Yuck. 

Fortunately, we drove on to Knoxville where MacGregor, Christina and Peyton were kind enough to let us stay in their house (our a/c is on the fritz in the extreme heat), eat their food, swim in their pool and pet their huge dogs. Thanks, MacGregor and Christina! On a side note, Christina and I won the World Series of Sequence (a card/board game). This is an undisputed fact despite what MacGregor may post in the comments section.

(The Ed REALLY enjoyed seeing Peyton again, whose 19 month old behavior includes throwing her food on the floor. Good for the Ed!)