Fox Inn Campground was a few dollars more than staying at Norris Lake State Park but it was right by the expressway, close to Clinton which saved on time and gas, and was right down the way from Golden Girls Restaurant-my favorite place for breakfast when visiting with Steve. There are really nice friendly folks who run it and it’s right next to a big, clean, stuffed full of stuff antique store! Breakfast was good as usual and the girls seemed to like their gifts. From there we followed Steve to where he works at AISIN Automotive Casting, a plant where they make pistons and parts for Nissan, Honda and Ford. It is a huge new plant, just built in 2004. I was impressed with its size and cleanliness. When we finished with our tour, the girls found out that Grandpa Harry and I were going to the American Museum of Science and Energy and they begged to go along. Grandpa H was patient and I was lovin’ getting to spend more time with my 2 granddaughters!! Energy was the main force of the museum with hands on things for all of us to do. We attended a program in the auditorium and Jessie was selected from the audience to help demonstrate static electricity, involving a huge generator. Her foot long blonde hair stood on end and she looked like a big blonde puff of fluff! When the program was over, Kayla got to take her turn! When she shook her hair it looked like Aretha Franklin’s locks on steroids!! I would have LOVED to shown them to you on this blog but H felt it was not a good idea to put their faces online. Steve and Missie came to retrieve their tired young ladies and we two tired old folks traveled just a bit farther to find “the Secret City” of Oak Ridge. This city and its 3 facilities to make atomic weapons was built in 3 years from 1942 and 1945. They called it “secret” because even those people who worked there did not know what they were building. These atomic weapons plants took up 59,000 acres and were called by code names of
Y-12, K-25 and X-10. We found K-25 but it was too late in the day to take any tour. Today K-25 is called the East Tennessee Technology Park and is undergoing an accelerated schedule for site clean-up and environmental restoration.
Sunday, December 7th was clear and cold as we headed south for Knoxville and then east to Sevierville and the north entrance of the Smoky Mountains National Park. From Rt 40 south, the road has turned into one long stretch of tourist shops and restaurants but once inside the park we remembered the beautiful sights of the smoky blue mist that lays gently on top of the distant mountains. On the way up the north side of the mountain we were constantly in and out of the bright sun and then deep shadows as we followed the zig zaggy road and its hairpin turns. The higher we rose, the colder it got. 19 degrees as we crossed from Tennessee to North Carolina – and snow! Thankfully the top of the mountain was the only place that had all the frozen waterfalls and snow.
Down the mountain, thru Cherokee and the rest of North Carolina, and on into Georgia with sunshine and temps up to 50. We have parked for the night at Little Ocmulgee State Park on RT 441 near McRae Georgia.
