Rusted Sky

Took a short vacation - short seems to be the operative word any more - I've got (thanks to longevity in the job) a magnificent total of 3 weeks paid time off each year. 15 days to contemplate the wonders of this nation, to travel here and there and just generally unwind.

However - the plant does a mandatory shutdown between Christmas and New Years, and we need to have 5 days for that or it's unpaid time off. (Yeah, well, that's the breaks.) We can't really plan on trips then - have you ever tried travelling over the Christmas holidays? Say, to Disney World or Key West? There's always the tourist traps of the Gulf Coast - but that's for spring break. (Grin.)

Thank you, but no... so no travel goes on then.

That leaves a week during the school year (like Spring Break this year, when we dragged out the Trailer and went over to Savannah) and a week during the summer.

Which we just took.

And I'm sure, by now, you're probably ticking off the possible destinations. (Um, or not. Bear with me here.) I'm interested in space, and technology, so did we go to Port Canaveral's Jetty Park? Close to the Space Center and Orlando? (Yeah, figure we're dragging the trailer.)

Or did we head over to a previous fun spot, the Gulf Shores Campground?

Oh, I give up. Why keep you in suspense any longer? (Besides - suspense might not be the right word, eh?)

We went to Pigeon Forge. Specifically, we stayed in the Twin Mountains RV Park. And if you're looking for a review of the place, I've got the following to say about it.

As far as cleanliness goes, I'd give it a 9.8 out of 10. They are ON any problem as soon as it's reported - and they've got a very competent on-site maintenance crew. (There was a problem with an overflowing toilet in one of the bath houses - I had the little guy bike down and report it to the office. Before he got back to the trailer, they had two guys zip up in a golf cart with an "Out of Order" sign - and a half hour later the sign was gone, the bath house was open, and it was very clean and dry.)

Layout? Eh. It's an RV park. The road is a trifle narrow, the spaces are narrow also. Maximal use of space. Call it a 6.

Price? Good - considering it's right in the middle of, you might say, Redneck Disney World. (Dollywood is very close by.) (If you take a look at the prices for Disney World's Fort Wilderness Campground, the prices are almost 50% more for a comparable full-hookup (water-electric-sewer) site - plus cable costs extra.) If you don't mind slightly cramped sites (and there's so much to do close by, you'll likely only use the site to sleep) you'll find this an economical, good place to stay.

Plus, they've got wifi. (And you may ask - if that's the case, where the heck have I been?)

There's more to life than the internet. While I'd be satisfied to take off a week and spend it parked in front of the computer - such a thing wouldn't be

a)healthy physically
b)healthy for my marriage
c)healthy for my family

Getting out into the world, seeing reality as it exists and not filtered through the internet and Youtube, spending non-local time with my wife and child... those things are important. And we had a pretty good time this last week.

There's only one thing we did that I think was a complete waste of money - that was the Earthquake, The Ride in Gatlinburg. I like a cheesy attraction as much as the next guy - but THIS cheese was old, stale, and runny as well as being overpriced.

However - Wonderworks was well worth the price, as was Cirque du Chine'. Wonderworks is well established, I think - and is a good way to spend four or five hours. Don't miss the Earthquake Cafe (not to be confused with Earthquake the Ride above) or their Hurricane simulator. (Supposedly a 65 MPH wind - but I'd say no more than 40...)

Cirque du Chine' - was impressive. Strength, agility, timing, talent - you can't go far wrong with a troup like that. (By the way, if you're ever interesting in the workings OF a circus, I understand Gary Jenning's "Spangle", either in the hardback version or the 3-paperback series. His description of a 19th Century circus is incredibly vivid, and his research is solid.) This is a VERY solid set of acts, and I recommend it highly.

That said - you might want to catch it soon. You can kind of tell if a business is going up or down - and this one MIGHT be going up from an undercapitalized start, since the stuff available in the gift shop was pretty sparse and not exactly suited to Western sensibilities, but I think it more likely that it's down downhill, and it'd be a great shame if so.

What other things did we catch? There's the Gatlinburg Sky Lift - which was worth the money. There was also the Tennesee Museum of Aviation - which had a rare sight (at least for me...) - a Mig 17 with the gun package down as it would be for maintenance. The docent said that the CG of the aircraft changed so drastically with an empty gun package that it became almost unflyable...

Also, we hit the SkyScraper and the Slingshot in Pigeon Forge. Those were expensive - but worth it... if you like the idea of a 6-G fling into the air, or being swung on a 120 foot boom. (I think that's where I got the bruises on my shoulders...)

All in all? A very fun week. So - what's been going on that's worth noting in the world?

J,