Destination ELKMONT, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

My "base camp" this go around would again be Elkmont. Elkmont is a developed campground on the Tennessee side of the park right off Little River Road. Elkmont is one of my favorite campgrounds in the park (its neck and neck between Elkmont and Balsam Mountain). Elkmont was and old historic logging town where Knoxville's "rich folk" would come in the summers to escape the oppressive heat of the Deep South.  There is quite an in-tact town that still exists although all of the buildings are closed off to the public    (you can walk up to them but entering them is unlawful).  Some of these historic structures are set to be demolished but a good many are up for preservation. The Park Service has yet to disclose the "short list" of structures that shall be saved.

This year Elkmont almost felt empty despite there still being more folks there than I had expected there to be. I enjoyed the stay here a lot. This year I scored a "prime" walk-in tent site that was situated at the end of a peninsula on which each side had water. Little River on the left, and a creek on the right. Surrounded by folks I knew, this was a great, quiet trip. In case you want to look up the site, I think it was B2.

This year, the weather was also great. Although day one saw some rainfall, day two did not. A crisp morning (upper 50's) was a great wake up and would lead to a day that did not get out the mid 60's, and on top of the mountains at 5000 plus feet, even cooler!  All of this with more than abundant sunshine and little morning fog.

 

Wahoo Ziplines, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee.

The first big stop on my vacation was Wahoo Ziplines. These guys are located in Sevierville, TN (you can't tell where Sevierville and Pigeon Forge actually become different towns).  Wahoo is owned and operated by Sterling Springs Resort, and after an "off the beaten path" journey to their home, I arrived at their facility. While here, you sort of feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. It's a very quiet and peaceful area with the sounds of nature (and zip lines) all around.  The facility is nice, they have some great cabins (I did not stay here) with good vistas, and the draw of the resort is of course, their seven zip lines.

After checking in, I was off to meet my guides and get geared up.  I was placed in a "full body" harness system which is basically a chest/shoulder harness and a regular seat harness combo (there are several names for this type of system).  The standard equipment includes a harness, helmet, leather gloves,  carabiners and standard pulley system.  Here at Wahoo, you hold onto your tethers instead of one hand on the pulley system. Their pulleys do not have a hand rail to hold on to.  The only problem with this method, is that it takes a bit more time to learn proper control (keeping yourself in a proper direction).

Our guides for the day were Brad, Pablo and Matt. These guys were great and enjoyed cracking a joke every now and then. You can tell they enjoy the lines and their jobs. Brad was mostly the instructor and "sender". His job was to instruct us on what to expect on the lines as we approached them, and then ensure that we were properly hooked up to the line before zipping. Pablo was the primary "catcher" which means that he is there to assist you in slowing down at the receiving platform, and to disconnect you from the line. Matt was in training for this job as well, he assisted in some of the catching and disconnecting of the participants.

Wahoo has seven ziplines including one "dual" line. This is basically two lines parallel to one another and two folks can "race" one another across the line. This is the last line that you will complete. The first line is a great starter line, its fast and just the right length. The second one has a bit of a surprise in that you run and jump a bit, then are greeted by the feeling of a sudden drop that you can feel in your stomach (compare the feeling to the one you get when you go over a short hill in a fast moving vehicle). It was a lot of fun. On another line, you are allowed to go upside down. Yes, you heard me right, upside down! Keep in mind that at Wahoo, you are wearing a full body harness (upper and lower), so doing this maneuver is "safe".  I won't go into too much more detail about the other lines but they are all fun and unique, and fast.

Wahoo Ziplines has partnered with a photography company called MyAdventurePhoto. These guys take about six shots of you as you jump off on the first zip line. On site at the end of your adventure, you can get all the photos on a CD-ROM for around 25.00. I went ahead and purchased mine, but if you are not satisfied, you are not obligated to buy anything.  Also, Wahoo has a snack place as well and they do sell t-shirts inside as well (yes, I got a t-shirt).

Tennessee Aquarium & River Gorge Explorer

This past Saturday I trekked into Chattanooga, TN with my long-time friend Debra to explore both the Tennessee Aquarium and their new River Gorge Explorer high-speed catamaran.  The day started off nice and cool and would later warm into the lower to mid 80's in Chattanooga, sunny as all get out and just the best weather you could ask for.


We started off our journey exploring the Tennessee Aquiarium's new Ocean Journey building. Yes, you heard that right, Ocean Journey. If you have not been to the TN Aquarium in the past several years, the time for a return is NOW! The Ocean Journey building houses an all-new exhibit for Penguins, Saltwater fish, and a pretty cool butterfly exhibit. Here you will get to explore all of these amazing ecosystems and see Sea Turtles, Penguins, and more aquatic life.


The second stop was the main Aquarium building. Once inside, your tour begins with an incredible Seahorse exhibit followed by a ride up an escalator that takes you up over four stories where the rest of your fun begins. Once at the top, you are greeted with commanding views of the Tennessee River and Chattanooga, and the Tennessee Riverboats and River Gorge Explorer.  The journey then begins with a forest setting featuring birds, snakes, and River Otters.  Be sure to walk up the steps to the second level of this exhibit to see some snakes and get a good view looking out over the forest exhibit. Few go up those steps, but it is worth it to do so (I was the only one up there this past Saturday so I had photo taking all to myself).  After this you will travel through several more River exhibits and then an amazing section of Turtles, amphibians and a section that features lakes and rivers from around the world each with fish and other aquatic wildlife representing its respective place in the word's ecosystems.  The tour will narrow down as you move lower past one last saltwater exhibit and several more large freshwater exhibits before ending at the gift shop (you do not need to go inside the shop to exit the building, but they do have some neat stuff and cool t-shirts).   A quick note to say that this tour took us about three hours to get through and we were moving at a good pace. Plan on at least three-four hours to enjoy it all at once, especially if this is your first visit!


Once all of the aquarium action was over, there was more! It was time for our two hour journey on the Tennessee Aquarium River Gorge Explorer. This is a purpose, custom built High-Speed Catamaran designed to take nature lovers on a trip on the Tennessee River to explore the Tennessee River Gorge. Let me tell you, absolutely worth every dime (and its only 20-30.00 a person for adults!).  The boat is very nice, very fast and maneuverable (as demonstrated by the captains). A top speed of 50mph is reached and when you arrive at the River Gorge where the tour actually begins, the boat slows to 8-10mph and you are allowed to move about decks (main cabin to upper deck) to observe. The guide talks about wildlife, the history of the river and the surrounding ecosystem. At the end of the high-speed jaunt back to the Aquarium, you will get to experience another great maneuverer from either below deck seated, or standing (holding onto rails) on the top deck.  I won't describe it in detail, because I want you to visit and check it out for yourself.

A quick note regarding my personal feelings about the Tennessee Aquarium:

I get ask a lot about which Aquarium I prefer, the Tennessee Aquarium or the Georgia Aquarium. I will be honest, I truly believe that the Tennessee Aquarium is the best Aquarium visit anywhere in the United States.  At the Tennessee Aquarium, you experience a great journey in a state-of-the-art building with some of the most highly trained volunteers, interpreters, guides and staff. These guys have done their homework and have gotten just about everything right. When I am at the Tennessee Aquarium, I feel like I am learning something with each visit, I never feel likes its overcrowded or that I am being rushed through the exhibits. I always feel welcomed, and always greeted by the staff and when I have a question, the person in the exhibit area always has an answer, or they will call another interpreter or scientist to get the answer for me.

The Georgia Aquarium is nice in its on way. It is a larger facility by square foot. What makes that a disadvantage is that most of it is foot court and tables and chairs. To move about exhibits one must go through this area. This is a great mall with an Aquarium in it, basically. I was impressed with the exhibits that I saw when I was there, but other things like general layout of the exhibits, the mall like food court, the overcrowding and the lack of knowledgable staff were all put-offs to me. This resulted in only one visit to the GA Aquarium for me.  I have been to the Tennessee Aquarium over 7 times!  Other things that are work to the GA Aquariums disadvantage would be the surrounding. Atlanta is a great city, the Aquarium is next to Centennial Park and the new World of Coca Cola but, its not by nature. The Tennessee Aquarium has the draw of nature around it. It is an atmosphere that makes you want to explore more, to learn more. Anyways, those are my thoughts. I don't like malls and the GA Aquarium feels just like one.