The International Writers Magazine: Knoxville

Tucked N the Smoky Mountains • Marianne de Nazareth We were searching and trawling the net, to be able to spend a day in a cabin in Pigeon Forge, Knoxville. Andrew and Annika sat with their iPads after work in the hospital, late into the night, trying to get a place.

But for some reason everything was booked solid and that was such a let down for me, as I was there just for that weekend. The trip to the Smoky Mountains was meant to be the icing and the cherry on the top of my visit to Knoxville.

Then, I remembered my friends Florence and Tom Graves who had spoken about a cabin that they owned in Pigeon Forge, when we had visited their home in Knoxville for lunch. That was my only hope I thought -- if they could hire it out to us, as they owned it.

One phone call and in minutes Florence said " You are most welcome to go, and the day is on us!" Andrew and Annika never like 'taking advantage' as they put if of good friends. But I was so keen and I bullied them into accepting, as there was really nothing else we could get. I can promise it was a decision I will never regret.

'Pack, pack, pack !' said Annika. Put in all that you need for a night and let's be off. So we rushed into our rooms and put in the bare necessities, piled into the car and we were off. I took my Oats and tea bags, 'cause a diabetic has always to be prepared. I could not wait till everyone woke for brunch the next day. My food clock goes off at 7am willy nilly!

Piling into the car we were off. The scenery on the way to the cabin was breath taking, with the trees on the mountain slopes covered in fresh green leaves. "The Dogwood have just spent their flowering," said Andrew, but lucky for me the odd tree in the mountains still had a faint smattering of the pure white Dogwood the area is acclaimed for. Otherwise as far as the eye could see were the fresh green leaves and the gentle roar of the stream as it accompanied us along the winding road.

What is amazing about Tucked N is that it is just off a very busy shopping mall. In fact Florence told me one of the biggest Walmarts was found there. And yet, barely a few turns into the mountains and the road starts to climb very steeply up, memories of our Standard Herald car unable to make the steep mountain roads to Sikkim came to mind. But there is no need to worry with Japanese or American cars. It took the extremely steep incline like a breeze. A little revving of the engine and the car glided up and stopped in front of Tucked N.

We clambered out excitedly, and I went head first for my Canon to 'shoot' the beauty of the mountains for posterity. The cabin as you can see in the picture is fairly modern and beautifully appointed. A coded lock at the door helped us enter and in minutes we had made ourselves comfortable. I chose the bedroom on the top as the view the landing commanded was awesome. Far into the distance one could see the panoramic beauty of the mountains, and from our vantage point the valley dropped away in a flurry of greens and blues.

Let's go for a walk said Andrew! So pulling on our walking shoes we were off admiring the wild flowers and massive pines along the way. A sturdy stick helped control any possibility of a skid down the steep slope. Taking in huge lung full's of the ferny, pine scented air we admired what looked like wild grapes on a vine and a variety of beautiful wild flowers along our walk. As night drew near we decided to jump into the hot tub on the verandah. If you have never been in a hot tub, this is an experience worth enjoying. The warmth of the water coupled with the cold of the outside makes for an exhilarating time. Dragging ourselves out we quickly dressed and drove down to the mall for dinner. We chose an all American Burger experience with indulgences set to hit the roof. The place was definitely popular with us having to wait for a table.

We were 'Tucked N' in a matter of minutes and only when the birds woke me in the morning did I realise we had no Black Bear visitors at night. No excitement at all sadly, but then we had not put anything out in the garbage bins to attract them. The only bear which created great excitement was the wooden bear in the verandah which had baby Alaina eat her breakfast and collect a kiss with every mouthful! We loved the experience and the cozy ambience. What is nice is there are other cabins around, though not that close to get in your hair, but close enough to make you feel secure. Take that Romantic weekend in Tucked N. For us, it was worth every dollar that we spent.

© Marianne de Nazareth June 2015
mde.nazareth at gmail.com

http://smokymountains.com/park/

http://smokymountains.com/cabin-rentals/

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