Strolling Around Gatlinburg

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Many places with natural attractions have areas that are, for want of a better term, touristy. That's pretty much what Gatlinburg, Tennessee has become: wall-to-wall hotels, restaurants, mini-golf courses, museums, and other attractions. Nevertheless, I love to walk around Gatlinburg. It's relatively flat, given that it's just inches from the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains. My favorite place to walk is along River Road, where the Little Pigeon River provides scenery. Gatlinburg wasn't all that crowded on Thursday when I was there; however, it's getting very close to time for the "invasion." Fall foliage viewing time is upon us, and Gatlinburg (and Pigeon Forge, along with Cherokee and Asheville on the North Carolina side of the Smokies) will soon be jacking up those hotel prices to welcome the visitors to town. (No fooling: there was a room available in Gatlinburg for $94 on Thursday night [I didn't take it because I was a little too tired to drive the extra miles to the hotel]. The next day, it was $236. ) One of my favorite things to do in Gatlinburg is have fried green tomatoes at Calhoun's, a regional restaurant with a legendary reputation....for ribs. Yeah, that's right. They have the best ribs in Tennessee, and I eat the appetizer. Go figure. Anyway, as I get free parking for eating at the restaurant (parking is at a major premium in Gatlinburg), I decided I would take a little stroll along River Road. The river, as might be expected in a dry spell, is pretty low. Still, the plants and trees are beginning to show signs that they are surrendering their green to autumn. It's not too colorful right now, but I still saw plenty of foliage to consider this my first "fall foliage trip" of 2019.