A 'Different' Kind of Restaurant in Tennessee

 Day 62 - Wednesday, September 14, 2022

Cracker Barrel Restaurant, Jackson TN

According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the state of Tennessee is considered a to be a southern state, or said another way - it is in the South.  So I am not surprised to see a Moon Pie when we get to our destination this afternoon in Jackson, Tennessee.

Meanwhile, back to our leaving Heiskell:

While it is still hot down in the Houston area, this morning it is 59 degrees and cloudy when we leave Eastern Tennessee and head west toward Jackson.  It is so refreshing to travel up and down the hills in the Great Appalachian Valley.  The hills are so high and the valleys are so low that the road ahead just seems to disappear.

Our route turns a bit to the south and through Knoxville and Nashville.  Some of the hills take us down a 5% grade, but in the flat land cities we encounter the morning rush hour and traffic backing up.

One impressive site to me is the Tennessee Valley Authority Kingston Fossil Plant, also known as the Clinch River Power Plant.  The Clinch River is stocked with brown and rainbow trout, but we have no desire to stop and fish.  Maybe we will opt for a trout dinner tonight.

My map shows me that the Clinch River flows on to join the Tennessee River, and we cross the Kentucky Lake on the latter river.

Our reason for leaving so early in the morning was to arrive to the Cracker Barrel Restaurant shortly after noon because their complimentary parking lot is first come first served.  We arrive at 2 pm and are lucky enough to find a convenient spot with ample room for the Jeep to park in front of our motorhome, 'Sweet Georgia Brown.'

We plan to patronize the restaurant in return for our free parking, and head inside to make our reservation for dinner.  If you have never been to a Cracker Barrel restaurant, you need to take a look.  Their store is 'something else!'  So many things to buy - including trinkets, souvenirs, snacks, clothing, and many emotional purchases that you may later find you have no use for.

Finding the Moon Pie takes me back to my childhood, but I do find a suitable gift for Marty Waldie - an angel figurine.  

Later in the evening we are seated for dinner and find a Tricky Triangle Peg Game on the table to amuse ourselves as our meal is being prepared. 

Willie of Sweet Georgia Brown,

     and of Walldog and Willie

     Wednesday, September 14, 2022

 

Snuffy Smith and his 'Band of Renown"

 Days 60 and 61 - Monday and Tuesday, September 12 and 13, 2022

Racoon Valley RV Park, Heiskell TN

This morning we remind ourselves of one reason we like to take a summer trip, which is to enjoy cooler temperatures.  But 55 degrees today, dropping to 51 about the time we head out for our morning walk?     Really?     Could this be a Halloween trick when it is still September?  The only places that are celebrating Halloween right now are Walmart and Kroger Grocery stores with their costumes to sell.

Okay, I did bring a warm jacket along.

We have come to our last couple of days in Raccoon Valley and realize there are only a couple of new areas to explore. We cross a cute little bridge to have a steaming cup of hot coffee under the pergola, where  Herb takes a couple of selfies.

I am impressed with the area of the bridge painted candy apple red in order to show where the level part turns to a slanted decline.  Great safety feature.

Afternoon finds us in the park's clubhouse, looking at all the pictures on the wall.  One remembers all the musicians who have stayed here, and we think of our Escapees friends, Tom and Jan, who both sing and play.  Turns out, they did stay here at one time.

A closer look shows Snuffy Smith's band, where the RV park staff has comically given the cartoon characters names of the staff.

Willie of Sweet Georgia Brown,

     and of Walldog and Willie

     September 12 and 13, 2022

 

A Surprise Visit to History - The Atomic Bomb of WWII

 Days 58 and 59 - Saturday, September 10 - Sunday, September 11, 2022

Raccoon Valley RV Park, Heiskell TN

Raccoon Valley RV Park has a community room, and we are invited to watch a guest play what looks like a shooting game.  There are tables and chairs for meetings and nice air conditioning - if you need it, although the temperature is 68 degrees outside.

Because it is cloudy and rain is predicted, we plan to do our morning walk inside some buildings.  Clouds are still hanging around as we drive out the gate and head to Costco, Total Wine, and Kroger, where we will find necessary supplies at each location.

On Sunday the rain has gone and we walk a bit in the RV park, noticing that the staff has planted several containers of various herbs that are free for anyone who wants to pick them.

Later in the afternoon we visit Big Turtle Park in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which was constructed as an Eagle Scout project in 1998.  

In Bissell Park nearby we find a bit of history and learn that Oak Ridge was not a city -- but looked much like the hills and valleys of East Tennessee -- until Pearl Harbor was bombed.  The Government then built a city which was called The Secret City because it then became the site of the Manhatten Project.  The entire city was surrounded by a large fence which provided 24/7 security for employees and families who would work to develop atomic power.  Their motto was:

     "What you see here, what you do here, what you hear here, let it stay here."

The workers performed repetitive tasks that they didn't know the reason for and that were kept secret from the other workers, because if they talked about their job, the information may get repeated to the enemy.

We soon learn more about the Manhattan Project.  Bissell Park has an oval walkway that honors the thousands of men and women who moved to the Secret City, and  features ten bronze plaques that tell the story of their contribution to ending World War II.  The plaque below tells of the beginning of the project, and how the future employees had to sell their present homes and move to live on site.

President Harry S Truman had been in office only 100 days when he learned that he had to make a difficult decision.  It was the sixth year of WW II, and over 50 million people had died.  Secretary of War Henry Stimson cautioned the President to consider wisely the use of the bomb, and the President wrote:

"I want to weigh all the possibilities and implications.  Here was the most powerful weapon of destruction ever devised and perhaps it was more than that...it was not an easy decision to make."

President Truman approved plans to use atomic bombs on two Japanese cities to force Japan to surrender and end the war.   

Another plaque honors the construction workers, and reads in part, "the success of their construction work for the Manhattan Project is a lasting tribute to the patriotism, dedication, skill and hard work of the untiring workers."

We spend quite a bit of time on the oval walkway, reading the plaques and taking photos.  I guess I let Herb photo-bomb the picture below, as he can be seen at the edge of it photographing something of interest to him.

The plaque below tells of not the first bomb, but the second one, that ends the war.  Oak Ridgers were thrilled to know that their work brought peace to an aching world.  There are many people alive today who lived through those times.

On August 14, 1945 Japan surrendered.

Willie of Sweet Georgia Brown,

     and of Walldog and Willie,

     Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 10 and 11, 2022

    

So Far, I Don't See Any Raccoons....

 Day 57 - Friday, September 9, 2022

Raccoon Valley RV Park, Heiskell TN

This is a travel day, so we get an early morning exercise walk before departing '321' RV Park.  The park is small and construction at one end, that will enlarge the park, pevents our going there, so we exit the gate and explore the dead end country road nearby.

The scenery is varied and we see evidence of recent rains.

Along the way we pass a farm and see that the farmer has posted a sign against fishing.  If you zoom in, you can see some ducks swimming in the creek to the right of the sign.  There's an interesting wagon parked in the background and I wonder if it is used to hall hay or produce grown in the fields.

We get a sneak peek at the back of the RV park, but as we return to the park the dark clouds that dot the sky tell us we should hurry to get on the road before we are chased by a rain.

The sun breaks through the clouds as we head west on I-40 toward Ashville and enjoy the Great Smoky Mountains, which rise along the Tennessee-North Carolina border.  They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and may be the best part of today's trip.  (This being said by a flat-lander.)

A sign warning of low visibility for the next six miles is posted, and we see why:

At the highest peak, crossing the Eastern Continental Divide, the elevation is 2786 feet.  The photo below shows a tunnel ahead as we go downhill on the curving and winding road and soon into the state of Tennessee.

The Tennessee Welcome Center flies the United States flag, as well as its own state  flag, both at half mast.  The breeze plays tricks on me and I have to take several photos in order to get a nice display of the flags.  No one explains why the flags are lowered, so we assume it is in memory of those lost in the September 11 event at The World Trade Center.

On a lighter note, the restaurant where we stopped for lunch greets us with this humorous sign:

Arriving at Raccoon Valley RV Park, we are deligted to see that it is a member of the Escapees park system.  Our motorhome, Sweet Georgia Brown, lives in an Escapees RV Park on our private lot in Texas.

(I wonder how the park got its name....I'll be very watchful as I walk about the grounds..)

Willie of Sweet Georgia Brown,

   and of Walldog and Willie

   Friday, September 9, 2022