Clingmans Dome – The Great Smoky Mountains October 2021

            Having been to the Smoky Mountains on two previous occasions, I knew about Cade’s Cove and was excited to share it with Frank.  However, I learned this time about Clingmans Dome, which is closer to Cherokee, North Carolina.  Yes, something new and it would be the highest elevation in the Smoky Mountains.  I was game and we decided we would do it when we moved to another campground in Cherokee. We arrived, set up camp, and set out.                        

            We made a quick stop at the Visitor’s Center on the North Carolina side and then set out driving towards Gatlinburg with Clingmans Dome – our destination.  We were lucky enough to see a male and female elk on the way. There were observation points and Frank pulled over to accommodate my photo addiction. I had seen mention of there being a lack of parking spots at times at Clingmans Dome.  As we approached the area, we saw some people parked on the side of the road.  My first thoughts were oh no, we are going to have to hike into the Dome.  However, we kept driving to the parking area and found a space. Yay!  Good for us!

            Clingmans Dome Observation Tower, which is 45 feet tall, has been around since 1959, but I had never heard about it until this trip.  It is on the highest point in the Smokies and along the Appalachian Trail at 6,643 feet and straddles the North Carolina and Tennessee state line.  Wow!  I read it had a ramp up to it and that it was steep.  Looking at a picture of the dome and the ramp, I quickly thought, I can do that!  I did read that it was not wheelchair accessible due to it being steep.  Looking at the picture, I thought, “Well, the ramp isn’t that long.  I can do that.”

            Obviously, I only took in what I wanted to take in.  At the bottom, there was a sign saying there was a .5-mile trail to the dome.  Okay, a half mile isn’t so bad, and it’s paved.  We’re good.  Those were my thoughts for the first few SECONDS.  Quickly realizing this was much steeper than I anticipated and now knowing it was a half mile of steep incline, I became concerned.  However, I’m a hardheaded, determined person and I was bound and determined to conquer it. Even if I did huff, whine, puff, complain, and come up with various solutions to solve this problem along the way, there was never a thought of giving up.  Yes, we saw others give up and decide to “sit it out” while family members, etc. went on.  Luckily, there are benches every so often for people to sit and rest.  You can’t see the next one as you are climbing and rounding bends as you ascend this “path.”  I would spot a bench and just focus on it.  Every time someone else was sitting there, but that did not deter me. That bench would be my resting place.  Some people stopped and rested on some rocks or tree trunks, but I wasn’t so sure I’d make it back up from such low positions, so the benches were meant for me.

            Frank kept encouraging me with comments like, “Breathe in through your nose and exhale through your mouth.” The problem with that was that my nose was clogged up so when I tried that, I didn’t feel I was getting enough air and then my nose started running. His next words were, “If you stopped talking, it would be easier.” Really?  I’m coming up with all kinds of ways to “fix this problem” and you want me to stop?  My ideas were: an incline train, a ski lift, a tram, etc… I shared those ideas with anyone and everyone within my vicinity, especially to the people resting with me on the benches along the way.  Frank’s next words of advice were, “You don’t need to stop at that bench, you can make it.” “Yeah, well, I don’t want to “make it” just now. I want to rest and try to catch my breath.”  He didn’t suggest that one again.  His next words of encouragement were, “Slow and steady, slow and steady.” I reminded him that was why I was stopping at the benches. 

            Then low and behold, we saw the Appalachian Trail and the sign where it crosses the path up to Clingmans Dome.  That lifted my spirits, and I was even able to step down the trail so that Frank could take a picture of me “walking the Appalachian Trail.” You will notice the energy and enthusiasm I am displaying for the picture.  I then insisted we have pictures next to the sign.  He grudgingly agreed to have his picture taken by the sign but refused to pretend he was walking the trail.  Party pooper.  Oh well, I walked the Appalachian Trail, so there! 

            After the short, uplifting stop by the Appalachian Trail, there was more of the steep path to traverse.  Frank kept saying we would have to climb stairs up to the tower, but I knew that wasn’t true because I had seen the ramp.  After about two more bends in the path, we made it and saw the tower.  Thankfully, there was a circle at the bottom with benches around it so we could rest to prepare for the final trek up to the Dome.  While we were sitting there, I jokingly expressed my suggestions to the people gathered there about how that trek could be improved. They were all on board and we started talking and laughing about how much we would pay for such a conveyance and the price kept getting higher and higher as to what we were willing to pay. I must say that I expressed that the engineer who designed that “path of torture” should be shot.  Yes, that is a little violent, but I came up with that on the trek up, so I think that is forgivable given my lack of oxygen.   I will amend it to say he should be held accountable, and something should be put in place to help those of us who are not quite so “athletic” or who don’t hike every single day in the mountains. 😊

            The ramp to the dome was actually quite easy. The part I thought they had “warned” us about was not the worrisome part, it was the “path” / “trail” to it.  The temperature kept falling on the trek up and it had become a little chilly.  As we moved up the ramp, we really felt the wind.  We reached the top – YAY – and the mist, fog, “smoky” part of the mountains obscured everything but the tops of the very closest trees.  A little disappointing, but I had just climbed a half mile straight up (that’s my description and I’m sticking to it), so I was proud for just making it up there!  Yay me! (And Frank).  Frank wanted to hurry up and get down from the Dome and the ramp because he felt it was shaking and not very sturdy.  I really wasn’t concerned about that and took my pictures before agreeing to go down.  It was quite breezy up there.

            Going down was so easy compared to going up.  However, some people with bad knees have expressed that was the worse part for them.  I was probably still on my “high” from conquering the “path / trail / cliff climbing” that it felt easy.  When we reached the bottom, I was able to take some pictures of the view that were breathtaking.  No, I didn’t get any good pictures up top, but the ones at the bottom made up for it. 

            What did I learn?  Read a little more carefully, but honestly, I wanted to go up there and was determined to do it.  You might want to take a jacket because it is much cooler up there than at the parking lot.  Make use of the benches. Wheelchairs are not advised or allowed and there is a reason for that.  I still wish there was an alternative for those who aren’t in such great “hiking shape” so they can access the Dome.  They can still have the path so others can prove their “might” and physical prowess, but some accommodation for the rest would be nice. When I posted my little excerpt on my Facebook page, I shared it on the National Parks Fan Page.  Most people understood my humor (I used emojis) but one lady called me out and said it wasn’t bad and she did it regularly and she was in her 70s.  Kudos to her!  I’m not her!  I’ve had four back surgeries, I have spinal stenosis, and I’ve just started walking / “hiking” in the past few months.  I also don’t live in the mountains and “I’m not a mountain goat!” Altitude does play a role in this! 

            If you are going to the Smoky Mountains, and I recommend you do, be prepared for Clingmans Dome.  It’s okay to just take pictures from the parking lot.  Also, I recommend staying in the Cherokee, NC area rather than the Gatlinburg, TN area.  Cherokee is a little less “touristy” and is a lot less crowded.  My other words of advice if you are wanting to go during the fall for the changing of the leaves: look up when the Tennessee and North Carolina schools have “fall break.” There were a lot of kids in Gatlinburg and that’s when I learned about their fall break being the first or second week of October and we were here the second week of October. I think that was one of the reasons there were so many people, and it was so crowded.  You might want to try the third or fourth week of October.

            Do go to Clingmans Dome and make an attempt if you can. If not, there is not shame in parking lot pictures!

Till next time,

Beth Cervenka

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The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, September 2021

            Back in the summer of 1991, I was selected to go to a seminar for teachers in Fairfax, Virginia. I was excited about it and since they were not paying my way there, I decided to do some sightseeing on my journey. I made some stops and one of those stops was in Nashville to see the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.  However, the visit proved to be a little underwhelming. While in Nashville in late September 2021, Frank and I made plans to visit the museum. Recalling my previous visit, I hoped they had improved it in the last 30 years.  I am happy to report that they have definitely improved it and we greatly enjoyed our visit.

            The Country Music Hall of Fame was established in 1967 “to create a research and educational organization that would give the world an insider’s view into country music. The non-profit organization, Country Music Foundation, was chartered by the state in 1964 to collect, preserve and publicize country music artifacts and to showcase the history of country music. Through this foundation, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum was established and since then, has grown and evolved into the iconic organization that it is today.” (From their website.) The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum that I visited in 1991 no longer exists as it was demolished after a new and downtown building was opened in 2001. It was then more than doubled in 2014. The new building consists of 350,000 square feet, storage for archives, event space, and the Taylor Swift Educational Center.  They even have performance space in the CMA Theater and the Ford Theater.

            The new museum is a far cry from the one I recall visiting in 1991.  We started on the third floor which showcases the history of country music and the people who have played a role in its history.  It is well organized and flows nicely. We elected to purchase the audio tour and it greatly enhanced our experience.  Just like our Titanic visit, numbers were used to key in the audio for more information.  There are musical instruments, handwritten lyrics, posters from the Hatch Print Company, and costumes from performers through the years.  Recognizing people I had heard of and “knew” due to Hew Haw, Porter Wagner, and The Grand Ole Opry felt familiar and like I had “come home,” so to speak.  Of course, there were some that I had not heard of, but Frank knew most of those. 

            The second floor features the artist from 1960 to the present so there were a lot more that I was familiar with. Buck Owens, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings and up to some of my favorites including Alabama, Garth Brooks and Brad Paisley. Interwoven in both the third floor and the second floor are some special exhibits on Martina McBride, Kacey Musgraves, and the exhibit “Outlaws & Armadillos: Country’s Roaring 70s featuring the “Outlaws of Country Music”: Waylon, Willie and the boys so to speak.  Frank accused me of reading every single thing in the Martina McBride and Kasey Musgraves exhibits, but the exhibits are well done and drew me in. I wish I had been able to view their past exhibits.  The museum has featured Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, the Zac Brown Band, and Chris Stapleton in the past in their special exhibits “examining country music in the twenty-first century.” They have also featured Loretta Lynn, Bob Dylan, and Hank Williams, Jr.  As well as these featured exhibits are done, I wish I had seen the previous exhibits. 

            Definitely add the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to your “Bucket List.” You won’t be disappointed.  We spent three and a half hours touring the museum and no, we did not read every plaque or see every video that was featured.  Allow plenty of time and you may want to take a break for a bit to eat or a drink on the first floor if you need a break.  There are different options in which you can add a tour of the Hatch Show Prints and / or the Historic RCA Studio B Tour.  We opted to just do the museum, but we did add on the audio portion. The basic price is $27.95 for an adult and tickets can be purchased online.  I definitely recommend buying tickets in advance online for any and all events these days due to limited times and limiting crowds. Check out the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum; I’m sure you will enjoy it!

Till next time,

Beth Cervenka

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