Dark Sky Riders 2018


June 27th and 28th

We finally got on the road on the 27th and spent an uneventful night at Cecil Bay RV Park where we stayed one year ago to the day.  From there we traveled to Cherokee, NC nestled at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  We stayed at Cherokee Great Smokies KOA.  A large park with lots of amenities and full hook ups although we did not have a sewer hookup and had to use the dump station.  You would think for $61 you would get a sewer hookup.  The park as well as the town is located on the Cherokee reservation.  Signage is written both in English and Cherokee.  At the Park we paid a tribal fee and at the gas station we paid a service fee amounting to a couple dollars.  While we were there we met a couple that had a Trend, the same RV as ours only theirs was a year older.  We made contact and chatted quite a while, swapping war stories and exchanging ideas. 

When we decided to stay in Cherokee, it seemed to me that we needed to try some good ole NC bar-b-que.  While we were traveling, Georgann started her search and found a restaurant called ‘The Bar-B-Que Barn’ in Bryson, NC.  It took us a little out of our way but had great reviews on Trip Advisor and apparently was a place the locals went for their fix.  We found it, and both got chopped pork with fries, hush puppies and baked beans.  I must say we were not disappointed.  It was very delicious and lots of it.  I was a little afraid that they would automatically put coleslaw on top based on what I have heard but was pleased to discover that was an option. We will definitely visit there again our next time through. 

We left the morning of the 29th headed for Cincinnati. Part of the grand plan was to take US 441 across the mountains through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Pidgeon Forge, TN and then on to Cincinnati.  We certainly were not disappointed in the drive with the beautiful breathtaking scenery.  We stopped numerous times just to take it all in.  I also wanted to get a good feel for how the RV would handle the terrain.  I manually shifted as needed and going up I had to drop down into 3rd quite a bit as I expected.  Going down I kept it in 4th and tried to manage use of my breaks.  All in all, it handled the job quite well.  The trip across the mountains was about 35 miles.  We decided we would like to spend more time in Cherokee and the National Park and I have not doubt that will happen.

We arrived in Cincinnati about 4:30 pm and here we stay for the next 8 days having fun with the family.

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