Our RV Journey, Part 5

Yes, you guessed it. The windshield still leaked. The caulk I'd placed on the rear window seemed to be holding okay, with no more leaking. Fortunately the rain didn't last long, but now I thought maybe I'd better check it out a little more thoroughly. My ladder is only a two-footer, and I'm short, so seeing the top of the windshield is a little bit problematic.

The trip to Tennessee is gorgeous, and we had tremendous views in the mountains near the Kentucky/Tennessee border. We're headed to Pigeon Forge and the Smoky Mountains. Yes, we know it's a gaudy tourist trap, but we don't care. With all of the neon and moving signs, you'd think you were in Vegas. Just add a little gambling... Actually it's probably more like Branson, Missouri, but we haven't been there yet. Traffic from the highway in Sevierville to our campground in Pigeon Forge is horrendous. We inched along, but it didn't matter. We weren't in any hurry. It's nice being on vacation with no plans. Heck, we didn't even have a campground reservation!

We were fortunate that the campground we chose had space for 4 days. I'm getting pretty good at backing the RV into narrow sites now. The place we chose also had cable TV, so we hook it up for ha ha's. Have to check out all of the RV gadgets now, right?! Works fine. On the way to TN Lotus asked about the stereotypes about West Virginians and other southerners, so I just happened to grab Coal Miner's Daughter from Wal-Mart at our last stop. I hope Lotus isn't birthin' no babies when she's 14. What a different world we live in! She loved the movie, even though she's not a huge country music fan. Yes, Zany and Lotus are in a huge tourist trap town and we're hunkered down in the RV with TV and DVDs...

We look over the flyer we picked up at the campground office and decide we're going to hit the aquarium in Gatlinburg, a doggie boutique for souvenirs for the dogs, and take a drive up into the Smokies. We don't have a car, and driving the huge RV around in the crazy traffic isn't appealing. We're fortunate that the campground we chose has the trolley stopping by every hour or so. After a couple of days of that, we decided that it likely wasn't any faster than trying to drive around ourselves. When you're driving a huge RV, people tend to want to get out of your way and stay away. Couldn't have anything to do with the fact that 99% of RV drivers are little old men, could it? (I'm kidding here, LOL. So please, no retirees who drive RVs throw any tomatoes at me, okay??)

The aquarium is great -- so far the best one we've visited. The drive up into the Smokies was beautiful. It started to rain, so we chose not to take a hike. Good thing, it took forever to get back to Pigeon Forge! We decide to check out the doggie store on the way. Would you believe it closed at 5pm?? What stores close at 5pm in a tourist town?? Apparently many of them, as we found out.

The doggie store advertises that pets are welcome, on a leash, and boasts the best biscuits in town. So imagine my surprise when more than half the store is stacked floor to ceiling with collectible breakables! Figurines in all sizes and shapes, mugs, doggie bowls and plaques. There are more dog toys than I've ever seen, clothing for dogs and their humans, strollers (wouldn't the evil puppy rats like to take a ride zipped up in a stroller? Probably). But I'm too cheap to fork over $80. Heck, I didn't even pay that much for my kids' stroller. Okay, that was 13 years ago, and your point is...? We almost buy a rubber chicken. The noise it makes is almost human. But it's a tad too big for the puppies. The store owner says she has to make sure the one she has at home is put away at night. No fun stepping on that in the middle of the night. I agree. We end up with a new duds (collar and leash) for each of the dogs. What, you thought I dressed my dogs in sweaters? As if! (okay, so nobody says 'as if' any more...)

The weather stays rainy so we forgo our visit to Dollywood. Lotus just wants to relax, so that nixes dinner at the Dixie Stampede. We do manage to have a nice lunch with my aunt and cousin (they live in Knoxville). I'm determined to fix the windshield leak, so I pull the picnic table in front of the RV, put the ladder on top, and deposit enough silicone caulk under the rubber to stop a dam. Apparently not. Sigh...

Somewhere along the way we've had a few minor troubles with the RV. Lotus broke off the shower knob. It had threads, but I couldn't seem to screw it back on. The toilet didn't hold water, which I first thought was normal, but then found it's supposed to hold a few inches like the toilet at home. I also noticed a crack in my shower head. Seeing how Lotus just wanted to veg in the RV, I called the local repair guy. Imagine a large, balding dude in blue coveralls and huge feet. He assesses my situation. Next thing I know he's wedged himself into my tiny RV bathroom (yes, it's very tiny) and starts stomping on the toilet foot pedal. Hard. Snap. Snap! SNAP!! I'm biting my tongue, thinking I've hired a quack and I'm going to have to replace the entire toilet! But it worked! I'm thankful. RVs, like boats, always have niggling things to fix. I don't need anything major! He rethreaded my shower knob and replaced my cracked shower hose. Cost for everything? $10.

Oh, and as far as my broken steps went, the problem apparently was a 3-way switch, and somehow it was in the 'never deploy steps' mode. And I forgot to mention the time in Kentucky I drove to the dump station with my antenna up...oops...

Now we're ready to head to Georgia...