Whoop Whoop Tennessee ~ Part 1

Hello Furiends!!

It's that time of year again.  Yep! you guessed it....vacation :)  I've been counting down ever since we started our drive back home last year ;)

We drove all day and it felt like we had been in the EmmaMobile 2.0 for forever.

I think my seat is shrinking.  Hello!  a little help here would have been nice. O.K. Dad did help me after they were done taking pictures.

I had plenty of time to come up with a new game to play.  Check this out.

Hahahahaha!!!  Pretty clever huh?

This was the location for our first official Tennessee walk ~ Douglas Dam.

I think it's an amazing view.

This is one of Mom's favorite photos.  I think it nicely captures two very gorgeous subjects.  The beautiful fall leaves that have changed to a vibrant orange and ME :)

The next morning we headed out for the The River Walk.  This is where we spent a lot of our walks.  It's nicely paved so we do not pick up any buggy hitch hikers (ticks).  It's also lighted and runs parallel to the parkway for easy access and it follows the river for a nice scenic view and pretty water sounds.

Another lovely spot we visited a couple times was Seven Island Wildlife Refuge.  It's a beautiful natural walking environment.   On our first visit we walked the grassy trails and bathed in the sunshine.  On our second visit we walked the paved road that is used for authorized vehicles only.  There usually isn't any traffic and it leads back to some old barns and an old farm house. 

I sure do wish we could find a house in a secluded location with a view like this.  I told Mom and Dad we should just move right on in.  I mean who needs a running water or electricity.  Pee behind a tree and buy water from the store.  Why the family would have ever sold it I have no idea, but at least it's been preserved as the Wildlife Refuge and not developed into some tacky hotel, housing addition, strip malls, or other eye sore.

We didn't just walk trails and ride around.  We also spent a lot of time waiting on Mom to shop.  It's a tradition in our home to get a yearly Christmas ornament for our tree.  This year we got them from the Three Bears General Store.

My Christmas Ornament has my nicknames on it, but Mom had a lapse of memory or something and told the girl personalizing it wrong.  Dad gave me a new nickname on the way here.  The EmmaMobile 2.0 is a larger van and it's got a few creeks and squeaks the other EmmaMobile doesn't have.  We've had it checked out by two different mechanics at two different shops and they all tell us it's in great condition for it's age and they can't find anything wrong with it.  The back end is where the squeaking is coming from and Dad started calling me Squeaky Gus because my seat is the bench/fold down couch bed in the back.  I guess he thinks just because I'm the biggest dog I'm somehow causing this unexplained phenomenon.  Mom thought it would be fun to include my new nickname from Dad on the ornament except she got it a bit wrong she had them write "Squeaky Grump" What??????????  I think she got confused because Dad also calls me Grumpy Gus sometimes.  They both call me Emma Bo, Bobo, Emma Bobemma, Grumpy Gus, Old Goat (only Dad), Ole Stinkers (only Dad).  The list goes on and on.  I know they are a bit weird, but I still love them.  They try and I gotta give them credit for that.

Mom got one more extra special ornament to honor me because she says I've left permanent paw prints upon her heart.  It's so sparkly.  I think it will look very pretty hanging on the tree.

Mom also went shopping at the huge flea market and bought some Bacon Egg and Cheese Biscuits from a nice lady with a homemade treat booth, Paws Fur Snacks.  Sweet Pea and Bella tell me they were delicious.  Those two will eat anything.  Me, I prefer to hold out for the really yummy stuff like Arby's roast beef and Wendy's chicken nuggets.  I had Mom and Dad stopping to get one or both of these delicacies daily. Treats wasn't the only doggie goodies she found at the flea market.  She also got us each our very own toy.  Bella and Pea both got psychedelic cows and I got a Love Monkey.  Isn't she cute?

No worries Sweet Pea hasn't been forgotten.  She is playing with a ball Mom couldn't resist because it's a squeaky monkey ball that looks just like the Tiff Monkey Business leash and collar set Bella is wearing.

One of Mom's most favorite places is Moonshine Ridge Country Store.

 Her and  Dad both are head over heels in love with their Moonshine Fudge.  Yes, there is real moonshine in the fudge.  They have two varieties a white moonshine fudge that Mom says tastes similar to eggnog and a chocolate moonshine fudge called moonshine explosion which is her favorite.  A new item they had this year was moonshine chocolate covered cherries.  They had an interesting flavor, but at $1.49 each Mom said they would stick to the fudge.  If you are looking for fudge you MUST try it here.  They have other flavors too.  Mom also likes the jewelery here and the beautiful items in the gift shop.  They have t-shirts, hats, books, cookbooks, stained glass, ornaments, jars of jellies/jams/chow chow/pickled eggs/pickled vegetables/salsa/, soaps, and more.

My parents are crazy about food.  Especially regional foods and different foods we don't have readily available back home.  They got us all BBQ from a wonderful chain called Buddy's BBQ.  I got my very own half pound of plain pulled pork and it was awesome.  They also like a little family owned placed called Grandmother's Kitchen where they serve up fresh home cooked meals.  Every time we stopped there I got my very own bacon and ham steak.  They stopped at a place called The Funnel Cake Factory and Mom got deep fried Oreos and blueberry cheesecake ice cream and Dad got a funnel cake covered in hot fudge.  Needless to say I didn't get anything from here except a few pieces of Dad's funnel cake that didn't have any chocolate on it.  I can't forget to mention the BEST cupcake shop in the world.  Has anyone ever had an AnnOlivia's cupcake?  They are amazing....well at least that's what Mom says.  Every cupcake is iced and filled.  Everything they make is sprinkled with glitter.  It's absolutely darling.  I'm sure you would rather be hearing about all my fun activities so lets get back to my walking and sniffing adventures.  One quick note before we do.  I think I've discovered why Mom's clothes are more uncomfortable now.

Another favorite walking spot is the Patriot Park with a half mile loop.  We walked here several times too.  It and the River Walk we like are very close to each other and probably centrally located to the area we spend the most time in.  You don't want to spend all your time trying to drive back and forth along the parkway because it takes forever in traffic. 

We walked at the the Pigeon Forge Community Center.  The Great Smoky Mountain National Park might not be dog friendly, but that did not stop us from finding alternative walking, sniffing and pee mail opportunities.  One of the reasons we love coming here is the variety of dog friendly walking spots.

In our down time we lounged around the cabin and romped on the air mattress and snoozed.

I think we shall take a break here and this story will be continued..............................................

Be sure to stop back by to see the rest of my vacation adventure.

Nudges and Soft Kisses,
Emma