November 2, 2014. Frost and snow in the Smoky Mountains

CAMPGROUND:  Smoky Bear RV Park. Nicer than most commercial RV parks. Spacious sites.  Lots of amenities, many that we couldn't use....like swimming pool, game room.  Full hook-ups, WIFI, laundry, great bathrooms.   They loaned us a cable so we could get some TV.  Kindly upgraded us to a  more expensive pull-through site.  4 stars out of 5.  $39 with Good Sam discount

LOCATION:  Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in SE part of state

WEATHER:  Cold.  Highs in 40s

We awoke in Alabama to a frosty morning.  It was in the 20s overnight.  We had unhooked our water to prevent the hose from bursting.  It was cold inside, too.  Here is George, with lots of layers on, having morning coffee.

We drove through the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. A foot of snow had fallen yesterday.  300 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway are closed due to snow and ice.  

We drove through tourist-tacky Pigeon Forge, home of Dollywood.  No, we did not stop.  Then through Gatlinburg, which seems like a nice mountain town.

We started looking for a campground.  Some of the national parks in the Smokies were inaccessible.  We pulled in to a couple of RV parks, but they were closed for the season.  We finally found this one.  They had vacancies, as many campers had left earlier in the day as they lost electricity for 24+ hours.  Luckily, it came back, right as we checked in.  

DINNER:  Our refrigerator contents are shrinking, to prepare for our India trip.  I made a pasta dish I had seen on a cooking show.....fettuccini with the leftover cannellini beans (mashed), with kalamata olives, onion, garlic, chicken broth, sage, and Parmesan.  Just so-so, although George ate seconds.