ANNA MONICA / L’Observateur / July 21, 1999

The sky was really pretty, fireflies were plentiful and danced in and out of the roadside shrubbery and that was a joy to see. Some of you probably rememberwhen they were plentiful in our area, which they no longer are, unfortunately, and we called them “lightening bugs.” Then, too, there was a full moon to beenjoyed along with the stars, and, hopefully, you would because that is all you could see when stuck in a major traffic jam on Highway 24 in Chattanooga, Tenn., for three hours. Complaining was useless, so we put the top down on theconvertible and attempted to enjoy the night scenery amid a sea of other stuck automobiles and 18-wheelers.

That was the experience Dana (soon to be officially, “Dr Troxclair”) and I had as we took a long anticipated trip to the Smoky Mountains and Gatlinburg. Dana isthe daughter of James and Gloria Troxclair of Gramercy and is in her last year at LSU medical. She had been buried in clinics and studies and badly in need of asummer break. After a week’s trip to Miami where she and good friend ColumbiaReynolds got as close as 90 miles to Cuba in Key West, Dana was ready for the serenity of the Smokies and I was glad to oblige. Besides, driving through theSmokies in a convertible is a different and pleasant experience.

That traffic jam wasn’t on our agenda, but we finally got through and had to spend a tiring night in Chattanooga. After that, the trip was extremely pleasant,the scenery incredibly beautiful and Gatlinburg surprisingly not crowded. Somepeople avoid Gatlinburg, but I love to play tourist and do the town. There was agreat big marble ball in the middle of the town, suspended by water and rolling in one direction, but the sign said it could be stopped and the direction reversed.

Dana thought she would try it and was soon joined by a number of other tourists, all attempting to reverse the spin of the ball and having a great time doing it with much laughter.

It would probably be hard to find many people in our area who have not been to the Smokies. I was considerably younger on my first trip and have been there anumber of times.Sadly, though, I must say that, lovely as it is, time andpollution is obviously taking its toll. My very first trip there was with friendRuth LeBoeuf Gauthier, her brother Earl, mother Rose, the latter two now deceased, Ruth’s niece, Sheila LeBoeuf and my sister, Cookie. The first visit isprobably always the most inspiring, but the Smokies definitely are changing.

The scenery isn’t nearly as clearly visible as it was and the information given says that 70 percent of the current pollution is manmade The original “smoky” appearance is the result of vegetation in the area, but when the low clouds roll in to float around the mountains, I find it exciting.

We forgot to bring sweaters to Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in the Smokies, but didn’t walk up anyway because it was fogged in so badly that day.

Cade’s Cove is always a must to see, and Dana finally got to see her first black bear in the distance. Others saw a mom with three cubs. We stayed in Pigeon Forge where I had not been for some time. It has developedamazingly and is a place for good fun. Since my kitchen is done in apples, a visitto the Apple Barn for apple items and breakfast there was a very pleasant must.

Among our local citizens in the Smokies at this time were Nikki and Jason Martin and daughter Taylor of Garyville, Nikki’s sister, Jenny Louviere of Grand Point and cousin Troy Bertrand of LaPlace.

The Smokies is not a long drive and in spite of it all, will be there for the enjoyment of many for much time to come. Dana and I had to cut our trip a littleshort because rates were going up everywhere with Fourth of July approaching and crowds expected. We would like to visit every year. It’s one place where wewish the smoke would never clear.

Back to Top

Back to Leisure Headlines

Copyright © 1998, Wick Communications, Inc.

Internet services provided by NeoSoft.

Best viewed with 3.0 or higher