Charlotte NC / Cosby TN
June 15th - June 20th 2013
Carowinds / Dollywood
/ Smoky Mountains
Click each picture to make it bigger, then back to return here.
Robert and Laurie went on a road trip with Destiny. Robert
wanted to ride 3 roller coasters found on the Golden Ticket Awards "The List"
and Laurie wanted to stay in a cabin.
http://www.goldenticketawards.com/pdfs/at_goldenticket_2012_web.pdf
Day 1 - Saturday June 15th. 1st picture was the rental car,
a Chevy Impala. Good car, got 30 mpg on the highway.
In the 2nd picture, here we are at Satchel's in Gainesville FL visiting our
daughter. We ordered a veggie pie on a Millet and Flax crust that
had Tomatoes, Onions, Artichoke, Mushrooms, and no cheese.
Satchel's is the #1 pizza joint in Gainesville, they allow dogs, even bring out
a water bowl for them. The pizza's are expensive
(they only take cash) but worth the money. When we left, the parking
lot was full and the place was packed.
http://www.satchelspizza.com/
We drove to Paw Park located in Veteran's Park Jacksonville FL.
Destiny played and had a great time.
http://www.doggoes.com/parks/florida/jacksonville/paw-park-veterans-park
Here we are at Native Sun in Jacksonville. They have the vegetable wall, a juice bar, and a salad bar. Fill out a paper with your salid choices, wait a few minutes, and you get a salad bowl exactly the way you want it.
Day 2 - Sunday June 16th. We drove through the night to Charlotte
NC. We stopped at William R. Davies dog park early in the
morning. Laurie when to Calvary Chappel Church.
http://charmeck.org/mecklenburg/county/ParkandRec/Parks/DogParks/Pages/default.aspx
Most of the dogs here were labs, seems that people in Charlotte know
something.
While Laurie was at Church, Robert took Destiny to Anne Springs Close
Greenway. This is a huge park, with horse trails and open
fields.
http://www.ascgreenway.org/
Here we are at Whole Foods Charlotte NC for lunch. This
store is huge, with a 2nd level seating area. We sat outside
eating salad.
http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/charlotte
After a busy morning, we checked in to La Quinta South Airport hotel.
They're pet friendly, and the location is great.
http://www.lq.com/lq/properties/propertyProfile.do?ident=LQ167&propId=167
Day 3 - Monday June 17th. This was one reason for the road trip, to visit Carowinds and ride Intimidator. The coaster is a B&M hyper, similar to Diamond Back at Kings Island. The ride goes up 232 feet with a drop of 211 feet and a top speed of 75 mph. On this day, crowds were light since it was a Monday. Most rides were a walk on, little wait. Intimaditor is the best ride in the park, and worth the visit. In the last picture is Hurler, a wooden coaster.
Shots from Wind Seeker. 301 feet in the air.
While Robert was at Carowinds, Laurie took Destiny to Canaine Cafe for some
dog treats.
http://caninecafe.net/
Here we are at Zeitouni for dinner In picture 2 is a
Falafel platter. In picture 3 is a Fatoush salad.
http://zeitounigrill.com/
Day 4 - Tuesday June 18th. We checked out of the La Quinta and
headed to Asheville NC. Laurie went to The Cove while Robert took Destiny to Azalea dog park. It had
rained, and the ground was muddy, but Destiny had fun looking around.
http://www.bringfido.com/attraction/212/
That afternoon, we ate lunch at Greenlife, a Whole Foods spinoff.
The store was packed, had to circle a few times to find a parking spot, seems
everyone wants to eat healthy. We ate salad bowls in the car.
http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/asheville/
We drove from Asheville NC to Cosby TN. It was raining, the clouds could be seen cutting across the mountain tops.
We arrived at our Coca-Cola themed cabin, located in Cosby TN.
Coca Cola Cabin
This is a 2 bedroom cabin, located about 30 minutes east of Dollywood. Little Creek is located in the back. We chose this based on price, and location. Cabins located near Dollywood cost much more. The cabin was booked through the web site. A day later, I received a code to unlock the front door.
Here's Destiny at Patriot Park in Pigeon Forge TN. A bus takes people to Dollywood for 50 cents each way. Laurie walked Destiny, while I went to Dollywood.
The newest coaster is called Wild Eagle. It's a B&M flyer, the first in the USA. The drop is 135 feet, speed is 61 mph. Since it had just rained, no one was there. I rode in the front and back.
After visiting Dollywood, we went to Big Daddy's. In picture #2
is a Popeye pizza, with spinach and artichoke hearts.
http://www.bigdaddyspizzeria.net/
Day 5 - Wednesday June 19th. I went to Dollywood for the morning
while Laurie stayed at the cabin walking Destiny. That afternoon, we
visited Gatlinburg and the Funnel Cake
factory.
http://www.funnelcake.com/index.htm
The smoky mountains. We drove on a 7 mile path through the park. We stopped at a couple lookout spots and walked to a creek.
We finished the day by eating at Crystlle Creek in Gatlinburg TN.
This is a dog friendly restaurant and the food was good. The
best thing about this restaurant is dogs are welcome inside. They
even have a cage if the dog won't sit still. Some restaurants
along Pigeon Forge have tables outside, but it's hot. This is
the best place to visit during a hot day.
http://www.crystellecreek.com/
Day 6 - Thursday June 20th. We woke up early, packed, and drove home. We left the cabin at 04:30am, and arrived home at 06:30pm. 14 hours on the road, 830 miles. We drove the rental car a total of 2,350 miles.
End of Report. Thanks for reading.
Email me at skiguy777@bellsouth.net.