The night before our trip to Gatlinburg, I couldn’t sleep much. I kept worrying that any sort of slumber would inevitably result in us sleeping right through our scheduled time of departure for Gatlinburg… 8:00 a.m. After much worrying that money should be spent on other things or saved for things we couldn’t predict (long bouts of unemployment and under-employment will do that to a person), I threw caution to the wind and let Matt, my best friend and boyfriend (lucky me!), spoil us both with a trip to Gatlinburg. Gatlinburg is one of those places I don’t remember ever going. People will tell me I have, and I will stare blankly with no recollection. People who know and love me have just come to accept this as part of who I am. Anyway, I’d never been to Gatlinburg. The NC side of the Smoky’s I had seen, especially the Biltmore part. Not the Tennessee side, though. Not that I recall.

Matt’s family used to go all the time. It was a favorite travel destination of his Dad’s. I can’t help but feel this trip is some sort of homage to this man I’ll never be able to meet. It holds a reverence of sorts.

And in homage to my mother, who resides in Raleigh, I packed just like she did/does. I packed (aside from personal clothing and sundries), tea bags, plastic silverware, paper towels, coffee mugs, extra coffee, tons of beverages, sandwich meat, condiments, bread, chips, dip, cookies… even milk for the cookies. They were Oreos after all… Double Stuf (why do they even bother making the other kind?). There was also Benadryl, Band Aids, tissues, and other you-never-know-when-you-might-need-it-stuff. Turns out I needed very little of it. This place is jazzed with everything!

It was a long and arduous 8 hour trip, but good things come to those who wait. The good things were in the form of the Buckhorn Inn in Gatlinburg. It’s not the touristy Gatlinburg, though… it’s the beautiful, awe-inspiring, humbling Gatlinburg with a spectacular view. The Buckhorn Inn has it all. History. Serenity. Charm. Class. It’s a quaint little gem of a bed and breakfast that I tripped over in a Google search. Staying in a bed and breakfast was on my bucket list. Matt insisted that I have it. Who am I to argue?? Family and friends and extensions of the aforementioned people, if at all possible, you should stay here for yourself. Seek this place out! Each and every member of the staff is incredible. And be sure to budget for at least one dinner in the restaurant. We dined there tonight on country grain bread with real butter, a homemade iced tea which resembled a cold spiced tea, summer vegetable soup, Mediterranean salad, prime rib with twice baked potatoes and haricot verts, and for dessert… double chocolate cheesecake with raspberry compote. It was incredible.

Right now, my man and a bottle of real Zinfandel are waiting for me on the porch. There’s a breathtaking view of Mount LeConte from the back porch of Cabin 3, if you need that little something extra. Good night.
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And good morning! Before we begin Day 2, I have to tell you that I spent a significant portion of time last night in the totally awesome jacuzzi tub, luxuriating in the bottle of mineral bath that they leave in the room. (Don’t worry… there are no pictures. You can take yourself out of the “see no evil” pose.) This jacuzzi tub just adds to what is overall an incredible value for this place.

I also spent some time reading the journals that were left behind. There are four of them. They date back to 1989 and regale the experiences of cabin 3’s guests for all that time. There were reunions, honeymoons, families, and anniversaries… so many reasons people were here. So many stories to share.

We had stayed a little longer than we should have in the king-size bed, causing us to stumble into the dining room with a mere 30 minutes to spare during the breakfast hours. All I can say is that I’m glad we made it! Breakfast was fabulous, as the 23 years of journaling said it would be. We were welcomed with a fruit plate, coffee, assorted juices, homemade Ma- I’m-Back-In-The-South biscuits and coffee cake. The menu gave us a choice of fresh blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and bacon, the Buckhorn Scramble (eggs, leeks, bacon and gruyere scrambled together), or regular old bacon and eggs. I could keep going on and on. Another day, I’ll get to tell you about our experiences on the Buckhorn Inn nature trail. Today, though, I hear the birds calling from the treetops. They tell me that there are elk and deer and bears waiting to commune with us. What are we waiting for?
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