Vegas Behaving Itself

Here I am on another forced vacation. It's use it before 2008 or lose it. We were contemplating a trip to to Dayton but then gas prices shot up to 2.99/gal. and you know CB. Besides there was a massive winter storm laying across the radar map. It's been almost hot here with afternoons in the high seventies. So we took the huge 110 mile trip to Pigeon Forge, home of Dollywood , outlet stores, tacky theatre and white trash behaving themselves.

Judging by the business there I'm thinking the economy must be in the tank. Half of the outlets were vacant and the half that were still open were having "Going Under" sales. Our room at the Holiday Inn Express was half the price of Savannah and that's with the Jacuzzi and belt buckle cleaner. Our room also had a panoramic view of the nearby cemetery. We even got to see the "Tomb of the Unknown Shopper". I have never seen so much absolute crap on sale. One store was as big as Sam's Club and it just sold potpourri . I thought I was going to have an asthma attack.

We did take a bus tour to see the lights and be told about the history of Pigeon Forge. It was fun although the Christmas lights were underwhelming. Our driver, Billy-Ray, was funny and he told some great yarns, He even led us in a round of 'The Twelve Days Of Christmas" as I sucked diesel fumes in the back of the bus.

We did luck out when it came to eating. The corn chowder at the Old Mill Restaurant was delicious. Later, at the Bullfish Grille I had the New Orleans shrimp and pasta that was out of this world. The only thing was I forgot to pack my shorts and it was eighty degrees in Pigeon Forge.

We were there in the summer about ten years ago and it was 98 degrees and bumper to bumper traffic. It was nice that it wasn't as crowded but being twelve days before Christmas the lack of commerce was alarming. Just in time for a Democrat president!