SW USA 2024: The Canadian Coddiwomplers*

 *Coddiwomple: “to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination."  

The Great Smoky Mountains Railway (GSMR)

We did reserved tickets for the train ride on the Nantahala Gorge Excursion but we hummed and hawed about going because it was a long drive through the national park to Bryson City, North Carolina and we had to be there at 9 a.m.  We hummed a bit too long.  When we decided not to go, we discovered that we’d past the date for cancelling the ride so once again we ventured into the park dark and early to make our way to the train depot.

In April, the GSMR only has one excursion running but later in the year they have several choices.  The one I liked the sound of runs in December when they recreate the Polar Express movie.  Passengers are supposed to dress in PJs and bring their "ticket."  Hot chocolate, music holiday cheer … it all sounds like a fun trip.

Our First-Class Car "MacNeill"

Our excursion was a sightseeing run to the gorge.  Our first-class car was cool, comfortable and the décor tasteful.  The staff were great and provided an excellent commentary about the railway and the area we were passing through.  There were a lot of bad puns and Dad jokes along the way.  The food was excellent (NOT chicken but it was a choice) and cool beverages whenever we wanted. 

We passed by another man-made lake that displaced residents when it was developed during WWII.  The land owners did not receive a fair price for their land and many were upset.  However, a solution was to allow former residents to build floating houses near where their land used to be.

Lake Nantahala was created in 1942 by Nantahala Power to provide electricity for war effort.

Two of the Floating Houses

We had a brief stop at a large outdoor adventure center, where there is camping and a white-water kayak, canoe school.  It reminded Jerry of the Madawaska Canoe Center where he had taken a Whitewater course.

The Nantahala Outdoor Centre

The De Hart House is the oldest house in Swain County built in 1868

A few views that passed by quickly.

Entertainment was provided on the trip back to the station.

The scenery was disappointing and went by too fast.  We’d seen more beautiful places driving in, around and through the national park.  Basically, it was an expensive lunch.

When we disembarked, there was a train museum full of various model trains.  That was fun to see.  I liked all the miniatures - buildings, trees and people.

On our drive back through the park, we encountered several elk.

We then took a side trip to Clingmans Dome, North Carolina.  A dome is a rounded mountain top.  This one at 6,643 feet is the highest summit in the Great Smoky Mountains.  We noticed a significant change in temperature when we left the truck.  Again, the views were amazing.

From the parking lot, there is a strenuous hiking trail up to an observation tower that takes about 30 minutes.  We didn’t attempt the climb but as you can see, we were still able to take in the view.  The original wooden tower was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp but later replaced in 1960 with a 45-foot circular deck to provide a panoramic view.

Love to all,

Jerry, Elizabeth, Misty, FJ (Flat Jesus), the Guys, Miss Adventure Too and Clifford the Big Red Truck