Gatlinburg here we come!

We arrived in Gatlinburg to sweltering hot weather of 105 degrees! Somehow I thought this would be a nice vacation break. It sounds like it would be cooler in the mountains, right? Gatlinburg, like the rest of the US, has been having record breaking high temperatures for the last two weeks.

After checking into our motel, and cranking the AC on HIGH, we decided to scooter around a bit and see what's changed since the last time we were in town. Naturally with the economy we've had the past few years, a few places have closed--it's always interesting to see what new places have taken their place. Every year I ask the same question: How many t-shirt places does one tourist town need? Apparently there's always room for one more. I saw this one in a Tennesee Jerky store and after my "ewwww, that's just wrong!" I had to snap a picture. Jerky stores are big in Gatlinburg and they sell your usual beef and turkey plus elk, trout, salmon, alligator, and other "wild" meats.