So which is it? Great Smokey Mountains or Gatlinburg, Tennessee?

My wife Grace and I have “Vacation Buddy’s”. We met them on a cruise earlier this year and this is our second time getting together with them on a mini-getaway. We just get a long real well and laugh a lot together.

Previously this year, we met them in Kentucky to explore the Red River Gorge area. This time we met in Tennessee. Grace and I went to the Great Smokey Mountains. Seems our friends went to Gatlinburg.

Or was it the other way around?

It’s a local joke, but essentially the Great Smokey Mountains is beautiful and peaceful. Gatlinburg is the tourist area. If you want to fit in, it is best to go with the joke and differentiate yourself from the passerby crowd. Key Tip – Wear or purchase only Great Smokey Mountain APPAREL – not – Gatlinburg TN APPAREL.

While we were there (You decide if it was the Great Smokey Mountains or Gatlinburg), we attended the Gatlinburg Christmas Parade. It was quite the grand parade. It even made the news across a large area of the US. I heard stories from people in the Northeast, Mid-West as well as here in the Southeast about the parade. We did not witness it, but apparently a bear entered the parade and marched down the street.

We did however get to see the bear on our way out of town the next evening.

It’s a garbage bear. It should be in hibernation by now. However, garbage is always available and the word on the street is, this bear can even open your car door to get food. Garbage bears are crafty. While this sounds neat, it is quite sad. The good news is, the garbage bear is tagged and monitored. Relocation is the solution for the bear. Education is the solution for the passerby crowd.

Have a Fun Friday! everyone. I encourage you to BEAR with someone else’s garbage this weekend, that it might give you hope to stay out of the garbage!