Our coded instructions will encompassed 155 miles of back roads travel.
Our first mission took us past the Turnpike Gatehouse. Built in 1948 is was one of the many Gatehouses that protected the Secret City and controlled the access to K-25.
We took a large step back in time when we entered Fort Loudoun State Historic Park. This is one of Britain's earliest Forts used during the French and Indian war. We walked through the fort and looked at the accommodations. Some rooms housed four people and some Twelve or more.
We passed Chilhowee Dam. The views of the mountains sides and newly leafed trees were spectacular. We traveled the Foothills Parkway for 17 miles. The foothill of the Appalachian Mountains had many curves and lookouts for us to enjoy. There were many turnouts for viewing the area. We took advantage of the opportunity to photograph the '55.
After descending the mountain trail we can through a little town called Townsend also known as "The Peaceful Side of the Mountain". You could tell it was a tourist destination! So many interesting places to stop, but our directions kept us moving forward.
Our lunch stop was at the Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center. We were treated to a box lunch with ham sandwich, chips and a cookie. Sitting in the grand stands we all enjoyed our lunch.
The speaker talked about bear rescue efforts in the area. Told us how important it is to control our trash. She spoke about that rescue of bears that are only a few pounds in size. On our way back we chose to take a detour and visit Smoky Mountain Auto Traders to investigate the 100 or so cars in various stages of restoration. Heading back out of the mountains we got a better view of Fort Loudoun Dam that was built in early 1940s by TVA. Our last stop for the day was at K-25 site at the Heritage Center. Darrin and Barrett enjoyed reading all about the Atom bomb and the facility that help build them. They event tried the freeze dried ice cream sandwich. Barrett said it was good but tasted like a cookie.
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