12/6/2021
Today was a busy day. I started by going to the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge, TN. This museum was about the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. I was hoping it would be cooler. There was some good info, but I don’t recommend it. I went to the K-25 plant site. This is where the government refined the plutonium and uranium for the the atomic bombs in WW2.
Next I went to Gatlinburg, TN. I drove through here yesterday going to the park. This is the home of Dollywood and another tourist town. I started at the Ole’ Smoky Moonshine Distillery. They did a taster flight of a bunch of their moonshines. The White Lightning was the best. Some of the flavors were good, but they were low on alcohol. Pretty much right next door was Sugarlands Distilling Company. They were very similar and I got another moonshine flight.
Down the road I stopped to get a wine flight at Tennessee Homemade Wines. These were all a sugar bomb. My next stop was at Landshark Bar and Grill. This is the first time I’ve had Landshark on tap. Across the street was Gatlinburg Brewing Company. I got a flight here before they closed.
This is where my night got interesting. I knew I wasn’t driving anymore and I wanted to play some pool at a dive bar. I found Puckers Sports Grille back down the road. I got a few drinks, played a few games of pool, and started hanging out with some people. We closed the bar and then went back to their hotel to keep the party going. I stayed there for another hour or two. When I got back to the van I found out that I didn’t have my keys. I went back to the hotel first and I couldn’t get the people to answer the door.
I started walking around town trying to stay warm. I tried to get a hold of the people that I was with, but they didn’t know where my keys were either. I wandered around and hung out in the hotel lobby until I got a hold of the guy. He said they weren’t in the room. I had another set in the van, so I called roadside assistance to try to get in. I had to wait another couple hours before they could get out to me. Once out, they guy couldn’t get in and recommended that I get it towed to a dealership. I called roadside assistance again to get someone else out. While waiting for them I called the bar to see if my keys were there. They actually found them!!!! I rushed over and picked them up. Called roadside assistance back to cancel my call and finally got back into the van.