Westward Ho - A cross country travel log

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

Red Cheeked Salamander

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Alarming sight....Balsam Wooly Adelgid destruction

Balsam Wooly Aphid

Dead Fraser Firs line the Smoky Mountains

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Dollywood

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As Seen on TV

In addition to all the pancake houses, there were a ton of stores with a sign reading "As Seen on TV" We got a chuckle out of those stores. My oldest son kept saying that he couldn't even tell what the name of the stores were. Where we come from, if it is on TV, it's bad. LOL.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

The Grand Ole Opry

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Pictures of Laurel Crest and Mountain Loft

I created a different thread for those wanting to see pictures of Laurel Crest and Mountainloft

Pictures of Laurel Crest

Pictures of Mountainloft

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

BB,

It looks like you guys are covering a lot of ground...I love those types of vacations. I can't sit still for too long...

Thanks for sharing, enjoy the remainder of your trip, and keep us posted.

[ctandrinokc Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ctandrinokc]

Jim- Looks like you guys are having a great time! Justing wondering, are you going to a BG update at every BG resort you visit to take advantage of the freebies?

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

Jim- Looks like you guys are having a great time! Justing wondering, are you going to a BG update at every BG resort you visit to take advantage of the freebies?

Chris,

LOL. We've been skipping the owner updates. We don't have any time to waste.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

Graceland

We made it to Graceland today. Left a bit later in the day since it's only 230 miles to Fairfield Bay where we are finally staying in a two bedroom unit. Whew. I need to have some privacy from my kids. But, the Amerisuites was a nice sleepover hotel since it has a desk and smoking fast internet access.

I was surprised that the mansion on Graceland was so small. I figured it would be a lot bigger. The grounds are nice since it is on almost 14 acres of land. And, there are horses in the back along with a very nice size trophy room and racquet ball court. Multicar garage and office area.

I took a bunch of pictures and I really loved it there. I loved Elvis Presley and his movies growing up. The enscription on Elvis' tombstone was very touching. He really did move a lot of people in his lifetime. It's sad that he died so young.

[iceeu2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close iceeu2]

Thank You Boca

Boca, This is fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing your journey with us.

And, I am delighted that you liked the neck of the woods I grew up in (Memphis). I remember as a child thinking how huge Graceland looked from the road! At Christmas they always decorated with blue lights.

Keep on feeding us, my man...this is just grand.

[mshatty Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close mshatty]

Com' on now BocaBum99, truth be told, your family had to tear you away from the "As seen on TV products store"!!

I know I would have insisted that my family drop me off and pick me up later so I could cruise that store! Can anyone say, "Ron Popeil?"

[susieq Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close susieq]

I know I would have insisted that my family drop me off and pick me up later so I could cruise that store! Can anyone say, "Ron Popeil?"

How many "Ronco Exclusives" were there??

All kidding aside, I think this thread is great ~~ you're doing us all a big service ~~ allowing us to re-live those simpler ~~ although crazier times!! Keep the reports comin' ~ look forward to 'em! Thanks!

Sue

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

Com' on now BocaBum99, truth be told, your family had to tear you away from the "As seen on TV products store"!!

I know I would have insisted that my family drop me off and pick me up later so I could cruise that store! Can anyone say, "Ron Popeil?"

I have a very good friend whose uncle is Ron Popeil. It obviously runs in the family because my friend is a multi-millionaire from selling software on the internet.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

Fairfield Bay

After Graceland, we headed to Fairfield Bay in Arkansas. We arrived around 8 pm after getting lost a few times. This place is really in the sticks. It's really in the middle of nowhere. We really like it, though. Our timeshare unit is a 2 bedroom townhouse style condo in the fairways section.

The unit is very large and spacious. The jacuzzi in the master bedroom is the largest I have ever seen. It's almost like a small pool. It has 20 foot ceilings and it set right next to one of the golfing greens.

This resort is like a town. It is spreadout all over the place. I haven't explored the resort yet, but I plan on doing that in a few minutes. We went shopping for food at the Walmart supercenter in Clinton which is about 20-30 minutes away from the resort. The welcome center is 1.5 miles away from my unit.

I can see us coming here for a week. It's very relaxing here. No road traffic. Open the windows and you hear nothing but birds. Very nice.

I took pictures of the unit that I'll upload to the photo server and post to the Fairfield forum. I believe this was one of the first Fairfield resorts. Timesharing is great. I would have never come here if it weren't for timesharing.