My wife and I arrived home today at about 5:45 PM. The return trip took us thru Asheville, Smokey Mountain National Park, Pigeon Forge (think Wisconsin Dells, yuck), and Berea, Kentucky's craft area. It's a long drive.
tv said it well when he suggested setting up appointments to talk with people. My wife talked more to Marnie and Cory Waters than I did. At least I can put a name with the face now, and next year I'll be ready. I probably met about half the pdmler's there... :-( It was really difficult to juggle sleeping in a real bed off the mountain, attending the presentations, shooting a roll of film for the contest, and talking to folks. I think that I'll skip sleeping next time. The staff was amazing. For lunch on Saturday, I ordered the barbecue sandwich the group raved about last year. The head of the cafe warned me barbecue was on the menu for our dinner that night. She asked if we were NEW (first time visitors) saying we didn't look familiar! She then warned us to arrive early for dinner as things could get a little crazy and seating was likely to be a bit cramped. (It worked out just fine.) ...She recognized that we weren't regulars! Wow. Overall. it was a great weekend. The scenery is terrific. The presentations were first class. The company was great. And the price was only $65! Try it yourself next year. Regards, Bob S.
