Round and round and round she goes and where the Blogging Boomer Carnival stops this week is Life Two!  As usual, our intriguing group of boomers have much to say about a variety of things – from fashion to politics – so why not hop on board the merry-go-round and join in the fun. Surf on over to LifeTwo.com to check out this week’s summary.

I’ve just been notified that Hole In The Donut has once again been nominated for a “Love This Site” Award in the travel blog category at Divine Caroline. I was nominated last year as well and placed 10th; this year I’d love to be in the top three. To vote for Hole In The Donut as the best travel blog, go to DivineCaroline.com or click on the  Divine Carline badge in the right-hand sidebar. You must be registered to vote, but joining is free. Thanks in advance for your support!

Phony teepees, gold panning operations, and stores overflowing with “Indian” souvenirs stamped “Made in Taiwan” dominate the main street in Cherokee, North Carolina. On the sidewalks, performers with not a whit of Indian blood don garish costumes and perform steps bearing little resemblance to actual Cherokee ceremonial dance. In a shopping center parking lot, kids line up to ride a mechanical bull, while down the street, giant arrows direct tourists to a live bear display. Although located within the Reservation lands of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, it would be easy to dismiss the town of Cherokee as just another tourist trap and drive right on through. But don’t. Instead, turn at the Cherokee Museum and drive to the top of hill to Oconaluftee Indian Village, where an authentic Cherokee experience awaits.

Main highway running through Cherokee, North Carolina is strewn with touristy attractions and gift stores

The Cherokees in Western North Carolina today descend from those who those who hid in the hills, defying removal during the infamous Trail of Tears mandated by President Andrew Jackson, and others who returned, many on foot. Gradually they created a sovereign nation of 100 square miles and, in 1948, established the Cherokee Historical Association to carry out their mission of preserving the history and culture of the Cherokee People. Oconaluftee Indian Village and its sister operation, the Unto These Hills Outdoor Drama are central to those efforts. Read the rest of this entry »

Tucked into the northwest corner of Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Cades Cove is one of very few places in the entire national park system where nature and human history mingle. Cherokees were the first to discover this relatively flat valley between mountains; they camped in the Cove for weeks or months at a time, hunting deer, elk, bison and bears. By 1821 white settlers had discovered the idyllic site. They cleared the land, building log homes, barns, corncribs, smokehouses, and grist mills. The bottom land was rich and fertile and produced abundant crops, while the surrounding forest provided plentiful game; life was hard but good. Although the occasional Cherokee was spotted, aside from one reported incident of a hunter being killed by an Indian, the settlers and Cherokees co-existed peacefully, perhaps because the Cherokee had never built permanent villages in Cades Cove.

Cades Cove is an idyllic valley between mountain ridges in the northwest corner of Great Smoky Mountain National Park

My intended route between Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Cherokee, North Carolina took me up and over the Smokies and past the road leading to Cades Cove. I was on no specific schedule and had never investigated the Tennessee side of the park, so I detoured twenty-some miles on a serpentine road, following a sparkling creek tripping its way over stone ledges and giant boulders as it rushed down the mountainside. At the end of the road, cars, hikers, and cyclists shared a narrow one-way eleven-mile road that loops around the valley. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s time again. This week’s host for our Blogging Boomers Carnival, The Boomer Chronicles, has provided a great review of subjects currenty being discussed by our fascinating group of boomers – everything from fashion to politics. There’s a little something for everyone. Check it out and enjoy!

Lil stood with eyes lowered and hands demurely clasped as spectators filed into the Meeting House. When everyone was seated on the simple wooden benches running down either side of the hall, she looked up and began to sing: “Welcome, welcome, one and all.”

Lil regales visitors with Shaker songs and dances

One of several interpretive guides at Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill, Lil has made a study of the music of the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing. Clad in a dull blue, ankle-length dress, her hair covered in a net cap, Lil sang hymns that had reverberated through the Meeting House when this was still an active Shaker community. Words became undecipherable tongues as she raised her hands in the air, shaking her widespread palms in jubilation, demonstrating the charismatic trembling that earned members the nickname of “Shakers.” Read the rest of this entry »

If I wanted to stuff my face with Karamel Korn and funnel cakes, have my photo taken while sitting in the Dukes of Hazard General Lee car, play a round of putt putt golf in the world’s most interactive black light golf course, or attend any one of a dozen honky-tonk song and dance shows, Gatlinburg would be my perfect vacation destination. A veritable carnival midway designed to empty pockets and fill stomachs, this Tennessee city is definitely not my cup of tea.

Gatlinburg caters to the tourist with a carnival-like atmosphere

Yet standing in stark contrast to Gatlinburg’s crass commercialism, the surrounding countryside overflows with natural beauty. Just a few miles east, the Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River flows beneath a verdant green canopy, creating miniature white-water rapids as it deftly dodges protruding Read the rest of this entry »

Step inside a mall in San Diego and you might just as easily be walking through a Philadelphia shopping center. Likewise, many cities around the country are so similar that I often have to stop and remind myself where I am. But every once in a while I visit a city that stands out from the rest, a city that has a powerful personality. Chicago is one such city.

Chicago Skyline from the Adler Planetarium

With each visit, I have become more impressed by this awesome city. But during my most recent visit I began to wonder, “What makes this town so special? What defines its powerful personality? How has Chicago succeeded in distinguishing itself from the faceless masses of other large cities across this country?” Certainly its extensive cultural opportunities, diverse ethnicity, and unique architecture are all factors to consider. But many of these same elements are found in other cities. For an answer, I had to dig into Chicago’s history. Read the rest of this entry »

Calling all boomers. Check out the issues being discussed on this week’s Blogging Boomers Carnival. Our special host, Laura Lee at Midlife Crisis Queen, is standing in for our regualrly scheduled host, who is on vacation this week. And a mighty fine stand-in she is. Laura Lee provides a succinct review of each of our participating baby boomer blog posts, allowing you to easily choose which articles may be of interest to you. Of course, we hope you’ll find them ALL interesting. So click through and enjoy.