Smokey Mountains, Soulard Farmers' Market & Peach-picking at Eckert’s Farm

Episode 10

Part 1  

Hi folks,

The degree of the awesomeness of Nature & surrendering oneself to it, increases in Arithmetic/Geometric proportion (Pl  apply the relevant one!)as our vacation is reaching culminating point! 22 July, saw us hit Route 64 first & then onto Route 75, i.e. St. Louis through Louisville, Kentucky-Nashville (Home of Country Music)-Tennessee on Gatlinburg. The 8 hour + drive was as enjoyable as ever, the countryside being totally green. Not just green, but so much of tall tree cover & progressively opening up to the mountainous region.

Smokey Mountains is a holiday resort, located at Gatlinburg. The resort where we stayed, is at a place called Hidden Mountain Resort, in Pigeon Forge. Having picked up our cottage keys at the Welcome Centre,(sp?), we followed the direction boards through some very steep roads. Very reminiscent of say Kasauli, Dagshai. 

We stayed at Cottage No. 4060, which had a Dolly Parton Theme. Each cottage has a theme & we were to live with Dolly Parton memorabilia. The well-known actress-singer, herself a  few restos/entertainment centers in town. After a hearty dinner of home-made Biryani, we hit the sack at around 2 am!

Next day, by 10, we were ready to paint the town in any colour! The town itself, is a typical holiday place, with shops , shops & more shops. Plenty of eating places, galleries, emporia. And plenty of parking lots. 

Our first stop was the Ripley’s  Aquarium. Quite like the usual ones, with a underwater walkway, where you could see the business ends of those sharks, at close quarters.

The other major attractions were the sky lift (2 seater) & the Ober Gatlinburg Tram (Cable car). Incidentally, a cable car in San Francisco is a tram(now extinct in Mumbai).

 Whereas, here, it was a huge 120 seater ropeway trolley. The skylift, is a short, but enjoyable ride on a open lift, which runs along the hill slope. So, in actuality, you are never more than 50’ from the ground. At the top, they have a small cafeteria with, yes, a gift shop. And of course, a beautiful panorama of the area.

An hour later, we had had lunch at a typical Italian Restt and were on our way to the Tram. This is a massive trolley, which takes you to the highest spot in town. It takes about 15 mins to get there. Huge supporting structures have been erected along the way, supporting the ropes of the trolley. The top area had a huge ice-skating rink, restos & the inevitable gift shops.

 

This area is home to about 1500 Black Bears. I was lucky to see 3! And  at regular intervals along the mountain roads, there are about 200 trails, ranging from 1.7 kms to 1790 kms(to Maine!). Hikers are advised to be properly kitted for the trek as well as adherence to timings, as the evenings  see the Bears emerging from their  dens. Before we left for the the famous  Clingman’s Dome, which is a huge structure built on the highest hill, we stopped at a trail source, took some snaps & went further in. We came across a lovely spot, where the mountain stream was in full flow.

                                 

The haze that you see in the photograph, is the mist formed by the swirling waters. The family really had a great time, romping in the ice-cold water. En route, we stopped at another viewpoint, beautifully sited & well maintained. This and being Indian Land, the area has it’s share of legends & folklore. At this point, we stood on the border between Tennessee and North Carolina, denoted by a signboard.

And standing there, you realize why this is known as Smokey Mountains. During the growing season, the lush vegetation emits moisture & organic compounds, which, when combined, form a haze which is thickest on a calm, sunny humid day.

Strangely, although I heard a lot of birds, couldn’t lay my eyes on any one. At the Dome, I saw some birds that had a smallish crest, but being between the sun & I, it was difficult to make out. Probably they were a variety of Crested Tits or Finches. For a forest cover so huge, no raptors soaring.!(GD-what’s your take?) The next day, I spent about 30 mins playing cat & mouse with a male Cardinal, just outside our cabin. Although he did show himself completely, I couldn’t take him on camera! Back to the town, which by now, was fully decked up in lights, holiday makers were there in hundreds. It was like festival time!! We had other plans, so back to the cabin. This time, we decided to avail of the facilities of the Jacuzzi & the ping-pong table. So we had a wonderful time soaking in the tubs, with all jets on, playing TT(ping-pong) as they call it here; so did we, as kids)

After an early check out, where we could see the Office premises  flower shrubs in full bloom, we stopped at a nearby Apple Orchard, where everything was apple-related!

 Cider, juices, jams, crockery/cutlery with apple motifs. There were trees laden with fruit, just at the entrance. There were a lot of apples that had fallen off the trees on the ground, but untouched! I understand that the laws here dictate that once the fruit hits the ground, it gets contaminated by  the various micro-organisms!  This was corroborated at the Peach farm too!

En route, we had a short (?) stop at the City Convention Centre, where an exhibition-cum-sale of local products, eats to woodwork, to dried flower frames etc. The works!  And so, back home after another 8 hour drive, interrupted by a quick lunch at Denny’s, another popular chain.

The weather continues to be warm, though 34-36 C, is quite ok by Pune standards, but here, the intensity of the heat in unbearable at times. One explanation  is that due to near 0 pollution, the heat does not get dissipated. So, evening walks are actually night walks, as the time we get out is closer to 8:30pm!!

Part 2

Soulard Farmer’s Market

Once in a while, the weather Gods  show great mercy on us wretched mortals. Last Sunday, en route to Soulard,  in downtown St. Louis, we had torrential rains, that were more than a relief and by the time we reached Soulard, it had cooled down by a good 8 degrees &it was love.

This is a place where we have a market that sells everything grown by the local farmers, from eggs, meat, fish, fruits, vegetables & further down, sunglasses , keychains & trinkets! The local breads are really good, especially the sun-dried tomato bread. And of course, the all-American hot dog, washed down by a chilled glass of Budweiser!  Visiting Soulard is an experience in itself.

A typical old-fashioned structure, very much like our own  ‘Phule Mandai’ or ‘Shivaji Market’, but much, much, neater & cleaner, I dare say!! And at the end of each building, in the open space, you will find the odd Saxophonist or a 3 Man band, belting out foot-tapping medleys. The St. Louis Arch looms large over the area. The Arch, 600 feet of an engineering marvel, is the symbol of progress, the Westward expansion of the US.; St. Louis was the gateway to the West. It was from here, that people were urged to go forward, to explore what lay beyond, by President Thomas  Jefferson!  Then there is the Union Station, with its shops & restos, the university complex, the Busch stadium and some imposing buildings. A quick stopover at the Union Station for some last-minute shopping & it was time to say ‘bye.

Part 3.

Peach-picking at Eckert’s Farm

 A few miles into the countryside, actually in Illinois, we hit typical farmland country. The weather was  still lovely and we were treated to miles & miles of neatly planted corn fields, apple & peach orchards and lovely old fashioned barb buildings! After a bit of trial & error, we finally reached at the Eckert farm. One has to go through the huge shop, selling local produce, through another handicraft section, through a  greenhouse & suddenly we are in an open space, with a lovely green painted trolley, hitched to a tractor.

 This is the “Pick your own” wagon. Armed with a carton, we were driven over a typical, undulating country road, over newly planted orchards, a cemetry(!) till we reached ‘our’ orchard. Here, after an initial briefing,  we were ‘let loose’, so-to-say, in the Peach orchard.

We had decided that 4 peaches per person would be the limit, but thank God, we took just One box! Otherwise, there would be no end. Besides picking the peaches straight from the trees, we also ate the ones that were ready to eat. And of course, the peaches lying on the ground, were left  

alone, as per federal  laws!

When we returned to the store, our box weighed in at a whopping 11.50 pounds! (As I write this, some of the peaches have been stewed in sugar syrup+cinnamon & star anise  & we had them after lunch, complete with whipped cream! And some have found themselves in a peach cake!) We still have some left! To round off this wonderful trip, was a typical country style lunch. I shall skip the details! But it was a good change. And so, back home after a wonderful Sunday. Truly, God was in His heaven that day!

Well, hope you liked this one. Come this week-end & it's the Niagara Falls. Looking forward to a ride on the "Maid of the Mist". From there, 2 weeks for us to get back! So far, it's been great.

Till then, Cheers! Once more, 'Wish you were here'.TC

Ashok 

Episode 9-Chicago

Hello Everybody,

The last week end saw us take Route 55 to Chicago. Amongst various reasons to visit, Ikea was one, meeting Anju & Jack another, besides stepping on the same soil walked on by 2 entirely different types of people. Swami Vivekanand, ( recall his famous opening words!) and Al (The Scarface) Capone!

Having left at around 5:30 pm, we were at our Hotel (Sheraton Suites) at Schaumberg, by 11pm. Like last time, we were carrying packed dinner, which was dispatched with practiced efficiency! 

Loading up!

Sheraton Suites,Chicago

A good nights sleep, a quick, but fortifying b’fast, we were on our way to explore the City. Stop No.1 was the Navy Pier, where, after taking a short cruise on lake Michigan, we were on a City Pass, valid for 2 days.

View from our room

You may recall my comparing Washington D.C.  &  NYC to Delhi & Mumbai respectively, very loosely. Chicago, to me, seemed more vibrant, very classy and clean. The architecture is to be seen to be believed.(The photos here are but a small sample). But you have to learn the history of the city first, to realize this spirit. In a nutshell, the great fire in Oct 1871, all but destroyed the City. One of the reasons I believe, is that most buildings, etc. were all made of wood, hence the utter destruction. But it was the spirit of the City and some far thinking persons, who decided to re-build Chicago. And rebuild it, they did. Steel was used instead of wood, engineers & architects who came forward were given a free hand. Town planning was very evident. In fact, the  flow of the Illinois River was reversed, the dumping of sewage, carcasses etc. totally stopped. A 10 storey building was the first skyscraper to come up. Rightly so, the city has some of the most unusual & impressive edifices.

Back to the Pier, we boarded the Tall Ship Windy, a 4 mast ship, which was to take us on a hour plus cruise on the lake. Incidentally, when we were at Michigan & visited the Silver Beach at Benton Harbour, it was the same lake (Michigan). Today, we were approx 90 miles away from our first visit!

Navy Pier from the lake

A Lighthouse in the lake area

Hard Port!

On Board the 'Windy'

The cruise was fun, with the crew dressed up as pirates & tourists were roped in to hoist & lower the sails. The lake was full of all kinds & sizes of craft, from Water Scooters to Cruisers.
From the waters, Chicago’s skyline was looking beautiful. Famous landmarks like the Trumpp Towers, Hancock Observatory, Sear’s(Willis) Tower (Skydeck), Soldier Field Stadium, dedicated to the Men & Women of the Armed Forces, and others.

The cruise was a lovely affair, easy going, with matching weather. For the more adventurous, there were faster craft like the Seadog, a huge, jet propelled, open boat or the standard cruise ships (smaller versions of course!). We also fired a canon on the ‘enemy’ ships (more smoke than noise).

High Class buildings

This bldg is supposed to resemble a Champagne bottle

An hour and a half later, we were headed for the Hancock Observatory, a 94 storey building, which had a viewing deck on the top floor. Prior to this, t there was a short film on how Chicago came to be the city of skyscrapers etc. etc. At the viewing deck , we were all given a small gizmo like an I pad, with earphones etc., so touching the required button, there was this recorded info.

From the 94th floor!

J & J at the viewing deck.

The beach area from above.

So a birds-eye view + commentary & we were on our own for almost an hour. Lovely view from all sides + opulent living styles, as the photos show. A quick lunch at one of the eateries and we hopped on to the Grayline Trolley(most convenient) and were off on a conducted tour, the next stop being the Sear’s (now renamed Willis)Towers. Till a few years ago,  was the tallest building in the World. It still remains the tallest structure, by virtue of the communication towers on top.The star attraction of this place was the  4  ledges on the Skydeck. These are glass balconies, jutting four feet outside of the wall. So, when you stand or sit on them, you get to see the streets, 104  storeys  below as though you are in the air! Not for all. Anyway, we all enjoyed the photo sessions, as though it was an everyday affair!

Jenny on the ledge.

104 floors above!

K & J at the deck

From Willis(or Sears), it was time for a coffee, so what better than Starbucks, that too on Michigan Ave. High rise buildings, having shops selling high price items! But you don’t go the USA everyday & especially Chicago. So, a few blocks down the line, we were at Crate & Barrel. As ‘lowly’ as the name sounds, the prices are in keeping with the altitude of the buildings! So, while Jenny & I cooled our heels, mother & daughter spent some time & ‘some’ money on a few things of daily use.

From here, a few blocks away, we dropped in for a quick look at Hershey’s and in the next block Ghirardellis, both  well-known choc makers.

More chocs coming

The world's largest choc bar!!

One thing I noticed here, is that no one drinks water, in the sense, even at restts./counters, one has to ask for water! The flip side is that they have these water fountains all over, which I’ve always been fascinated with. So, I did not  let the chance go by when we came across a very quaint, old-style fountain & still working! (Such trivia is good to pass on, isn’t it?)

'Old Faithful' of another kind.

After the loot!

Navy Pier

Stained glass panel

Back to Navy Pier. While Jenny went to keep the packages in the car, K + J – A, went down to the shopping arcade along the pier . I decided to see the world go by & put it on record. Later, we all went down to section where they had displayed some beautiful stained glass panels. This is essentially an old European art, and it’s good to see it is being preserved. Time to call it a day; so we went off to town in search of a good Indian Restt. In passing, I must mention the amazing parking areas & systems available here & mostly unmanned! Even at the pier, the elevators were available straight from the basement, where the arcade was, right up to the parking lot. So, Gaylords it was, for dinner. The food was good and I’m glad we made it just before closing time!

Next day, a long awaited & anticipated visit to the IKEA shop materialized. Prior to shopping, we had a quick b’fast at the Restt.  A few hours later, with a few items in the bag, we headed for Chicago. Finding a parking along the kerb (footpath, baba!) was a problem, being Sunday, so Jenny dropped us at the Architectural Cruise station, while he parked the car. He was back just in time, as the cruise was ready to leave. This was another highlight of the trip. An open to the sky deck, seating about 150 persons, took you through the inland waterways, on a cruise, purely to show you the amazing buildings in Chicago.

NBC Tower

Sarah, our guide was not only well-versed, but made the narration most interesting.

3 bldgs, by the same Archt.

The balconies give a look of a waterfall! 

Referred to as the 'Corn'. See the parking!

For example, there was these 3 buildings, designed by the same person, all along the waterway, in colors denoting      Nature & eco-friendly. The 1^st has a blue frontage, signifying water, the 2^nd green, for trees & the 3^rd, light brown, for earth! No amount of photographs & narration will ever be enough, to bring across the amazing construction. That is the best part about this City; the indomitable spirit, rising from utter devastation & creating it’s own place in the history of the nation.

Lakeshore Drive Area

Lakeshore drive.

After a quick drive to the Field museum & Aquarium, we found a place to pay & park, just opposite the beach, along Lakeshore Drive. This was definitely the upper class section of town, with lovely green patches, lots of flowers & top class facades, each trying to outdo the other. Something like Marine Drive, just to draw a very rough example. The beach is not a very big expanse, but there are lots of tracks off the road, where we found fitness freaks jogging, cycling, skating & of course, beach volleyball. There were a couple of lifeguards, all women, in boats, keeping an eye on the Sunday crowd.

Fitness freaks on the beach!

The beach. 

We had to leave by 6 pm, as Anju & Jack were expecting us by 6:30h p.m. It’s always a great feeling to meet one’s folks outside Pune, and meeting them was a greater thing.  A lovely couple, these two, who divide time between Pune & Chicago. They have a lovely penthouse, with their personal lift, that takes you straight to their entrance. The view from their terrace is beautiful, as the snap shows. It was  home, for all of us, and  we really left with the proverbial heavy heart. Next day, Monday, we had to be at the Indian Consulate for Janu’s passport renewal. So, an early b’fast & we checked out. It was a rainy day and we were thankful that during our sightseeing etc., the weather stayed good.

View of the lake from Jack's penthouse.

At Jack & Anju's. 

The Consulate job was over within half an hour & we were on our way back to good old St. Louis. En route, we stopped for an early lunch at a place called ‘The Cracker Barrel’, an
old country store, serving typical country-style food, in a matching ambience. There  was a small store                     selling typical items, of which we picked up a few!

Old fashioned decor at Cracker Barrel.

A view of store.

 From here, it was not a very long drive and by 5 p.m., we were home & dry. This week-end, we were to head for the Smokey Mountains. Sadly, Janu came down with a bad throat infection & fever, so we’ve had to postpone the visit to the 3^rd week end.
To end this mail, there’s a small story, connected to Al Capone & O’Hare International Airport, Chicago. Those of you aware of this, please bear with me. Capone had , in his service, a very smart lawyer, who they called ‘Easy Eddy’, & it was his legal expertise that kept Al out of prison. Eddy’s one weakness was his son, whom he didn’t want to be exposed to the world he was working in. He gave him the best of education & shielded him from the world of crime. Still, he wanted to come clean with the law, a step he knew that would cost him his life. Butch O’Hare, was a pilot with the Air Force & has successfully diverted  Japanese aircraft away from US planes. His camera had recorded this, as also that he had shot down 5 enemy aircraft. O’Hare was later killed in combat, an declared an Ace. The people of Chicago, in order to perpetuate his memory, named the airport after him. So, what’s the connection? Butch O’Hare was Easy Eddy’s son!

If we look around us, I am sure, we have so many  heroes from the Services, whose memories we must not let fade from our hearts & history!

Stadium dedicated to the Armed Forces, Chicago.

Morwada Jn. Memorial, P:une.

As I write this, we are recovering from a typical week end menu of CB & CB (Chilled Beer & Chicken Biryani!) Need I say more, other than wish you were  here!

Till then, have a ball, TC & keep smiling!!

Bye!

Ashok Gune