By Judy Hitchings, F93640
February 2013
The Heartland Execs chapter gathered for our 26th fall rally this past September at River Plantation RV Park in Sevierville, Tennessee. The rally began on Friday, September 28. Once everyone finished preparing their campsites and hooking up their motorhome utilities, we all headed to the pavilion for happy hour, where we renewed friendships and became acquainted with three new couples. Happy hour fused into a light supper provided by our Hoosier hosts John and Fran Williams, Max and Cathy Stinson, and Gordon and Judy Hitchings. Since we had to be out of the pavilion by 6:00 p.m. for scheduled entertainment, the group migrated to John and Fran’s coach to continue catching up. The fall moon shining through the trees provided the perfect setting.
Saturday morning we met in the pavilion for coffee and doughnuts and a chance to plan our free time for the day. Many of the women opted for shopping at the nearby White Oaks Outlet Mall. The men did what they do best: discuss motorhome problems and solutions. Our evening entertainment was the Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Show in Pigeon Forge. The meal was tasty, and the entertainment had us laughing and feeling great.
On Sunday we ventured to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Sunny weather provided an excellent backdrop for the splendor of the mountains, the trees just beginning to exhibit fall colors, and the mystique of lives spent there long ago. Several of the more adventurous attendees followed “Mountaineer” Max Stinson to the lookout high atop Clingmans Dome. We all cheered our accomplishment and touted our bragging rights for making it to the top!
Next on the must-see list in the Smokies was a trip to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. The weather was less than stellar on Monday, so it was a perfect opportunity for us to spend time inside America’s largest privately owned home. During the tour we learned about the people who lived there and what makes this house so special.
Breakfast at Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant was next on our agenda. As you might guess by the name, apples were a big part of the menu — apple juleps; apple fritters; apple muffins; and, the favorite of most, apple butter. Yum!
After ample time to visit the gift shops, we headed to the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where we received boarding passes for our historic voyage on that elegant ship. Each pass represented an actual passenger on the ship, so we could follow our path to see whether we survived. The mementos and real-life scenes were very well done. We each learned a little bit of history that day.
On the last day we had lunch at Bullfish Grill, lots of friendship time, and a catered dinner where we honored new members Ed and Carolyn Depew, Tim and Dottie Owens, and Marshall and Caroline Putt. Also honored were special wedding anniversaries of John and Fran Williams, 55 years; Rich and Phyllis Gardner, 54 years; and Jim and Barb Krueger, 50 years.
As we closed our rally and looked forward to gathering the next year in Michigan, we were again reminded how fortunate we are to live in a country that allows us to live as we do and travel freely. God bless America!