Holiday
Pigeon Forge Winterfest
More than five million lights have transformed Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, into a winter wonderland for the 29th annual Winterfest celebration, now through mid-February 2019. Located in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains in east Tennessee, Pigeon Forge draws visitors to colorful light displays that depict popular characters and playful scenes.
Here are several family-friendly attractions that highlight Winterfest 2018:
Pigeon Forge Snow ensures that guests will have a white Christmas inside a 15-lane tubing facility that features real snow.
The Island in Pigeon Forge showcases elaborate decorations throughout the 23-acre property, including approximately 40,000 ornaments, a half-million lights, and more than 5,000 feet of garland. Santa and Mrs. Claus greet guests at their workshop, while roving carolers fill the air with Christmas music.
Dollywood’s new Glacier Ridge area shimmers with five million lights, while the theme park captures the holiday spirit of giving and generosity with the stage production It’s A Wonderful Life. Both are part of Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas festival (through January 5).
The Titanic Attraction invites guests to see the ship completely decorated for Christmas (through December 31), including holiday lights, wreaths, trees, and garlands. The ship’s built-to-scale grand staircase features décor reminiscent of the Edwardian period.
For more information about Winterfest, visit www.mypigeonforge.com.
App File
Toll Calculators
Hate paying tolls? You can determine costs, and maybe reroute to avoid them.
TollGuru: Calculates toll and gas costs for RVs (as well as cars, trucks, trailers, buses, and motorcycles) across toll roads, tunnels, bridges, and turnpikes in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and India. Yellow toll markers appear on a map; click on a marker to see toll info, which includes the cash price, transponders allowed, and the discount price when using a transponder from a tolling agency. Users can choose the cheapest or fastest route, with step-by-step directions provided via Google Maps. Toll info can be shared electronically with friends and family. Free for iOS and Android. https://tollguru.com.
Tollsmart is an app that calculates toll costs for routes in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Tollsmart: Calculates toll costs for routes in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The app factors in transponder discounts from more than 50 tolling agencies. The basic app supports toll fees for two-axle noncommercial vehicles and is free for iOS and Android. An in-app purchase of $3.99 allows you to add a noncommercial vehicle with up to three axles. An in-app purchase of $2.99 allows you to see up to three alternative routes. www.tollsmart.com.
Nature
“Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire . . .”
That great opening line for “The Christmas Song” refers to a nut and a tree that once covered much of the eastern United States.
Gathering chestnuts was once a popular pastime, depicted in “Chestnutting,” an 1870 illustration by Winslow Homer.
The American chestnut made up 25 percent of the trees in millions of acres of forest in the southern and eastern parts of the country. From northern Mississippi up to Maine, chestnuts were a great form of sustenance for humans and wildlife. But by the time “The Christmas Song” was written in 1945, billions of American chestnut trees were gone, killed by a fungal infection that came from a single Asian chestnut tree someone unwittingly planted.
Fortunately, the trees aren’t extinct. Over the years, scientists have tried making a hybrid that isn’t harmed by the fungus. In 2014, it was announced that an American chestnut tree had been successfully genetically engineered to resist the blight. But it needs to be okayed by several regulatory groups — including the EPA, FDA, and USDA — before it can be provided to the general public.
Here are more facts about chestnuts:
*Most of the chestnuts we buy in America today are imported from Italy. Strong traditions in western Europe include eating chestnuts around the Christmas holidays.
*Chestnut trees were called “bread trees,” because the nuts are about 45 percent starch. Nutritionally, they’re similar to brown rice, but with twice the protein. Their texture is mealy, not crunchy.
*When chestnuts are heated, they explode. So, preparing chestnuts for roasting involves cutting a slit or an “x” on the outside. If you are a Christmas tune lover, this fact may remind you of the lyrics in that song “Sleigh Ride,” which include: “. . . At the fireplace while we watch the chestnuts pop. Pop! Pop! Pop!”
Campground Spotlight
Creekfire Motor Ranch, Savannah, Georgia
FMCA-member snowbirds who travel along Interstate 95 this season, and especially those headed for the association’s 99th International Convention and RV Expo in Perry, Georgia, next March, may want to check out a new campground near Savannah, Georgia. Creekfire Motor Ranch is off I-95 at exit 94.
Creekfire Motor Ranch in Savannah, Georgia, opened in October 2017 and is an FMCA commercial member.
This FMCA commercial member resort opened in October 2017 and offers 103 RV sites with full hookups and free Wi-Fi. Some sites are pull-through and some are back-in. Amenities include gated grounds, paved roads, and private fire pits and picnic tables. Boat, canoe, and kayak rentals are offered for use on the park’s 35-acre lake, which has a pleasant beach area. Guests can buy basic groceries, ice, firewood, and propane at the resort, too.
Pets are permitted; a maximum of three pets per RV are allowed. A club area has a tennis/pickleball court, bocce ball, basketball, and more. Golf cart rentals and bike rentals also are available. A large pool pavilion contains a separate kids’ area. Regular activities at this 105-acre destination include holiday events and bonfires. And, for a fee, you can take a shuttle from the park right into historic downtown Savannah.
Details:
Creekfire Motor Ranch
275 Fort Argyle Road
Savannah, GA 31419
(912) 897-2855
info@creekfirerv.com
www.creekfirerv.com
Pets
Don’t Leave Home Without Fido
RVers eager to travel with their furry best friends may want to download a free ebook written by journalists Mike and Jennifer Wendland. The couple travels in a Type B Roadtrek motorhome with their Norwegian elkhound, Bo. They’ve been reporting on the RV lifestyle since acquiring their first motorhome in 2012.
Mike and Jennifer Wendland travel with Bo, their Norwegian elkhound, in a Type B Roadtrek motorhome.
The Ultimate Guide To RVing With Your Dogs contains information and resources the Wendlands have compiled from their own trial-and-error travels, plus tips offered by others. The 27-page PDF addresses topics based on the most frequently asked questions they receive:
*-Keeping your dog from overheating in your RV
*Keeping your dog safe while the RV is moving
*Before-you-go dog gear checklist
*Prepping your dog for an RV trip
*Planning your dog-friendly RV trip
The Wendlands offer information for would-be, new, and seasoned RVers on www.roadtreking.com and a variety of social media sites.
To download The Ultimate Guide To RVing With Your Dogs, visit https://roadtreking.com/rving-with-your-dog/.
Travel Tip
Caddy To Go
Organize bath items in the campground shower with an inexpensive caddy.
How many times have you gone to the campground shower and discovered there’s no place to put your shampoo and supplies? I purchased a caddy at my local dollar store and carry it in my shower tote. It hangs right on the shower head. Talk about convenience for $1.
— Helena Hicks, F226380
Leesburg, Florida