Knoxville, TN

Our first stop today was the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, TN. We expected a small display of local arts and crafts but were completely surprised by the number of buildings (34) with most holding a vast collection of old artifacts and furnished rooms showing the life and times of the residents of the Appalacian Mountains. One building (my favorite) had displays of old musical instruments...fiddles, banjos, dulcimers, and even some very unusual instruments like an ironing board dulcimer and a banjo made out of a toilet seat. There were peacocks and turkeys roaming freely as we toured the various buildings. There was even a bluegrass band playing on one of the porches. A very interesting place indeed.

Our next stop was Oak Ridge, TN, that was built under a cloak of great secrecy during World War II as part of the Manhattan Project. This is where the world's first atomic weapons were produced. We toured the American Museum of Science and Technology which, while interesting, was more of a children's learning area. We decided to drive around the Oak Ridge facility (which we heard was interesting) but instead led to a potential security risk to the USA! As we entered the Y-12 Site, we were informed by the guard that this was a secured area. "No problem," I said, "I'll just back up and do a u-turn." The guard said I had to wait to be 'escorted' out of the area. After having to fill out an information sheet, having my driver's licence scanned for their records, and having my hands and car scanned for explosive devices (no kidding!), a security vehicle showed up and escorted us as we did our u-turn. So much for our paranoid society and so much for wanting to tour the area.

From there we went somewhere a lot safer...Norris Dam. It was constructed in the mid-1930's as the first major project for the Tennessee Valley Authority. We got to drive across the dam (without being accused of anything) and visited several scenic overlooks. A very beautiful dam indeed.