Visiting Jefferson County

  By Mike Steely Now that we’re into the colder months of our East Tennessee year a car trip around our area can get a family out and about from being isolated in our homes. A day’s venture into the counties that surround us can be interesting and informative....

Land of Arches at Pickett State Park

By Mike Steely One of the most rustic and wondrous areas within a couple of hours drive from Knoxville can be found at Pickett CCC Memorial State Park. The CCC stands for the Civilian Conservation Corps which worked to create the park, as the Depression Era federal...

A Day Away in the Smokies

  By Mike Steely Sometimes you just have to get away for a day or two. My wife and I did that recently after both of us were stressed out and neither of us in good health. We hooked up our little pop-up camper, reserved a camping spot on the Little Pigeon River,...

Alcatraz East has more than you expect

By Mike Steely “So much fun it’s a crime” is the motto of Alcatraz East, an unusual attraction in Pigeon Forge. It looks very much like a prison on the outside and inside are several floors with displays on just about every crime and major criminal and victim you can...

Unusual geological features in our area

By Mike Steely We are so blessed to live in an unusual part of our nation. You may not think of it but there’s lots of places within a day’s drive where you can encounter oddities of nature and man. For instance, Cumberland and Pine Mountain in Tennessee, Virginia and...

‘Every three steps’ at Brushy has a story

By Mike Steely So much violence, sadness and history is woven into the place but it’s a place you’ve got to visit and experience for yourself. Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary opened on August 4th as a tourist attraction and if you’ve ever wondered what prison life...