For Barbecue In Rogersville It Is A Little Pig & Chick

Barbecue is one of my favorite food styles...period. While I have been to a number of barbecue places in East Tennessee the one of places I hadn't been was the award winning Pig & Chick in my backyard of Rogersville. This little restaurant located just on the outskirts of town on Highway 11W has been voted best barbecue the last four years by Tennessee Magazine. So, with credentials like that I knew I needed to eat here and recently I decided to stop by for lunch.

On the day I went the restaurant had Brunswick Stew. After living in Georgia for more than a decade I have had my share of excellent Brunswick Stew. However, in Tennessee this dish is few and far between. One of the few barbecue places that served it in this area was Dixie Barbecue in Johnson City, but it closed at the start of 2016. Anyway it was a nice surprise and while it wasn't Georgia good it was very tasty.
For the main course I a course had the large pulled pork barbecue sandwich. I will say that it was a very good sandwich and the choice of sauces (regular, spicy & Carolina vinegar) were all good.  While the pulled pork was good, the only disappointment was the potato chips. They were a mixed bag some were crunchy and good but others were a bit soft and not so good.

Anyway, I was very pleased with the Pig & Chick. While I don't think it is as good as the Hawg-N-Dawg or Ridgewood, I will be going back.

No Hiking Boots Needed At Johnson City Farmers Market

Well, today I was suppose to be in the Smokies hiking with the Greeneville Hiking Club, but I forgot my boots (yes I had everything else) when Deb and I went to her Mom's Friday. So, instead of hiking I went to Johnson City and had my first trip to the Johnson City Farmers Market, well, that is to say in its new location.

I forgot these...

...didn't go here.

 It is a brick pavilion adjacent to the Founders Park in downtown Johnson City. It is a really nice location with plenty of space for vendors to sell things from fresh produce, to local honey and even locally roasted coffee. There are so many vendors that some still have to sit up in tents. Oh and they even had live music.

The new home of the JC Farmers Market.

Inside.

You can even get mushrooms.

Some still set up outside.

Ole Timers Band.

In addition there are also a number of food trucks and by far the most popular is Auntie Ruth's Doughnuts. I have mentioned my love of these doughnuts before, but like the title says these are hand-made glazed giant goodies. I have been eating them for years and that is why I waited in line 15 minutes for some.

One of the more colorful food trucks.

The line for Auntie Ruth's Home-Made Doughnuts.

How the magic is made!

At Yee-Haw for tacos & beer.

 I also made a stop at Yee-Haw and the White Duck Taco for some food and beer.

Taming The Dragon To Fontana Dam For Some Shuckstack Hiking

Today (Tuesday) I journeyed far a field as I headed to Fontana Dam and a hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) on the Appalachian Trail (AT) to Shuckstack Fire Tower.

On this day the drive might have been the toughest part of the outing as it took about three hours to reach Fontana Dam. I went to Knoxville and then headed down past the airport before turning onto US 129 or as it is better know the "The Dragon." The road goes through Deals Gap and is said to have 318 curves in 11 miles. I will say that this was the curviest road I have ever been on. This road is why it took three hours to get to the dam.

Once I arrived I decided to hike from the Fontana Dam Visitor Center, which adds two miles (both ways) to the hike. However the scenery while crossing the dam was well worth it. I said before that the drive was tough, but don’t think the hike wasn’t because that would be wrong. While I will do a more detailed review of the hike up this trip up the AT is almost all uphill and the last half-mile is really steep. Once at the top one then has to climb 60 feet up the old fire tower, which is one of four old towers still standing in the park (the other three are Mt. Cammerer, Mt Sterling & Cove Mountain or five if you count Clingmans Dome). Anyway, I didn't hike this far not to go up and even with some gusty winds the view was more than worth it because it is spectacular. It was cool because earlier I could see the fire tower from Fontana Dam and now I could see the dam from Shuckstack.

On the way back I just missed a bear. This section of the AT is notorious for bear activity. While I didn’t catch sight of a Bruin I did see plenty of wildflowers. Besides my favorite Mountain Laurel I got to see a number of old favorites like Rattlesnake Weed, Virginia Spiderwort and Fire Pink.

Once back I enjoyed the vistas at Fontana Dam and toured the visitor center. The drive back included a trip back on "the Dragon" and a detour on the Foothills Parkway. While I had driven on the Eastern Section the Western park is the longest completed section at almost 18 miles and since I had an opportunity to drive it how was I going to pass it up. Besides pull-offs this section also features the Look Rock Tower on Chilhowee Mountain.

The tower is located on a knob which is the high point of the Chilhowee Mountain. Its design is similar to the one on top of Clingmans Dome and offers views of the mountains of the GSMNP and the Tennessee Valley including Maryville and on clear days Knoxville. There is even an information board the haze that effects the view. You will also notice that on the way up to the tower there is a air quality has a sign that explains what it does.

So, conquering "the Dragon" (twice), completing the finished portion of the Foothills Parkway, visiting the tallest dam in the Eastern U.S. and hiked to the last of the towers in the park that can be climbed, not a bad day all-in-all.