Cherokee is a town near Great Smoky Mountains
National Park. Cherokee is only 12.05 miles in area, located on the
reservation home of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, in western
North Carolina. At Oconaluftee Indian Village, the 18th-century Cherokee
lifestyle is preserved via live demonstrations. In summer at the outdoor
Mountainside Theatre, the drama "Unto These Hills" tells the
tribal story. This was just a short day trip for the two RV Gypsies
so they did not visit the Museum of the Cherokee Indian nor much else
in the except for one waterfall and Cherokee Veterans Park. They may
return here someday. |
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Veterans Memorial Park |
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The USA Patriot Bear (shown below in various views) was in the Veterans Memorial Park. Karen Duquette photographed the bear from the front and the back sides, then close-ups from several different angles because its content needs to be seen. |
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Below close-up of the front side with the words-
"In memory, of all our men and womens service, to our great
nation..."
plus the faces of "Robert Youngdeer and Will Harris 2007 Ole Glory
Cherokee"
Space shuttles, United States Marine Corps emblem, airplanes, and more |
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Below: Head - POW-MIA symbol
and US Coast Guard emblem |
Below: The Butt and Military Helicopters |
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Below: The back side of the bear:
Words in pink spot below the Eagles beak and to the right of the stars -
"In Loving of our boys and girls, our memory's will always be Strong
Family ties." |
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There were more painted bears all over the town.
The two RV Gypsies photographed a few of them. |
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Below: While Lee Duquette was ordering
ice cream at the drive-up window, Karen Duquette took a few pictures
while waiting in the car. |
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Below: The two RV Gypsies
had an ice cream break near the river, and a visit by a big duck. |
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Below: Leaving the Cherokee Indian Reservation,
Lee and Karen Duquette took a short ride to a waterfall. Soco Falls
Trail is a 0.2 mile trail located near Cherokee, North Carolina that
features a waterfall. It is said that visitors can climb to the top
of the waterfall, but the two RV Gypsies did not do so. They like to
stay on the side of caution. |
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There was no sign announcing the falls,
but the two RV Gypsies had the directions in their GPS. They parked
in the very small parking lot, and as they exited their car, they could
hear the falls. Then they walked down a wooden ramp with some stairs
to the viewing platform.
This was basically a short, easy walk, with a couple of harder spots for people with bad knees, because parts of the trail were steep and rocky. The path is quite narrow so meeting people could be a problem. |
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Below: The two RV Gypsies
stopped at the overlook and enjoyed the spectacular waterfall. |
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The photo below shows a trail to go down
closer to the waterfall, but it is very steep and could be slippery.
This part had a rope to hold onto. But the two RV Gypsies did NOT wish
to do that. |
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Note: After leaving Cherokee, North Carolina, the two
RV Gypsies returned to their RV in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Leaving Pigeon Forge, and driving through Sevierville, TN, Karen
Duquette took the photos below. The water tank shown is not painted,
it is wrapped. It is 60-feet tall, 42 feet in diameter, and holds 500,000
gallons of water. |
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NOTE: In 2023, Lee and Karen Duquette stopped at Bush's Baked Beans
Visitor Center in Tennessee. They toured the museum and learned a lot
of about baked beans and more. Those photos can be seen by clicking
here. But if you do, please finish this page first, and remember
to come back to see the rest of the 2020 adventures. (A link on that
page can bring you back here). |
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