Smoky Mountain Blog

I grew up in the flat swampy land of Florida and lived about 5 minutes from the ocean. After 15 years, the ocean eventually took a back seat. I have not seen the ocean in about a year, but I would much rather have the majestic view of the Great Smoky Mountains. Would you agree?

When I'm visiting family back in Florida, I always comment on how flat the land is. I hate to say it, but I do add boring to some of the landscape.

I remember the first time I took a road trip to the Smokies. There were so many memorable things that I came across and still see on each trip to the Tennessee Mountains. I will briefly touch on a couple of those memories.

I will never forget the way I felt driving down my first extremely narrow Smoky Mountain road and came upon a sign that said, "Watch for falling rock." I was never paranoid, but the grin left on my face from looking at the mountains in the distance got even bigger. I remember calling up a colleague of mine after seeing that sign, and I told him of the sign and how I officially felt that I was in the Smoky Mountains.

The hill formations that I originally came across were a pristine green and something new for my eyes to enjoy. Have you ever watched the teletubbies? “Teletubbies! The Teletubbies! Over the hills and far away, Teletubbies come to play!�? If you have kids, I am positive that you have. That show has hills that were always unnatural for me to accept. Mostly because I had never seen hills the way they are presented on the show. Basically, the hills are rolling. What the heck does that mean? See this link. That’s the Teletubby version.

On my original Journey to the Tennessee Great Smoky Mountains, I did see these types of hills and had to pull over and allow my eyes to gaze upon them. On my next trip past those very hills, which will be this week, I will take a picture and post it here. Or if you have any, please feel free to send them and I will post them here.

If you are ever inclined to take a road trip, the Great Smoky Mountains is the place to go. In fact, I have never been one for road trips until now. Now I do see why road trips are so enjoyable.

The ocean is a wonderful place to be, I do admit, but I will count the ways of the Great Smoky Mountains on my journeys throughout them-the people the places and things.

Until the next time….I want to thank you for reading my first blog on my adventures of the Tennessee Great Smoky Mountains.

Christian Alexander Seus
Questions, Comments or Dropslips? info@smokymtnmall.com

To my right is a BBQ grill. It’s one of those big professional char grillers that has a smoker and built in thermometer. I’d assume you can throw at least 20 burgers on it at once. As my mom would say, “I could feed an army with that thing.�? Is there anyones mom who hasnt uttered that phraseOn my left and around the corner is a large hot tub. I can hear the water calling my name. But, what I have before me is even better.

It’s about dusk… 8:22 pm and there is still a lot of light…

I have moved myself from a rocking chair to the edge of the balcony. And I’m now sitting on the guard ledge with my feet hanging over. Below me there is about a 20-25 foot drop through some thick trees and brush. I don’t see any roses down there. In fact, it’s difficult to even see the ground. What I do see is that I am surrounded by the most beautiful scenery and lush green forest. It did rain here earlier today.

I’m plotting against the keyboard… One leg is hanging over into the mountain forest and the other is clinging to the spoils of a Tennessee Great Smoky Mountain cabin. Most everything is still and you cant help to notice the many birds a chirping. I am not a bird watcher nor do I ever care or stop to intentionally listen to them, but today is different. Today I get to smell the roses. I get to stop and reflect on all that is beautiful around me…even the clouds look like they are peacefully lounging over the mountains.

If you have never been to the Smoky Mountains or stayed in a Tennessee Smoky Mountain Cabin rental, I would assure you that you would have the most peaceful time. Looking out in the distance, I can see four or five different mountains- One behind the other. What can be better than this? A sackful of cash? There are days where I would trade for either, but today, I think I have been given the better of the two. Call it crazy, but if you were here, you may just be saying the same.

One last item of note: Every time I am in the mountains, the skyline is different, the mountains in the distance are new shade of green, and the surroundings are that of thought provoking topics. One of these days I will just spill my guts, but before I take a spill off this ledge, I will go for now.

Christian Alexander Seus
Smoky Mountain Mall

If you ever decide to purchase a Tennessee mountain cabin and want to have it as a summer cabin or a winter cabin, whichever you prefer, you, as well as many other cabin owners place the cabin on a rental program to bring in cash while it is not in use. Some of you may find this unappetizing. Who was sleeping in my bed? Who was eating my pourage? I hope you know the story that I am reffering to. If not, no big deal. Have a look at this link http://www.offthemarkcartoons.com/
The very last cartoon cracks me up the most.

And some of you may feel that buying a cabin and placing it on a rental program is a way to be able to afford a summer cabin. Just think, someone else can pay your mortgage, you own a piece of property, and you could now vacation for free and have others pay your mortgage.

My message here is to cabin rental owners and potential cabin rental owners and that is to be sure to keep up with details. I can tell you specific cabins that do cater to details. I really have to pick on two items that come about most.

First, if you have a hot tub in your cabin, you need to be sure there is a step to get in and out of the hot tub. I myself have little trouble, but others will have a hard time getting in the hot tub with no steps. I know you want us to stay in your cabins and use your amenities, but this is not a good way to keep us there. You have to let others out of the tub.

Second, I notice that many cabins use basic built-well, let’s not beat around the bush many cabin rental owners use cheap blinds. Cabin rental owners need to cater to cabin rental guests. I assure you that you will have people that are urked by bent, broken, or patched up blinds. I once came across blinds that were duct taped. Can you believe that? The top of the blind was actually taped to the wall mount to prevent the whole blind system from crashing down. Invest in your blinds people. Your cabin clients, myself, come to these cabins and one of the first things we do is open the blinds. I want to see the scenery out there. I want to see the Mountains. That is why I am here, and that is why your guests come.

Try it. Go to your cabin and lift the blinds. Do they function correctly? Some of us have to work our muscles for a year in order to raise some of these cheap blind. Whats even worse is that some blinds are different colors than the same window that is right next to it. What is that about? Fix it! Details Details Details. You will bring more people back to your cabin if you get the details. There are many cabins that I can go to, so make my visit count and keep me coming back.

Questions Comments or Dropslips? Email me info@smokymtnmall.com

Christian Alexander Seus

Smoky Mountain Mall

I was driving through the Smoky Mountains on Thursday and it truly was a smoky day. Have you ever driven through the clouds? No... Have you ever really driven through the clouds? I did yesterday. At some points of the drive I was in dream land because of the serene atmosphere. At other points I needed to slow down, because the visibility was lower than usual. Hey, I was driving through the clouds. What do you expect. How often can you say that? "I was driving through he clouds." Don't ever start a conversation like that one if you ever are at the dinner table. That could send the conversation into a tail spin.

I was actually reminded of my dad driving our family through the night at cetain points of my childhood. We would travel a lot to Florida for vacations to disneyland and timeshare in Orlando. I think I was/am a timeshare guy, but more of a tennessee cabin guy today. Well, he used to go down dark scary streets where only we were on the road. You know the roads. You have been down them. You never see anyone for miles. If there are no street lights or other cars, the driving can get spooky. Well, he used to turn off the lights and my siblings and I would get goose bumps. I of course had to enjoy it, because I was one of the older brothers. Shh our secret.

Truthfully, to this day, I have learned to do the same as my dad. If I am on a dark road, with a friend(s), I'll flip off the lights. Its actually not scary if you are the one doing it. Try it sometime. You will get a thrill. You can usually see the road from the moonlight. Let me know what happens. *smiles*

On a side note: If you're at all curious as to different kinds of cloud formations over the Great Smoky Mountains, have a peek here: Clouds

Oh!!! I forgot all about it...I'll give some previews....then discuss later..go here.

Questions Comments or Dropslips? Email me info@smokymtnmall.com
Christian Alexander Seus
Smoky Mountain Mall