Dismeet in the Smokies 2021! Y'all Come!

[himandher818]

Ok, time to wrap up my trip report for the Dismeet.

Last part of the trip I posted about was our first Dollywood day on Wednesday, so I'll start here with the second DW day.

Day one was rides and coasters, Thursday day 2 was take it easy and shows. We saw the Wild Roots Band, Smoky Mountain String Band. Both of those are mostly bluegrass-ish.

We also saw the Tones, an A Cappella band that was pretty good. My main take away from there was when they started sing Kansas' Carry on My Wayward Son, blended it into Styx's Come Sail Away and then Back into Carry on My Wayward Son.

We completed our musicial shows with A Brighter Day, a mostly county Gospel band. They were good.

We went to the Wings of America show, but when showing the Kestrel it decied to fly up into ceiling and stay. This meant they couldn't continue the show, the other birds in the show might see the Kestrel as the food they are trained to fly to, so I didn't get to see an eagle during the show.

In addition to shows we also road the train. I noticed in the background in the line for the train they were playing Alabama's Ride the Train, but I just kept hearing Josh Turner's Long Black Train in my head.

We finnished of the day with coaster we missed the day before the Lightning Rod, and what a way to finish!

Friday my oldest son and his wife came in and we went to the outlet mall. They were shopping for baby clothes. Since I have two sons, I have no clue as to how to shop for a little girl's clothes, so I mostly shopped for me. I got me some new tennis shoes/sneakers/trainers/whatever you call them and some shirts at the Disney Store for myself and DW. I did get a a jar of the Smith Creek Sweat Tea Moonshine. Then Bennett's BBQ for diner and back to DS and DDiL's room at the Main Stay's for some games.

Saturday morning was Breakfast at the Old Mill, a trip into Gatlinburg for some fudge and other candy, cooking out hot dogs, and then a round of mini golf.

Sunday was our travel home day.

And that wraps up my trip to PF.

 

[garneska]

I still haven't had a chance to go through all the pics (DW, DS, and mine) and post anything, but I did put the video together of our little run on the dragon. The RS handled (and stopped) much better than I expected with 5 adults on board. I suspect this was a little more fun for me than everyone else in the car, but there was no screaming, limited cursing and some laughs along the 318 turns in 11 miles.

US Rt 129- The Tail of the Dragon

j

A week later and now i think it was a blast. I may or may not have been the person cursing in the car. Thanks for the ride Jim

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

I still haven't had a chance to go through all the pics (DW, DS, and mine) and post anything, but I did put the video together of our little run on the dragon. The RS handled (and stopped) much better than I expected with 5 adults on board. I suspect this was a little more fun for me than everyone else in the car, but there was no screaming, limited cursing and some laughs along the 318 turns in 11 miles.

US Rt 129- The Tail of the Dragon

j

Some nice turns there. I'm sure with a few more practice laps and a closed course you'd be flying.

 

[Teamubr]

Some nice turns there. I'm sure with a few more practice laps and a closed course you'd be flying.

Absolutely! And with 4 less people in the car.

j

 

[hgarnes]

I still haven't had a chance to go through all the pics (DW, DS, and mine) and post anything, but I did put the video together of our little run on the dragon. The RS handled (and stopped) much better than I expected with 5 adults on board. I suspect this was a little more fun for me than everyone else in the car, but there was no screaming, limited cursing and some laughs along the 318 turns in 11 miles.

US Rt 129- The Tail of the Dragon

j

That was one great ride! The RS was great, even with all of us in it. Just like flying; only really low. Thanks Jim!

 

[tripleb]

Welp, we made it back to Valparaiso yesterday after an overnight at The Cove RV in Gadsden. The wife is going to write another Email to Gov. Kay Ivey about the I-59 road conditions between Birmingham and Chattanooga ... This will be the 2nd Email in as many years concerning a broken egg in the fridge We logged 1460 miles on "Beast"(the truck) and 1200 miles on "Tranquility"(the fifth wheel). We really enjoyed our stay at Pine Mountain RV and, of course, meeting the other Dis RV'ers. Looking forward to doing that again.

As a side note, y'all may have noticed that I am a social wall flower and tend to keep to myself or a one-on-one encounter. The wife is the social butterfly but "hung" back quite a bit because of her hip surgery and not feeling 100% but I assure you, we had a GREAT time

 

[tigger92662]

As a side note, y'all may have noticed that I am not a social wall flower and tend to keep to myself or a one-on-one encounter.

We have a way of changing that LOL

 

[BenitaN]

Well, my doggie still stinks after several washes and a grooming appointment. Her new name is smelly Belle.

We took Joe's advice and left the windows of the RV open on the way home. No lingering smell whatsoever. Yeah!

 

[tiggerdad]

Well, my doggie still stinks after several washes and a grooming appointment. Her new name is smelly Belle.

We took Joe's advice and left the windows of the RV open on the way home. No lingering smell whatsoever. Yeah!

Nature's Miracle is what I've always used in past for smell and did very well.

 

[BenitaN]

@garneska Can you post the aspargus recipe?

 

[FtW Mike]

Kris post both if you can, I like it grilled Lucille believes if she goes more 3 days without Pasta she will hit withdrawal so maybe I can get het to eat a veggie

 

[garneska]

@garneska Can you post the aspargus recipe?

I will get @hgarnes on it for both recipes.

 

[2goofycampers]

Here’s my recipe:

Ingredients
Asparagus (this should be a given)
1 tsbp kosher salt
Black pepper
2oz lemon juice
2oz extra virgin olive oil
Grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
1. Trim the asparagus ends and blanch the asparagus in salted, boiling water for 3-5 minutes
2. Mix lemon juice, olive oil, 1 tbsp salt and pepper to make a marinade
3. Add blanched asparagus (while hot) to the marinade, cover and let sit for 30 min to 2 hours
4. Remove asparagus from the marinade and grill over medium temperature for 3-4 minutes, flip and grill 3-4 minutes more. Be careful not to totally torch the tips
5. Remove from the grill and add Parmesan cheese to taste

Notes
1. The marinade doesn’t taste great on its own. Discard when done.
2. You can use any acid you like (vinegar, wine, etc.), just make sure it’s not overpowering
3. The large amount of salt seems to be necessary, but you can play with other spices as well, or use cayenne pepper - for Nick, you can use Tony’s for this - it works great (1.5 tbsp of Tony’s and omit the salt)

I hope that helps. Ed, for your issue I think blanching the asparagus will fix the issue.

Or, Bacon. Everything is better with bacon.

I have this one saved.

 

[hgarnes]

Alright, I'm a bit late with the recipes.

First, a few notes about asparagus handling. Treat them like flowers. When you bring them home, take off the rubber bands. Then place them upright in a large cup, vase, bowl, whatever you have, and add water to the bottom. Place in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours before using. Even dehydrated and thin asparagus will plump up nicely when you do this. Plus, they can keep for over a week in this configuration.

When prepping for either recipe, trim the bottom ends by 1/4" to 3/4" to remove any fibrous portions (use your judgement).

Here is the grilled asparagus recipe:

Ingredients

• One bunch Asparagus (~ 1 lb)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• Grated or Shaved parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Blanch Asparagus for 3-5 minutes depending on thickness

2. Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper

3. Marinate the blanched asparagus for 30 minutes to 24 hours

4. Discard marinade and grill asparagus for 4 minutes per side on medium heat. Make sure the tips don't burn.

5. When serving add parmesan cheese to taste

Notes
• These can be roasted in the oven as well at 400° F for 20 minutes, turning the sheet pan once halfway through cooking

Additional notes:
I don't shock the asparagus after blanching. I just toss them into a dish and add the marinade.
You can place aluminum foil under the tips to prevent burning. This only works if your really good at lining up the tips though.

Here's the asparagus pesto recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 lb. pasta, such as cavatappi or rigatoni
• 2 bunches asparagus, blanched and quartered
• 2 c. fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 c. shredded Parmesan
• 1/4 c. almonds
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 6 slices bacon, preferably thick-cut
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water, and return to pot.

2. Meanwhile, make asparagus pesto: In the bowl of a food processor, combine 1 bunch blanched asparagus, basil, and olive oil and pulse until combined. Add Parmesan, almonds, garlic, and salt and blend until combined.

3. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and let drain, then chop.

4. Add pesto to pasta and stir until fully coated, then stir in 1/2 cup pasta water until creamy. (Add more pasta water if desired.)

5. Stir in bacon and remaining blanched asparagus and season with pepper.

Notes
1. You can easily make the pesto well before putting everything together. It can even be frozen.
2. The second bunch of asparagus can be done via the grilled asparagus recipe (above) - this makes a much better dish.
3. You can substitute pine nuts for the almonds as they are traditional for a pesto, but almonds (from the baking section) tend to be cheaper.
4. My gut feel is the bacon could be subbed with a good sausage, andouille or chorizo come to mind, but I haven't tried it

If you have questions, let me know.

-Bert