Smoky Mountain Tower is full

Praise the Lord! For the first time in the 14 years we've been offering All Decked Out and Smoky Mountain Tower to guests, we have a 100% full month. In fact, starting tomorrow, there will be people staying in Smoky Mountain Tower every night until August 8.

It's amazing how God works. Last week, we had four open nights in July, including 2 single nights. Since we have a two-night minimum, it's impossible to rent just one night, right? But with God, all things are possible.

First, somebody took our special deal and rented the two nights together. Then the people who are scheduled to come in on July 11 called and asked for extra nights. They really wanted the two-nights we had just rented, but they graciously took the one night before - July 10. So now we only had July 2 open. We figured that was just an empty night.

But what do you know. We got an inquiry from somebody who could only stay one night! Now, as I said earlier, we rarely rent just one night. But we were able to work out a deal for these folks. And our dear cleaner, Ingrid, agreed.

So we're full. But we still have a few nights open during this period at All Decked Out. Check our online calendar by going to our Web site at www.SmokiesRentDirect.com/all-decked-out/availability. Our calendars are always up to date. In fact, this one is right to the minute, because it's tied to our reservation system.

Also, there are great dates still available for the fall. But don't wait too long. October at Smoky Mountain Tower is already almost 60% booked. Based on our inquiry flow, we believe October will be just like July - full!

We're in the Top Ten

One of the online sites where we list Smoky Mountain Tower and All Decked Out is Homeaway.com. Homeaway is actually the largest company for online vacation rentals and we're listed on all of their sites.

In a recent letter to owners, Homeaway listed the 10 most searched vacation rental amenities. Here's the list and how we rank:

1. Pool (including community pools). We have a community pool at the Chalet Village North Club House that's only about 500 yards from either cabin.

2. Hot tub - we got hot tubs at both cabins.

3. Pet friendly - well, we missed on this one, mainly because of family allergies.

4. TV - again, we're covered. We have 32" TVs in our main rooms and TVs in every bedroom - and they're all hooked into cable so you get more than 70 channels.

5. Tennis - the courts are right next to the pools at the Club House.

6. Internet - we offer wireless broadband (unsecured) at both cabins, plus free long-distance phone calls anywhere in the US and Canada.

7. 'Jacuzzi' - did you know that 'Jacuzzi' is a brand name, like 'Kleenex' and 'Google?' But this is the search term people use when they're looking for a jetted tub. Sorry, we miss on this one, too - although both hot tubs have jets.

8. Pool table - we've got 'em - full size, too, at both cabins

9. Fireplace - yep, again we're covered. And they're real wood-burning fireplaces, not those fake gas log jobs. Plus, we even supply the firewood (October to April).

10. Porch - what people really want is a deck. And we've got decks! We have two at Smoky Mountain Tower and three at All Decked Out.

So we've got what people want! If you'd like to read the full article, just click here. You might want to scroll down past the article and read what other owners are saying, too.

View at Smoky Mountain Tower

People ask us, "How good is the view at Smoky Mountain Tower?"

Judge for yourself. Here's a panoramic shot taken about a month ago, with leaves on all the trees.



If you look carefully, you'll see a red roof in the lower left corner. That the home of the man who sold us Smoky Mountain Tower.

There's another house in the center, just to the right of the tallest tree. Those tall trees in the center are on their property. We'd love to trim down every tree that blocks the view. Unfortunately, neither of our neighbors wants us to do that. So while the view is still pretty good, it's starting to "grow up."

We have a couple of options. We can trim the trees that are on our property, which would give us a little more view. Or we can extend the top deck around the corner and give more view (the view on the right side of the picture above). Either option costs money. What do you think? What would you do if you owned Smoky Mountain Tower? Let us here from you. Just write to dave@SmokyMountainTower.com. Thanks a bunch.

Back home - at last

It was a wild trip home...
...a 3-hour delay in Paris
...5 hours on the plane with a maintenance problem
...the flight is cancelled - at 11 pm
...finally got a hotel room at 1:30 am
...new flight the next day - rerouted
...an old plane, badly in need of repairs and refurbishing.

But I finally got back to the USA on Saturday night - 40 hours after leaving Birmingham. I'm still getting over jet lag, but at least I can now hold a semi-intelligent conversation.

I'll get back to Gatlinburg news by the end of the week. Thanks for being patient.

Greetings from England

That's right. I'm in Birmingham, England - about 120 miles northwest of London. I flew over last Tuesday/Wednesday (May 18/19) for a series of Board meetings with a mission organization. I'm also doing Policy Governance orientation for the Board. We'll be meeting through next Thursday afternoon, May 27. Then I fly back to the States on Friday, May 28.

Because I have a very slow Internet connection here, I'm not going to try to upload any pictures or send any more messages until I get home. I hope you'll understand.

But let me just add one Gatlinburg comment. We're starting to see some inquiries for this fall. If you're interested in coming to Gatlinburg to enjoy the fall leaves and the spectactular color (or as they spell it here in England, "colour"), now is the time to make your reservation before you dates are taken by another guest. Just go to our Web sites and click on "Availability."

See you in Gatlinburg.

Rhododendrons at Smoky Mountain Tower

A few days ago, I promised some pictures of the rhododendrons at Smoky Mountain Tower. Take a look:


It's a little hard to get the perspective, but that bush is more than 10 feet tall! We've owned Smoky Mountain Tower for almost 12 years and this is the first time we've ever seen this bush in bloom.

Here's a closer picture:


And, just to give you the location, here's the entrance to Smoky Mountain Tower.


You're looking at the front door. The garage is on the right. When you pull in so you're facing the garage, the big rhododendron bush is on the right, just above the wood bin. If you've been there, you know exactly what I'm talking about. And, if you haven't been to Smoky Mountain Tower yet, this fall is a great time to go! Just go to our Web site, listed on the right side of this page under "Our Favorite Links." You can check the calendar and make your reservation right from our Web site.

Spring in the Smokies

A few days ago, I promised you a picture of Spring in the Smokies. Here's a long shot from our car as we were driving west on I-40. See if you can spot the difference on the mountain.



Now here's a closer picture. Below the picture, I'll tell you the 'secret.'


If you look closely, you'll see that the trees at the bottom of the mountain are fully green. But at the top of the mountain, the leaves haven't come out yet. Just that difference in altitude makes a difference in when the leaves appear on the trees. In fact, more than once, we've driven over the mountains through the National Park at this time of year and experienced 'two springs.' It's spring at the bottom (Cherokee, NC) when we enter the park. When we get to the pass at the top, there are no leaves on the trees. But when we arrive in Gatlinburg, we get our 'second spring.'

Check back in a few days for a shot of the rhododendrons blooming at Smoky Mountain Tower.