Conference - Day 1 (Travel Day)

I picked up the state car and was surprised to actually have a pretty decent car. It is a Dodge Avenger. Nice stereo, nice pick up and very comfortable. I wonder what the penalty is for keeping the car longer than I'm signed up for. :-)

Anyway, I wanted to leave the office around 9am since Gatlinburg is about a 4 hour drive and EST. Of course with all the last minute details and little fires that had to be put out I actually left around 9:30am.

The drive to Gatlinburg is a nice drive. It is still technically spring, even though it has been in the 90s, and the flowers are still in bloom and everything is so green and new looking. After you pass Crossville on I40 you start to leave the hills and enter the mountain area. There is a spot when you are at the top of this mountain and you come around this curve and you can see the valley from the road - it is such a breathtaking view.

I made it to Knoxville and they have closed part of I40 down till next year - so you have to take this detour. I was a little worried about it, anxious that I might miss the exit for 441 - but it was a decent detour and they had lots of signs. The drive on 441 heading towards Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg is an interesting drive. Other than the houses, it reminds me of one of those drives that you used to take with your parents when you were a kid. A 2 lane road in some parts and nothing on the side of the road except some mom and pop places.

Sevierville and Pigeon Forge were really clustered. You are only allowed to go 35 mph in the downtown area, which is a good idea because of all of the amusements and sights. But somehow at 2pm I didn't expect that much traffic.

Despite traffic I made it to my pre-conference meeting with the hotel. We are staying at The Edgewater in downtown Gatlinburg. It is a nice hotel and my room is very nice. I have a nice view of the mountains.

The pre-con went well and everything seems to be ready for tomorrow. The rooms, the breaks, the sessions. The only problem we seem to be having is with the hospitality suite. It is in part of a suite and the common area is where the actual hospitality room is going to be. The room is smaller than they are used to so the hospitality committee is not happy. The hotel and I are trying to accomodate them in their requests but there is only so much that we can do. Since most of the clerks come in tomorrow we have some time to come up with ideas to make the room work for their needs.

I'm going to stay in tonight - I'm tired, it was a long drive and the bed looks really comfy.

Let the conference begin! (after nap time)