The Pancake Project

Yesterday Ashley and I set out on our quest to discover the best pancake house near the Smokies. Since the Log Cabin Pancake House is right across the street from St. Mary's Catholic Church in Gatlinburg, we decided to invite the pastor, Fr. Joe Brando, along. He was happy to join us for our first taste of Smoky Mountain pancakes. Fr. Joe had pancakes of the cornmeal variety, while I went for you basic old fashioned, with Ashley settling for chocolate chip.


Fr. Joe warned us that we may be attempting an impossible task, due to the number of pancakes houses in the area. He likened it to trying to eat at every restaurant in New York City. This did not deter us from beginning our search for the best pancakes in the area, however, and I must say that the Log Cabin Pancake House has the best pancakes we have tasted so far. Fr. Joe also unwittingly helped us begin another recent humdinger project suggested by friends, that being an exploration of the area wedding chapels. Gatlinburg has often been called the Las Vegas of the South due to its numerous wedding chapels and the relative ease of obtaining a civil marriage license in Tennessee. Fr. Joe spoke to us about the numerous Catholic weddings that occur at St. Mary's.


It seems that in this regard, Catholics are very similar to other tourists and that many call upon St. Mary's as a place to tie the knot. Fr. Joe explained that many couples complete their preparation at home and bring their own priest for the celebration. He noted that the parish charges a 300 dollar fee for the use of the facility.

It was a beautiful day in Gatlinburg for a pancake lunch and I am glad to have our first pancake companion in Fr. Joe Brando.

Easiest Hike Ever

Fr. Christian and I were fortunate enough to be able to travel down to the country of El Salvador from June 3-8 to visit Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH). NPH is a home for orphaned and abandoned children, and they have 9 houses in Latin America. It is an organization that aims to provide children with the skills to break the cycle of poverty. It is an organization that truly works. Visit their website to learn more.

For safety reasons, the two of us didn't venture off the grounds of NPH El Salvador, but we did take a stroll around the grounds. It is a beautiful home full of wonderful children and staff.

We dubbed our walk the "Easiest Hike Ever" because it was all flat and concrete. Although, I think I was sweating more in the El Salvador heat and sun than I ever have on a hike here in the Smokies, but that's a personal problem. We guesstimated that the entire hike was around 0.5 mile. We ran into some of the kids, and FC played a quick game of soccer.

I hope you enjoy these brief snapshots that don't do the real thing justice.

A little bird told me that the next Humdinger project will be the kick off for our pancake house contest. Our goal is to visit every pancake house that surrounds the park, and then we will determine which one is the best!

Wet Rocks Are Slippery

Of course it is obvious that wet rocks are slippery, but I like to emphasize and reiterate important information.

This hike was a lot of fun, in spite of the ominous clouds and humidity. It rained on the way up, but it only rained for a short while when we were actually on the trail. I might make this hike again with friends as part of our summer hanging out. There were also an awful lot of tempting swimming holes along the way...

Jakes Creek, Cucumber Gap, and Little River trails were relatively flat. The only noticeable incline was the first 0.3 mile jaunt. Even so, with a bum leg I was hurting at the end of the hike. Hopefully, this funky ligament isn't a permanent nuisance.

If you're hoping to keep your feet dry, whether professional or beginner hiker, then this little loop may not be for you. There are several stream crossings, and if you are anything like me, well, you could get a little wet.

Luckily, I never fell in. At one point though, I almost lost it. As Fr. Christian was climbing up the bank, I literally danced/skated across the hardest crossing. Wet rocks are slippery, I knew that. Having that knowledge doesn't prepare you for flying across a stream, but that's basically what I did. When I landed on the other side, my bum leg/ligament wasn't very happy, but the rest of me was because I didn't fall in! I don't know how it happened.

Stay dry folks!