The Tennessee Experience

[ChiBears]

Landed in Knoxville a little after 1 o'clock Tennessee time and got settled in at the hotel. Easy drive to Marriott from airport and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame just across the parking lot.

Orange and white everywhere and everytime I see the Tennessee logo, I think of the Lady Vols. I know the football team is big here and I know they have a good men's basketball program, but I can't help but default to the Lady Vols. For me, Pat Summitt and her teams ARE the Tennessee Volunteers...

Everything is pretty quiet right now. I think the Lady Bears and Tip-Off Club arrive tomorrow. Can recommend a good restaurant--Calhoun's. The babyback ribs and slaw were delicious and I was told the October Harvest brew was quite good as well.

Tomorrow, the ChiBears will be headed across the Smokey Mountains to Asheville, NC to see the Biltmore (if roads aren't blocked by rock slides!) and Saturday it's the Hall of Fame tour. Of course, the main attraction will be the game Sunday. No matter what the outcome, just seeing this beautiful part of the country (which I have never visited before...) and getting my first glimpse of this year's version of the runnin' (and slammin' :^) Lady Bears makes it well, well, worth it!

Will check in after Hall of Fame tour...

[BearLady]

Plan to join you in cheering on the Lady Bears, ChiBears. But I won't be arriving until late Saturday.

I agree about the experience . . . to me, when I think of University of Tennessee, it's Pat Summitt and the Lady Vols. I probably won't be venturing out to more distant attractions, but I do plan to take in the Hall of Fame on Sunday prior to the game.

And I'm at the Marriott as well.

sic em'!

[jcarter]

Welcome to Tennessee:) One thing I think you will notice is how BIG Lady Vols are here. I've been in TBA a few times is a great place to play and go to a game. I guess this is your first time in Knoxville.

[tx4OU]

Good luck Bear Fans and sic'em for all of us in the B12. Give them an early taste of what they will be up against three more times this year when my Sooner Nation, the Longhorn faithful and the Wreck'em Texas Tech crew await their chance at Pat and her media darling superstars.

I'll be watchin' and cheerin' ya'll on here in BIG D.

Have fun and enjoy your trip, but be safe and come back in one piece. I'm sure the knives will come out whenever Griner gives them a dose of reality.

Sic'em :BU:

[jcarter]

Are you going to pull for Texas when they come here?
Red River rilvary I didn't thin OU could pull for Texas.

[Gator]

Tomorrow, the ChiBears will be headed across the Smokey Mountains to Asheville, NC to see the Biltmore (if roads aren't blocked by rock slides!) and Saturday it's the Hall of Fame tour. Of course, the main attraction will be the game Sunday. No matter what the outcome, just seeing this beautiful part of the country (which I have never visited before...) and getting my first glimpse of this year's version of the runnin' (and slammin' :^) Lady Bears makes it well, well, worth it!

Will check in after Hall of Fame tour...

The rock slide is west of Ashville on I40 - there is an alternate route N of I40 which I'm sure everyone in Knoxville knows about. However - going or coming you might want to go via 441 THROUGH the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. It is about 35 MPH tops but a fantastic beautiful drive.

Wish you had more time as this IS a great part of the country!

[tx4OU]

Are you going to pull for Texas when they come here?
Red River rilvary I didn't thin OU could pull for Texas.
I pull for every B12 school except when they play us. Let's me just say it's safe to say that I cheer and pull for any team that play ya'll. It's just even with more intense fervor when it's one of our conference teams.

Does that anwer your question? I thought so.

[LadyBuff]

I not only cheer for Big 12 teams when they play outside the league, I cheer for any school that plays either Tennessee or UConn. :D

[BeBe]

What Lady Buff said!

[ChiBears]

Thanks Gator, for the suggestion. All are appreciated! We had already decided we would take the scenic route through the mountains (to Gatlinburg-Cherokee-Asheville) on our way their and then take interstate (they are rerouting on 26 and 81 around rock slide) so that if it got dark on us headed home we would be on interstate, and so that we'd be on the most scenic part during the best light. I bought a new camera for this trip and the NY one, but it's fancy and I'm not, so I'm hoping I can figure out how to use it well enough to get some nice shots.

I really enjoyed the little bit of scenery I got to enjoy on the way to the hotel from the airport. In Houston, we have so little "change of season," that seeing trees with some color to them is wonderful.

Well, thanks again all, for suggestions/best wishes and if there is anything cool or basketball related, I'll be sure to pass it along.

Oh, Bear Lady, I forgot to pack some loose, baggy sweat pants and I really wish I had them to bum around the hotel as our outside facing room is kind of chilly, so thought I pass that along as a reminder to you, if you are so inclined. Sweat shirt is definitely needed when not in sun, so a sweater might be nice, too, if you have plans to go out anywhere nice. Don't mean to imply you don't know how to pack--probably just telling everyone I don't know how...better do better on trip to NY!

[Bob_Ballew]

ChiBears, thanks for the tips. I was not planning to take anything too heavy because I did not think it would be cold enough.

I spoke to someone at Tennessee and they said they do not allow cameras into the arena. :confused:

Glad to hear you are having fun.

[ChipperF1]

Good luck Baylor and Good Hunting!!!!!!! :)

[TTU79]

I'm with Tx4OU and Lady Buff.

[Gator]

I have realized that I'm focused on people not "teams" and in terms of who I support, it really depends on the coach, thus:

OU over anyone (I know more about them, get to watch the players develop over time, and besides, they are in my back yard)

Big 12 vs any non-Big 12

(Within the B12, OU over anyone, of course, then Iowa State vs anyone except OU. Although I have other favorite vs non-favorite coaches, I'm not fool enough to expand on THAT here but do admit to particular admiration for Fennelly)

Tennessee or Georgia (really like both coaches) over anyone except B12 and if they play each other - I just enjoy the game with a "secret" edge to the underdog.

And then there are the coaches whom I don't like: ie: anyone over Sanford (I read Tara's book and developed a dislike for her style of dealing with people)

[BearLady]

ChiBears, I just looked up the weather forecast for Knoxville. And it's supposed to be getting a little warmer over the next couple of days. Didn't get as far as Monday, when I'll be returning. But on Monday it's supposed to be very cool in Dallas.

Whatever . . . I'm already hearing the Rocky Top song playing over and over in my mind!

[swok34]

Awesome, guys. Hope you all have a good time and the outcome is to your liking.

Will be watching here in Norman.

Go Baylor

[jcarter]

ChiBears, I just looked up the weather forecast for Knoxville. And it's supposed to be getting a little warmer over the next couple of days. Didn't get as far as Monday, when I'll be returning. But on Monday it's supposed to be very cool in Dallas.

Whatever . . . I'm already hearing the Rocky Top song playing over and over in my mind!
It will be played at the game :D:D

[BearLady]

It will be played at the game :D:D


Yeah, probably a time or two, jcarter!

[tx4OU]

Deleting my dentist joke out of respect for Scamp.

[ChiBears]

Hope I didn't mislead anyone, the weather IS gorgeous and mild during the day when the sun is out. It is after the sun disappears or in the shade that I found it a little chilly. Of course, I have lived in the great state of Texas all my life (though quite a few places within this very large state!) and my blood is very thin!

The ChiBears set out on their great adventure yesterday and I think I'll rename it the "long adventure." First, the drive through the mountains was spectacular and I, with my new camera, of course had to stop at nearly every turnoff for some type of picture. There are a lot of turnoffs in the park...

I always feel close to God when I fly, and not because of my slight fear of handing over control to some unknown pilot, but because I am just awed when I look down on this earth that was designed so amazingly by a most creative Creator. I sort of felt that way in the Smoky Mountains...a little small and a lot impressed! (and then, there WAS that "Thank God," moment at the top of the peak when there was FINALLY a restroom available!)

We made it to Asheville about 1 o'clock and into the Biltmore about 2 pm. Truly an amazing place!! I am an avid sign reader at places like historical sites and museums, so again, it took us quite a while to make it through the place. Add on souvenir shopping, a really nice meal at the Bistro and a trip to the winery for a wine tasting experience and it was a little after 6:30 when we departed. We knew we'd have to detour around the rock slide on I-40, but hey, the detour was all interstate and mapquest said the trip was only 55 miles longer. Well, interstate or not, it was mountainous and dark, dark, dark and the trip was much slower than one might expect on an interstate and certainly took longer than we expected. I was trying to help navigate and keep the driver awake but was sooo sleepy I had to keep rolling down the window for a blast of fresh air. I was so grateful to see the orange basketball atop the Hall of Fame next to our hotel as we rolled in a little after 10:30, but the trip was well worth it. What a day!

Headed down for a nice breakfast today, compliments of the hotel as they broke our TP holder cleaning the room, and there was a nice article on Griner and the Lady Bears in the Knoxville News Sentinel. BU team is arriving later this morning, but quite a few Baylor fans already here and a few Tennessee fans, as well.

Two banners over the check-in desk advertise the State Farm Tip-Off Classic and there is a table set up with brochures on the Hall of Fame. One has the pictures and a brief bio about this year's inductees. I recognized the three players--Teresa Edwards, Rebecca Lobo, and Teresa Weatherspoon, and once, about 20 years ago, when I was an assistant high school basketball coach, I was introduced to Leta Andrews. It was like meeting a god, even back then. The other 2 inductees, I did not know of, but all sounded like very worthy candidates.

Last night, the table with the HoF literature was decorated with two balloon sprays--an orange and white one and a green and gold one, one at each end. This morning, only the green and gold one remains. We ChiBears speculated whether that was due to an avid Lady Vol fan snatching a "souvenir," or on overzealous Lady Bear fan eliminating competition in her/his own way. (We were innocent of any crime, let me just go on record saying! :))

Well, going to get day started with a few errands and then head over to WB Hall of Fame this morning. Will give a brief report on interesting things I see there. Hope everyone is as psyched about the season starting as I am!

Sic'em:BU:

[Bball Girl]

Voepel on the game (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/columns/story?columnist=voepel_mechelle&id=4650348)

I lived in Johnson City, TN for 3 years...beautiful place and lovely people.

Sic 'em Bears!

[Gator]

First, the drive through the mountains was spectacular and I, with my new camera, of course had to stop at nearly every turnoff for some type of picture. There are a lot of turnoffs in the park...

I'm SO glad you liked "my" mountains. Spent a bit of my summers growing up in the Smokeys and several months at a time there in 4 or 5 summers after I retired. I head West to the Rockies in the summer now and they are, of course, spectacular too but so different.

As for Tx and his crack about dentist? BOOOOO HISSSSS :D

[tx4OU]

I'm SO glad you liked "my" mountains. Spent a bit of my summers growing up in the Smokeys and several months at a time there in 4 or 5 summers after I retired. I head West to the Rockies in the summer now and they are, of course, spectacular too but so different.

As for Tx and his crack about dentist? BOOOOO HISSSSS :D
Just having some fun at jcarter's expense.
Carry on......

[Scamp]

Just having some fun at jcarter's expense.
Carry on......Isn't that what private messages are for?

[Bball Girl]

ChiBears,
Try and take a picture of dentist office with your new camera. I have heard they are very rare there. You will have an artifact photo in your collection to share with us.
Did I just say that? Oops. I did it again.:cool:

And ChiBears, you must share the photo with tx4OU since dentist offices must have become quite rare in OK and TX :D

[jcarter]

Hey ChiBears have you been on campus yet? Yes the Smokey mountains are beautiful.:) btw tx4ou see folks from Knoxville have geat smiles http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t124/kiesha033/th_act_candace_parker.jpg

[TTU79]

Knoxville is pretty and I enjoyed my visit there in '95 until we lost to Tenn. in regionals. I will be cheering for Baylor and would love to see Griner show the crowd what a real dunk by a woman looks like. Go Bears!

[ChiBears]

The trip to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame was as quick to make as the trip to Ashville ended up being long--HoF is right across the hotel parking lot. When we entered, there were banquet tables set up and we asked if there was a banquet planned for the teams or something. Turns out it was just set up for a wedding reception.

The exhibits were neat, especially for women's basketball fans like we are. There was a short film that included some quick clips from the Final Fours of this decade, meaning some shots of Abby and Sophia from ours in 2005 Outside the theater was a giant poster of Tammy Jackson, Monica Lamb, and Sheryl Swoopes hugging in celebration after the Comets 1998 WNBA victory in the Finals. We were avid Comets' fans, season ticket holders and present at that aftergame celebration, so we loved the poster.

Between the Comets' early domination in the WNBA, the BU NCAA championship in 2005, and Coach Mulkey's and Coach Barmore's prolific careers, there were quite a few exhibits to which we felt particularly connected. (And we did our part to help the upkeep of the facility with our trip to the souvenir shop afterwards!!)

After the HoF visit, we walked back to the hotel to grab a snack and then headed out to search for a gas station and to scope out the parking situation around Thompson-Boling Arena. The drive through the campus was nice. It really seems to be a gorgeous setting for a university, and even though the peak time for the turning of the leaves seems to have been a week or two ago, there still was a great deal of autumn color among the trees to lend to the beauty of the grounds and buildings.

On our way out of the hotel, we spied the team loading the bus parked in front of the hotel. Might have been headed to a practice somewhere, as they seemed to be dressed in workout clothes.

Anyway, after procurring gasoline and determining possible parking options for tomorrow, we headed back to Calhoun's for a late lunch. I recommended the ribs last time...this time I had a salad, but the other ChiBear had a pulled pork sandwich and gave it two thumbs up and would have given it three, had that been an option. The locals there were rather subdued, as the Tennessee vs Ole Miss game was being televised and it was obvious at that time that the outcome was not going to be to their liking. I understood that feeling as I had just seen the BU vs UT score (I'm from Texas, and the 'Horns are the UT team in my book...) and we hadn't even scored at that time. Well, for both of us, basketball season starts tomorrow...

[giraffespots]

Hey ChiBears have you been on campus yet? Yes the Smokey mountains are beautiful.:) btw tx4ou see folks from Knoxville have geat smiles http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t124/kiesha033/th_act_candace_parker.jpg

Hmmm. I didn't realize she was FROM Knoxville.

[tx4OU]

It was a joke folks. I've deleted it. Scamp sent me a nice private message.

I'll behave. I promise. :p

[Guns Up!]

And ChiBears, you must share the photo with tx4OU since dentist offices must have become quite rare in OK and TX :D

At least OK & TX HAVE dentist....NM, not so much! :p:D

[TTU79]

Baylor had some good runs, but couldn't pull the win off. Griner, in spite of wanting to be great, played like a freshman. She tried but Pat had her team all ready and threw Baylor for a complete loop by playing zone defense rather than her usual in your face man to man.