Tennessee Research Trip--Part Two

Last summer Liz and I traveled to Gatlinburg, Tennessee to do research for the next book in The Pepperman Mystery Series. Our hotel was across the street from Log Cabin Pancake House. The first morning we walked in the restaurant and knew we would enjoy this place.

Suspended from the rafters are college flags, about seventy-five total. We looked for the flags of the schools where our daughters attended. Prominently visible from our booth was the flag of The University of Oklahoma.

 We snapped pictures and then noticed the OU flag hung directly across from Ohio State’s. Our Oklahoma Sooners would play the Buckeyes in a couple of weeks. The meeting in Columbus, Ohio would be big.

Check out the picture. I think the OU flag hangs little bit higher than the Ohio State flag.

If you like pancakes, Log Cabin Pancake House is the place to go. I ordered a full breakfast of ham, eggs and pancakes. A triple winner.

Breakfast was so good we went back the next day. I wore a shirt with the OU logo on the pocket. We were about finished with our meal when a couple from a nearby table walked by, and the lady said, “We’ll see you September 9^th.”    

September 9^th—I wondered the significance of that date.

She said, “We’re Ohio State fans and that’s when your team is coming up.”

We followed them through the payout line and stopped on the porch and made introductions. We spent thirty minutes talking football and even made a t-shirt bet on the game. They asked where we lived and why we were in Gatlinburg. I told them I was doing research for my upcoming book.

A few weeks later, a package arrived from Ohio. The box contained the smoothest chocolate buckeyes you’d ever want to put in your mouth, plus some real buckeyes. Legend has it a buckeye in your pocket brings good luck. To reciprocate I sent them a waffle iron in the shape of Texas. I may be an Oklahoma football fan, but I’m a TEXAN.

I want to thank the people at the Log Cabin Pancake House, 327 Historic Trail Drive, Gatlinburg, for allowing me to use their name in this blog and in my book.

My research travels have given me the opportunity to become friends with people across our country. That’s a benefit I never realized when I started this writing journey.