Busman's Holiday was the name of a game show on British television that ran in the 1980's and 1990's in which teams of contestants competed to win working exotic vacations. The game show was a question & answer format based on careers of the contestants, and the winning team went on a holiday to learn how their jobs were carried out in other locations.

Although no game show was involved, I was lucky enough to take my own busman's holiday in mid-March of this year. I set out south on a road trip that took me through Nashville, TN, Chattanooga, TN, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park before heading home. Great Smoky Mountains NP is America's most visited National Park, and as I had never been to the Smokies, it was an extremely peaceful experience.

I took an eighteen mile drive through the north section of the mountains, stopping several times to take pictures. I also stopped at the Visitors Center to learn more about the types of wildlife one could expect to see when veering off the main paths. Within the Smokies there are over thirty species of salamanders, which is why they are known as the 'Salamander Capital of the World'. Throughout my drive I kept glancing into the wooded areas hoping to see a black bear or two, but was disappointed to learn that bears were still in hibernation and would not be seen for another month or so. It might be worth a trip back someday to see more of what the park has to offer!