Getting Lost in Dandridge
Do you remember when you could get into and out of Dandridge without getting lost? As Dandridge is a small town, you may wonder how in the world anyone could get lost. Well, believe me, it can and did happen… to me!
Upon discovering that my car tags were expired (that’s another story), I quickly ran to town to correct my error. I had almost forgotten how horrific the streets are in front of the County Clerk’s Office. I said almost because for weeks now it has required a navigator to get around in the downtown area. I often wonder about the patience of the merchants in the area that are trying to make a living in a mad house of construction. Obviously their patience is golden, as I have not seen any reports of picketing the City Hall… hat’s off to you! Well, let me tell you, I too have been patient… until the day I needed my tags renewed.
That my friends was when I almost blew, like the geysers in Yellowstone National Park. Had it not been important that I get the tags, I would have simply waited. But, needing to continue my task, I waded… or dove into the twilight zone… or so it soon seemed. Seeing the blocked road, I turned around and headed for the alley between the school offices and the flower shop. This was an easy enough task and after some maneuvering of my vehicle, I was parked and ready to enter. I must say the experience was delightful, thank goodness, for little did I know, a nightmare awaited me outside. You see, the problem was that I could not get out of town. All possible ways out were either blocked or one way streets. Both ways out from the back parking lots read “do not enter”, and cones blocked the street in either direction, exiting from the front parking lot.
It appeared hopeless until I remembered a side street beside The Roper House, which I quickly turned into. But, alas, the street was narrow and ended in the back yard of a house, causing me to make a precarious turn around. Then came the twilight feeling and the dilemma, “go out a one way only street, or stay put until the construction was completed! I felt there was only choice and turned to do the later, hoping there would be no cars entering to contend with. Just before making the illegal exit, I decided I might rather try to exit up the hill beside Becky Slone’s Office, ignoring the blocked road. When I got there I saw that the cones and barrels were set to one side to allow passage. Let me assure you this could not be determined from the parking lot I was escaping from! And… I was not the only one trying to escape, as I saw others making the same errors I had made. There should have been arrows outside the County Clerk’s Office assisting drivers to the one and only exit. I can only imagine the frustration of anyone who does not regularly visit the town.
I got home and knew I had just made a new memory… and that I would share it with you!
