Well, at long last our dream has begun. Tonight we are sitting in a campsite in our first of 59 national parks. We won’t be camping in all 59, but we will be visiting each of them. We are really excited to say the least. We finished all our chores at home, got Watson, our kitty, all settled in with a wonderful friend who is going to nurture and provide him sanctuary while we are away, and stuffed the trailer with all those items necessary for human comfort. There is barely room for Johnny and me. The weather cooperated, giving us a beautiful day with a gorgeous blue sky, wispy upper layer clouds with marshmallow pillows below. The trip to Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was uneventful, but the scenery in the park was gorgeous with the trees budding in the varying shades of fresh spring green and wildflowers blooming profusely along the roadsides. As we pulled in to Cades Cove campground, three deer were grazing among the campsites. We didn’t seem to bother them, and when they had gotten their fill they headed back into the woods. What a treat!
Boy, were we lucky! The week we were in Smokies was the Annual Wildflower Pilgrimage and this year it happened when the flowers were at their peak. Saying they were spectacular would be an understatement. I have never seen whole hills of white fringed phacelia before but it filled many shaded hillsides Dwarf crested iris, white, red and yellow trillium, bluets and two yellow lady slippers boldly blooming along Little River Road are just a few of the wildflowers that seemed to be putting on a especially dazzling show this year.
Yellow Lady Slipper
It wouldn’t be the Smokies without some wildlife and we had encounters with deer, a black bear, lots of turkeys and one startled black snake. There are stories involved with some of these but we’ll save those for later.
Isn't he cute?
Hiking is another component of any trip to the Smokies. We saw the Walker Sisters homesteadand couldn’t believe the ten foot tall boxwoods surrounding the house and outbuildings. We hiked Little Greenbrier Trail, Alum Cave Bluff Trail, including Arch Rock and Inspiration Point as well as the trails to Mingo Falls and Grotto Falls. We also did a 13 mile bike ride that included the Cades Cove Loop. What was I thinking? Another story for later but this involves one of my “Pearls of Wisdom” – Never let anyone run you off the road unless you are next to a moss covered embankment.
Wlaker Sisters' Homestead
Arch Rock
The Smokies are not known for great cuisine, but we always make a trip to the Great Smoky Mountain Brew Pub whenever we are close. This would also be in keeping with our craft brewery theme, plus they make pretty good pizzas.
“Doin’ the Dragon” is a drive everyone should take at least once in their lifetime, and thanks to our camping neighbor at Cades Cove we found out it was easily accessible from Parson Branch Road out of Cades Cove. Officially it is called Tail of the Dragon and is an eleven mile stretch of US129 starting at Deal’s Gap, NC and heading north. In this eleven mile stretch of road there are 318, yes 318, curves. It is remote, it is wooded and it is beautiful. By many, it is thought to be one of the best roads for motorcycles or sports cars in the world, so here we come in our Nissan Frontier truck. On strategically placed curves photographers sit under umbrellas, snapping your picture. You can hear their cameras clicking if a rumbling motorcyclist is not in the vicinity. Just go to their website and they will allow you the opportunity to purchase their picture of you “Doin’ the Dragon” for a small fee. After the dragon we went to the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. It is one of those spots on earth, like the giant sequoias in California, that afford a true spiritual experience. There were huge first growth tulip poplars and a profusion of wildflowers, including at least seven varieties of trillium. We must go back because we only had time to hike one of the two loops. What a fantastic experience!
Deal's Gap, NC; a motorcyclist's paradise
And then there was the two-day search for the Gatlinburg Public Library only to find it closed. We just wanted a Wi-Fi connection, but it was not meant to be.
***More photos to follow****
