Smoky Mountains Update

This posting is a little late--for the last few days we have been parked in a black hole!!! No internet signal, no TV signal--ARRGH!! So --anyway, here is what we did on the 23rd of May.

We rose early to make the trip to Cades Cove. A "cove" in Smoky Mountain vernacular is a relatively flat valley between mountains or ridges. This particular cove is one of the few places in the national park system where wild nature and human history can be enjoyed in such a beautiful setting.

This cove was settled in the 1830's as a farming community. It was continuously inhabited until the land was bought by the state of Tennessee for inclusion in the national park. One of the earliest settlers was John Oliver who actually arrived prior to 1820 and bought this land in 1826. This cabin is one of over 70 historical buildings within the park. The collection is believed to be the largest of its kind in the East. It is the oldest log cabin in Cades Cove. Among the other buildings are churches, barns and a working grist mill.

Since we rose so early in the morning, we were able to witness sunrise in this area. With sunrise the fog and "smoke" stays in the valleys making for some lovely scenery. The pastures were so green and there were still a few spring wildflowers to view. Every turn of the road seemed more gorgeous than the last. It is easy to see why the early settlers wanted to stay in such a peaceful place. They must have been very sad to have been forced to move by the government.

We saw lots of wildlife in this part of the park. The early settlers described this area as being abundant with bear,deer and turkey. Along with the cattle they raised, they had a plentiful food supply. We saw numerous deer along the road. Wild turkeys seemed to be at every turn. Of course, we wanted to see a bear--for some reason they are fascinating. Perhaps the reason is because they are so elusive. Anyway, we finally spotted this fellow walking through the woods not too far from the road. We were able to watch him for quite a while as he walked along, pausing every once in a while to roll over and scratch his back or root in a tree stump. He seemed totally oblivious to our presence. It was fun to pause and watch him.

After we spent the morning touring Cades Cove, we drove over to another popular stop in the park. We drove to the top of Clingmans Dome. At 6,643 ft in elevation it is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains, the highest point in the state of Tennessee and the third highest summit east of the Mississippi River. It is also the highest point of the Appalachian Trail. With our clear weather the view from the observation tower at the top gives a 360 degree view of the Great Smoky Mountains as well as views reaching into seven states.

We really enjoyed our time in the Smoky Mountains. This area would be lovely in the fall and we are going to keep that in mind as fall rolls around and we head back through this area. Hanging out in Pidgeon Forge and Gatlinburg with their numerous arts and crafts shops was neat also.