Tennessee

 08 May      Alabaster, AL - Pigeon Forge, TN        309 miles      7 hours 25 mins     

We had another long day of driving. Another big accident on the highway so a one hour delay. Then we realized we gained an hour as we got to the Eastern side of Tennessee. There was a lot of traffic in Pigeon Forge so that was another delay, by the time we checked into the rv park it was about 6:30 pm. Whew! But I'm really excited to be here, Great Smokey Mountain National Park is the reason.

We are staying at Creekside RV Park for 5 nights. They have a Good Sam rate so the total was $270. Pretty nice park, close to town and close to the Great Smoky Mountains. 

The Great Smokey Mountains National Park is America's most visited national park. The roads through the park are well maintained and you can drive to most of the historic and scenic locations in the park. 

09 May  Our first visit to Great Smokey Mountains National Park

In case you were wondering, "The name Smokey comes from the natural fog that often hangs over the range and presents as large smoke plumes from a distance. This fog is caused by the vegetation exhaling volatile organic compounds, chemicals that have a high vapor pressure and easily form vapors at normal temperature and pressure." - Wikipedia

If you've never been to the Great Smokey Mountains then you definitely need to go. Everyone should go at least once in their lives. Pictures do not do it justice, absolutely breathtaking. 

For our first visit to GSMNP, we did the hike up to Laurel Falls. Laurel Falls is probably the  most popular waterfall trail in the park. It is paved but we needed to watch our footing because the pavement is broken in areas. This 1.3 mile hike each way is moderate and it's uphill  most of the way. As you get close to the top, there are huge drop offs on the left side of the trail with no rails to keep anyone from falling off.

    

The waterfall is absolutely beautiful. It wasn't too crowded because we started pretty early. We took our time and enjoyed the scenery and took some pictures. On the way back, the trail was very busy. So glad we got an early start.

When we got back to the campground we were having lunch and it was getting pretty windy. All of a sudden we heard a loud crash! A huge branch broke off the tree right behind us and landed in the site next to us. 

That branch just missed us

The funny thing is, when we checked in the day before, we were assigned that spot. It was a little tight for us so we requested to move over to the next sight....lucky thing!

Today is Mothers Day and Joe cooked a feast. Steak, crab legs and sushi...perfect day. 

10 May    Cades Cove

Today is very cold and rainy so no hikes. We took a drive to GSMNP and drove to Cades Cove. A beautiful valley in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. It's a living museum with many homes, barns, churches, and other structures that were built during the rising of the community. 

We drove along the 11-mile, one way loop that follows many curves and courses that settlers forged years ago. We stopped at the Visitor Center in the middle of the loop to get my National Park passport book  stamped. We also walked around and visited several historical structures of pioneer life. 

Black bear

Cades Cove is the home of scenic beauty and abundant wildlife. We saw white tail deer, wild turkey and a few black bears. We had an early start again but there was some traffic, especially when a black bear was spotted. 

11 May   Grotto Falls

Beginning and ending within miles of downtown Gatlinburg, the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is a one-way drive that takes you along a 5.5 mile experience through the National Park. The road is curvy and narrow and the scenery is beautiful with lots of creeks, waterfalls, bridges, forest and a few mountain overlooks. 

Along this road we stopped to do the hike to Grotto Falls. Lucky we came early because the parking lot for this trail wasn't that big. In fact, it was full when we got there but we could park right after along the road.

The 1.5 mile hike up to the falls is primarily all on an uphill incline. The dirt path has lots of rocks and tree roots. So glad we have hiking boots. It has been pretty rainy and cold, which transformed the look and feel of hiking in the woods. There was a thick mist as we hiked up to the waterfall - absolutely magical!

The beautiful falls at the end is stunning. There are a number of smaller falls that cascade down from the biggest part. You can walk behind the falls because the trail continues on...how cool is that!

This is one of the coolest hikes we've been on. So glad we had a chance to experience this...absolutely amazing.

     

12 May   Clingmans Dome & Newfound Gap

This is our last day to explore Great Smokey Mountains and its very rainy and cold. We decided to wait until after lunch to start and hopefully the weather will clear up a little. 

We drove to Clingmans Dome, at 6,643 feet, it is the highest point in the Park. The observation tower on the summit offers spectacular views of the Smokies and beyond. There is a steep half-mile climb to the tower at the top. 

Well, we didn't get to see any of it. It stopped raining so we headed out but as we drove up the mountain it got very foggy. At times couldn't see very far ahead of us. We drove all the way to the top but there was so much fog, couldn't see anything. 

This is the main road through the park. Newfound Gap is the state line between Tennessee and North Carolina. I just wish it was a clear day so we could appreciate the beautiful views from way up high. 

So much fog

We had such an amazing time here, we just love this National Park. So many amazing drives and hikes. Lots of wildlife as well as beautiful scenery. The nearby towns are very touristy and busy with lots of traffic and people so we didn't spend too much time there. 

The Great Smokey Mountains are worth it, we'll come back some day soon. 

12 May     Pigeon Forge - Dandridge, TN     25 miles     45 minutes

We are spending a few days with some old friends. Mark and his wife Julia recently retired and moved from Washington to Tennessee. We're in the area and will be spending a few days camped in their driveway. They have a beautiful home right on the lake. 

Mark and Joe worked together in Honolulu waaay back in the day. Every evening we would have dinner together, hang out...just talk story. It's nice to relax and visit with friends. 

We would help them with some projects they got going, which we don't mind, and still find lots of time to play. They just moved a few months back so they got lots of projects!

In the RV world, when you park at a family or friends driveway, it's called "moochdocking."          That's what we did for ten days! Such a nice visit...

Can't get any better than this