September 20, 2018. Today was the day for visiting the famous Cade’s Cove Loop. A cove, in Appalachian terms, means a valley or meadow surrounded by mountains. There are many coves in these mountains but Cade’s Cove is supposed to be the most scenic. The locals call it a national treasure. I would agree. It is so beautiful and peaceful. The road follows the stream and is sometimes a tunnel of trees that you drive through. The road was originally the railroad track. Over 2million people a year visit this Cove. It is only an 11-mile loop, but it takes several hours if you stop at all of the historical spots along the way. This place has such an interesting history.  Some of the original homes and churches have been preserved from the early 1800s. There was also an original grist mill and two cantilevered barns.  The area is full of wildlife, too, such as deer, black bears, wild turkey, raccoons, and other wildlife. We finally left there and then headed for two other places I wanted to visit.

  Our next stop was Newfound Gap. It is on the border between Tennessee and North Carolina. This  mountain pass has beautiful views from about 5500 ft elevation.  It also has access to the Appalachian Trail.  We walked on the trail for a little ways and took lots of pictures of the view.  Unfortunately the day had become cloudy and the pictures are not as good as I would have liked. Next, we traveled on 7 miles (took 20 minutes) up to Clingman’s Dome, the highest peak in the Smokies, almost 7,000ft.  After you get to the parking lot, you have to climb a very steep half-mile path up to the Observation Tower. No switchbacks or level areas, just straight up. I struggled to get up there, but finally made it. Again it was very cloudy but still spectacular, a 360 degree view of the mountains.

     Tired, but happy, we made our way back to town. We had a yummy shrimp dinner at Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Company and then back to the motel for showers. Another great day!  I also got my steps in that day!  Look at that 18 floors😄

September 19. After being bored for a week, we decided we needed to do something. Gatlinburg was waiting for us, so we headed north over the mountains. What a spectacular drive that was. These mountains are so different from the Rockies. They have a softer, more serene beauty. It was only about 35 miles but the mountain roads prohibit fast driving. It took us nearly 2 hours. Of course we also stopped a few times at overlooks to take pictures. We were fortunate enough to see a field with elks at one stop. They are such majestic creatures.

We saw beautiful streams and waterfalls, green valleys and of course the magnificent, tree covered mountains. As we looked out across the mountains it was hard to believe that 80% of the trees had been destroyed by logging in the early 1900s. The National Park Service finally began buying up the land, and in 1934 they established the Great Smokey Mountain National Park.
    On reaching Gatlinburg, we dropped Jax off in a very nice doggy jail so we could spend the next couple of days touring.  Dogs are not allowed on trails in the National Parks. Our first stop was the Arts and Crafts District on Glades Road.  Lots of nice pottery and hand-crafted items.  Then for the big disappointment: the Main Street in Gatlinburg. I could swear that we were in Branson, Mo!  There was even Ripley’s Believe It Or Not.  One good thing we found was the Pancake Pantry. It is a famous place that some friends, that we met in Nashville, told us about.  Great recommendation!  Another fun thing we did was the Moonshine and Whiskey tasting at the Ole Smokey Distillery. We were in Tennessee after all. Got to have some moonshine 😂. Even Pops participated. We bought a jar of Apple Pie Moonshine and some Cinnamon Whiskey. Yum!

Later in the evening, we had a delicious steak and salad supper and then returned to our awful motel room. Just remember that you get what you pay for. To overcome the disappointment of the room, we sipped on some whiskey and went to bed.

September 12-19. We spent a week waiting to see if we were going to have to evacuate because of Hurricane Florence. We talked to emergency services people and they assured us that we would be okay where we were.  So we stayed and waited. Fortunately, there was very little rain and no flooding here.  There were plenty of dreary days and we began to get bored. But at least we were safe, unlike the people on the coast. Counting our blessings.

September 10, 2018. Journey into the past. Today we visited the magnificent Biltmore House. Like the Grand Canyon, there are just  not enough words to describe it. We toured the gardens first which are so extensive that it took us a couple of hours. An added bonus was that they were having a Dale Chihully exhibit this month. So, interspersed among the beautiful flowers were the incredible Chihully glass sculptures. Then we had a delicious lunch at the little courtyard cafe. Finally we began the house tour. We toured 3 floors plus the basement, which is like a small town under the house.  In the house itself, we saw displays of vintage clothing, furniture, art, tapestries, and lots more. Along the way we heard stories of the lives of the Vanderbilt’s, their guests, and employees. I loved the Library with its 10,000 books, cozy reading nooks, and views from the windows. The Banquet Hall had a 70 ft ceiling and 2 huge fireplaces. In the basement was a 70,000 gal. swimming pool, a 2-lane bowling alley and a gymnasium, as well as the kitchens and pantries, and the laundry rooms. I could go on and on (65 fireplaces and 13 bathrooms, etc), but there is just too much. You will have to Google it or go visit. Be sure to wear your walking shoes! It is amazing!

After the house tour we went to the Antler Village, which is part of the estate. There are shops, a dairy barn, creamery, and a winery. Since our admission ticket included a free wine tasting, we visited the winery. This was really fun. We were with a couple of ladies who had just spent 4 days on the Appalachian Trail. They were really interesting and we enjoyed swapping stories with them. Lots of laughing and sipping. We bought a few bottles of Biltmore wine and then headed back over the mountains to the camper. Great day!

September 7, 2018. Small journey, many steps.  Today we visited one of the tallest waterfalls (120 feet) in the Appalachians, Mingo Falls. It is just 3 miles from our Campground. Mingo Falls is located on Mingo Creek in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The official name, Mingo, is a Cherokee term for “ Big Bear” and it is sometimes called Big Bear Falls.  The trail to the Falls is considered a moderately difficult trail even though it is only a half mile long.  This is because you have to climb 170 steps and then another quarter of a mile on a rocky trail. But the view is worth it! The Falls are spectacular.  Our pictures just don’t capture the true beauty of the place.

September 6, 2018 Train journey.   This morning we dropped Jax off at  “doggy jail” and drove on to Bryson City. At 10:00 am we boarded the Great Smokey Mountain Scenic Railroad Train. We chose the Nantahala Gorge Excursion and decided on the open gondola car because it would be the best for taking pictures.  It was a fun day. Traveling along the Nantahala Gorge we saw the "smoke" on the mountains, hence the name Smokey Mountains.  We saw an old Civil War cabin and lots of kudzu. I know the kudzu is extremely invasive and destructive but it is eerily beautiful, too. As it covers the trees and plants, it creates strange hoodoos in the shape of animals and people.  Some areas looked like Hobbit villages. Our server and narrator on the train was a Cherokee Indian native from the area who shared many stories and legends with us. She was very entertaining. We crossed over Fontana Lake on the old Fontana Trestle. Fontana Lake is the largest lake in NC and is part of the Little Tennessee River, which is one of three rivers that flow into the Nantahala. Our seat mates were a very friendly couple from Florida, Kelly and Bob. It was fun to share the adventure with some new friends. Our tickets included lunch and an hour layover at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. At this layover was a branch of the Appalachian Trail. We walked a little way down the trail just so we could say we had been on the famous trail. Hopefully, weather permitting, we will be able to hike a few miles on the trail next week.  Also, I am trying to convince Pops that we should do a whitewater rafting trip. Stay tuned for that decision😄. We returned to the depot at 3:30 pm in Bryson City.  After rescuing Jax, we returned to the the campground, tired but happy. Another great day!

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September 3, 2018. Journey into history.  This morning, after a beautiful 2-mile hike in the mountains, we drove into the town of Cherokee, NC.  It is a town on the reservation of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, in western North Carolina.  It is a quaint little town, but unfortunately there are too many cheap souvenir shops and touristy places.  However, we discovered the Museum of the Cherokee Indian and it was fantastic.  This museum takes you back to the beginnings of human life in these beautiful mountains. It starts with hearing ancient stories and myths in the Story Lodge, including the story of the mythical First Cherokees who lived here.  As you continue through the museum you follow them through the ages with artifacts, dioramas, more stories, and photos.  It is a very moving, sometimes sad, story. Despite the Cherokees’ peaceful, open-hearted welcome to all visitors, they were still forcibly exiled to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. But it is also their tale of survival and “rebirth” into this area once again.  This museum really brings to life this wonderful collection of Cherokee treasures and history.  We thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

September 1, 2018. Journey onward.  Today we left Nashville and headed for the Smokey Mountains.  This ended up being a very long, hard day.  Because of the size of our rig (and some tunnels) we had to drive slower and detour around the mountains to get to Cherokee, NC.  Also, because of Labor Day weekend, there was a lot of traffic.  We left Nashville at 8:45 am and didn’t get to the campground until 3:30 pm. And it’s only 250 miles.  Anyway, we arrived safe and sound and the scenery on the drive over was beautiful. We are in a very nice campground with a rippling stream behind the campground and mountains all around.  It is a huge place and it is full of Labor Day crowds.  But the park has activities for all ages and everyone is having fun.  We will be here a month and we are looking forward to many day trips, exploring the Great Smokey Mountains and the surrounding area.