July 10: Great Smoky Mountains

The Great Smoky Mountains are indeed great!!! I took so many pictures it was very hard to reduce the selection down to so few for this blog. It is a photographer's paradise.





The Smoky Mountains get their name from the Cherokee word that means "blue, like smoke". And it is really cool to see this "smoke" (actually mist) drifting up out of the trees and floating upwards to the top of the mountain and blending in with the clouds that hang over them. These mountains have a history dating back a billion years ago but I won't go into all that here. They are among the oldest mountain ranges in the world. There are over 10,000 species of plants and animals documented in the park and scientists believe there are another 90,000 species that haven't been discovered. The park has the largest collection of historic log buildings. The homes, schools, mills and churches of the mountain people are preserved here for me to photograph. So many sites - so little time.

We headed out this morning by around 8:30 and had to drive into Gatlinburg (shown in this picture next to the Smokies) to get to the visitor's center. Bought some maps and souvenirs and drove off into the mountains. Now, you have to understand that Larry and I are seasoned outdoor people - veterans of the road. We left Pigeon Forge in 80 deg weather wearing shorts and t-shirts. Rain was predicted today so we took an umbrella.


Most of the trip was great. Half way along, we stopped at the Mingus Creek Mill. This mill was built in 1886 to grind corn and wheat into flower for the local community. In place of a wooden water wheel, a small steel turbine provided power to run the mill's stones and machinery. Water is run into the mill and thru the turbine (rather than a wheel) to make the grinding stones turn and grind the grain.


We drove over the mountains and ate lunch in North Carolina at the edge of the Cherokee Reservation in a town called Cherokee. Then came back the way we came and stopped in at the visitor's center at that end of the park. Toured the historical farmstead in the rain - didn't bother with the umbrella. Now we're a little damp from the pouring down rain (weatherman was right for a change) but we stayed under trees and roofs so we weren't too bad. This is the time we decide to go to the highest peak, Clingman's Dome at 6643 feet. By the time we got there, it was fogged in and the wind was blowing hard. Not the sort of weather you venture out in with shorts and t-shirts. Who knew going up 6000 feet it would get cold - go figure.

Also, there are blooming trees/bushes/shrubs all along the way thru the park. I found out that they are wild Rhododendrons. You can see them here along this stream. They covered the forest floor like ground cover.



Then we headed back toward Gatlinburg and drove the Roaring Fork Nature Auto Trail. It was a lane almost wide enough for our dulley to drive on - close most of the time. Larry finally folded in an outside mirror for fear the trees were going to get it. Again, being the intelligent outdoor people that we are, we're thinking it's 1.2 miles back to Grotto Falls in the mountains - who knew we'd be walking 1.2 miles UPHILL. My walking stick sure did come in handy. I have never sweat so much in my life. My shirt was soaking wet by the time we got there - thank goodness we were in shorts and t-shirts. Sweat was dripping into my eyes and onto my glasses. By the time we got to the falls, it was much cooler and there was a fine mist in the air and now my glasses were fogging over. We hung out there for quite a while soaking up the cooler air and breathing in oxygen. Larry really enjoyed the falls--note the picture of him standing under the falls. We starting to dry out, it's cooler and the walk down hill was a little slippery from earlier showers, but manageable. AND THEN we got a down pour. By the time we got to the truck we were soaking wet. I had pushed my camera up under my "chest" to try to protect it and was somewhat successful. I haven't turned it on yet but I think it will be OK. The restaurant where we ate supper was soooo cold that Larry and I had to split a chocolate shake. We both had hamburgers - we were eating light after that big walk.



On the trip back down, a black bear cub either fell thru the woods or moved over to where mom was with a sibling really fast because we would have missed them completely if he hadn't make such a ruckus. With it getting dark, my photos aren't very good - mostly just proof that we saw them.

After a full day in the Great Smokey Mountains, we still have another day we can do if we have time. We'd like to go to Cades Cove which was a farming community of about 120 families in the late 1800's to early 1900's. There is a "living history demonstration" on sorghum molasses, lye soap and apple butter making.

Right now all I want is a warm shower and bed. Don't know yet what's on for tomorrow but we're going to a show in the evening.