A Day In the Smokies - Day 130

I arose early, how can you not when camping out. The peaches form two days ago have ripened a bit, so it was nice to have a fresh breakfast. Cade's Cove was just a twenty mile drive, but the road was so twisty that the average speed was about 20 MPH.

In many places, the morning sun penetrates the forrest with dramatic views. Places are named after real things, and I assume the Smoky Mountains were so named either because of their haziness when seen in panorama off in the distance or because of the many times that the hazes and mist make it look like they are smokefilled. Perhaps both.

Cade's Cove, well, Cade was just some guy who used to live here. They seemed to have a lot of religious people, and the "highlights" of the 5 mile drive around the cove were 3 old bland churches. The residences and the grist mill were nothing special either, but these people certainly picked a beautiful place to set up shop. Apparently the rangers had to shoo some black bears away from the visitor center, but I didn't see them. Others were spotting deer in various places, but none for me. The best wildlife I saw was a butterfly that was either very patient for photographers, or dead.

The next stop was Laurel's waterfall and a 1.3 mile hike straight up to get there. Good hike through the steep forest. I've seen a lot better waterfalls, so a bit of a let down for that length of hike. I think it normally would have been more powerful but for the dryness of the summer. Still, good to get out and see the Smokies from the inside, and the 1.3 miles back down hill were a breeze.

From there it was a scenic drive out of the park, and a scenic drive through the foothills in Tennessee ending up here in Sweetwater, TN for some much needed rest.