The Great Smoky Mountains

We’re always on the lookout for an easy overnight camp spots. In large towns and cities, it’s often a Walmart or Cracker Barrel car park. Stopping at the Walmart’s also makes grocery shopping quicker and easier, because we’re right there. State parks are also a favourite because they’re often hidden gems that provide lovely outlooks, hiking trails , dump points, power and water and they’re usually quite reasonably priced.

So that ‘s where we found ourselves on the way the Smoky Mountains, Hanging Rock State Park.

Of course we went for a walk around Hanging Rock park when we arrived, and discovered this amazing dammed swimming lake and building.

Everyone seems obsessed with rocking chairs here. Almost every venue we go to that provides seating, has rocking chairs.

The waterfall in the park is also a swimming hole that was obviously a popular spot with those in the know.

The following morning we drove to Guilford and discovered Greensboro Country Park, a 400 acre site, situated in the Battlefield Parks District. The park combines memorials, statues and information boards about the American Civil War, the battles and men who took part and a large lake, zipline, picnic and BBQ areas.

For example, this monument honours three of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence.

And this very impressive statue for Nathanael Greene (1742-1786) , appointed by Washington and a celebrated commander of the southern troops he is credited with securing the south from the British and enabling a Patriot victory.

The lake with its docked swan and duck paddleboats was lovely, as were the flowers.

We’ve become accustomed to the beautiful green trees and foliage that has been a staple of our walks since leaving the more arid areas America, but it’s always such a treat to see the wildlife. Like this deer, who stopped grazing to watch us.

And I just can’t resist the squirrels.

One thing we find while traveling as we do, is that we need to grocery shop fairly regularly. Luckily, there’s never too far between supermarkets. This morning, our supermarket was conveniently next to an amazing bakery. So of course we had to sample some of their wares.

Our dilemma? How to select a just a couple!

After lunch, and still in Greensboro, we walked around their arboretum.

It wasn’t particularly large, but it was very well laid out with some beautiful flowers and plants in bloom and sculptures.

Continuing on, we had a brief stop at Roanoke Springs and walked the canal and aqueduct trail. The canal was constructed by the Roanoke Navigation Company using slave labour, and ran between Roanoke Rapids Lake and Weldon, North Carolina. Construction began in 1815, was completed by 1823, but transportation along the waterway didn’t begin until 1834. There was a 90 foot elevation and almost 9 miles of rapids to overcome.

We drove through the park gate at Cades Cove in the afternoon after having had rain for the best part of the drive from Sweetwater.

We stopped at the information booth just as they were packing away for day so I grabbed an umbrella and hurried up to get a brochure and some information. The peak attraction at Cades Cove is an 11 mile (18km), one way loop road that travels past 9 places of interest, and several trail heads with stopping areas to pull off the road. Signs informed us that black bears and elk were common in the area. I scoffed. We hiked in numerous locations where bears were common when we were last here and only once saw one way, way up ahead crossing the road and disappearing up a hillside. The park ranger insisted they were very common. In fact, he offered to buy us dinner if we didn’t see a bear.

It appears we’re going hungry! Although it was still raining and after 4pm, we decided to do the 11 mile drive around the loop to see what was there, before heading to our camp site. A short distance into the drive we came to a stop behind a number of cars. We waited. And we waited. We noticed people in front were getting out of their cars. Then we twigged! There must be an animal. So, on with my jacket, out the door and up the road I went to find what had held up all the traffic. A mama black bear with not one, not two, but three baby bears!! I couldn’t tell you how many photos I took. I didn’t manage to get all four in the one picture because as we all know, there’s always one that has to be different.

The third baby bear was quite high up in the tree, until mama and two babies wandered into the forest. Then he scrambled down at a great rate of knots and took off behind.

This was now my very favourite place!

After our bear sighting, all the cars on the road, and there were dozens, had concertinaed up so we were in quite the procession as we slowly drove along. The rain had all but stopped so we detoured into Cable Mill Historic area.

On the way from the carpark we saw another two bears in a field of tall grass. They were quite away in the distance but it was comical to watch them. For a minute, you could just see the grass bending down, then up would pop a bear head, as he stood to get his bearings. Then he’d disappear again, and continue through the grass.

This site of heritage buildings was quite large. There were 5 buildings in the complex, the grist mill, the only one on its original site, a blacksmith shop, LeQuire cantilever barn, millrace and dam and smokehouse.

John P. Cable built the water-powered grist mill in the late 1860s, a saw mill in 1870 and also farmed the land. His son James took over the saw mill and it operated well into the 20th century. Large cantilever barns with counterweighted overhanging beams were common in the area, our brochure told us, because stock and equipment needed shelter from the harsh winters and they provided easy access for loading and unloading hay.

The house was built by Leason Gregg who purchased a small plot of land from Cable in 1879 and ran a store. Cable’s son and wife bought the property and house in 1887, but due to ill health, their sister Becky ran the farm and raised her nieces and nephews. She remained in the property until her death in 1940 at the age of 96.

As we were marveling at the ingenuity of the mill and the barn, we noticed that other people were making their way across the creek. It had to be another animal, so we followed along. A young buck elk was grazing in the forest, seemingly oblivious to the dozen or so people all taking pictures. Then, in the greenery, we noticed another two.

It’s so amazing to see these animals in the wild. We spent almost an hour at this site, including the gift shop. (There’s always a gift shop)! We’d had a long day and it was after 5pm but that didn’t seem to deter the constant stream of cars making their way around the loop road. We were about half way and the camp ground was at the other end, so we slotted ourselves into the stream of cars and slowly made our way to the camp ground.

We were up bright an early the following morning to get a start on the loop before the crowds. The skies were clear and the morning crisp but clouds still hung around the hills. As we drove along, the clouds became a little foggy which just enhanced the beautiful surroundings.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, many of the people who lived in this area cleared portions of land for crops and livestock. So there are swathes of grassland, indispersed among the heavily wooded forests. Ideal grazing for the elk and white-tailed dee and it wasn’t long before we saw some deer in the grass. As you can see, they were not underfed.

The Loop trail at Cades Cove takes you past some of the remaining 80 historic cottages and buildings in the park, from bygone farms to churches and graveyards and an accompanying brochure provides historical information, in conjunction with sign boards at each site. We were surprised, at this early hour of 7am, how many cars were already doing the slow drive. But, apparently this is the most popular part of the Smoky Mountains.

We determined to stop at each of the sites, most cars didn’t. Our first, was the cabin built by John Oliver who bought land in 1826 and built the small house. He, and his family of 4 generations lived there for 100 years.

It’s a great example of the building style of the era. Felled trees were notched in the corners so no nails or pegs were needed. The open spaces between the logs were filled with mud to keep out the elements. The chimney, of local stone was also held together with a mortar of mud.

Next up, a primitive Baptist church. There are three churches on the loop and each has a graveyard. The Baptist church was established in 1827 but the original log cabin was replaced by the current, more elaborate structure in 1887. The other two, a Methodist church and a Missionary church, were built in 1902 and 1915 respectively.

Primitive Baptist above.

Methodist above

Missionary above

As we drove, the clouds hung like white cotton wool over the grassland between the trees. I’ve not gotten tired of these green forests.

As we determined to stop at all the sites , some of the buildings were near the road, but others, a distance walk, giving an opportunity to experience the surroundings.

Like this quite strange flower, butterflies, dragonfly, fungi and the wild turkeys who share the grassland.

Cades Cove is situated on the plains and the Smoky Mountains surround us in the distance.

The next homestead was owned by Elijah Oliver and his family who moved into this dwelling after the civil war (1865). The complex consists of the cabin, a springhouse to keep dairy products cold, by way of redirecting the stream to run under the building, a smokehouse, corn crib for grinding corn into meal, and a barn.

The next dwelling, constructed later in the 1880s was the only dwelling left in the park built in this way. They used 4 inch thick square-sawed logs with jointed corners and it was unique because sawed log houses weren’t built until sawmills arrived in the area during the early 1900s.

The cantilever barns are also unique and quite amazing. Similar to the one we saw yesterday, it has two log cribs supporting each end and an empty space in the middle to feed livestock. The lofts were used to store hay and the overhang for sheltering farm equipment. These types of barns were popular in southeastern USA, particularly in Tennessee, although their origins are sketchy. It’s surmised that they originated by taking ideas from several settler cultures including German, Swedish and Irish. It was also suggested that because governments of this era taxed on the square footage of buildings, if a large proportion didn’t touch the ground, it couldn’t be taxed.

The barn pictured here is a replica, but constructed exactly as would have been. The property, including the barn and other buildings, belonged to William Tipton and was built during the 1820s.

Not long after seeing the barn, there was another traffic jam on the loop road. It could only mean one thing! A bear! Many people just abandon their cars on the road to head down to the front of the queue to see what’s been spotted and sure enough, it was another black bear with two cubs. One just in front of mama bear and the rogue, right up the tree.

Not long after the bear sighting, we were lucky to see another white tailed deer and some elk, just grazing on the side of the road and not bothered about the vehicles.

Surprisingly, driving the 11 mile loop road and all the stops, hikes and sightseeing along the way, took us all day. We’d booked two nights at the campground and decided that since it was a long weekend, we would do a waterfall hike in the morning, then head out of the park and take in some of the neighbouring towns on our way to the other end of the Smoky Mountains.

As we’ve travelled, we’ve tried to fit in as much as we can because we know that we won’t be retracing our steps. Consequently, rain, hail or shine, we’ve headed out to see what we came to see. We woke to a very overcast sky and realised it had rained quite a bit overnight. Not to be deterred, we drove out along the loop for the third time, to the waterfall trailhead, half way along. It’s a popular hike and there is a large car park. There were already a number of vehicles parked and people were donning backpacks and hiking shoes, so we figured, they must know that the light rain which was falling would dissipate.

We wore rain jackets, waterproof shoes and carried umbrella’s just in case.

The trail was uphill and ran alongside a fast flowing creek and among the beautiful green trees and foliage we were accustomed to. Except for the ones that had lost their grasp on the ground and toppled over.

There were a couple of bridges, you get a sense of how dark it was in the trees with such a heavy clouded sky.

As we continued, the canopy opened up to let the light in and it was quite stunning. Notwithstanding the rain that hadn’t abated!

In fact, it got heavier, and darker. Then we heard rumbling. Surely it wasn’t thunder? We kept on, up the trail and soon after the rumble a flash. You’re kidding me? A thunderstorm? We started to rethink our decision to do the hike. All the while, the rain was falling and the thunder and lightening getting louder and closer together.

We had seen some people head out before us and they hadn’t returned so we continued on, until there was almost as much water pouring down the trail as there was in the creek! By now my waterproof shoes were so wet my feet were squelching. We’d brought out the umbrellas but even they weren’t helping and the thunder and lightening coupled with the now slippery, flowing trail convinced us to turn around.

This was the trail, not the creek!

On the way back, treading quite gingerly, we passed two people headed out to go fishing. Crazy! And all the while, the thunder, lightening and rain continued.

We’d hiked out about 3 miles so by the time we arrived back at Joey, we were very wet and glad to have a warm shower and dry clothes waiting for us. And wouldn’t you know it! By the time we were showered and changed, the rain had stopped and the storm passed. However, considering the amount of rain and the way it was gushing down the trail, we weren’t inclined to set out again. This was one waterfall we were going to miss.

Our plan was to drive out of the park and visit some of the surrounding towns, then head back into the park, after the Memorial Day long weekend, so we exited the park and joined the main highway to Gatlinburg.

Using Google maps on our phones for navigation has been fantastic because it gives live traffic information. As we neared Gatlinburg, the traffic got heavier, and heavier, until we were almost at a standstill. We could see on Google maps that the road was red for quite a distance. We could not have imagined the amount of traffic making their way to this town, at a snails pace. Until we arrived at the town and realised it was one big amusement arcade. There was benefit to the slow traffic procession though, we could sightsee along the drive without finding a park.

However, with this much traffic there was little chance we’d find a park, so we kept on until we exited Gatlinburg, deciding to stop at the following town, Pigeon Forge, where the traffic had eased. A walk through the town revealed it was similar to Gatlinburg with an amusement park through the town, including many tourist t-shirt and gift paraphernalia shops. There were dodgem cars, pirate swings, merry-go-rounds, large slides, to name a few, and large seemed to be the drawcard to encourage custom.

There were also large buildings, well painted and adorned with themed rides. This one was a boat ride around a “Jurassic Park” type canal inside a large warehouse. You’d almost think you were in Disneyland.

Always on the lookout for uniquely American items, we found these marvels in diversification.

If we had a coffee percolator I would have bought one to try.

Walking into the actual town of Pigeon Forge, beyond the tourist spots, we discovered the town was settled in 1783 and originally called “Forks of Little Pigeon.” We found a quite majestic town hall and a statue to a very clever dog called Bertie the Bird Dog.

We also learned that Pigeon Forge was the birthplace of Dolly Parton.

The following morning we discovered a very scenic river walk through town.

And an amazing highway lined with Disney-like themed rides, more mini-golf venues than you’d think would survive, experiences and food outlets.

This was a movie theatre that showed IMAX style movies.

And I bet you can guess what this was representing! We thought it was a ride or restaurant but it was actually a Titanic museum and exceptionally well done.

For anyone of a certain age, you’ll remember the Beverly Hillbillies TV show with Ma and Pa Kettle. Well this was a theatre restaurant themed show, complete with live goats and chickens milling around outside.

Notice anything odd about this building?

We think it was a museum, but very clever.

That night the rain returned, but by later in the morning, it had abated. A local told us that they can never rely on weather forecasts because Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg sit in a valley flanked by the Great Smoky Mountains. Sometimes the clouds appear out of nowhere, from the mountains and they get a drenching, and others, menacing clouds that look like a storm, don’t drop any rain.

Yesterday, we walked the length of the river walk alongside the river. This morning, there was flooding in a number of spots and the river was flowing incredibly quickly. This is the spot where the mural photo I posted earlier was.

Having spent our Memorial Day long weekend in Pigeon Forge, trying to evade the crowds, we decided to spend Tuesday at Dolly Parton’s Dollywood theme park, just for something different. You can’t beat a good theme park! We downloaded the maps and planned our day to maximise our rides. We hoped that waiting until Tuesday, it might be less busy. So, bright and early we drove Joey to the entrance gate and were ushered in to park in the RV spots. The area Dollywood is built on in Pigeon Forge, is quite undulating and we expected, as is always the case, that the RV’s would be parked in the back of beyond, far from the entrance. Imagine our surprise when we found the RV car park was with the tour buses, just up the hill from the VIP car parks.

Dollywood is on 165 acres and I swear the car parks take up more than half. They’re so expansive that there’s a trolly train with a dozen or more carriages to ferry people from the car parks to the entrance. We had a 5 minute walk! We were in the first few people to be admitted and armed with the map, made a bee line for our first ride.

We did the Mystery Mine, Blazing Fury, Daredevil falls and Tennessee Tornado in quick succession and didn’t have to queue for any. Then we had a breather to actually look around.

Dolly is everywhere! In fact, the souvenir booklet quotes her saying “going through Dollywood is like a tour through my life.” The park’s theme is butterflies and each season there’s a different festival. The current theme was flowers and food and there were a number of topiary sculptures throughout the park.

Much of the food was Southern style and involved different varieties of BBQ meat, macaroni with lashings of cheese, candied sweet potatoes, and lots of fried chicken but there were also sweet treats like funnel cakes, donuts, fresh, hot cinnamon bread which smelled amazing and chocolate or caramel dipped apples.

And THE biggest apple pie I’ve ever seen!

I doubted Dolly kept her figure eating desserts like these.

There is a bird aviary housing a number of bald eagles and several other birds of prey that they use for flight shows.

And a number of other attractions, like these simple but very effective umbrella’s. There’s a steam train that circumnavigates the park and like Disney, each area is themed, for example, Wildwood Grove, Show Street or Rivertown Junction.

We took in two musical shows, the Hall Sisters country singing quartet who also played violins, guitars and the piano and the Smoky Mountain String Band a trio of three men, the oldest, and funniest in his seventies and boy he could play the banjo! My only complaint was that their stint wasn’t long enough.

To round off the day, we visited the Dolly Parton experience, a visual extravaganza, detailing her life in pictures, video footage and music from her first outings as a 13 year old to her current philanthropic ventures. We even had a look through her tour bus. Neither of us are particular Dolly fans, or even country music fans but seeing her life through music and pictures from where she started out and her sheer determination, we can appreciate how much she’s accomplished.

All in all, a fun day was had. After our few days of crowds and shops though, we were ready to head back to the Great Smoky Mountains.

I have to say I never get sick of this beautiful scenery. These Mountains are truly magnificent, from their broad sweeping plains, to forests, wildlife and flora. We travelled through the middle of the mountains on the Newfound Gap Road, through Smokemont, then along the Blueridge Parkway that we loved so much last time we were here.

Our first stop was Laurel Falls, a 2.6 mile round trip, the first half of which was all uphill.

Although it was barely 8am, the trail was already busy so we hightailed it to falls and back in double quick time. Mostly because there were other sights to see and carparking, much less RV parking, was at a premium.

We drove through Newfound Gap, crossed the famous Appalachian Trail and hiked up Chimney Tops Trail. Another uphill trek, and one of the most popular hikes in the park, it gains 1,400 feet over 2 miles and has some spectacular views.

Continuing along the road, we came to this interesting sign, a little wary of how tight it might actually be for Joey to negotiate but we had no trouble. This was followed soon after by another tunnel.

We’re still loving these waterfall hikes and it’s the right time of year to view them. The weather is generally good, like Goldilocks porridge, not too hot and not too cold, but just right!

About half way through the park travelling south, we crossed the border from Tennessee into North Carolina and soon thereafter, Newfound Gap.

These mountains are truly spectacular. In the first picture below you can even see the road in the distance.

Further along the road, we came to Mingus Mill. A short walk along a beautiful trail led us to the Mill and aqueduct, built in 1886.

Running for 50 years, the mill ground wheat into flour and corn into meal for the mountain communities. In 1968 the National Park Service renovated it to be operational but more recent flooding from the water course has destabilised some of the supporting timbers so it is currently out of action.

Our next stop was the Mountain Farm Museum on the Oconaluftee River and the chance to see some more very well fed elk and deer that weren’t the slightest bit concerned about us.

The museum is a recreation of a late 1800s village where the structures have been relocated to this site and renovated. There is a farmhouse, barn, apple house, spring house and a blacksmith shop.

We exited the Great Smoky Mountains with a hint of regret, knowing that we would not return but having thoroughly enjoyed our few days exploring this beautiful part of America and seeing wildlife in its natural surroundings.

We officially hit the Blueridge Parkway and continued through North Carolina.