Highlights:
Fall colors
Beautiful mountain ridges
Clingman's Dome: At the top!
Preserved cabin/farm sites with docents
Working water-powered grain mills
Great Smoky National Park
Oct. 15-19, 2008
300 miles and 6 hours from our last stop
Bob & Jenny's Cross Country Adventure
Day 60-64
Welcome to
What's next?
Mountain ridges, creeks, rivers, sculpted boulders, craggy cliffs, delicate dogwood & hemlock trees. The Great Smokies are beautiful anytime of the year but amazing in the Fall when you can crunch your way over the leaf-covered trails in a sureal world of color. Perhaps Springtime would be even better with the dogwood and rhododendrons in full bloom and waterfalls tumbling. The full gamut of weather came through during our stay, with freezing cold winds, drizzling rains, and blue skies.
While all the commercial historical sites are very expensive (Williamsburg etc), at the Smokeys you will be pleasantly surprised that everything is free. The above docent has been doing this for 16 years and her enthusiasm shines. If you want to experience this, you will need to visit the park in Sept. or Oct. while the volunteers are here.
This Appalachian cabin was made from the almost extinct American Chestnut tree which was desimated by a foreign blight. In their day of glory, these trees grew100 feet in height and 4 feet in diameter.The dovetail joints joining the walls together are cut in a way that drain the water away from the cabin.
Early morning mist of a calm river.
River walk out of Elkmont Campground.
A cabin along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Built in the 1800's, home to Appalachian families who farmed here for fifty years plus.
Many churches dating back to the early 1800's can be found in the Smokies.
At the highest peak in the Smokies at 6643 ft, Clingman's Dome, you can find one of the best views. A half-mile trail that climbs 200 ft to this lookout gives you a panoramic view of the park and cities beyond including Gatlinburg, Cherokee, and Lake Fontana. The prior evening, high winds blowing clouds past us, giave the sensation of flying. The next day, sun & calm created an entirely different experience.
We took a ride to the top of Clingman's Dome in the evening when the winds were howling and the wet clouds were rolling through. The temperature was 36 degrees and with the wind chill factor it was well below freezing. Brrrrrr
These Grist Mills were manned by docents in period costume grinding and making corn meal. The mill (left) was water wheel powered while the mill to the right was powered by a water turbine.
Jenny holding a stalk of Sorgum which was used to make Sorgum Molassas--good enough for pancakes!
One of "those" days!
After climbing 9 miles up a narrow windy mountain road with the trailer in tow, we arrived to Elkmont Campground only to be told we needed to get our water back at Sugarland Visit Center area, so.....
grumbling and frustrated, we began our 9-mile trek back down the narrow winding mountain road....
however, after about 9 miles of enjoying the beautiful fall colors and river views at each turn in the road, we woke up and realized we had taken a wrong turn. Not knowing what lay ahead, we drug 2-ton Nelly (our trailer) through a "19-point turn" in a turnout and grumbled our way back to Sugarland, only to find that we punctured a tire in the turnout. (Fortunately, no problem for burley Bob to fix!)
However, the final blow: Back at the campground,
a water spigot sat just yards away from our site!
Come on in!
Bob's Trading Post
Nantahala Gorge, one of the best kayaking/rafting rivers in the U.S.,is just outside the Smokies.
