Day 24 - Smoky Mountains National Park, TN

After a very wet night in the tent with constant rainfall, some of which was so loud on the tent, it sounded like a rock slide, we found a break in the rain and packed up.

During the night, one of the park wardens came around the campsite shouting that the river was at capacity and to be careful if hiking the next day as there was a lot of flooding. We were glad to have done the hike the day before but then started to worry about 'what if the dam breaks'. Both Lee and I admitted to each other that we'd been on the phone googling about the the dam to see what the chances were of it breaking and whether we were at risk at being caught in the flood. Thankfully our campsite was higher than the dam and in the wrong direction! I think we'd spent too long at Toccoa Falls the day before!

Lee using my raincoat as his was wet to go and clean his teeth

As we were heading away from the park, there were further radio announcements about the amount of rain and all the flooding in the area, they were recommending people avoid the area.

We were too wet and in a rush to get away from the river that we didn't have time to cook any breakfast so we headed to a Waffle House in a nearby town. It was our first ever Waffle House experience! Breakfast was very nice. We sat at the bar and watched it being cooked so knew exactly what happened to our food from start to finish! Plus, it was cheap!!

 Man confused as to why anyone would want their picture taken in a Waffle House!






Refueled, we headed towards the Smoky Mountains, apparently the busiest National Park in the country and completely free. On the way, we stopped off at the North Carolina Visitors Center where a really helpful lady told us to take a detour before heading into the park down US 64. Her friend had driven down this road the day before and as a result of all the rain, the roadside waterfalls were spectacular. She wasn't wrong!!

Next stop was the enterance to the Smoky Mountains which from the South is a Cherokee Indian Reservation. We stretched our legs walking around the arts and craft shops.

Our campsite was a primitive campsite in the Smoky Mountains called Smokemont. It was a lovely campsite but very quiet, most of the sites were empty. Camping was basic, just a toilet which flushed and a sink with no soap. No showers.

Once the tent was up, we spent the rest of the day exploring the Smoky Mountains. It really was an adventure! The Smoky Mountains smoke. Well, its more like a misty vapor that comes out of the trees. It is eerie and beautify. But sometimes this smoke becomes and full on thick fog and this happened to us when we hiked up to the highest point, Clingmans Dome. Rather than seeing a lovely vista for miles, we saw a wall of white but we did spot a bear on the way up and he was right next to the car! Only about 1 meter away! All the times we have stayed in Yosemite and never seen a bear yet an hour at the Smoky Mountains and there is one next to the car! This wasn't the last bear we saw either!

After Clingmans Dome, we headed through the park to Cades Cove. The drive through the park was amazing - it was wiggling, with a 360 turn at one stage, with lots of pull outs showing off the amazing view and wildlife. We saw wild turkeys and deer.

It took a long time to get to Cades Cove, a lot longer than we had expected and we were both expecting it to be a bit of a let down after the drive we'd just had through the park but it wasn't, it was one of the best things we did in the Smoky Mountains. Cades Cove is a 11-mile one way loop around a valley (or cove) surrounded by mountains. There are lots of stop offs to either view the wildlife, take in the view or visit one of the many original buildings from the early settlers. The highlight for me on the tour was the 3 separate bear sightings! The best one being 3 bears in a tree!!

When we'd finished our drive around Cades Cove, I spotted a 'short cut' home which I thought would be quicker and easier than the long drive we had to get there. The drive involved taking Rich Mountain Road. I should have guessed from the sign saying it was 'unimproved, primative access, one way' road that it wasn't going to be the sort of drive that either Lee or Fin would enjoy. I loved it! It basically took us over a mountain and down the otherside, much quicker than driving around. Lee didn't enjoy it, his knuckles were white the whole way along as he gripped onto the steering wheel.

Once we were finally back on the main road, we had a quick snack for dinner in Gatlinburg and then headed back to the campsite. This is when Lee proved what a good driver he is. The weather had changed, it was raining heavily and the fog had come down the mountain and was now really thick on the roads. You could not see more than a couple of feet in front of the car. Lee was driving at 10 mph for most of the way back to the campsite (on a 55mph road!). He got us both back safely and earned a well deserved kiss at the end of the night.