Our first full day in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Day 8

Woke up to rain on our first of three days in the Great Smoky National Park, but we knew it was coming and it didn’t stop us from having a great day!

Using the awning on our van for the first time, we cranked it out only two feet, creating just enough shelter for me to boil water for our coffee.  We had a leisurely breakfast inside the van and we on the road by 10:30. 

Despite the light drizzle, the 19 mile drive to Cade’s Cove was a beauty, following the banks of the Little River, through a continuous gorge of steep rocky cliffs thickly lined with rhododendrons.  

In this area a cove is another word for valley, and Cade’s Cove is a valley where the Cherokee tribe allowed some English immigrants to settle in the 1800’s. The settlement grew to 700 at one point, but was eventually abandoned as second generations moved on to more prosperous areas of Appalachia.  

There’s an 11 mile driving loop that circles the valley.  There are constant pullovers that we frequently used to take in the sights. All in all, we spent over 4 hours driving a total of 54 miles.  The rain was intermittent, so we were able to have a picnic lunch of last night’s leftover pulled pork & beans.   Just as good as it was last night.

For the rest of the afternoon, we stopped into the park’s main visitor center, watched a movie about the park, toured the gift shop, and the natural history museum which focused on all the plants and wildlife in the park.  

There is a greater variety of trees in this park than in all of Western Europe.   Leaving the park, we drove into Gatlinburg to a laundromat.  

Have to dry my wool socks inside the van.

After 8 days on the road, it’s time to wash a few things and pick up some take out for dinner.  It's raining so we won't be cooking.  Pizza!