7-9-17  a walk in the woods:

Today was the day the kids have been waiting for for quite some time.  Today they were hiking up Mt. Le Conte and sleeping in a cabin.  So after they cooked us breakfast, we all headed off to the mountains.   Wasn't sure what kind of weather they were going to have----

 Lots of low hanging clouds.

lots of pretty scenery along the way

 lots of mountain views

 even a little jaunt through part of Gatlinburg to get to the the starting point that they chose.  Apparently there are about 6 different trails up the mountain from near Gatlinburg.

 Cute little tourist town.

 It was quite busy with tourists.

 then into the Smoky Mountains

 their drop off spot.

 Engines started----

 and they're off----

 quite a climb with over 3300' elevation in 6.7 miles!

 doesn't look like the easiest of trails, either.  They said a lot of the trail was inches of mud and llama poop or covered with tree roots.

 With them gone, we continued on our way.  Stopped and explored some of the pull offs.

 still had quite a few wild rhodies blooming.

 the road followed a river, so I went wild taking water photos.

 I like doing the slow shutter to blur the water, but I'm too lazy to carry a tripod.

 so many beautiful views!

 even came across an old mill.

 water still ran down the flume.

on to another part of the river

 and another old historic house.  Had to have been a hard life back then, but the setting sure was pretty.

 the river behind the above house.

 a series of waterfalls right along the road.

old barn and truck as we headed out of the park.

 and we ended up back in Gatlinburg.

 the restaurant we ended up eating at after we picked the kids up the next day.

 one of the many moonshine stores.

 looking down the main street.

 there were a couple viewing areas we drove past when taking the kids to their stop, so I suggested we ride the loop again.  Even picked up one of the tour booklets at the entrance to the loop for $1.

 another old house along the way.

 lots of woods.

 one of the viewpoints.

 interesting textures

 and shapes

 and odd flowers.

 back to the river

 passing the trailhead where the kids started from to get to the summit of Mt. Le Conte.

 the one way road as it continues along the loop.

 some wild flowers along the road (I need to get a macro lens!)

 more wild flowers.

 and more

 We missed this stop first time around.  Glad we didn't this time!  Love all the mossy covered rocks!

 great place to be a butterfly

 heading back up to the car from down by the river.

 another stop---another old house.  I thought this one was interesting the way it had 2 rooms divided by a walkway.

 a blue morph?

 behind the house was a trail to the river

 more slow shutter river photos.

and back to the car---where Ken waited.  Our new car!

 on to another part of the river.

 and back to Gatlinburg

 by now it was time to eat again, so we stopped at this place by the entrance to the park.

 It reminded me of the restaurants in the lodges in the National parks, but it wasn't in the park.

 Smokey the Ken

it was the park grill. 

 Cute place and good food!

 then we headed into a different part of the park and on towards Cades Cove.

 the river by the the entrance to the park from another area of the park.

 Took us about 1 1/2 hours to get to Cades Cove from Gatlinburg, but it was worth it.  We've been here a couple times with the kids, but it never gets old.

 one of the few wild turkeys we saw there.

 love the meadow views up there.

 and all the wild flowers

 more meadow views

 The main loop through Cades Cove is 11 miles and only goes 1 way.  There is one spot where you can cut through and shorten the trip, but why would anyone want to do that?!

 more wild flowers

 an old church on the route

 and more meadows

 We got there in the afternoon, but on Sun. mornings and I believe Wed. mornings the road is closed to traffic and just open to bicyclers and hikers.  But bicyclers can ride through anytime.  Some of the route is pretty steep, but I thought this would be a fun bike ride.

 love the clouds up here today.

 One way to enjoy the Cades Cove loop.

 it's a beautiful ride

 more wild flowers---purple ones this time.

 more purple ones

 another old farm house. 

 We didn't stop at the visitors'/gift center this time, but there are several old buildings and an old mill there, too.

continuing down the road

 wild yellow flowers.

 It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon---obvious from the line of traffic along the route.  This is why you don't do the 11 mile loop if you're in a hurry.

 But the scenery makes the traffic seem not so bad.

 We headed down from the mountains about 5pm.  Got back to the kids' house about 6:30.  Fed the critters, then went up to Lakeside Grill for dinner.  Another great dinner.  It's also close to the spot we often go to for sunset.  Not many clouds again tonight, but it was still nice.

 looking to the southwest

 wonder if the Amtrak goes along here?!

 there was a young man up here with a little boy and girl.  They were keeping him busy with all the little fish they were catching.

 Another view southwest.

 zoomed in a bit.

 looking northwest.

it was another fantastic day in and around the Knoxville area.  This really is a great place to live.  Too bad it's not big enough for a Cintas warehouse in need of a manager!