The Other Scenes of the Smoky Mountains

 I came to this part of the country because I wanted to get away an experience mountains. Most of the week there was spent driving up the mountain, hiking around, and seeing all the view points we could. One of my favorite things was getting up early to watch the sun rise over these misty mountains. I never get sick of watching the sun rise.

I didn't keep track of what trails we did, what roads we took, or what lookouts we stopped at. All I know is we drove through the area many times, never disappointed by what we saw. So here are a few more of my favorite picks from this gorgeous part of the world. I can't wait to go back. And from Austin Texas it's only a 16 hour drive there. Very doable considering how big Texas is.

The Waterfalls of the Smoky Mountains

 I love waterfalls. Any hike that ends in a waterfall, or has waterfalls along the way, is a hike I want to do. Through in some mountain streams, rivers, anything with moving water and I am in. I love it. I love the sound of the water, the things that surround the water, everything. I'm obsessed. Not much else I can say, but enjoy all the waterfall pictures I could take. 

The Animals of the Smoky Mountains

 Part of the fun of being in the mountains is seeing all the animals you don't really get to see in every day life. Of course we saw plenty of squirrels and birds. Actually, while horseback riding, Justin had just finished telling me about how squirrels will through things at you on occasion. Not long after, he got hit in the head with an acorn that a squirrel threw at him. I laughed pretty hard. He suffered a small bump on the head. What are the odds?

Apart from the standard wildlife, we hadn't really seen much of anything else. We did see a wolf run across the road in the early morning, saw a few wild pigs, and of course there are lots of birds and wild turkeys. But we wanted to see elk and black bears. Those are pretty standard things to see in this part of the world.

All week long we hadn't run across any of these animals we wanted to see. The last day of the trip we were hoping to see animals. We drove up to the New Found Gap - this is a great lookout point for a stunning view of the mountains. It's also on the Tennessee - North Carolina state line, and has bathrooms. We drove up in the morning to enjoy the view, and then decided to take advantage of the bathrooms.

 You walk a few hundred yards along a trail to get to the bathrooms. I noticed a man standing on the trail looking into the trees. He pointed out there was a small black bear, about 10 feet away from us. I was shocked. 

They were completely silent, eating breakfast without a sound. I used my great zoom lens camera to take as many pictures as I dared, before moving along and putting some distance between myself and the bear. He was not concerned by the three of us on-lookers, but was engrossed with getting some breakfast. I would not want to tangle with one in the wild, but they are sure beautiful. Especially in the foggy mysterious morning time. That was exciting.

We then took a drive on a separate road that led into North Carolina. There was this beautiful meadow, and in the meadow were herds of elk. It was so pretty. We took a lot of pictures, and then were able to pull into a parking lot of a visitor center right on the edge of this meadow and really get some close up pictures of these amazing animals. They are so beautiful at the base of a mountain.

In the same field were a few butterflies posing on some lovely wildflowers. I have a really good zoom lens camera and has some more fun taking butterfly pictures. It was a great last day to get in all the wildlife.

Gatlinburg Tennessee

 Gatlinburg Tennessee is a beautiful little town right at the entrance to the Smoky Mountains Park. That being said, it is all for the tourists. The main street is all shops. They also have an aquarium, and other kinds of game shops, mini golf, arcades, etc. But it is mainly an area for shopping. We spent a day walking around and seeing what there was. I always love a good candy store, so we made a few pit stops to see what was there. 

Restaurants are all along this street as well. Even though we were there in them midst of the pandemic, the streets were jam packed with tourists. I guess in this part of the world there is no such thing as an off season. But it was a nice excursion to play the tourist and wonder through the town for a few hours. 

The Tuckaleechee Caverns in Tennessee

 

One of the days was supposed to be full of rain. We did a short hike in the morning and then decided to go explore the Tuckaleechee caves in Townsend, Tennessee. These caves are located inside one of the Smoky Mountain ranges. 

The caves are estimated to be 20 - 30 million years old, with an underground waterfall 210 feet tall. 

The caverns also host a seismograph system monitored by the US Department of Defense and the Unites States Geological Survey.

It was a guided tour, and really worth seeing. It's a very popular spot to explore in Tennessee, and of course the gift shop has rock candy. Definitely a spot worth stopping to see.

Pigeon Forge Tennessee

 Pigeon Forge is a small city right next to the Smoky Mountain National Park entrance. It's a bit less expensive than Gatlinburg, and not very big. The main road through town is only about 3 miles long and then you move onto the next town. 

But yes, this is where Dollywood is at. It was not open when we were there because of the pandemic, so it wasn't on our list of things to do.

I had picked to stay in Pigeon Forge based on my research that it was close to the park entrance and was cheaper than Gatlinburg. This town is definitely for the tourists. Pancake House restaurants and mini golf is on every street corner. There are arcades, lots of dinner theater places, small size roller coasters, games, quirky museums, etc. If you have children, this town is for you. Lots of quirky things to do and see to keep the kids entertained. Shops everywhere, candy stores, and lots of restaurants and fast food. And it was always jam packed with people. Everywhere you looked, anytime you tried to drive through town, it was a mess of people all the time.

Justin and I were there for the nature aspect, plus it was during the pandemic, so going to an arcade or quirky museum was not really on our list of things to do. Plus we were so tired by the end of the day we didn't really want to fight crowds of people. 

There were a lot of places where it was a family style all you can eat dinner with a show attached. We thought about going, and even attempted to on one occasion. But you had to buy tickets in advanced (they were all sold out) and it was rather pricey. $60 a person for dinner, which looked on the mediocre side, and a cheesy show. Just not our kind of thing.

The problem for us was definitely the food options. During the day was fine - we were hiking so we packed sandwiches and snacks, and breakfast we made in the room as we had a microwave, fridge, and single portable burner. Eggs and bacon and sausage probably made our neighbors jealous. Dinner came to be an issue every time. 

Being from Austin, Texas, we are spoiled for food choices. And it's good, hole in the way, real people authentic good quality stuff. To go to a town where your food options are fast food - McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, etc., was not really great. They do have restaurants as well, Outback Steakhouse, Longhorn Steakhouse, and some other local style places. The food wasn't bad, but it just wasn't the options we enjoy. Needless to say dinner was always disappointing. When you don't eat fast food often, you often feel really sick afterwards. So if you stay here, and you are a foodie, be prepared to be disappointed. Or bring your own portable burners and cook your own food in your hotel rooms. That is the best option.

Streams in the Smoky Mountains

 

Just as a follow up to the waterfalls, lets show off some of the beautiful streams we saw along our hikes. Can you see why I'm obsessed? The pictures pretty much speak for themselves, so enjoy the scenery.