My day started out early with a walk-about around the campground. It was a cool and crisp morning. I took some photos of the surrounding forest and small river nearby. It was really nice being out by myself, smelling the early morning campfires, breakfast cooking and seeing everyone begin to stir.
Once I returned to our camp we got a few more things settled around camp and had a quick & easy lunch before heading out to the Cades Cove Loop. The 'cove' is a flat valley between mountain ridges. Then the loop is an eleven mile one-way driving tour within the Cove. Two million visitors a year make this drive. Today we decided to drive it and stop along the one way loop to see all the old settlement homesteads and buildings. Last year we did this and had Roxy with us ... So we weren't able to do any of the stops. Today we left Roxy in the Airstream to rest her paw while we did the tour. It was so amazing and I am so glad we came back this year to do this. The first non-Indian settlers came here in 1818. This place is a showcase for some of the most inspiring natural treasures. One of our favorite stops was at the Elijah Oliver house. At this stop you had to hike a half mile back in the woods to see this settlement. After five hours we made almost all of the stops along the loop and hope to hit the ones we missed in the morning. We did not see as much wild life as last year ... Just a few deer and a bear.
Tomorrow we will get up early and ride our bikes on this same eleven mile loop. A few days a week during the summer the loop is closed in the morning to vehicles to allow for walking and biking only. This evening we grilled our hamburgers outside and had another great campfire.
Tomorrow we will get up early and ride our bikes on this same eleven mile loop. A few days a week during the summer the loop is closed in the morning to vehicles to allow for walking and biking only. This evening we grilled our hamburgers outside and had another great campfire.
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