Return to Smoky Mountain NP-103025

My audio tour, Shaka Guide, gave me the option of starting at either end of the Smoky Mountain National Park tour, from Cherokee, North Carolina, or Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Since I had just returned from Nashville the day before and would be working my way back east, Gatlinburg was the logical beginning for me. The weather forecast wasn’t ideal–still some rain expected and cloudy–but it was vastly better than the day before.

On my previous trip to Smoky Mountain NP, it was my first time in the park. I pretty much meandered my way through, sometimes to popular spots and sometimes off the beaten path. For this trip, the audio tour would probably cover the most popular routes in the park.

The map to the right shows the vast spread of Smoky Mountain NP. From the park entrance near Gatlinburg, the audio tour directed me towards Cades Cove, the remains of a village built by white settlers in the early 1800s. The Cades Cove Loop Road is a scenic drive through the remaining churches, cabins and other structures where the settlers used to live and work, and the audio tour provided background information along the way. While I was there on a Thursday in October, there were still a number of other visitors who, like me, were trying to take in the sights and get pictures, so at various times the traffic would slow to a stop. Patience was definitely a virtue there. Still, I’d bet this was low occupancy compared to other times.

The tour then directed me to the southeast and back on Rt. 441, so the pictures were similar to those I took the day before, but from the opposite perspective. I really appreciated the numerous overlooks and other pull-outs along the way because I could take my time and stop when I wanted to look and/or take pictures without disturbing others. With so many of us wandering the park, I didn’t see many animals, mainly horses and turkeys (?). The closest I came to a bear was the stuffed one in the visitors center at the Gatlinburg entrance (thank goodness). As the afternoon passed, I began thinking about a point where I might stop and get a few shots of the sunset; however, the clouds grew thicker and the temperatures dropped dramatically the higher I drove. I finally grew concerned that the road would become icy and more difficult to navigate (plus I know deer tend to come out after dark, making the risk of hitting one much higher). I decided the risk wasn’t worth the potential benefits and continued driving towards the park exit. Below is the same map, this time with my day’s route marked in blue.

I had already done my normal shopping for a park walking stick medallion and souvenir for my display shelf at home, and I was feeling the wear and tear of the last couple of days. My plan was to bypass another stop by the visitors center and drive directly to Cherokee when I saw several cars parked on the other side of the road. Then, what I saw made me do a U-turn and join them. A herd of elk had come to graze in a field near the center. I got lots of shots of them and the park rangers who were guarding them from us and guarding us from them.

Speaking of park rangers, I want to take this moment to express my sincere appreciation for them and their efforts to keep the parks open and operational during the government shutdown. They are working with reduced staffing and without pay until the government reopens; yet, they continue to retain their usual helpful and friendly demeanor.

Thank you all so much!

Friday promised to be a full day (that is, unless I changed my plans again), so I drove to Cherokee, got a sub for dinner, and settled for the night.

Again, I took a lot of pictures of the day. Several are below, with the rest at https://singin1.pics/piwigo/index.php?/category/Smoky-Mountain-NP-1030252.

As always, I thank the Lord for granting me the stamina to make the trip, the damn good reflexes to steer the Silver Bullet (SB) as she needed to be guided, and the ability to enjoy His handiwork as it whizzes by my windshield.

Most of the day, I listened to the Shaka Guide audio tour of the park, so my playlist wasn’t used much. It did finish cycling through a couple of days prior and had begun the 285-song list again. At some point, I will select a different file order on the app so that I don’t get too familiar with what selection is coming next.

One more day to this trip (I think)….