A summer in the Smokies, part 1

On top of Old Smokey, all covered in snow…

Well, not in the middle of July with temperatures hovering between 90 and 100, but you are at 5,000+ feet so it does cool off fast. Eileen and I made the trip this summer to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a prelude to a family reunion in Nashville. It had been many years since I was last there and had always wanted to return, but life and raising kids got in the way. We decided this time to visit on our own since now without kids, we could do what we wanted to do, and on our own schedule. We also decided to upgrade our accommodations by staying in various Bed and Breakfasts in the area.

Our yellow brick road was actually Interstate pavement lined with the verdant green of corn and soybean as we traveled through Illinois and Indiana. Entering Kentucky, we headed east on the Bourbon Trail, passing bluegrass pastures with white fences lined with thoroughbreds. Turning south into Tennessee, we passed through the Cumberland Gap as had many settlers centuries past. Heading back east from Knoxville we entered the traffic nightmare most call Dollywood. We drove for miles and miles in creeping traffic, which made rush hour in Chicago seem faster. What should have been a 15-20 minute trip turned into over an hour of start and stop traffic. We immediately decided that an alternate return path, even if longer, was more acceptable.

Finally, we entered Gatlinburg, where we (well, I) got lost. The GPS said turn on a street that wasn’t marked, so we had to improvise. Eventually, it recalculated and we were home free – The Tudor Inn Bed and Breakfast www.tudortn.com.

A few points on why we chose B&Bs this trip versus regular hotels. In the high season, which I believe is all year except when the Smokies are covered with snow, hotels are almost the same price as the B&B’s and if you add in the added cost of breakfast at hotel prices, I would say you tend to break even. An added benefit is that at the B&B you tend to get more personalized service and knowledgeable owners that are eager to tell you about the area, sites, and events happening during your visit. We chose Gatlinburg as our base since it’s the main Tennessee entrance into the Smoky Mountains National Park, the southern expanse of the Appalachia Mountains. The park straddles the border between Tennessee and North Carolina, is intersected by the 2,200 mile-long Appalachian Trail and the Blue Ridge parkway. The trail is for hiking from Georgia to Maine; the parkway for driving. Why “Smokey”? Fog and mist tend to settle in the forests of the mountains regularly giving them a “smoky” look and feel. The National Park covers 800 square miles of the southern Appalachian Mountain range and surprise, surprise, based upon geological analysis, the oldest mountain range in the world, that’s right, the world.

High on a hill overlooking the city the Tudor Inn immediately immersed us in quiet solitude. Unfortunately, as is the case with most B&Bs, the rooms are not designed for handicapped accessibility. There are 18 steps in a circular pattern from the parking lot to the front door and all rooms are upstairs from there.

Wanting to make the most of our stay, we elected to try the “early to bed, early to rise” scenario for Day 1. Breakfast is served in an enclosed, but open air patio – it was exciting to feel as if you’re eating in a tree house, especially since we were entertained by Brutus the squirrel and the local cadre of cardinals, blue jays and other birds every morning. As happens in most B&Bs around the breakfast table, departing guests share their adventures while newcomers listen intently hoping to gain insight into areas, events, and happenings not noted in the local tourist guides. Located high above the main street in Gatlinburg, we were centrally located and within walking distance of many activities: the aquarium, trolley tour, alpine chair lift, sky tower and much more. Fortunately, you’re buoyed with a hardy breakfast prepared by Susan and Luanne that will keep you going most of the day. If you have to keep in touch, there’s WIFI.

Now back to Dollywood. If you have kids or grandkids to entertain, say no more. There’s more country goodness there to fill their day than I’ve seen in a long time; much more than the Wisconsin Dells. Who wouldn’t be entertained with the following: NASCAR Speed Park, miniature golf, Davey Crockett’s “Wrassle you for the last drop” show, the Hatfield and McCoy’s dinner show, Arcades, Ferris wheels and carnival rides, Zip lines, helicopter rides, Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride, Bungee Jumping, Splash Country Water Park, Lumberjack Feuds Show, and lastly, but definitely not least, the Dixie Stampede, where you can enjoy a four-course dinner and watch 32 magnificent horses perform and top-notch trick riders thrill you as you sup and much, much, more.

There are many beautiful sites Mother Nature has in store around Gatlinburg, but you generally have to hike to see them. The wild Rosebay rhododendrons, Mountain Laurel, lush greenery and thick trees you see as you trek through the middle of old growth hemlock forests are but a few of them. Another is the many waterfalls. One of these we visited was Grotto Falls. It is 25 feet high and the cool, moist area near the falls is your just reward for hiking up to see it. It is a nice hike over some rocky and root covered trails, but as long as you’re not in a big hurry, you will be fine. As you are sharing the same trails with the black bears, many people go looking for them. We, on the other hand, made as much noise as possible to alert them of our presence as we weren’t looking for an up close and personal photo op! We were also glad another hiker alerted us to the mountain rattlesnake just leaving the trail ahead of us. One bite may have ended our vacation!

Revived after a second good night’s sleep and another hearty Tudor breakfast, we headed to Cades Cove, the premiere site to possibly seeing bears as you drive through. There were wild turkeys and a deer but were later told bears arrived either early in the day or late in the evening, but seldom mid-day. Regardless, we enjoyed the huge, early settlements preserved throughout the area: farm houses, churches, barns, animal and feed pens, and an active gristmill grinding locally grown wheat and corn. Taking a different direction back, we deviated to Look Rock, a strange name, but great views. And to top it off, the motorcyclist group we asked to take our pictures was from Chicago! Small world.

The morning of our last day erupted with a tremendous thunderstorm, flooding and continuous weather alerts on my cell phone. DANGER in the mountains it proclaimed! Exactly where we were heading! Clingman’s Dome is the highest point in the Smoky Mountains and 3rd east of the Mississippi. On a clear day, you can see 4-5 states. Today our heads were in the rain clouds and we could only see ourselves. Excellent roads and no flooding streams allowed us to forge ahead and complete our trip through the Smokies. We did come to a standstill leaving the park however as two mighty elk grazed along the parkway, stopping traffic, including ourselves, as everyone feverishly snapped pictures before these magnificent creatures ventured off into the forest.

On our way out of the National Park, we had planned on taking a side-trip to Mingo Falls outside the Cherokee Indian Reservation. At 120 feet tall, it is the tallest and most spectacular in the area, but weather hampered our efforts. Not wanting to spend the latter part of the day drenched, we traveled on…

Next stop: Ashville, N.C.

---