In what was now a daily
routine we checked the weather on the morning of day 3.
Ok. Hurricane Nate's path
has shifted back to the east a little but it still looks like our houses will be ok, It might be raining harder than we thought on our drive home but there was no need to hurry so if it got bad we'd just stop somewhere.
We both agrees that skipping the geocaching event was
a good idea because it would be raining in the mountains just when we
would have arrived, meaning we might not have been able to do and see
as much.
The storm would be over,
with the possible exception of some rain, by the time we were ready
to go home so all was well and our adventures could continue.
As we walked out of the
hotel we saw a trash can that had been knocked over and dug through.
A bear was here! I can
honestly say that if I hadn't seen the bears the day before I might have cried because while I
was looking for a bear in the pool, I missed the bear on the porch.
Oddly, this hotel has
regular trash cans instead of bear proof – which probably explains
why there's a bear hanging around their parking lot at night.
After a pancake breakfast
we were off.
Our first stop was
Sugarlands Visitor Center where we hiked a beautiful trail to
the John Ownby Cabin.
It's so easy to immerse
yourself in the history of the area here and I could almost see the
Ownby family going about their daily lives.
I was really proud of
myself for making it to NewfoundGap without having a panic attack but this road was completely
different.
The road
leading to Newfound Gap was nice and wide with a guard rail
and the feeling that there was plenty of room on both sides for cars
coming and going.
The road
to Cade's Cove was NOT my kind of road. I felt like the
oncoming cars whipping around the curves were going to run us off the
road at any minute.
And Dad wasn't much help.
“Look over there. Hey there's a guy fly fishing in the creek.
Did you see those rocks?”
No, I didn't see anything
because someone has to watch the road!
We went up to 5,000 feet
yesterday and I didn't need a Valium but today we were only traveling
to 1,000 feet and I was looking for a Pez dispenser to deliver Valium
fast enough for me to make it up the mountain.
We passed a waterfall with
a scenic overlook and he said “Oh I wanted to stop there” and
then acted like he was going to turn around.
“
NO NO NO!” I did NOT
want to turn around on that narrow road and after he made a u-turn on the side of Cheaha Mountain with a Snickers in his mouth and a Coke
in his hand I knew I never wanted to be in the car when he made a
u-turn again.
So we passed the waterfall
and went on up into Cade's Cove.
Words can't describe how
beautiful this valley is! I really enjoyed seeing everything we'd
seen so far but once we got into the valley I felt like I was home.
Which is weird for a woman
who's never lived farther than 10 miles from the coast. I've always
said salt water runs through my veins but the views and serenity
brought the same sense of calm and home that looking at the Gulf
does.
I am truly the daughter of
a son of a son of a sailor man but this area really spoke to me.
Once we got back to the
car we drove along for a short while and then had a picnic at a
scenic pull over.
It was incredible seeing
the mountains circling us.
Wildlife in the Cove is
abundant and a lot of people were watching the tree line for bear,
deer or whatever else might wander into the field.
I've heard so many stories
of bobcat, bears, and deer wandering the valley but all I saw was a
squirrel. A grey squirrel – the exact same kind we have at home.
Interestingly, the fact
that I didn't see anything on this day didn't bother me. I think the
time we spent climbing the mountain
cut into time we may have seen something but I'd seen bears, turkeys,
elk and chipmunks yesterday.
I can say without a doubt,
the adventure on the mountain was worth it. I also know that I will
be back.
Soon.
After lunch we drove on
the the Cade's Cove Primitive Baptist Church.
I would love to travel
back in time and attend a service here.
The cemetery behind the
church had some very interesting old graves but one in particular
caught my eye.
Murdered by North Carolina
Rebels?
I had to know that story
so I did a little reading and discovered this and this.
No one knows for sure but
interestingly, his son is buried right behind him in the Primitive
Baptist Church Cemetery.
There is also a Methodist
Church
As well as a Missionary Baptist Church.
I would have enjoyed
wandering around more of the old cemeteries and cabins but my hip was
screaming and the idea of walking anywhere wasn't appealing.
And as I said, I'll be
back.
We made the loop and ended
up at the Visitor's Center/Campground Store.
Sad to leave but armed
with large cups of coffee we were off on our next adventure,
The sun rose and almost
set and so far day 3 of our 10 day adventure was a success.
Little did we know that in
a few short hours everything was going to change.
Labels: Done
