Sandcastle Momma: Roaring Fork Motor Trail

When we got into Gatlinburg we went straight to the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.

Along this drive is an historic cabin and nature trail that just happens to have a Virtual geocache.

Virtual caches are given as GPS coordinates just like a regular cache only at the location you will find something interesting to see and there is no container with a log to sign. Each virtual has questions about the location and are something that you can't know without actually going there. You get credit for these caches if you email the cache owner the correct answers.

Dad has found this cache before but loved the hike so much he wanted to do it again.

We turned onto the road and immediately saw a rafter of wild turkeys on the side of the road. They completely ignored us and he told me that him and my Mom were there once and he had to get out of the car to shoo the turkeys off the road.

Turkeys around here tend to be very skittish and I've only caught glimpses of them.

We looked around, trying to see what they were looking at and after a minute I saw him.

I got out of the truck and walked up to the side of the convertible, trying to get a better look.

It was really only a glimpse before he wandered off but I SAW A BEAR!!!!!!!

Back into the car and on up to NoahOgle's Place, the cabin we wanted to see.

The virtual geocache is located on the hiking trail here so Dad and I got our walking sticks and struck out on a hike down the trail from the old house to the tub mill on LeConte Creek.

I really like the rocks, although I couldn't make the thought that they could have Timber rattlesnakes under them go away.

We ran into two men on the trail who had some interesting camera equipment, on their way to photograph fish in the creek.

Which probably explains why the first thing I thought when I saw the camera was that it had a flounder light rig hooked up to it.

The old mill is really interesting and in good shape. The flumes the owner had constructed and the water wheel look like you could start them running again with just a little rehabbing.

Back up the hill we went and explored the barn and home of the Ogle family.

I always think about the people who settled whatever area I'm in and it's interesting to compare life on the Ogle farm versus life on the Florida coast in the late 1880s.

We got back on the motor trail and a few minutes later saw a bunch of cars stopped on the road and about a dozen people standing on the side of the road, looking up the hill.

Naturally we stopped, got out, walked over to the people and looked up the hill.

It was as magical as swimming with manatee and wild dolphin the Pass (before that was illegal, of course)

Mom, Dad and I watched this on Nat Geo the night before we left Gulf Breeze and now I was seeing it happen right in front of me. They were eating acorns instead of berries but there was no difference.

Again, I had a short lens so I don't have beautiful bear photos but I was seeing them firsthand and that was enough – for now.

This experience deserves it's own post so I'll save that for later but I just thought I was happy to have glimpsed the male. After watching these four I was in hog heaven.

After about twenty minutes the sun moved behind the mountain and it was getting dark so we drove on to our hotel in Gatlinburg.

We stayed in at the Quality InnCreekside and as we were parking a hotel employee told us that a bear had been wandering the parking lot at night and was even in the pool a few nights ago so to be careful if we came out to our cars at night.

Each of the rooms had a private balcony and Dad's room had a beautiful view of the mountains BUT my room overlooked the pool.

I'm embarrassed to say how much time I spent sitting there waiting to see a swimming bear.

We went to Calhoun's and had an excellent steak dinner. It was only about 8 or so when we finished eating but we were too tired from our long day to wander Gatlinburg so we decided to go straight back to our rooms.

The sun set and the second half of day 2 of our 10 day adventure was a success.