George and I had to go to Knoxville on Friday to take our Prius in for its regular maintenance.. SO--since we had to go there, we decided it would be a perfect day to head to the Smokies for the day. We visited one of our favorite places, Cades Cove. We have been there many times ---but this was the first time with the new cameras.. SO--we acted just like tourists --and took over 150 pictures!!! ha...
As you can imagine, I will post several blogs from beautiful Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains. If you want to read more about the history of this beautiful valley surrounded by mountains, click HERE. There is alot of info about the area including the 11-mile loop road which we took.
If you don't know anything about Cades Cove and its history, I encourage you to take time and read some of the information. It is truly awesome. Above is a map of the 'cove' and below are some more pictures showing this beautiful area.
A "cove" in the Smoky Mountains is a relatively flat valley between mountains or ridges. This cove is a showplace for some of the most intriguing natural and cultural treasures that the Southern Appalachian Mountains have to offer.
Join us for this 11-mile ride through the cove. The road is one-way --and there are pull-offs all along the way.
Both George and I took lots of pictures since we stopped all along the way.
You can see the road in this picture. There were quite a few people at the cove on this day--but it will be bumper to bumper in October. We usually stay away during the peak seasons---but this place is fabulous in the Fall.
It was a partly cloudy day --with big puffy clouds in the sky. It was also hotter than we thought it would be --since we have had such mild temperatures this past week. It was also quite hazy (but luckily, we had our filters on our cameras). I think it was in the mid-80's ----and it seemed quite humid, which made it feel even hotter.
Hope you have enjoyed this 'sneak preview' of MUCH more to come from Cades Cove. Besides the great views, people visit the cove to see the wildlife, wildflowers and plants, the log cabins, the old churches, the cemeteries, a grist mill, etc... You need to visit this area if you haven't been there before.
If you didn't read George's blog yesterday talking about his Daddy's 98th birthday, please click HERE. That man has lived an amazing life including moving to Arkansas by covered wagon when he was little. Check it out!!!!
Hope you had a fabulous weekend and are ready for a GREAT week!!!!
Hugs,
