Of course, the place is gorgeous! We stopped briefly at the Gatlinburg Visitor Center for some motor tour maps and a Access Pass for Sammy (she will get free entry into all national parks for life). As we left the visitor center we headed west toward Cades Cove. We made a few stops to check out the scenery.
At noon, Sammy decided it was time for lunch, so we had to eat. There wasn't a good place to stop so we just ate our picnic lunch in the car and kept moving.
Cades Cove is a beautiful valley set between the mountains that is rich in history. It was home to several families who settled the area. The park put in an 11-mile one-way loop to tour the area which includes stops at several original buildings. Its also said to be the best place in the park to see wildlife. We took a hike to see inside the oldest home in the valley (dating to 1818), passed several original church buildings and learned a bunch about life during that era.
Although we didn't see any bear, we did find 3 groups of turkeys and 6 deer. When we were finished, we decided to leave the park on a different road. It was actually an original path used by the settlement to exit the valley and once used as a Cherokee trail. Today it is a one-way single lane gravel road that leads up and over a mountain to exit the park. I'm so glad we took this trail... it was bumpy but beautiful.
On our way home, we an alpine slide park named Goats on the Roof. Honestly, I never would have stopped based on the name alone, but it was awesome. Sammy rode with me and Tyler and Scott shared a ride.
After Szechwan Shrimp & Rice, we headed out to the Titanic Museum. It was well-worth the visit. The employees all wore time-appropriate clothing and they had hands-on exhibits as well as actual pieces from the wreckage. Sammy liked playing with the telephone-like listening devices we all received to listen to the tour. Tyler enjoyed playing a video game what measured your reaction time to see if you could save the Titanic from hitting the iceberg in the 38 seconds the crew would have had. My favorite part was the biographies on the survivors and Scott enjoyed reaching his hand into the cold water to simulate the temps of the ocean the night Titanic sank. It was fascinating... Tyler couldn't get enough!
It was a big day again today. There were a few tears before bedtime and we decided that tomorrow will require some down time.
The weather has been warm... hit 90* today but with the light rain in the early afternoon, it was so humid!
