Cades Cove

~~WELCOME TO CADES COVE~~

We were greeted this morning with dense fog and temps in the 40’s. Brrrrrr!  I actually had to put a little sweater on which for me is unbelievable! I’m always warm  After a quick breakfast and two cups of coffee also unbelievable we made our way to Cades Cove, an 11-mile, one-way Loop Road thru “a showcase for some of the most inspiring natural and cultural treasures that the Southern Appalachian Mountains have to offer.” www.SmokiesInformation.org.  Arriving early provided a less crowded road so there was more opportunity to drive slowly, snap a few pictures and really SEE this beautiful place.

One of our first stops was the Primitive Baptist Church, established in 1827. I didn’t meet any of the founding members but if they had been there on this Sunday morn, I bet they would have been sittin’ in these wooden pews, singin’ hymns and shoutin’, “Hallelujah!”

              

                                

             Our next stop-The Visitor Center

                          we got something really special here~

  Yes, some down-home Bluegrass music…

   

  Yes, we watched “Eithel” work the sugar cane into Sorghum~

 

Yes, we visited the Blacksmith and the Grist Mill~

                 

Yes, we saw old cabins and a whiskey barrel trailer~

           

But the best part of the Visitor Center was…

 RECEIVING

OUR

FIRST

PASSPORT

STAMP!

     woohoo!

Continuing along the Loop-Road, Robert took a few snapshots.

 

But his BEST snapshot was of this BIG, BEAUTIFUL…

BLACK BEAR!

He was only about 30 feet from him!

We were thrilled that we actually saw a wild bear!

lions, tigers, and bears…oh my!

~We visited some wood carver shops this afternoon and

rode the bike trail in Townsend all the way to PIZZA HUT!

Hey, we rode all the way back so I’m sure we worked off those calories!

Heading to North Carolina tomorrow.

Blessings Y’all!

Kathy

(Thanks y’all for the comments…remember I LIVE for them!)