Smokies Spring 2018 Trip Part 2

Smokies Spring 2018 Trip Part 2 is our first full day in the Smokies.  It was also Tim’s 50th Birthday.  After breakfast, our first stop was Cades Cove.  Even though I’ve been there too many times too count, it never gets old.  My first trip I camped in the Cades Cove and did not leave.  The only stop on the loop was at the John Cable Grist Mill.  All of us took photos, I used Tim’s infrared camera for a few photos.  We went shopping in the Cades Cove store because you can never have enough souvenirs.  I’m sure mine were bear related.  I honestly don’t remember what I bought. 

Foothills Parkway was the next stop so we could scout the area for spots for Tuesday’s sunrise.  After checking out a couple of overlooks, we headed back toward the park but stopped at the Applewood Valley Mountain Village.  The first shop was the general store.  Tim picked up two bags of coffee, I tried the fudge which was very good but truthfully have you ever had bad fudge? We then headed over to the Mountain Store. This is where I picked up Tim’s birthday present but more importantly, I fell in love with a bear table, the base was a bear lying on its back holding the glass table with its paws. Unfortunately it cost $400 so needless to say, it did not come home with me.

The Animals of Cades Cove

Monday afternoon was spent shooting along the river.  Due to road construction, we decided to head to Townsend by way of Rich Mountain Road in Cades Cove Loop instead of waiting in traffic which turned out to be a great decision.  When we got on the Loop, about 30 horses were out in the field.  I pulled over onto Sparks Lane, grabbed my camera and started shooting. Only problem was that I parked next to a post so Tim was trapped in the car.  Oops.  Sorry Tim.  After moving the car, I went back to shooting. I took probably 600 photos. I love horses. 

Another treat was on Rich Mountain Road itself.  As we are driving along the gravel path where my car was getting dirtier and dirtier, when I pulled around a curve, a bear was on the side of the road.  Due to the smaller size, I am sure it was a sow. I grabbed my phone and started to take photos. Tim decided to get out and get his camera out of my trunk.  During that time, she decided to come investigate my car, which in turn brought TIm back to the car quickly.  She walked toward my door but stopped about 4 feet away and then went back to the other side of the road. After a few minutes I was feeling brave so I got out of the car, grabbed my camera and took a few shots.  The guys stayed in the car.  I tend to get too close to wildlife, I do the same thing with the alligators in Myrtle Beach.

I had to stop taking photos of the bear due to Tim’s hunger, otherwise, I would have stayed there for a few hours.  Trust me, it has happened before.  See my Bears Bears and More Bears Blog Post from October.  We ate at Bennett’s BBQ for Tim’s Birthday dinner.   All in all, it was a very good day.