It was raining this morning and quite a bit colder here in the Smokies, but the rain stopped by noon and the sun even peeked out.
On our vacations here, we usually like to include a day in which we find a quiet spot in the woods or by a stream where we can set up our chairs and sit and read for awhile. One of our favorite spots for that activity is in Cades Cove. So we decided to head over there today.
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| This is a view along the road to Cades Cove. |
Cades Cove is a valley, surrounded by the mountains. It's a popular place for wildlife viewing, and it's also a place where several old log cabins have been preserved for visitors to view. As many times as we've been here, we've never visited any of the cabins that weren't right beside the loop road. Today, though, since it was cooler and we had no other plans, we walked back to a couple of the more remotely located cabins.
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| The John Oliver Cabin |
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| The Trail to the Elijah Oliver Cabin |
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| Elijah Oliver Cabin |
At the Elijah Oliver cabin, we heard thunder. So we didn't linger, but just took a couple of pictures before hurrying the half-mile back to our vehicle. We got wet, but not soaked. And we decided this wasn't a day for sitting in the woods and reading books.
A cantilever barn is one of the more interesting structures along the Cades Cove Loop Road. This picture seems to be on a slant. The photographer must have been tilting.
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| Cantilever Barn in Cades Cove |
On the way back to our hotel in Pigeon Forge, we noticed that an electronic warning sign along the road was announcing the closure of the Clingmans Dome Road due to snow. So, of course, we had to turn and drive up there to see the snow.There was snow, but not much where we were. More of it was visible on the surrounding hillsides, though.
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| Snow on Trees in Background |
And here are a couple of pictures taken on the way back down the mountain, heading for our hotel.
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| Fall Colors Along the Road |
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| Gatlinburg Overlook |
We had thought about staying another day, but the weather forecast isn't good for tomorrow. So we'll be heading for home on Friday.
What a gorgeous spot. That log cabin looks like it's from a good dream. Too bad the weather isn't cooperating for tomorrow. Safe trip home, Linda!
ReplyDeleteHilary-It really IS gorgeous here. As for the cabin, I suspect life was hard for its original occupants, but the setting is absolutely beautiful. I wonder if they ever considered the beauty that surrounded them or had the leisure to enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for traveling with us and for the good wishes for a safe trip home.