Fulltime RV couple traveling the United States in our 2018 Tommy Bahama 27FBQ Airstream!
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GPS: 35.6025, -83.7766667
Cades Cove Campground - Townsend, TN
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(865) 448-4103
through
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4 nights on campsite #B53 at $15.00* per night * = Lifetime Senior Pass discount
SCORE
CATEGORY
COMMENTS
1-2-3-4-5 6-7-8-9-10
scenery
Nicely wooded campground
1-2-3-4-5 6-7-8-9-10
privacy
Not much separation between sites
1-2-3-4-5- 6-7-8-9-10
campsite size
Most sites will fit a 40 foot rig
1-2-3-4-5 6-7-8-9-10
cell signal
None in campground but nearby town of Townsend has signal
1-2-3-4-5 6-7-8-9-10
table/fire ring
On every site
1-2-3-4-5 6-7-8-9-10
showers
None nearby
1-2-3-4-5 6-7-8-9-10
bathrooms
In every loop
1-2-3-4-5 6-7-8-9-10
security
Ranger station during day but no locked gate at night
1-2-3-4-5
wildlife
Wild turkeys, deer and squirrels all seen right from our campsite
1-2-3-4-5
quiet nights
Very quiet
1-2-3-4-5
park staff
Friendly and helpful
1-2-3-4-5
activities
Lots of nearby hiking and a waterfall trail just two miles away
Bonus Points:
3 additional points in the activities category for the nearby Cades Cove Motor Trail.
Additional comments:
Our Dining Out Experiences:
Until next time
TWO PEAS
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It was raining when we woke up this morning and the forecast calls for more rain on and off all day, so what do we do? Go underground of course and stay out of the wet and chilly weather. Well that didn't work out too well for us because caverns are always chilly and this one has a sizeable creek running through the entire length of it. At least the water wasn't falling on our heads, except maybe this one spot next to the underground waterfall.
Tuckaleechee Caverns isn't like the other corporately owned caverns we saw back in Virginia. This one is privately owned and operated by the descendants of one of two boys who used to play and explore in the caverns back in the 1930's, when they were just 6 and 8 years old. It is not as well lit or commercialized as the other two caverns we have seen, but that is what I liked most about it. It made me feel like I might be one of the first hundred or so people to have toured the cave. In reality the cavern receives over 50,000 visitors each year. This definitely has that mom and pop, friendly family owned business feel.
TUCKALEECHEE CAVERNS
HOW TO TAKE CONTROL OF THIS SLIDESHOW
Option 1 - Do nothing and cycle through the photos at the predetermined speed.
Option 2 - Hover over any photo with the cursor and use the forward and reverse arrows that appear on the left and right centers to speed through the photos. Photos will still change at the predetermined speed if you wait too long. Keep your eye on the clock in the upper right hand corner.
Option 3 - Hover over any photo with the cursor and click on the pause button. You now have full control to go forward or reverse at your own speed. You can also select any of the little round buttons under the photo to navigate through the photos.
WANT TO SEE THE PHOTOS AT A LARGER SIZE?
1st - Click near the center of any photo and it will open to a larger size than what appears in the slideshow. 2nd - Click on it again and it will open to it's original full resolution size. 3rd - You will have to use your browsers back button to return to the slideshow after viewing the photo.
Until next time
TWO PEAS
We encourage everyone to use the comment section below and if you wish to receive an email notice when there is a new blog entry for your review, please use the Subscribe widget at the top of the right hand column on every page.
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CADES COVE CAMPGROUND to TULLALAH GORGE STATE PARK
Our longest travel day to date through three states, TN-NC-GA!
As our final stop in the Great Smoky Mountains we spent this weekend at Cades Cove Campground. Upon our arrival at our campsite we were treated to a scene straight out of a B rated horror movie. The lady in the campsite across the street from us was being chased by a pair of attack turkeys. They chased her all the way back into her camper. It was the funniest thing we've seen since starting this journey. I'm not sure what she did to them to receive such treatment but they never once harassed us, and they were over on our campsite all weekend. Later when she came back out of her camper the two birds went right back to chasing her? One of the turkey's had a really bad limp, possibly even a broken leg. I don't know if that had anything to do with their temperament.
Here are the two turkeys in question, looking all sweet and innocent!
They main activity here at the cove is to drive, or for the daring, bicycle, the 11 mile one way Cades Cove Loop Trail. There are two roads that cut across the loop which means you can turn it into a 2 or 7 mile loop if you take the shortcuts. We did the entire loop twice with ROVER during our stay here. Once in the early evening just to get a look at our options. The second time in the mid morning to give us enough time to stop and visit some of the sites along the drive. One stop you don't want to miss is the Cable Mill & Visitor Center. Here they have relocated several of the cabins and a cantilever barn from other areas of the cove and placed them on the original site of the Cable Mill. The Cable Mill is a typical water wheel driven mill, but it was the only one we had the fortune to see in operation.
Along the Cades Cove Loop Trail there are 17 different stops where you can explore 6 different homesteads, 3 different churches and cemeteries, 2 hiking trails, 4 shortcut intersections, an Orientation Shelter to pick up your informational brochures, and of course the mill and visitor center. If we had better weather during our weekend here we would have definitely traveled around the loop again to stop at some of the areas we missed the first two times around. Instead, during our rainy day, we travel outside of the park and saw another cavern, more on that in the next post!
No words or photos will give you the same feeling you get when being here at Cades Cove. A cove by definition is "a small valley between two ridge lines that is closed at one or both ends". The words oasis and paradise should also be considered for inclusion in the definition, because that is what it is! Too bad for us it's now part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park because this is someplace where I could see us buying a small piece of property and spending all of our future winters, for when we get too old or too tired to continue traveling year round. That's just how peaceful it is here! Anyway here are the photos, no captions because words just can't do it justice.
CADES COVE LOOP ROAD
HOW TO TAKE CONTROL OF THIS SLIDESHOW
Option 1 - Do nothing and cycle through the photos at the predetermined speed.
Option 2 - Hover over any photo with the cursor and use the forward and reverse arrows that appear on the left and right centers to speed through the photos. Photos will still change at the predetermined speed if you wait too long. Keep your eye on the clock in the upper right hand corner.
Option 3 - Hover over any photo with the cursor and click on the pause button. You now have full control to go forward or reverse at your own speed. You can also select any of the little round buttons under the photo to navigate through the photos.
WANT TO SEE THE PHOTOS AT A LARGER SIZE?
1st - Click near the center of any photo and it will open to a larger size than what appears in the slideshow. 2nd - Click on it again and it will open to it's original full resolution size. 3rd - You will have to use your browsers back button to return to the slideshow after viewing the photo.
Until next time
TWO PEAS
We encourage everyone to use the comment section below and if you wish to receive an email notice when there is a new blog entry for your review, please use the Subscribe widget at the top of the right hand column on every page.
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GPS: 35.6583333, -83.5822222
Elkmont Campground - Gatlinburg, TN
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(865) 430-5560
through
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3 nights on campsite #K3 at $12.50* per night * = Lifetime Senior Pass discount
SCORE
CATEGORY
COMMENTS
1-2-3-4-5 6-7-8-9-10
scenery
Nicely wooded campground
1-2-3-4-5 6-7-8-9-10
privacy
Not much separation between sites
1-2-3-4-5- 6-7-8-9-10
campsite size
Most sites will fit a 40 foot rig
1-2-3-4-5 6-7-8-9-10
cell signal
None in campground but nearby town of Gatlinburg has signal
1-2-3-4-5 6-7-8-9-10
table/fire ring
On every site
1-2-3-4-5 6-7-8-9-10
showers
None nearby
1-2-3-4-5 6-7-8-9-10
bathrooms
In every loop
1-2-3-4-5 6-7-8-9-10
security
Ranger station during day but no locked gate at night
1-2-3-4-5
wildlife
Not much in the campground but squirrels and chipmunks
1-2-3-4-5
quiet nights
Very quiet
1-2-3-4-5
park staff
Friendly and helpful
1-2-3-4-5
activities
Lots of nearby hiking and a waterfall trail just two miles away
Bonus Points:
2 additional points in the activities category for the nearby Roaring Fork Motor Trail.
Additional comments:
Our Dining Out Experiences:
Until next time
TWO PEAS
We encourage everyone to use the comment section below and if you wish to receive an email notice when there is a new blog entry for your review, please use the Subscribe widget at the top of the right hand column on every page.
PLEASE NOTE: Feed Burner will first send you an email to verify that you wish to subscribe to TWO PEAS AND THE POD to which you must respond before you will receive notices.
Location: Great Smoky Mountains National Park Gatlinburg, TN
By my previous definition this is a hike! It's 1.4 miles up to the waterfall with an elevation change of 585 feet. It still falls into the easy category for most hikers, but it's definitely at the top end of the easy scale. Like I said in the previous post, any walking on natural and uneven ground automatically qualifies it for hiking status in my book. There is one cool and unique thing about this waterfall compared to all the other falls in the Great Smoky Mountains, but you'll have to watch the slideshow to find out what that is.
To access the trailhead you'll need to travel on The Roaring Fork Motor Trail just outside of Gatlinburg, TN. It's a 5.5 mile one way road with a 10MPH speed limit, believe me you wouldn't want to travel any faster than that with all the ups and downs, winding curves and narrow bridges. Even if you are not in the mood for a hike, the motor trail alone is worth a visit, and it's free.
Well enough chit chat, here come the pictures!
GROTTO FALLS
The trail starts out fairly level with manageable terrain...
...but that quickly changes!
Our first glimpse of Grotto Falls from the trail below
Part of the cascading water below the falls
The top of Grotto Falls
More of those rock cairns we see everywhere
A closer look!
Grotto Falls in all it's beauty!
The cool and unique thing about this waterfall is you can walk behind it!
Your view once you're on the other side
Yours truly trying not to get wet, it's cold out today!
On the hike back down the sun finally appears through the trees
HOW TO TAKE CONTROL OF THIS SLIDESHOW
Option 1 - Do nothing and cycle through the photos at the predetermined speed.
Option 2 - Hover over any photo with the cursor and use the forward and reverse arrows that appear on the left and right centers to speed through the photos. Photos will still change at the predetermined speed if you wait too long. Keep your eye on the clock in the upper right hand corner.
Option 3 - Hover over any photo with the cursor and click on the pause button. You now have full control to go forward or reverse at your own speed. You can also select any of the little round buttons under the photo to navigate through the photos.
WANT TO SEE THE PHOTOS AT A LARGER SIZE?
1st - Click near the center of any photo and it will open to a larger size than what appears in the slideshow. 2nd - Click on it again and it will open to it's original full resolution size. 3rd - You will have to use your browsers back button to return to the slideshow after viewing the photo.
Until next time
TWO PEAS
We encourage everyone to use the comment section below and if you wish to receive an email notice when there is a new blog entry for your review, please use the Subscribe widget at the top of the right hand column on every page.
PLEASE NOTE: Feed Burner will first send you an email to verify that you wish to subscribe to TWO PEAS AND THE POD to which you must respond before you will receive notices.
Location: Great Smoky Mountains National Park Gatlinburg, TN
One of the falls you can't see from the comfort of your car near Gatlinburg, TN is Laurel Falls. The falls are named after the Mountain Laurel that grows all along the trail. It is probably the easiest and therefore the most popular waterfall to visit. Just 1.3 miles up a paved asphalt trail, with an elevation change of about 314 feet, which makes this an easy to moderate climb. I read that there are over 800 miles of trails in this national park and that less than 3 miles of them are paved. The trail was first paved back in the 1930's to provide easier access to Cove Mountain for fire fighting and to allow the park service to build a fire lookout tower at the top. In the 1960's the trail was reconditioned to what you see today, due to the high amount of tourist traffic climbing the trail to see the falls.
You may be wondering why I titled this post a walk and not a hike. Well my definition of a walk includes pavement of some sorts and a distance of less than five miles, coincidentally that is currently the limit to how far I'm willing to travel on foot under any circumstance. I'm working on increasing that distance though! Walking on natural surface, like a forest floor for instance, is a hike in my book. No matter how short the distance.
Before you start watching the slideshow I have to warn you. You may see pictures of my back side in several of them. So go ahead and proceed, you have been warned.
LAUREL FALLS
Right from the start we had some amazing views
Radiant reds...
...and shimmering yellows...
...with deliciously orange fall colors were all around us.
I warned you there would be pictures of my back side!
There are two things you CAN'T see in this photo. Laurel Falls on the right and a bench to park my arse on to the left!
Our final destination Laurel Falls
I don't mind a moderate early morning walk when there is a payoff at the end so awesome as this
More fall colors on Cove Mountain above us
Time to start the trail back to the truck
Another beautiful vista view
Even more colors
I remember this part of the trail...
...the truck is right around this last corner!
HOW TO TAKE CONTROL OF THIS SLIDESHOW
Option 1 - Do nothing and cycle through the photos at the predetermined speed.
Option 2 - Hover over any photo with the cursor and use the forward and reverse arrows that appear on the left and right centers to speed through the photos. Photos will still change at the predetermined speed if you wait too long. Keep your eye on the clock in the upper right hand corner.
Option 3 - Hover over any photo with the cursor and click on the pause button. You now have full control to go forward or reverse at your own speed. You can also select any of the little round buttons under the photo to navigate through the photos.
WANT TO SEE THE PHOTOS AT A LARGER SIZE?
1st - Click near the center of any photo and it will open to a larger size than what appears in the slideshow. 2nd - Click on it again and it will open to it's original full resolution size. 3rd - You will have to use your browsers back button to return to the slideshow after viewing the photo.
Until next time
TWO PEAS
We encourage everyone to use the comment section below and if you wish to receive an email notice when there is a new blog entry for your review, please use the Subscribe widget at the top of the right hand column on every page.
PLEASE NOTE: Feed Burner will first send you an email to verify that you wish to subscribe to TWO PEAS AND THE POD to which you must respond before you will receive notices.
The long way around I know, but the road between the two campgrounds was not favorable to towing a 28 foot trailer down it
Looking at the route we took to get between the two campgrounds you might wonder why the big detour. Well we scouted out the roadway the day before leaving and decided we were not going to tow our home where there were no shoulders, huge dropoffs and rock cliff faces just inches off the side of the road. It was OK to drive the truck down, but not tow the trailer. On the map it looks like all the other roads we have been traveling on lately, but I assure you it's not!
WARNING - Avoid towing larger trailers on the Little River Gorge Road if you can!
We did stop to take pictures of two roadside waterfalls along this stretch of the road, Meigs Falls and The Sinks. They alone were worth the stress of driving down this road. There is a third roadside waterfall in Smoky Mountains National Park which I will include here, Place of a Thousand Drips, located on the nearby Roaring Fork Motor Trail (more on that later).
As you will come to find out our stay here at Elkmont Campground had nothing to do with elk and everything to do with waterfalls. Enjoy the photos from these first three easy to see roadside waterfalls, but to see the really magnificent ones we will have to put of our hiking boots and hit the trails!
MEIGS FALLS, THE SINKS
and
PLACE OF A THOUSAND DRIPS
Can you spot the rock cairns in this photo?
Maybe zooming in will help!
HOW TO TAKE CONTROL OF THIS SLIDESHOW
Option 1 - Do nothing and cycle through the photos at the predetermined speed.
Option 2 - Hover over any photo with the cursor and use the forward and reverse arrows that appear on the left and right centers to speed through the photos. Photos will still change at the predetermined speed if you wait too long. Keep your eye on the clock in the upper right hand corner.
Option 3 - Hover over any photo with the cursor and click on the pause button. You now have full control to go forward or reverse at your own speed. You can also select any of the little round buttons under the photo to navigate through the photos.
WANT TO SEE THE PHOTOS AT A LARGER SIZE?
1st - Click near the center of any photo and it will open to a larger size than what appears in the slideshow. 2nd - Click on it again and it will open to it's original full resolution size. 3rd - You will have to use your browsers back button to return to the slideshow after viewing the photo.
Nearly forget, we did have the first bear sighting our journey, well sort of! The were two bears actually, a mother and her cub, but they were at least forty feet up in two separate oak trees gorging on acorns. They were just on the outskirts of Gatlinburg, TN on the main road leading into the south end of town. They were creating quite a traffic jam with all the onlookers standing directly beneath the bears which put them on the edge of the road. We spoke to a Ranger that was there trying to control the crowd and he told us the bears had been foraging acorns in these trees for nearly a week now. Anyway here are the best two photos we could get!
Can you make out the shape of her ears and body behind the leaves?
I believe that is a furry bear butt between the branches!
Until next time
TWO PEAS
We encourage everyone to use the comment section below and if you wish to receive an email notice when there is a new blog entry for your review, please use the Subscribe widget at the top of the right hand column on every page.
PLEASE NOTE: Feed Burner will first send you an email to verify that you wish to subscribe to TWO PEAS AND THE POD to which you must respond before you will receive notices.
