22 Oct. 2018 Great Smoky Mountains National Park

We made our first foray into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We drove through Gatlinburg so Leslie could see what it is like. The sidewalks were packed with people and the traffic crawled through town. It reminded us of Wisconsin Dells with all the tourist traps and junk stores. We decided we would take the bypass from here on out. We made our way to the Sugarlands Visitor Center and collected our17^thPark Stamp. From the visitor center we drove along the Little Rivers Road to Cades Cove and then around Cades Cove. There was a little bit of tree color but not a lot along this lower altitude route. It has been too warm, but the cold snap we are supposed to have in the next several days should kick off the leaves to change color. We saw some wild turkeys along the Cades Cove road (hmmm, how long till Thanksgiving?) and some deer. The traffic wasn’t too bad. With Leslie’s knee still hurting her we choose not to do any hiking. We still have not heard from the doctor. We took the one-way gravel road, Rich Mountain Rd, out of Cades Cove to avoid the traffic. The road was a primitive gravel road but was in good shape so it was a fun drive back. 

Wild Turkeys