Clingmans Dome

Today was another day in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We began our morning with a drive up to Balsam Mountain and onto an off road trail for some up close views of the scenery and wildlife. We brought Haley along with us and boy did she enjoy herself, riding in the back of the truck howling and carrying on with excitement. Today we saw another black bear this one pretty close. After our morning drive we headed back to the campground for some lunch and a little relaxation and then set off later for a trip up to Clingman's Dome, the highest elevation in the park. We parked and hiked the steep 0.5 mile path up to the observatory on top. When we had left the valley it was about 78 degrees and where we parked at Clingman's Dome it was a chilly 57 degrees and even colder on top of the observatory. The views from up top were pretty breathtaking; you were level with the clouds. We hiked a little ways on the Appalachian trail and then headed back down to the truck. On our drive out of the park saw two more elk, this time they were so close we could have petted the bull, as he almost stuck his head in the window.

In the Smokies

Today we ventured into the park, packing a picnic lunch and preparing for a full day of scenic views and wildlife. We stopped at the visitors center to pick up some maps and then began driving, climbing higher and higher, stopping at each scenic overlook to snap some photos and gaze at the beautiful mountains. The day had started out sunny but we hit some rain as we got higher into the mountains. Luckily as we wound down towards Gatlinburg the skies began to clear and we were able to find a place near a stream to have a picnic lunch in the sun. After lunch we drove along a scenic loop and saw our first black bear, a bunch of turkeys, and a doe and fawn. Then it was off on a back road adventure. We drove through streams and forests and saw 3 more black bears and a wild pig! Then on our drive back to the campground we saw 2 elk. A full day of wildlife indeed!

Great Smoky Mountains

Today we left Cleveland, TN and headed to Cherokee, NC right outside of Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Before departing Cleveland though we made a trip to a fireworks warehouse and picked up some supplies for next year's fourth of july! There's nothing like a roadtrip without a stop to a fireworks warehouse, at least according to Zach. Our drive to Cherokee was a scenic drive, as we found ourselves weaving between tall tree covered mountains.

Jack lives here

Today we left Nashville and headed towards the Great Smoky Mountains. Along the way we stopped in Lynchburg, TN at the Jack Daniel's Distillery. We took a tour of the distillery, bought ourselves some consumable souvenirs and then headed to Lynchburg's town square for some lunch and more Jack Daniel's memorabilia. It's kind of ironic that the Jack Daniel's Distillery is located in Moore county, TN, a dry county. The distillery sells commemorative bottles of Jack Daniels but it is the only place allowed to sell alcohol in the entire county, and there's a hefty fine if caught with open alcohol. We left the distillery with Mark grinning like a kid in a candy store. In case you didn't know, Jack Daniel's is his favorite adult beverage, so he was thrilled to know its history and see how it's created. From Lynchburg we headed to Cleveland, TN northeast of Chattanooga for a night.

more Honky Tonk

Today we headed into downtown Nashville for some on foot exploring of the city. We returned to the Country Music Hall of Fame to visit the Gift Shop and pick up some souvenirs. Then we walked over to Broadway to get some lunch and check out the shops and entertainment. We ate at Jack's Bar-B-Que; some good pulled pork, and beef brisket with an array of bbq sauce choices and some southern comfort sides. After the hearty lunch we wandered over to Ernest Tubb Record Store for some country music. Then we perused the shops lining Broadway and looked into the numerous bars. Emily found a new pair of cowboy boots and Marilyn got a new cowboy hat; officially outfitting them in true country style. :) After some shopping we headed back towards the campground and stopped at Opry Mills, the large shopping mall right near the Grand Ole Opry. We checked out the inside of the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, a massive complex with spectacular indoor gardens. They even have a boat that you can ride through the hotel.

Honky Tonk Express

Spent a good portion of the morning lounging around and figuring out what we wanted to do, so we didn't get downtown until mid-afternoon. We decided to take the Gray Line Discover Nashville tour, a 3.5 hr small bus tour of the city. The tour began a little late, as we spent an hour picking up fellow tourists at their hotels and there was some unnecessary confusion at one hotel, but we were on our way then, driving into the heart of Nashville. We cruised along 2nd St and Broadway, the center of entertainment and made our first stop at the Ryman Auditorium. We toured the Ryman, originally a church, which served as the Grand Ole Opry from 1943-1974. We boarded the bus again and headed past the Tennessee State Capitol, down to Bicentennial Park, saw Vanderbilt University, the Parthenon and then up Music Row and over to the Country Music Hall of Fame for a tour of the museum. We were a little rushed at the Country Music Hall of Fame; wish we would have had a little more time to see everything. After the Country Music Hall of Fame we headed over to Legends Bar for a little live country music and a refreshing drink. This concluded our tour and we were delivered back to our campground to grab a quick dinner and get ready for the show at the Grand Ole Opry. The Grand Ole Opry was an impressive show. It consisted of four parts; each hosted by a different host and about 12 different music acts. It was a real experience, enjoyed by all.