On Wednesday 15th April we drove round the outside of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and into Tennessee. This was after our afternoons horse riding so I was walking like John Wayne. After 2 nights of having no hook up and problems with the battery (the solar panel not working so well with no sunshine) we decided we needed to literally recharge our batteries. So we spent a night at a campsite with laundry facilities, hot showers and power!!
The next day it was still raining in Tennessee as we headed through the town of Gatlinburg, which is the town at the gateway to the Park. As bad as Cherokee but in a whole different way. Shops and restaurants and every sort of tourist attraction – Bubba Gump restaurant, Riley’s Believe it or Not, Guinness World of Records Show, Dicks Last Resort Restaurant – so seemingly out of place just outside of a National Park. I read it described as “Heidi meets Hillbilly in this vaguely Bavarian themed tourist wonderland”. We drove through with the kids screaming out in delight – hmmm, there we were thinking they were all about Nature!!
Having been to the visitor centre in the North Carolina side of the Park we had to see what they had to say on the Tennessee side. The Sugarlands visitor centre was fantastic and we learnt all sorts of things about the park. Like there are more varieties of trees here than in the whole of Europe. The park ranges from 840’ – 6600′ above sea level and the temperatures vary by 20 degrees in a single day. They get 80″ rain at the top and it is the salamander capital of world (not that we saw a single one). They claim to have 100,000 life forms here and each year discover new ones. Before it was taken over by the NPS there were communities here, schools and countless chapels scattered over the 1/2 million acres.
We got to Cades Cove Campsite to find it totally empty again. Of course this led to ½ hour of driving round and round trying to decide which pitch to choose. So much easier when you just go where you are told!!
On Friday it stopped raining – at last!! We got our selves sorted and on our bikes and headed off to do the 11 mile Cades Cove Loop Road. It’s a one-way road that during the summer months they close to cars for a few hours a couple of mornings as week. But as we are out of season we had to share the road with the cars. No problem for us but they all seemed to treat us on our bikes like a rare wildlife spot. They didn’t know what to do about us. So despite it being a very wide road with gravel tracks down either side they all hung back behind us and seemed terrified to overtake us. So that was a bit of a bore off.
But the road was lovely and led through some absolutely breathtaking scenery. Cades Cove used to be a settled community years ago and they have preserved some of the buildings that were here. There are 17 stops in total along the trail, which include old cabins, churches and houses. The cabins were really interesting. The labour that must have gone into building them out of logs (most of them before the time of sawmills, so no sawed lumber) must have been tremendous. Despite this some of them had a fantastic addition to their houses in a Stranger Room. Basically a walled in part of their porch that they would open up to any ‘Strangers’ in need of a bed for the night, which meant they were separate from the main family’s accommodation. Says a lot about the time and nature of the people living out here so remotely that they would consider such a modification necessary on their house!!
We had thought the road would be relatively flat in that biking round it seems such the done thing here. Our campsite had a bike rental place specifically for people wanting to do it and stickers announcing, “I biked the Cades Cove Loop” were for sale in the gift shops. But actually (and perhaps not surprisingly considering we are in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains) there were an awful lot of undulations in that there road!!
Half way round is the Visitor Centre and Cable Mill Historic Area with a water powered gristmill, blacksmiths and various other historic buildings grouped together. Most exciting of all here was the copperhead snake we saw nestled in the bottom of one of the buildings. Lots of people stood around taking photos of it. Then a couple walked up and she announced, “I ain’t afraid e’no snake” and prodded it with a stick!! Now I’ll be honest (and I really hope I don’t insult anyone by saying this) but I would hazard a guess that these two may well have been related before they got married if you know what I mean!! The kids were completely gob smacked and muttered about how stupid it was to provoke a wild animal etc. etc. Sadly for the purposes of this story the snake DIDN’T then attack the woman and therefore give me a good lesson for you all!!
We were surprisingly shattered when we got back to our campsite and were just getting ourselves changed and ready for a spot of school when one of those very friendly people we keep bumping into came knocking on our door to enquire about our British number plate. I must confess I didn’t immediately go and join in the conversation but could hear them discussing Scotland, where this chap had lived for a while and then the kids came bounding in saying that he had seen 12 bears yesterday while driving on the Loop Road at about this time of day, being early evening.
Once Bob (that was his name) had gone the kids started nagging us to take a drive round the Loop Road to see if we could spot any bears. We honestly couldn’t face putting the awning away and packing up to drive the 11 miles we’d just biked just on the ‘off chance’ we might see a bear! So we were just sitting down to a spot of maths when Bob came a knocking once more and said he and his wife Sherry and his brother Tom and his wife Janet were just about to head out for a cruise round the Loop Road and if we would like to join them they would take 2 cars instead of 1. You don’t need to ask us twice. We grabbed binoculars and cameras and jumped in!!
We drove in a fairly slow procession of cars about ¼ of the way round before we saw a lot of parked cars and pulled over to see a black bear wandering around a meadow about 400’ away from where we were. Very cool. We also saw lots of white tail deer and wild turkeys. So we were already thanking Bob profusely…
But then…. Bob followed Tom off a road away from the main loop and there we found about 10 cars all parked up and a crowd of about 20 people stood on the verge. We leapt out of the car and there about 50’ up on the edge of the hill was a bear and her 2 cubs. It was absolutely incredible. Supposedly the cubs were about 12 weeks old and they were the most adorable looking things I have ever seen. We stood and watched them for nearly an hour. They were right by their den (a big upturned tree) and we saw the bear foraging around for food, wandering off and leaving the cubs alone for a while (always in sight you understand). One of the little cubs was trying out tree climbing and managed to get up a good 5’ or so before tumbling down again. The 2 cubs wrestled each other and got a pawing from their mother a couple of times. When she had wandered off to the other side of their den for a while we heard the cubs crying and she came back and then started nursing them. We could actually hear the suckling noises as they fed from her. It was truly an amazing experience and we just couldn’t believe how lucky we were to be there, up so close and watching them in their natural habitat. Just incredible!!
On the drive back round the rest of the loop we told Bob we thought he was the best Wildlife Guide we’d ever met and could expect a big tip, ha ha!! Then just before we got back to the campsite (just off the end of the loop road) we saw another gathering of badly parked cars and a crowd of people. Bob pulled over and we got to see another bear, this time with 3 cubs a little older and bigger than the other set. On the flat this time so we got an even clearer view of the cubs as they followed their mother around. A few very silly people straying way closer than the recommended 50’ did a sprint when they realised the bear was headed their way. But with this bear and the last one, they were obviously aware they were being watched but must be used to it sufficiently to tolerate it while people respect their space!
By the time Bob dropped us off it was almost dusk and despite being starving and exhausted we were all absolutely elated. Truly one of the most memorable and exciting experiences of our trip. As we tucked the boys into bed (with their head torches on to read – battery power still not very reliable and no power in these campsites) they couldn’t stop talking about how amazing it all was. Once again we have met a lovely and generous set of people whose kindness allowed us to have a unique experience here. We told Bob, if he was ever in England to please look us up – but don’t expect a reciprocal wildlife experience unless you count badgers?!?
Saturday 18th April was a beautiful sunny morning so we sat out enjoying our coffee in the peace of the campsite. As we were on our drive out of the park there was a bear and her cub down below the road in the trees. We were really lucky and found a big space in the pull in to. So we joined 50 people on the roadside to watch them. The chaos caused was incredible. People driving in the opposite direction to us stopped illegally in the middle of road totally oblivious to the huge queue of traffic behind them. As we drove away we counted 65 stationary cars in the opposite direction. Completely ridiculous!
We were trying to go to Pigeon Forge (home of Dolly Parton) for a car rally. However the traffic was absolutely unbelievable. It was such a total assault on the senses after being in quiet of the National Park. Dolly Town is crazy!! Just a few of the insane attractions we spotted were an almost life size capsized Titanic ship and an upside down building. Dolly was born here and there is a theme park that bears her name. We decided it wasn’t for us and drove straight out again and on to Nashville.
Once in town we found a campsite on the side of a highway – horrible but closest for access into town. Ah the highs and lows of our trip – we wake up in a deserted forest in the Great Smoky Mountains and go to sleep on side of a highway!!
Sunday we headed into Nashville. Another city for which I had high hopes. It is a crazy town – party central. Bars and restaurants on every corner with live bands playing at all times of the day and night. We were delighted to see the appearance of that old classic the Bike Bar. We had one destination in mind; the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The kids were not as excited us John and me. However, by the time we left they loved it all.
A fabulously interactive museum where the kids got to record their own single, chose their own image, design their own album cover and generally act like a country music star. We introduced them to Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. There were costumes on display dripping in rhinestones, Elvis’ gold Cadillac, and memorabilia from every country music star in history. I think it may have been Taylor Swift that swung it for the kids.
Halfway round we saw out the window that the wind had got up a bit. Understatement – the trees on the street were blown horizontal and there was suddenly a river running down the street, which made John a bit anxious about Frankie. We were just making our way through the Hall of Fame when my US mobile rang. It was the campsite calling to tell us our awning had blown off. Oh dear!!
We had a very nervous journey back to the campsite and got back to discover to that yes it had totally blown off. We were so very lucky we had been parked at the end of a row as it had blown up and over the top. One of the legs had javelined into the ground next to us and there were pieces scattered up to 50m away from the van. Very very depressing and expensive!!
We hadn’t managed to make it to any of the famous music spots we’d wanted to visit, like the Bluebird Café or the Wild horse Saloon. Instead we ended up in a place called John A’s just down the road from the campsite and opposite the Old Opry. It was Open Mic Night so the kids tried to persuade me to put my name down for my version of “Nine to Five”. So very glad I didn’t. Everyone who took to the stage was a proper performer, all accompanied by the resident band. One woman insisted on using her own microphone! It was fantastic. In fact the last act we saw just before we left was a woman called Roni Stoneman with her banjo, who’d appeared in Hee Haw (the country music TV series). A great night.
Monday morning we were absolutely shattered. We’d been woken at 1am by huge gusts of wind. Not enough that we’d lost our awning 12 hours before – the roof light blew out!! In the time it took for john to walk to back of van to secure the kids roof light ours had gone. Nothing wakes me – storms, wind, and noisy camping neighbours. But the noise when the roof light went it woke me. I sat bolt upright in bed just in time for the rain to start pouring down onto our bed. John wrestled it back into place and managed to shut it, despite the fixings all having snapped. I immediately fell back to sleep and john lay awake all night working out how he was going to secure it back into place so it won’t blow off again while we are driving.
Our day started then at 7am with John up and starting to work out what to do. He and William worked all morning to screw it into place and tape it up. We thought perhaps the warnings of further ‘mini tornados’ in the area were a sign and decided to leave!! So we sadly left Nashville and headed north into Kentucky.
We stayed over night in private campsite just outside of Mammoth Cave National Park and despite trying to pay the camp host when we arrived at 6pm she refused and then told us there would be no one in the office the next morning either due to a ‘staff meeting’. We gave her our card and said to call us then – we’ve still not heard from them!! The highlight of this stay was the couple that drove over to chat to us (first warning sign that they didn’t manage to walk over) who talked ‘at’ John for 40 minutes while I hid in the van. Turns out they were Good Sam Campers of the Year 2014 – you can imagine how excited we were about that!
Tuesday 21st April we got up early and the kids went to off to play basketball – their new obsession since they met Patrick and Connor back in Waxhaw. Then we drove into Mammoth Cave National Park. It is absolutely beautiful – I do so love the National Parks. Something about seeing the NPS arrowhead and the brown signs!!
Mammoth Cave has the longest known cave system in the world. Over 365 miiles of caves have been surveyed. We booked onto their midday History Tour of part of the caverns. By the looks of the dozens of yellow school buses we did well not to have to join one of them.
It was a lovely sunny day; the first sunshine we’d seen in what felt like ages so a bit of a shame to be going underground but we were very glad we did.
We took the historic tour so not so much gasping at the magnificent stalagmites and stalactites but a tour through the entrance into the caves and the people who discovered it and its weird and wonderful uses over the years. The most ridiculous of which has to be when TB patients were nursed here – they quickly worked out that is was a dumb idea considering they need dry warm not cold damp conditions. The entrance is a collapsed passageway they think was used over 10,000 years ago. The caves were discovered in 1798 and there have been guided tours here since 1816.
The Salt Peter found here was taken from here for the 1812 war against Great Britain. There are still piles of mud that had had the saltpeter taken out sitting around (supposedly this is where the expression ‘petered out’ comes from).
The Ranger took great delight in describing in gory detail about Lost John who was one of 10 mummified bodies they found here and who up until very recently was on display in a glass tomb down in the cave (then someone thought it would be disrespectful to Lost John’s relatives to see their dear old great great great granddad laid out for all to see!).
The 2-mile tour was brilliant. Up and down some of the routes used for centuries in these caves at one point squeezing through some very low and narrow sections. Uphill sections and all very uneven kids loved it. One section was called Fat Mans Misery (Charlie got through ok) where you had to squeeze through rocks on a tiny path between 2 very tight wiggly walls. Great fun!
We spent a very quiet night in the totally empty park campsite whittling and making atlatl missile launchers (from the boys bush skills book). All good fun until Williams aim improved significantly and he managed to get John on the head.
Wednesday we had a very very long day. We were woken twice in the night by phone calls from the UK. My phone had somehow lost the Do Not Disturb feature so wasn’t silenced – very annoying as they were both from rubbish estate agents!! We had totally miscalculated the driving time today and so had far further to drive than we though to get to Cumberland Gap NPS. At about lunchtime we saw a sign from the highway for Corbin, which was the home of KFC – couldn’t resist seeing that!! So we had lunch in the original café amongst the Colonel Saunders memorabilia – honestly the food was no nicer there than anywhere else!!
We finally arrived at Cumberland Gap at about 3pm. It was kind of interesting although slightly less exiting than we had hoped. Basically it is a natural gap in the Appalachian mountain range that has been used for 1000’s of years by bison, and Native Americans, then the pioneers heading for a new life in the west.
Drove on and out of Kentucky back into Tennessee for a little bit then finally up into Virginia…
Wickenswanderings 