Tennessee vacation

Here is a picture of the view we had every day from our cabin in Tennessee. We were almost 3 miles up the mountain. I've already booked it for next year!!! Talk about relaxing, OMG, we didn't want to leave. We went boating, swimming, fishing, hiking, hot tubbing, and so much more! Tennessee is so beautiful IMO.
[img=http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/8812/10000180gv.th.jpg]
We also went to a place called Cade's Cove which is a place you drive through and if you get lucky enough to see some wildlife in their own environment it is a real treat! Well, guess what we saw and got REAL close to?[img=http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/3876/pim00014sb.th.jpg]
Yes, that's a blackbear. And when the people got out of their cars to photograph him he let them know they were getting to close by turning and lunging at them. We never saw so many people turn and run for their cars so fast! I stayed in the truck, 2 of my brave friends got out to snap the picture. What a rush! We went there hoping to see a bear.

ChocolateLab33 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Gosh Lisa, I really feel sorry for you having to look at all those ugly mountians for the whole time./ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif
Those bears are nothing to fool around with. I'm glad nobody got hurt.
PM sent

UncleFester,

LOL! I just couldn't believe how breathtaking the view was! I have been home for almost 2 weeks and I'm still in awe. We all went out on the deck every night to watch the sunset.

Lisa /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

I drove through the smoky mountains last February through newfoundgap.
It was quite a sight.
An ice storm had just hit the area hard.
The same one that got Raggie good a little to the south of there. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
What part of Tennessee were you at?
The part between Nashville and Knoxville is the plateau part of Tennessee.
I was high up in the clouds for over 20 miles there on I40 last February.

Spent some time there as a youngster...those are the Smoky Mountains with mist that I remember for sure! That pic brings back lots of memories! Thanks!

Spent most of my life in middle and east Tennessee. I miss it EVERY day. Glad you had a nice vacation! I've been trying to get back for awhile now. No luck this year - going to some greek island /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif . If you like the outdoors, the area betwwen Nashville and Knoxville (mostly ON the plateau or at its base) is full of hills, waterfalls, and caves. Simply wonderfull!

The Powernoodle Clan recently vaycayed in Gatlinburg. Our time was more touristy than outdoorsy - Ripley's Aquarium, Believe It or Not Museum, Ski Lift, Dollywood, etc. Powernoodle kids especially liked "mining" for gems in Pigeon Forge.



View off the back deck of the Powernoodle Chalet.

best regards

i think i live close to there but maybe not i know tennesee looks close when i see it on weather chanel i was there once so pretty.i recall it being very foggy i was scared we was going to drive off mtn

I live on the plateau and I love the views with one exception, when your on top of the hill there are no mountain views! One good point is when it rains every place else is down hill and down stream.

I've lived in Tennessee almost all my life and now I really miss it. I can't think of one state that offers the variety of scenery. I flew back for the Fourth of July and went camping in the Smoky Mountains with my family and it was just beautiful.

When you go back Lisa you might want to check out the Cosby area in the park. You will not have the hordes of people and some of the hikes are fantastic. If you want a great drive then just continue driving past Cosby (The road that comes out of Cosby Camp Ground) and you will go up Mount Sterling and crossover the AT. The road turns to gravel but it is drivable. When you get to Sterling Gap you can take about a two mile hike up the mountain and climb a fire tower for a great view. There is also a backpacking campground that offers great sunsets.

Nice view! Sounds like a great vacation!

[ QUOTE ]
ChocolateLab33 said:
Here is a picture of the view we had every day from our cabin in Tennessee. We were almost 3 miles up the mountain. I've already booked it for next year!!! Talk about relaxing, OMG, we didn't want to leave. We went boating, swimming, fishing, hiking, hot tubbing, and so much more! Tennessee is so beautiful IMO.
[img=http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/8812/10000180gv.th.jpg]
We also went to a place called Cade's Cove which is a place you drive through and if you get lucky enough to see some wildlife in their own environment it is a real treat! Well, guess what we saw and got REAL close to?[img=http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/3876/pim00014sb.th.jpg]
Yes, that's a blackbear. And when the people got out of their cars to photograph him he let them know they were getting to close by turning and lunging at them. We never saw so many people turn and run for their cars so fast! I stayed in the truck, 2 of my brave friends got out to snap the picture. What a rush! We went there hoping to see a bear.

ChocolateLab33 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Glad you had a good time in my backyard! I've lived here almost my whole life and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Cades Cove is a real treasure, but vehicle traffic has gotten so heavy the NPS is looking into ways to alleviate it. I generally don't go to the Cove, except during off-season periods, for that reason. I miss the old days when it was possible to drive the whole loop and only see one or two cars, but it hasn't been like that in 20 years.

I'm glad to hear folks ran from the bear. A year or two back, a tourist actually assaulted a bear. Yes, you read that correct. A bear was assaulted by a visitor! Luckily, the other visitors reported it and the jerk got to visit our jails and courts. The bear made a full recovery. Who knows, you may have seen the same one.

The best time to visit, if you're a hiker or cyclist, is May-Sept, on Wednesday and Saturday mornings before 10. The road is closed to motor vehicles, and you will see a LOT more wildlife.

More info can be found at Cades Cove.

That's good advice, Lebkuecher!

Did you happen to see the synchronous fireflies in Elkmont? It's not too far from Cades Cove.

Fireflies Info

Timeing is everything when picking a mate

3rd_shift,

We stayed in Pigeon Forge.
Here's more of Cade's Cove:
[img=http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/5612/10000152ga.th.jpg]

[img=http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/4538/10000113nr.th.jpg]
Lisa /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

looks in many ways like switzerland in summer - except the mountains... but the green is similar.

Man this is awesome. I am going to go to Knoxville this weekend to visit my friend. We were planning to go hiking in the Smokey Mts. I am also trying to convince hime to go sky diving with me.

Thanks for the info and pictures.

Rob

Sky diving-count me in! I have wanted to go sky diving for about 4 years now. Yes, I would be scared but that's part of the thrill!

Lisa /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/happy14.gif

My fiance and I will be spending our first week as husband and wife in Cosby TN in early September. I love that area.

Be sure to visit Smokey Mountain Knife Works in Sevierville. Usually stop there on the way in and the way out of PigeonForge/Gatlinburg. It is a museum and knife store.
www.eknifeworks.com
Me and the wife usually go to Gatlinburg in early December. They decorate the cities with lots of Christmas lights and displays.

We did visit Smokey Mountain Knife Works. I got myself another Gerber Guardian and a very nice Spyderco. You can't go to that part of Tennessee and NOT visit SMKW! I also got my old Gerber Guardian sharpened while we were there. The guy did a very nice job.

matthewdanger,
Getting a little off topic, congrats to you! Enjoy Tennessee, the most beautiful state IMO.

Lisa

Thanks,

Maybe I can convince my bride to accompany me to SMKW! She humored me at the FlashlightMuseum on our last road trip.