And finally, all good things must come to an end. The bees were drunk and we discovered we had far too few layers, perhaps we needed a little angelica. It gets cold on the Smokies crest very quickly, even in August. (We left the 90 degree temperatures in the valley to cool off.)
The clouds drifted away and as Jupiter and the Moon lifted their bright faces in the east, the sun dipped below the ridgeline to the west. Or was it the other way around?
Wrapped in everything we could find, Karen Sue and I watched a nice sunset from Clingman's Dome. At 6,643 feet, it's the park's (and the state's) highest peak.
Kathleen and Tim. Thank you for your kind comments yesterday and solving my little mystery for me. I cannot locate your contact info, so I have to thank you in this very public way. But thank yous should not necessarily be hidden.
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5 comments:
Lynn,
Do you know of a good cool place in the mountains to visit for a weekend hike with children?
Your friend,
500Jerk
How old are your children? Will you be carrying them or can they hike on their own?
They are 6 and 8 and can hike many miles, but steep places make their mama terrified for them.
500Jerk
I absolutely love Grotto Falls. We went there again recently.
The hike is about three miles round trip but not a steep climb. When we went a few months ago I ran into a friend of mine and they have two young children who did the hike just fine. The falls is beautiful. (The trail actually goes on to Mt. LeConte via Trillium Gap but you do not need to go farther. It gets steeper after the falls. OK? (For more details, go to: http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/waterfalls.htm#CP_JUMP_60170)
Go to Gatlinburg. (Goggle map to Airport Road) This road becomes Cherokee Orchard Road into the national park. It becomes a one way road. After a few miles, a second one-way road forks to the right. This is the "Motor Nature Trail." You'll drive on it a few more miles and then come to a place where there are a lot of cars parked on the left. This is the parking lot for Grotto Falls.
I think you'll really enjoy it. After the hike, when you are back in the car, you'll encounter two restored homesteads: the Jim Bales and Ephriam Bales cabins. These are my ancestors.
OK?
Cool! We will pay our respects to your ancestors. Thanks for the advice!
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