Smoky Mountains: Day 1; Cades Cove

Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is one of my favorite spots.  Interestingly, I would have normally avoided a place that drew so many tourists and was mainly seen in a car but it has been a favorite for years.  The alarm went off at 5am, out the door at 5:30am, arriving at Cades Cove gate at 6:15am, Ashley and I were ten cars in and the gates did not open until 7:40am.

The Smokys are named after the dense fog that hangs throughout most of the morning, reminiscent of smoke.  We rode through the first time and got some interesting photos of the foggy sunrises.  We spotted dozens of deer and turkeys on the 11 miles loop.

 

We took a second trip around shortly after finishing our first and immediately spotted a bear eating in a tree.  The sun was fully up now, peering over the mountain tops splashing light onto the remaining foliage.  We saw a second bear down a side road and even spotted a coyote in a field!

That evening we went to a local pizza shop that had a vegan cheese option.  Nothing special but in the heart of eastern Tennessee, the pickings are slim.  That evening we returned to Cades Cove for a night hike.  We heard numerous coyotes howling around us and saw bats flying over our heads.  It was pretty amazing, we even saw a second coyote as we were leaving the park for the night.