Cades Cove, Smoky Mountains National Park…Bikes, Hikes, Butterflies, Bears, Dear Friends !

We have spent the last 4 days in Cades Cove, camping with the Riegels, the Wingfields and our favorite plus four (the Crowders and the Brauningers) staying in a delightful cabin in nearby Townsend. We had sites 20,21, and 22 of B loop which allowed us to use our generators between the hours of 8:00AM to 8:00PM. This was strictly enforced!

Our first full day we hiked the Middle Prong trail. It was perfect for our group of 10. It followed a creek and each segment was more beautiful than the next. The creek is a major habitat for the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly. It was remarkable how many we saw along the way!

The swallowtails were both playful and plentiful!
No visit to Cades Cove is complete without a drive around the loop. The Golden Girls had the best seats in the park! We saw at least 15 bears and the vistas along the way were stunning.
We were so fortunate that we were here on the first “Wonderful Wednesday”! The park service closes the loop and it is only open to bikes and hikers. What a pleasure it was to ride leisurely around the loop viewing the bears, the wild turkeys and the gorgeous scenery.

While riding we came across this large adolescent bear enjoying a lunch of leaves. We would have never spied him from a car. At least, that is until someone else did and the bear ham ensued.

Another nice hike makes for happy campers!
Before we left we enjoyed one last loop around the cove. I’m not sure our mode of transportation was park approved but it sure was fun!
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Author: robmin57

We still enjoy planning our own travel (most of the time😉). Using “Third Home”, a home exchange program, has added a new dimension to our travel planning. As Andy Dufresne says “Either get busy living, or get busy dying”

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