I was up late last night post-processing images for the yesterday’s blog and downloading/installing 32-bit versions of the some of the free 64-bit software Lou had provided via flashdrive for SKP Photographers Workshop. As a result we slept in a bit and, not having anything we had to do today, Linda made her yummy vegan pancakes and served them with real Maple syrup.
The Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GSMNP) re-opened this morning, and is supposed to remain open through at least Sunday. We are camped about a mile outside the Cades Cove (Townsend, TN) entrance, so we decided to go for a drive in that direction. We left around 10 AM, and in spite of the RV parks (and motels) around here not being full, due to the government shutdown forced park closure, lots of other people had apparently stuck around in the hopes the park would re-open and had the same idea about where to head. Most of GSMNP is not accessible by motor vehicle, and Cades Cove has always been the major tourist draw for those who are sight-seeing in a car.
Giant fungus (18” diameter) along the Cades Cove Loop Road, GSMNP.
Traffic on the 11 mile long road to/from Cades Cove was bumper to bumper and moving slowly-to-not-at-all; but we were not in any hurry and it was fine with us. We eventually reached the Visitor Center at the end of the Cades Cove Loop Road, found a parking spot (not a guaranteed thing), and walked around the area looking at and photographing the old buildings. We stopped in a few pull-outs along the way and I shot a few landscapes and a babbling brook, but the day was heavily clouded with low light levels and color vibrancy and I wasn’t feeling particularly inspired photographically speaking. We were also a little tired and did not do any of the waterfall hikes. Besides, there were no open parking spots at many of the trailheads and vantage points.
We eventually made our way back to our starting point in the park and then continued on through the park on Scenic TN-73 towards US-441 to the northeast. This was a very nice drive, but not really suitable for a large motorhome and we did not see any on this leg of the journey. I mention that only because part of what we were doing today was scouting our exit route. We eventually got to US-441 and headed north towards Gatlinburg. Gatlinburg is an attractive tourist town with bumper-to-bumper traffic that moves slowly, but persistently, allowing me to gawk as I drove. (Linda usually does the tourist toad driving, but her hip was bothering her, so I took over after Cades Cove.) It’s also small enough that we were out the other side in a reasonable amount of time.
One of the two Baptist Churches we passed in Cades Cove, ca. 1839, GSMNP.
We continued north on US-441/US-321 to Pigeon Forge, home of Dolly World, to the point where US-321 South split off and headed back to Townsend. We went this way partly for the scenery, which was nice, and partly to check out the road, which semi’s were advised on either end not to use. While most of the road was fine for a larger, longer wheelbase vehicle, there was a stretch where the bus would not have gotten through easily due to narrow lanes and hairpin turns. Also, for much of its length there was little-to-no shoulder and places where the branches overhanging the road had not been trimmed up and would have damaged the coach.
Our Trucker’s Atlas indicated that this stretch of US-321 is a truck route, and we had hoped it would be passable by a large motorhome as it in the direct/short route from where we are to where we need to go on Friday. Linda found some online reviews that corroborated the warning signs; this was not a road for semi’s and motorhomes. As a result, our confidence in being able to rely on our Trucker’s Atlas is somewhat reduced, and we are inclined to believe posted signs.
The water powered mill at the Cade Coves Visitor Center area, GSMNP. The mill was operating, demonstrating the grinding of corn into corn meal.
Although I am not thrilled at the prospect, our route out of here on Friday morning will be to backtrack on US-321/TN73 S/W to US-66 N to Maryville and pick up US-129 N to Knoxville where we merge onto I-40 E which takes us to the southern terminus of I-81 N and on to Lexington, Virginia. I have really studied the satellite images of the highway system in Knoxville and the US-129 N to I-40 E transition should be a no-brainer unless the highway signs are completely screwed up or they have a road closed with a poorly marked detour.
Linda made a whole wheat penne pasta dish with homemade marinara sauce, pan-fried eggplant, and garlic. She made the marinara sauce a couple of weeks ago and froze some of it. I raved about it when she made it, and it was just as good thawed out and re-heated.
The Little River along Little River Road en route to US-441, GSMNP.
The photo workshop participants reconvened at 8 PM in the resort classroom building to go over the agenda for Thursday. With rain forecast to move in for the afternoon, the plan was to drive about 15 minutes in the morning to a nearby waterfall, capture some images there as interest and weather permitted, and then return to camp for lunch, followed by another 3 – 4 hours of classroom demonstration and discussion. Lou showed some photographs he took on his cell phone and demonstrated several cell phone camera apps that he uses. We agreed to meet for breakfast at 8 AM at Riverstone Family Restaurant, just up the road from our resort, and leave for the falls from there.