The Smokies

It is understandable why the Great Smoky Mountains NP is the most visited in the US- it is absolutely gorgeous. We had a wonderful 3 nights/4 days off grid in the park. We stayed in the Cades Cove Campground on the far Southwest end of the park. We have met many friendly folks on our trip and this spot was no different. We met a wonderful family of 5 from just outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the kids and Rye and I really enjoyed their company. We may even stop and visit them on our way through Wisconsin! Rye and Maddie went horseback riding in the park. Unfortunately, Ben was too young/small, so we had to settle for a pony ride for him. Ben’s horse was named, Pepper, which we found very comical since his Auntie Kristin and Uncle Matt’s rooster at home is named Pepper, and is not a nice chicken! Maddie’s horse was named Coco and Rye was on Pat (short for Patricia). They got to see a razorback (wild hog) trap on their ride (apparently, they are having trouble with wild hogs in the park and are setting traps to get ride of them). The campground ran alongside Abram’s Creek and we found a great swimming hole that we visited daily with our new friends. It was COLD! We saw some elk and wild turkeys but no bears. We were a little worried, but the Easter bunny did find us in Tennessee! We found a Southern Baptist Church just outside the park to visit for Easter service and it was a great experience- the people were so friendly. Today, we drove to Abingdon, Virginia where the lush, rolling hills of the Appalachians continue. Tomorrow, we will head to Shenandoah NP for a few days before making our way to Washington DC.