Grand Canyon - Widforss Trail

www.trektheparks.com

Trekking the Widforss Trail 

 Grand Canyon Lodge - North Rim Moon Set  (1)

 North Rim Canyon View at Full Moon (2)

 Transept Canyon view from Lodge (3)

 Grand Canyon Wildflowers! (4)

 Sunrise Silhouette (5)

 Trekking the Widforss Trail (6)

 Canyon view from the Widforss Trail (7)

 The Transept Canyon (8)

 Aggressive Blue Grouse on the attack! (9)

 Termite Trail Map! (10)

 Aspen stand along the trail. (11)

 Lone Tree on canyon spire. (12)

 Trails end! (13)

 View of Isis Temple and Cheops Pyramid Canyon from trails end. (14)

 Canyon View from Widforss Point (15)

 Heading back to the Lodge (16)

Happy Trekkers (17)

June 2, 2015 - Back to the Grand Canyon! While shopping at Costco recently, Terry and I found a book called Arizona Highways Hiking Guide - a collection of 52 of Arizona's best day hikes for winter, spring, summer and fall.

Summer has arrived in Phoenix with the temps already reaching 106° so we took a look at our newly acquired Hiking Guide to seek out some relieve from the heat! The "summer" section of the guide features high altitude hikes across the state - locations that will definitely be cooler than Phoenix Valley.

The one that caught my eye was hike number 38 - the Widforss Trail located on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The author of the book mentioned that of the 52 hikes featured, this one might well be the best! We were sold and promptly made reservations at the Grand Canyon Lodge!

Or, at least we thought we'd made reservations! When we arrived to check into our cabin, the reservations clerk pointed out that instead of two nights checking in on June 2nd, our reservation read one night checking in on June 3rd! Oh oh! We didn't bring our camping gear! "Can you help us out young lady?"

We did, however, have dinner reservations at the lodge's dining room for both nights! Which, by the way, if you do stay at the Grand Canyon Lodge, be sure to make dinner reservations. If you don't, be prepared to dine after 9:15 pm each night.

Much to our delight, the Lodge did find accommodations for us in a handicapped accessible cabin, which seemed appropriate as both Terry and I have become mentally handicapped! Can't remember where we put stuff. Make reservations for dinner for two nights…but room reservations for a single night! Welcome to Geezerhood Mr. and Mrs. Bink!

It seems that every journey must have it's challenges. On our last trek to Shenandoah, our rental car got towed! This time…a reservations malfunction!

June 3, 2015 - In anxious anticipation of our morning trek,  I am awake 4:15am. Terry's still sawing zzz's so I grab my camera and tripod to go shoot the sunrise. It's 38° outside, not a cloud in the sky and already getting light.

The Canyon takes on a whole new look in the early morning hours. First of all, there's hardly anybody else up at that hour so finding a spot to take a shot is easy! Not so much at sunset when pretty much every inch of the rim is crowded with smartphone toting folks snapping selfies.

After an hour photo session, I head back to the cabin and find Terry ready to trek the trails! After scarfing a hearty breakfast of sausage and egg burrito and chocolate muffin, we're off to the trailhead located 4 miles north of the Lodge. The trailhead turnoff is well marked and leads you to a gravel road. The mile long access road is in good condition so you won't need 4-wheel drive to reach the trailhead!

The hike measures 10-miles round trip - 5 miles out…5 miles back. It's rating is moderate and in terms of elevation change, the Guide says the hike has very little "elevation gain."  This is true. There are several "small" elevation gains (and losses) along the trail…however, you will be hiking at 8000'. The air is a wee bit thinner than the Valley Floor. Thin air and 64 year old lungs can make hiking this moderately rated trail a breathtaking experience!

Another motive for choosing this hike was the name of the guy for whom the trail is named. Gunnar Widforss was an artist who painted landscapes in the National Parks in the 20's and 30's. While living at the Grand Canyon in the 30's, Gunnar produced a large collection of watercolors capturing the Canyon's geologic detail.  Why did this guy's name appeal to me? My middle name is Gunnar! Hence, we had to hike this trail!

At the trailhead, there is a metal box containing a Trail Guide. Take one…and leave a donation! Along the first 2 1/2 miles of the trail, there are 14 numbered stops all of which will depict points of interest as you stroll along the rim of the Canyon.

The ten-mile trek takes most people 4 to 6 hours to complete. Most of the trail is shaded as you walk through a forest of pine, fir, spruce and aspen. Unlike the North Kaibab Trail which has several water stops and potties along the route, the Widforss Trail has no drinking water or restrooms so be sure to bring plenty of water with you. There is a pit toilet at the trailhead!

Sign Post #5 in the Trail Guide is called Peak View. Take a close look at picture (7) above. In the distance, through the haze you will notice mountains called the San Francisco Peaks. The highest of these volcanic peaks is Mt. Humphries, the tallest mountain in Arizona at 12, 670'. Years ago, it was possible to see the trees on the slopes of these mountains. Today, however, long-range visibility is impaired as urban and industrial pollutants fill the skies!

The first section of the trail parallels the Transept Canyon, one of the regions many tributary canyons. Along the route, you may see a wide variety of wildlife. On our trek, we happened to see a rare sighting of the Kaibab Squirrel. This shy creature native only to this region, is identifiable by its pointy tufted ears and its bushy silver-white tail that seemed to glow.  We also encountered a dozen white tailed deer, several other squirrels, and a variety of birds.

One such bird we encountered at Sign Post #9 was a very aggressive female Blue Grouse. (see picture #9 above) At the trailhead, there is a sign posted warning hikers about this bird. She has a nest very close to the trail…and she does all she can to keep hikers from intruding upon her territory. Trust me, she is not afraid of you and came very close to pecking a piece of my lower calf! Terry had to use her hiking sticks to fend off this feisty feathered female! If you encounter this grouchy Grouse, hike well around her stomping grounds!

At Sign Post #10, you'll find the largest Ponderosa Pine along the trail measuring nearly 13 feet in diameter. This tree is probably 300-500 years old and still stands today because it sits on the protected lands of the National Parks!

Once you've visited all 14 Sign Posts, the trail leaves the canyon rim and heads into a lush valley. Along this section of the trail, you'll hike amongst groves of aspen, quietly quaking in the gentle breezes. Ferns and tall grasses line the trail as you make your way to WidForss Point. (picture 13)

Find a comfortable spot and take in the view! Here, Terry and I enjoyed our picnic lunch and soaked in the sights. You'll be able to see the Isis Temple and the Cheops Pyramid from this vantage point along with the grandeur that makes up this fantastic canyon!

Happy Trails!

NP#47 - Shenandoah National Park

Park Visit #47!

 Dark Hollow Falls

 Rolling hills of Shenandoah

Yellow Birch splitting Rock!

Terry on top of Stony Man Mountain!

 Along the Appalachian Trail

 Thar's a Bear in the woods!

(double click picture to enlarge)

 Happy Trekkers at Dark Hollow Falls

 Lower Dark Hollow Falls

 Rose River Falls

Sunset at Shenandoah

www.trektheparks.com

May 13, 2015 - After experiencing a most dreadful breakfast at the Waffle House in Columbia, SC, we begin our 7-hour drive to our 47th destination - Shenandoah National Park. Terry sleeps most of the way as we head north on I-77. 

We enter the park from the west through the Thornton Gap Entrance. The Ranger at the Entrance Station notices we're from Arizona. He says he was stationed at the Grand Canyon for some time. I asked him how he liked Shenandoah. He said he couldn't wait to get back to Arizona and the Canyon! Hmmm?

After bidding the grumpy Ranger adieu, we head to the Byrd Visitors Center, about 20 miles south of the Thornton Gap Entrance. Here we purchase our commemorative pin; watch a 26-minute movie about how Shenandoah was the first park in the system to be built by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the mid '30's; and ask the Ranger on duty about good hikes within the park. He suggests several hikes that take in waterfalls. One in particular, Dark Hollow Falls, he says is supposed to be very nice this time of year. 

It's getting late and time to check into the Skyland Resort. We're assigned Rm 128. Older hotel-style room with a nice view of Shenandoah Valley. Before dinner, we take a short self-guided nature hike to the summit of Stony Man Mountain.  Apparently, if you view the mountain from the north, Stony Man resembles the face of a bearded man looking up at the heavens. After our hike, we headed north on Skyline Drive to take a look at the Stony Man. One must have a really keen imagination to see the bearded one looking up at the sky!

Along the trail, we came across a yellow birch tree splitting a large rock in two. (pictured above) We learned that all of the Chestnut trees in the park have succumbed to a fungus that was unintentionally introduced to the forest from Asia in the 1930's.  Before this blight, one in three trees in the park was a Chestnut. Now Oaks dominate the landscape. 

We walked along a small portion of the Appalachian Trail. Gazed at a variety of colorful wildflowers. Enjoyed the peace and quiet along the path as we lazily made our way to the summit. Standing on the forehead of Stony Man, we marveled at the acrobatic antics of the ravens riding the updrafts and shivered as the wind wrapped its cold arms around us!

 After saying goodnight to the Stony Man, we headed back to the lodge for dinner. Sadly, the food served at most National Park restaurants is mediocre at best. The Pollock Dining Room, the main restaurant at Skyland Resort was no different than most. 

May 14th. I decided to get out of the sack early to see if I could capture a couple of decent pictures in the early morning light. The sunrise was nothing spectacular this morning so, while Terry was back at the lodge snoozing,  I opted to hike down to Dark Hollow Falls to see about shooting it. My mini trek was rewarded with very nice lighting and a lovely waterfall. The hike down to the falls from the parking lot is only three-quarters of a mile. Very easy going….downhill. The sign at the trailhead suggests the hike back up is quite different! And it is….rather steep!

Back to lodge to wake up Sleeping Beauty. Following a very good breakfast, we venture out to do the 4-mile Rose River Falls loop hike. We start off down the Rose River Fire Road and about a half mile into the hike, Terry mentions that she hasn’t heard or read much about bears in the park.  I tell her that I’ve seen quite a bit about the bears…in fact, pointing down into the forest about 100 yards from us, I say, “See, there’s one now!” Ironically, just as we were discussing the park’s bear population, we spotted one browsing about the forest!

Continuing down the Fire Road, we reached the junction of the Dark Hollow Falls Trail, where, I’d been earlier this morning. Made the short, steep hike up to the Falls and shot a few more pix. However, the sun was now directly overhead and did not provide the same photo ops as earlier in the day. Note to people who want to take pix of waterfalls. Do it in the early morning or late afternoon! Shoot them using a tripod! Use a very small aperture 1/22 and a long shutter speed (1 second or more) and chances are you'll get a great shot. 

We had an early dinner so I could attempt to get some sunset shots of the Blue Ridge Mts. No such luck tonight. The clouds won this battle! Back to the bar for a nightcap. Terry discovered a Blackberry Frappe drink that made her coo!

5/15 – Got a case of the lazies and did not get up this morning to shoot the sunrise. Opted to snuggle up with Terry!  Decent Breakfast of Bagels, Cream Cheese, Smoked Trout, red onion, tomatoes and rabbit turds (capers). This was perhaps the best thing on the menu!

After breakfast, we headed north on Skyline Drive, perhaps the key feature of this park…albeit, I think the falls are far cooler than driving 105 miles and seeing virtually the same scene the entire distance. Trees. Trees. And more Trees! And if you stop at any one of the 75 turnouts…you’ll see the canopies of all those trees, trees, trees!

This afternoon’s destination, Labyrinth – a retail shop featuring games, puzzles, mazes and more located on Pennsylvanina Ave, SE in Washington, DC.

We work our way through the infamous “traffic maze” surrounding our country’s capital, and arrive at Labyrinth at 12:30 pm. Fortunately, there is a parking spot less than 50 yards from the front door. We park our rented Toyota Camry and proceed to introduce ourselves to Kathleen Donahue, the store’s owner.

The reason we chose to pay Kathleen a visit is twofold: Number one – She had contacted us via email following notification that our game had earned one of the coveted Mensa Select Awards. She likes to sell Mensa Select games. Plus, she is a Mensan as well!

Number two: Rather than drive 4 plus hours back to Charlotte to return to PHX, Terry booked us departing from DCA – Ronald Regan Airport…a mere 5.2 miles from Kathleen’s Shop! The airport is just across the Potomac River a mere 12-minute drive from Labyrinth. (Note: 12- minutes if there is no traffic!)

Our meeting with Kathleen is very productive. She gives us her thoughts on the game and game retailing. We learn quite a bit about what a retailer looks for in a tabletop board game, and how she goes about making decisions to purchase games.  

After our meeting with Kathleen, we decided to grab a bite to eat at Hank’s Oyster Bar a couple of doors down from Kathleen’s shop. Good Shrimp Tacos and BLT. However, when we exited the restaurant, our rental car was nowhere to be found! It had been towed!

Unbeknownst to us, we had parked in a (not very well marked) commercial spot and failed to see that the entire length of this section of Pennsylvania AVE SE was metered parking. Not only did we not see that we parked in a commercial spot, neither Terry or I noticed the signs instructing parkers to go to the kiosk and pay for parking.

It’s now closing in on 2 o’clock. Our plane is scheduled to depart at 5:10.  If we can find the car, we should be able to still make it to the airport on time. We call 311…the number to call if you discover your car has been towed! We are placed on permanent hold!

A fellow standing just outside the restaurant noticed our state of panic and confirmed that a white Toyota Camry had recently been towed away.  He mentioned that the cops usually park the towed vehicles somewhere closeby!

At 2:45 pm, we finally get through to the Traffic Cops and they inform us that our car has been towed just around the block! We race to the car. It appears undamaged from the tow truck driver.  Two tickets are lying under the wiper blades. One citation is for $50 for parking in a "commercial zone." The other is for $100 for having to be towed for nonpayment! Adding up the damage,  our meeting with Kathleen and lunch at Hank's ended up costing us about one-hundred eighty scoots! Ouch!

We punch the address of DCA into our smartphones and the girl inside the device instructs us to head south on 6^th street and merge on to Interstate 695/395 heading toward Arlington.  It is only 3 blocks from where we picked up the car to the freeway onramp. We can see the westbound cars on the freeway from where we are, stopped dead in a tangle of traffic. A funeral procession is in progress. It must have been a fallen Policeman or fireman as there are an incredible amount of public service vehicles in the procession. This event has closed the freeway. Traffic is at a standstill; however, time marches on! It’s now 3:15 and we have moved all of about 8 car lengths.

In utter frustration, I opt to take another route. ANY other route to get us out of this area!

Rather than heading west on 695, I hop on the eastbound portion choosing instead to head south on 295 down to the 495 and then back north on Hwy 1 to the airport.

For the first half mile, traffic on 695E is moving along nicely. Then, it comes to a crawl! We are now inch-worming our way to the airport and I have to pee really bad and there are no off-ramps anywhere!

It’s now 4:00 pm. We’ve finally made it to the 495 with a warning sign saying “Prepare to Stop when Drawbridge is in operation." I’m talking about the drawbridge over the Potomac River! If that sign lights up…I’m jumping! Fortunately, we make it over the bridge without incident.

I make the Hwy 1 off ramp and find a gas station. Although time is running thin, I’ve got to pee! After a much needed whiz, we’re back in the rental car and off to DCA to the Rental Car Return Center. We get to the Airport at 4:15pm….still time to make our flight! However, lo and behold…the Dollar Car Rental Return center is NOT at the Airport…it’s offsite! After finding the address to Dollar, we weave our way back into the now-all-to-familiar-traffic-snarl indigenous to this area!

4:22 pm. We are at the Car Return center and now await the shuttle bus. It arrives at 4:29. Every minute is agonizing as we await people to disembark from and load onto the shuttle! 4:33 – the Shuttle leaves Dollar and heads to the airport. Stop number 1 – Southwest Air. A couple begins unloading the many bags they have schlepped aboard the shuttle at Stop 1. Just before the shuttle is able to head to Stop #2, a bus pulls alongside, blocking our path! I look down at my watch and think, “there’s no way we’re getting on our flight home.” 

We still needed to print our boarding passes and get through security. Mind you, it’s Friday evening. The airport is abuzz with travelers! It’s 4:39 by the time we reach Stop #2. Now a family of 4 begins the disembark procedure from the Shuttle Van. These people have even more baggage than the couple that got off at Stop 1! It takes them forever to get all their gear off the van. And then a family of 5 begins to slowly enter the van!

US Airways/American is at Stop #4. We get to Stop #3 at 4:44. No one is getting off here, however, another large group of folks begins to load up the van. I can’t take it any more and tell Terry to grab her bag, we’re walking to our gate! You see, I found walking in this area is the most expedient form of transportation! The worst thing you can do is get into a car or a van!

Now on the trail, Terry is very methodical about the pace she keeps. We do not travel very fast out in the wild. But get her inside an airport terminal, and the gal literally hauls ass! We’re up the escalator in no time and now frantically look for a place to print our boarding passes. Fortunately, there’s one close by.

And so is Security. Terry glances over at the lengthy line weaving through the Security Maze and says, “No way we’re making the flight unless we get TSA Pre!”

She punches in our confirmation code. I am begging for TSA Pre! Her ticket pops out – TSA Pre! But what about mine? What happened to my ticket? It’s now 4:49 pm…eleven minutes before the plane is scheduled to depart. I’m the kind of traveler who most always gets to the gate at least an hour before departure. I dislike the anxiety of wondering if I’ll make the flight or not. By this time, I had resolved in my mind we would be spending the night in Arlington and would hopefully be able to hop a plane in the morning.

She finds my ticket. It had printed along with hers. I too got the TSA Pre stamp of approval and the two of us scurry over to the Security line!  We breeze through TSA Pre uneventfully and head on to Gate 42.

Now the ticket that got us through security was only a standby ticket….meaning if there was room on the plane, we’d get home as long as we got to the gate before they close the doors. We get to the gate with minutes to spare, there are two seats available and as improbable as it seemed when we were trapped in traffic just a wee bit ago…we were going home! Next time, we'll be sure to pay for parking!

Happy trails my friends.

NP#46 - Congaree National Park

Our 46th Park visit!

Low Sims Boardwalk Trail

 The Trees Knees!

Swamp-like conditions prevail.

 More Tree Knees!

Canopy of Congaree

Trekking is a winner!
www.trektheparks.com

5:00 am, May 12, 2015. Terry and I are on our way to our 46th National Park destination after coming off the high we recently experienced when we learned that our tabletop board game - Trekking the National Parks - was a winner at the 2015 Mensa Mind Games Competition held in San Diego April 30th thru May 3rd!  The judges select games with a "high degree of originality, creativity, value, design and level of challenge." To be voted "Mensa Select" is quite an honor for a first time entrant in a very exclusive competition! We're thrilled to have won this coveted award!

Back to our travel plans. We've got standby tickies from PHX to CLT (Charlotte, NC) via my LEAST favorite airline - the new American! No problem with this 5am departing flight. Just needed to get up at 2:30am to make sure we got there in plenty of time! S’poze I shouldn’t complain. The flight was free.

Upon arrival at CLT, we pick up our white Toyota Camry rental car from Dollar and head south toward Congaree - a two hour drive down I-77. It's a bit hot and humid here in the southeast on this overcast afternoon.

Congaree National Park is famous for its Championship Trees. This area is one of the last remaining bottomland hardwood forests and was saved from the logger man's axe when in 1974, Congress designated the area Congaree Swamp National Monument. Otherwise, the last remaining Bald Cypress may have experienced the same fate as Dr. Suess's Truffula Trees!

In the latter part of the 1800's, there were more than 52 million acres of floodplain forests spread across the southeastern United States. Today, Congaree's 27,000 acres represent the largest remaining intact tract of these precious flora.

Highlights: Because Congaree is located in a floodplain, when the Congaree or the nearby Wateree Rivers overflow, their waters spill throughout the bounds of Congaree providing excellent photo ops! Most of the pictures you see of the trees knee deep in water are due to this flooding. If you show up at "low tide" like we did, you'll get to see the trees standing tall amongst the Dorovan muck - an 8 foot thick mud mixture of clay and old leaves! Not the most desirable state for photo taking!

“Ya shoulda been here two weeks ago”, says Carol, the Volunteer Ranger at the Congaree Visitor Center. Two weeks ago, the park was gracefully flooded, giving photographers the shot they desire!

Nevertheless, Terry and I took the 2.4 mile Sim Boardwalk Loop…which was partially closed for reconstruction. Along the wooden path, we learned that Bald Cypress can live to be over 1,000 years old. The wood of the Bald Cypress is water resistant and impervious to rotting, hence it is often called "wood eternal." The wood was used by indians for canoes and was logged in the late 1800's for use as roof shingles, docks, bridges, cabinetry and more. Because of its function and durability, these trees were prime targets for lumbermen!

As for the "champion" status of the trees, Congaree is host to the world's largest concentration of "champion trees." The world's tallest (169') and largest (42 cubic meters) Loblolly Pine resides in the park as does the award winning Laurel Oak scoring an impressive 405 points on the Big Tree meter!

Most visitors take the boardwalk to experience the park; however, the Congaree is also an excellent place to launch your canoe or kayak! The Cedar Creek Canoe Trail winds 15 miles through the Congaree Wilderness exposing you to the park's diverse flora and fauna.

At the far end of the Boardwalk, we met up with a really nice couple from New Jersey - Ernie and Lily.  they too are on a quest to visit many of the country's National Parks. To date, they've experienced 31 of these magnificent landscapes! 

As for accommodations at Congaree, the park does have a couple of campgrounds. We opted to "camp" at the Candlewood Suites in nearby Columbia! It's located about 20 minutes north of the park. 

If you are looking for a decent place to dine when visiting Congaree, we would recommend dinner at Moe's Grapevine Italian Restaurant located at 4478 Rosewood Drive, Columbia, SC.

8:13 am - May 13th.  Next up - #47 - Shenandoah National Park! But before we make the 6 hour, forty minute drive to Shenandoah, we needed some breakfast! Right across the street from the hotel, there sits a Waffle House. Terry has never had the pleasure of the Waffle House dining experience, so we opted to give it a try! Let's just say that the experience left her swearing to NEVER again dine at a Waffle House! She couldn't understand what Jeffrey and Raul see in the joint!

Happy Trails everyone!

NP#45 - Great Smoky Mountain

trektheparks.com

Our 45th Park visit - Great Smoky Mtns.                         (1)

 Panoramic view from Newfound Gap Road                          (2)

Same shot the next morning                                                   (3)

Hiking the Appalachian Trail!                                               (4)

Mingus Mill                                                                           (5)

Spooky trees from atop Clingmans Dome                             (6)

Cool Creek along Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail             (7)

Classic Cabins near cool Creek!                                            (8)

Trekking to Elijah Oliver Place in Cades Cove                      (9)

Elijah's Place                                                                        (10)

Cable Grist Mill - Cades Cove                                              (11)

Sunset over Great Smoky Mountains                                   (12)

Sept 8, 2014 - We begin our 45th park visit with a flight from Phoenix to Charlotte, NC via the "new" American Airlines - formerly US Airways - formerly America West Airlines! Terry has us booked "standby, " which those of you who know me, know this is my least favorite way to fly! At least within the continental US. International flights, first class - no problem!

From Charlotte, we'll jump on a commuter jet to Knoxville, TN and then drive about an hour to the Doubletree Hotel in Gatlinburg, TN. The Dbltree will serve as base camp for the three days we'll be visiting. 

Sept 9th - My birthday! I've been fortunate to have a loving wife who will allow me to trek to a park over my birthday! Last year, Charlie, Terry and I were in Glacier National Park. The year before that…I believe we were in Crater Lake! Nevertheless, I am up early to attempt to get the classic sunrise shot from Newfound Gap. The one with the mountains all filled with "smoke," the sky filled with the burnt orange, red and pink hues the clouds get when the sun peaks over the horizon and the hills all neatly aligned in alternating fashion. 

Alas, the cloud cover was thick this morning (picture #3 above) and so I would come away from my pre-dawn photo op somewhat empty handed. Back to the hotel to see if the bride has risen yet! Nope! Still sleeping! 

The itinerary for the day is to travel from Gatlinburg, TN through the park up and over the mountain ridges to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Along the route we would stop by the many overlooks to gawk at the Smokies. We'd pay a visit to Mingus Mill, an old time grist Mill located near the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. The section of the Blue Ridge Parkway we traveled is the southernmost section of the 469 mile road that winds its way north through the Appalachian Mountains. Nice…however, the fall color had not yet taken shape along one of America's most traveled roads so all vista's were pretty much the same - very green!

After getting our fill of the Parkway, we headed back up Newfound Gap Road to Clingmans Dome. The tower atop the Dome is the highest point in the park (6643 feet) and is said to provide its visitors with a 360 degree view of the Smokies. That might be true; however, during our brief visit, the cloud cover was pea soup thick (see picture #6). 

After departing the Dome, we took the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. This is a must do if you visit this park! Just outside Gatlinburg, this single lane, one way road winds you up and through a dense forest filled with old homestead houses, babbling brooks flowing over moss covered boulders and trails leading to gorgeous waterfalls. (pix 7 and 8)

When we completed the Nature Trail, we ventured into the tourist section of Gatlinburg to see what may be available for dinner. What we found is a plethora of pancake houses. We counted 8 Pancake restaurants all within a 2 mile radius! When we asked a local what the deal was with all the pancake restaurants, she replied, "oh, us southerners just love our pancakes!" Go figure! (We counted another 10 pancake houses along the main drag of  Pigeon Forge! 

And there were three times as many Mini golf courses, and amusement parks along the Hwy 441 between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. By the way, Pigeon Forge is home of Dollywood - Dolly Pardon's theme park! Here you've got this amazing national park just minutes from Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, yet the majority of the visitors were hanging out in town! 

Which brings me to a question about how the Park Service can state that this park is the most highly visited one in the system. Statistics say that Great Smoky gets over 9 million visitors annually. Yet, unlike many of the National Parks there are no entry stations to collect entry fees or to count visitors. 

Could it be that half of those 9 million "visitors" were actually just passing through the Park on their way to get at some of those Pancakes before hanging out at Dollywood? 

Sept 10th - Today we ventured down to Cades Cove - a relatively flat valley tucked between mountain ridges. The 11 mile loop road takes you through the valley with stops at several of the historic old buildings found along the drive. Elijah Oliver Place and the Grist Mill (pix 10 and 11) were a couple of the highlights during our visit. 

After dinner, we made our way back up Newfound Gap Road in hopes of catching a photo op of a decent sunset. Much to our delight, we were treated to the last bit of golden light cast upon the clouds by the stetting sun. 

NP#44 - Acadia National Park

       www.trektheparks.com