Great Smoky Mountains

We made it to the Great Smoky Mountains.  They were absolutely breathtaking.  The Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited park in the United States.  We were fortunate to visit during the winter when it isn't nearly as busy.

We camped at Cades Cove campground.

The next day was so beautiful and warm (nearly 70 degrees) that we took the motorbike down and rode the Cades Cove scenic loop.

Off we go on a tour of the 11 mile long Cades Cove scenic loop!

Our first stop was at John Oliver's cabin.

The children behind me we shooting at each other with fake wood guns and making indian noises.  It was time for us to move on.

This was the view from the parking area that led to the cabin.

Then we stopped at Cades Cove Primitive Baptist Church.

I joined the choir.

George took up preaching.

We made our way through the cemetery behind the church...

where we came across John Oliver's grave site.

There are many scenic overlooks and pull offs around the loop.  Each more beautiful than the previous.

The deer are show stoppers for visitors.  Everyone stops to watch them.  Remarkably, the deer come very close to the vehicles and visitors.  Remember not to feed the wildlife when you visit though.  It is illegal and harmful to the animals.

We then arrived at Cable Mill at the Visitor's Center.

The mill is the only original building to the site.  The rest of the buildings were either constructed by the park service or brought in from other locations.

This was just an old barn on our way around the loop.

After we finished the loop we rode through the Smoky Mountains a bit.

It was a beautiful day to be out riding our motorbike in the Smoky Mountains.