Smoky Mountains Trip; Day 5

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all you mothers out there.  Chris had a good morning because she heard from both of her sons before we left our motel.

We left Gatlinburg at 10:00.  It was 73 degrees and mostly cloudy.  We rode north into Smoky Mountain National Park.  At first look, it appeared as though there were many dead trees in the park.  Eventually we got it figured out that those trees were just starting to bud out.  Out first stop was at the Newfound Gap scenic overlook.Newfound Gap scenic overlook; SMNPWhile here we walked a portion of the Appalachian Trail.

The next stop was the parking lot for Clingmans Dome and from there we walked to the observation platform.  At the top of Clingmans Dome  it was 63 degrees and the clouds moved in so the views were limited.  My iPhone said the elevation on the observation platform was 6,810 feet.DSCN6817

We had a picnic lunch in the Chimneys picnic areaDSCN6845and checked out The Sinks waterfall.IMG_0393Then rode through Townsend, TN to our cabin for the next three nights.  The driveway to the cabin was very steep and caused a slight anus pucker.  After unloading and doing some laundry we rode back into Townsend for dinner (at the Beef Barn) and grocery shopping.

Another great day of riding with beautiful scenery; 98 miles with a high of 88.

For more pictures from today click on the following link: https://plus.google.com/photos/104542123131082631220/albums/6147406472480540881?authkey=CI3KqYffgYCfzgE

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