Again.
Each fall we try to carve a few days from the crazy family schedule to spend in the Smokies with the in-laws. Each fall we hope to catch a glimpse of a bear. And each fall we leave without a bear sighting. It has come to be quite the joke in the family, since everyone who has ever come along on this trip has managed to spot one except us. This year, my sister-in-law managed to catch a cub (a peek, not the actual bear!) near Laurel Falls.
We, on the other hand, were treated to views of that rare woodland creature known as the ground squirrel. Fascinating!
Oh well! Next time it has to be us. We’re the only ones left!
With the kids in school is gets harder and harder to get a few days away, so we ended up with a long weekend trip this year. It wasn’t a long time to take in the sights, so we had to chose a few specific spots to see. In the end, we stuck with some old favorites – a few kid-friendly trails, the Dixie Stampede, and driving the Cades Cove loop with a few thousand of our closest friends. Despite the Cove being packed (though not nearly as bad this year as some previous years), the kids always love exploring the cabins. They also had a great blacksmithing demo we hadn’t seen before. The light inside the cabin was fantastic. I’m hoping I got some good photos, but I haven’t downloaded them from the camera yet.
I did realize that I’m still not over the near-squishing of my car by a semi-truck a few months ago, though. The highway driving made me shaky. Worth it though, to have a great family weekend, bears or no bears!
Until next time…
C.
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