Smoky MountainFun

We are here! Finally!! The drive was smooth and Max has been great in the car. We were on the road by 8 this morning, and in the smokies right around noon. Our first stop was a picnic ground for lunch, and we saw a racoon right off the bat! Max spotted him first and pointed and exclaimed "Mouse!" We let him know mice weren't that big. We considered the coon sighting a good omen for wildlife viewing. Our first stop was Roaring Fork drive, a one-way loop through some of the original homesteads of the area. It was really beautiful. The rhododendrons are still (barely) in bloom, and we saw some really pretty wild flowers. Max conked out and missed a lot of the loop. There were places along the way to stop and see the creek, forest, a cool old cemetary and lots of old buildings. The absolute highlight of the loop (see video below) was the BEAR!! We saw some people stopped and looking at the side of the mountain. They told us they had been watching a bear. We had to drive a bit before we could pull over and Heather said she'd wait with Max if we wanted to hike back. I don't think she thought we would see one. So Me and Grandma went back and darned if that bear didn't come down that hill really close to us. We went back to the car so Heather could come take a look, but no bear. The road through the park was also beautiful, and we took our time. We by passes Clingman's Dome, in favor of getting to the hotel for some R&R. We are staying in Maggie Valley at the Jonathon Creek Inn. This place is beautiful. We have a private screened in porch overlooking the creek and there are plenty of places to just sit and enjoy the view. Tomorrow is our ChooChoo ride, so we expect more big fun!

So long from the mountains :)