Three Days Camping in Cades Cove

Seeing three bears out in the open soon after entering Cades Cove our first evening there was a treat!

Further around on the back side this one was sitting there posing for a raft of photographers.  We actually left before he did.  Usually we stay to just watch till they disappear into the woods.

We took our first hike to Cataract Falls, behind the Sugarlands Visitor Center.

We loved our campsite - so private and quiet, in loop C.  It's first come, first served until May 15 so we chose our favorite site and got to stay on it all 3 nights.  We heard owls at about 10 each night.

The cabins and barns and churches on the loop drive are so quaint and picturesque.

Some folks we talked to in the campground told us where to find these shooting stars - so we experienced another trail new to us, the Finley Cane trail very close to our campground.

Pink lady slippers along the trail

There weren't many new cubs this year, so we saw yearlings with their mother.  We had hoped to see the mother with her four new cubs, but it wasn't to be.

From the road as we drove around the loop we stopped a few times thinking the dark dot way out in the field was a bear, but our binoculars proved us wrong.  We saw LOTS of turkeys!

There were a lot of white dogwood in bloom.  The mountain laurel are to bloom later in May.  Rhododendron are in June.

On Friday morning we drove around the loop at 7 and only saw deer and turkey. A couple we talked to saw 9 bears the morning before on the loop.

In Gatlinburg

Along the Gatlinburg trail

Where he lives when we're home, pretty much - under one vehicle or the other. 
He was replacing the O-2 sensors when I got this one  ;)