A few days in the Smoky Mountains seemed a great way to escape the heat for a few days in August. For a change, I stayed on I 40 for most of the trip east.
I spent the first night at Cade's Cove. I was not pleased to be awakened by an employee cleaning the fire pit at 7 in the morning but did enjoy watching the deer roam thru the campground while having my coffee. It was then a pleasant drive on the narrow, winding, scenic 11 mile path through the cove the following morning before heading over the mountain to the North Carolina side. I was surprised to find gas 15 cents per gallon higher.
The Deep Creek campground north of Bryson City, NC was a suitable location for the second night in the Smokies.While camped at Deep Creek, an easy morning walk led past Tom's Branch waterfall alongside Indian Creek.
Soon we were at Indian Creek Falls. The streams were rather low due to a lack of rain throughout the summer
Another nearby trail led to Juneywhank Falls.
Smokemont provided an excellent camping site alongside Bradley Fork. I almost missed site F34 as section F was across the creek over a small bridge. A short visit to Harrah's in Cherokee was in order as it was only 4 miles down the hill. A tour of the Oconaluftee Visitor's Center provided a glimpse into farm life in the area as they had moved many log structures to the area to set up a typical homeplace from years past.
Mingo Falls and Mingus Mill were good stops nearby our campground. The mountainside of steps leading to the falls began to take it's toll on the old back but the falls were worth the climb.
At Mingus Mill they were grinding corn at the turbine driven mill.
The views in the Smoky Mountains are always so peaceful with the haze rising in the distance.
From Smokemont it was time to travel back over the mountain and give serious consideration to a place to stay over Labor Day weekend. Smokemont, Cade's Cove and Elkmont campgrounds all accept reservations and were full. Along the way a 1.3 hike up to Laurel Falls didn't help the back and put a stop to hiking.
Cosby campground south of Newport was an overcrowded place on the hillside with less desirable campsites but on a first come, first served basis it was a good location for the busy Labor Day weekend. I missed being camped alongside a stream.
From Cosby there were many backroad scenic drives.. Wilton Springs Road, Greasy Cove Road, Hartford Road, highway 321, 25, 209. When I stopped at an overlook on Green Mountain parkway along the scenic shortcut from I 40 I didn't realize til later I was overlooking my gggrandather's old home place. The chimney is still standing at the base of the hill but couldn't be seen in the greenery and the rattlesnakes on the hill, according to the locals, provide a good reason not to go searching in the summer. On Sunday I took a leisurely drive along 339 to the genealogy library in Sevierville. Then another scenic drive on 416 south led back to Cosby. 
From Cosby, I faced the mass exodus of Labor Day weekend traffic and had no trouble finding a spot in section E of the Elkmont campground. Going through Gatlinburg was a bumper to bumper nightmare but when I found my spot for the night the only sounds were the rushing waters of the Little River at my back door. Here was a place I wanted to try a little fly fishing after observing at least 15 trout feeding under the bridge, but there was no way I would drive back into Gatlinburg to get a license.
After Elkmont I switched into genealogy mode and stopped at the Maryville library, the Blount County courthouse in Maryville, the Cleveland genealogy library and Bradley County courthouse in Cleveland before stopping at Tim's Ford State Park for the night. I was glad to have electricity for the first time on the trip as the temperature had soared into the 90s once I came out of the mountains. From Tim's Ford I took a most scenic drive mostly along 129 to Cornersville. I was delighted to get my GPS to work properly for the first time as I surely took a wrong turn leaving the campground. After a visit to Mars Hill cemetery and the Pulaski Library I noticed a thermometer that read 96 degrees. It was time to head east on 64 and zip through Memphis to the house.
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