vacation almost done

The next day dawned bright and sunny. We got up and loaded the bike and headed out for breakfast. We made a big mistake and went to an all you can eat breakfast buffet. Not the thing to do when you are trying to watch what you eat! After eating we headed back towards Gatlinburg and the Smokies.

The air was cool and crisp, a perfect day for riding. Traffic was slow in town so we made it though fast and got among the trees! (Yes, Mort more trees!) We headed towards Cades Cove. This was to be my first trip to the Cove even though I have been to the Smokies  numberous times. The trip through the loop was slow but worth the sights. I saw a bear cub high up in a treee but by the time I got into shooting range( with a camera) he skinnied down the tree and took off. I know stupid to approach a bear! LOL I was not getting that close to it! I do not believe I can out run a bear! We saw lots of dear and what I think might have been elk but they were too far away. The settlement was very neat. There was a working corn mill  except that the water was too low and the waterwheel would not turn. Same as it would have been like in the old days, no water, no corn meal or flour.

After leaving the cove we stopped at a well known swimming hole at the foot of the mountain to decide whart to do next. We decided to get on the Foothills Parkway. What a view it offered of the mountains! It came to an end on Highway 129. We had 2 choices right to go home the fast way or left to go to the DRAGON. The Dragon, 318 curves in an 11 mile stretch of road high up on a mountain. To the left we went climbing higher and higher, signs warning of switchback curves, our speed getting slower and slower and the curves got harder. The Dragon is now 2 miles from us! Then it happened..............