Day four of our adventure here at the Great Smoky Mountain National Park began a little late.  We had planned an early morning to be at the entrance to Cades Cove when they opened at dawn, but we were blessed with a little rain during the night and into the morning, so we got to sleep in a little.  We have been really excited about going to Cades Cove because they say that the largest concentration of bears in the park lives there.  We are hoping to see one now in the daylight to get a picture.

There are currently three standing church buildings in the cove.  This is the Cades Cove Methodist Church.  All the churches have grave yards attached.  Talking with the guide I learned that there are still people being buried in these grave yards.  The only stipulation is that you must be able to prove that you are a direct descendant to someone who is already buried there.  We noticed several graves that have been placed in the last decade and he stated that he had spoken to a gentleman who had just received his validation to be buried there as well.  An interesting side note is that his wife would not be able to be buried here unless he dies first and is buried there.  Rules…  🙂

Driving through the cove it is clear to see that the colors here at the lower elevations are still quite brilliant!  This lone tree in the field is an example of the beautiful color that can be found all throughout the park.

At the west end of the cove is the visitor’s center with several original buildings.  This old grist mill is still in operation today.  They actually sell the ground corn that they make here.  I overheard the gentleman who runs the mill tell someone that he had been working here as the operator for over 10 years.

 

An example of the homes that were lived in during the time that the cove was private land.  This cozy little home was nestled in among the trees at the foot of the hills.

And one can’t walk through the woods here during the autumn without looking upwards and seeing the splendor of color that God had blessed His creation with.  This truly is a wonderful place.  Sometimes we need to get away from the day-to-day grind of the city and just get back to the basics of life.  Count me in for a simpler time.

 

As the day rolled on (and after circling the cove 2 and a half times), it became apparent that we would see no bears today.  In fact, we saw very little wildlife at all this day.  It was as though they had all been given the day off from their “entertain the guests” duties.  So we thought we would try one last place.  One of the exits of the park is an 8 mile long one-way, one-lane, “primitive” road over the mountains called “Rich Mountain Road”.  So, earlier vehicle troubles not withstanding, we decided to give it a try.  True to it’s description, it was a very primitive road, through a very heavily wooded area.  But alas, no bears were found there either.  On the other hand, there was a nice overlook of the cove where we stopped and took this shot.  If you look near the bottom, you can see the Methodist church we saw earlier.

 

So, even though there were no bears, it was still a great day.  As we headed down the other side of the mountain from the Rich Mountain Road, we called ahead to Pizza Hut for our dinner order and then back to the cabin to sort through the day’s pictures.  Tomorrow, we will try the early morning option for Cades Cove again.  One more chance for bear!