Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Monday - 10 May 2004 - Gatlinburg, Tennessee:
Tennessee is simply beautiful, and at this time of year, it is lush and
green. The people are exceedingly friendly and think we have come from the
edges of civilization to visit Their State! We spent the entire day in
Great
Smoky Mountains National Park. Here are photos of our day:
The Great Smoky Mountains (photo DT)
Laurel Creek
Butterflies along the creek bank (photo DT)
John Oliver homestead (photo DT)
DT at the John Oliver cabin, built in 1820
Terry at the John Oliver cabin
The Old Methodist Church - (photo DT)
The church has two doors as it was customary at this time in the Methodist
Church
for men and women to enter by different doors and sit on opposite sides of
the church
One of the most interesting areas we visited today is called
Cades Cove. (A cove is what Oregonians call a meadow.)
Cades Cove held something precious in the mountains - flat farmland! Many
families settled in this area in the early 1800's. Many of their homes are
still standing and some are on the 11-mile one-way road through Cades Cove.
There is also a still-working grist mill to visit:
John Cable's grist mill
The mill race leading to John Cable's grist mill
The grinding stone at work. They were milling corn.
We bought 5 lbs. of corn meal and 5 lbs. of whole wheat flour
Typical barn in 1800-1900 Eastern Tennessee - it featured a drive-through
for easy hay unloading
After touring through Cades Cove, we drove through the rest
of the park - but rarely left the car. There was a terrible thunder and
lightning storm and it was pouring rain! Well, at least it was finally
cooler and the streams were bursting, which made for many nice waterfall
photos.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is magnificent!
Added later: I learned something yesterday
that I found very interesting and I forgot to add it to my journal last
night. I learned the source of two more (American English) expressions! Both
usages began at the mill we visited yesterday (or so it is claimed). The
first is "take your turn" or "it's your turn". The process
of grinding your corn or wheat is called a "turn". Farmers brought their
grain to the mill and waited in line for their "turn" of the wheel. While
they were waiting, they visited with their neighbors, catching up on news
and gossip. This is how the term "milling around" was
started.
And I must also add this photo. I adore Dolly Parton, so we had to have a
look at her theme park,
DollyWood. I have many of her CDs and especially love her Trio 2 CD with
Linda Ronstadt and Emmy Lou Harris. Last week, when Bob Edwards "retired"
after 25 years on NPR, he said his favorite interview, hands-down, was Dolly
Parton. He said she was so funny, so real and the easiest interview because
she always had a story and a funny joke.
DollyWood!
RV Park:
Twin Creek RV Resort
|