Yesterday we visited the Great Smoky Mountains NP. I got another stamp in my NP Passport and we headed out to see the sights. Our first stop was Mingus Mill.
It was interesting to read about its history and walk around the old mill. Tom, of course, noticed right away there was a sign about a bass player. I guess bass players recognize other bass players. He was out of the truck reading the sign before I could get my seat belt off.
We continued on up Newfound Gap Road. I read the history about this area as we were going. The Auto Touring Map from the NPS says, “In Southern Appalachia vernacular, a “gap” is a low point along a ridge or mountain range. The old road over the Smoky Mountains crossed at Indian Gap, located about 1 1/2 miles west of the current site. When the lower, easier crossing was discovered, it became known as the “new found” gap. We reached the lookout at the top of the gap going up to 5,046 feet. You can catch the Appalachian Trail there and we saw a hiker taking a rest near the trail.
We walked a little ways on the Appalachian Trail, not far, but I can at least say I was there. You are also able to straddle the Tennessee/North Carolina border. I’m standing in Tennessee. I’m sure you can’t tell but I was freezing as it was down to 58 degrees by then.
We were sad to discover that the road was closed past Newfound Gap and we weren’t able to get to the Tennessee side. There was a rock slide and the road is supposed to be open by the end of September. We plan to go back someday and see more of the park.
We really like this campground, Lazy Turtle Campground. It is small, quiet and has sites along the river. It is much nicer than some of the larger campgrounds nearby. It is also closer to amenities. There isn’t a laundry here but there’s a very nice laundry across from the casino about a block away. There’s lots to do in Cherokee, NC. The town has painted bears all over the place. There is a Harley Davidson dealership not too far from us and they were having an event yesterday. Lot’s of motorcycles were around.
We had some heavy thunderstorms yesterday morning and more rain in the afternoon but all in all it was a good day for sightseeing and resting.
We hope your days are filled with joy and wonder as ours have been. We head to Georgia this morning for a quick overnight stay.
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