You know from our previous posts that the Smoky Mountains are where we call "home" and we're here visiting for a bit. After a few days of being busy with family and friends we finally found a day to take a drive in hopes of catching the last bit of Fall leaves up in the mountains.If you've never experienced the wonder of Fall in the Appalacians we highly recommend it. It is truly unlike any place in the country. There is something special about the combination of cool, crisp air, the bright shining sun and the magnificient colors of the leaves. It is breathtaking. And as so many have said before us...you can't truly appreciate it until you leave and come back.
We drove through the tourist traps of Sevierville and Pigeon Forge and took the bypass around the fudge shops and Old Tyme Photo shops of Gatlinburg. (Brian remembered when this entire area was just a quaint village before "Ripley's" invaded). As we drove, the air got clearer and the smell of exhaust was replaced with the smell of Fall and bear poop. The noise of the city was replaced with the rippling river that swirls through the mountains, cascading in waterfalls around hidden corners in the road. And once again...the colors...
We took this drive around naptime thinking Caleb would be lulled to sleep by the slow drive. However, he looked out the window with awe, announcing all the new things he saw. He loved the waterfalls, the playful squirrels, the bear cub playing high in a tree and most of all the mountain tunnels in the road. (Kelly fondly remembers her Dad beeping the horn through the tunnel as she giggled at his silliness.) Caleb ran on the Appalachia Trail and used a National Park bathroom that actually had running water (not so much the case West of the Mississippi).
We drove as far as Newfound Gap at the TN - NC state line. The last time we remember being here was on a motorcycle trip we took in 2003. The picture from that trip shows Kelly in a "Bunny Gone Bad" shirt and Brian in a doo-rag and leather. The pictures we took this time are of Kelly holding Caleb and of his "Mr. Bears" enjoying the view. Boy have times changed.
The drive that day sparked our memory of the Harley ride six years prior. Together, we remembered back to the feeling we had on that trip. The excitement created by the sunshine mixed with that Fall smell and rippling water. It was an awesome memory to go along with so many other memories of the Smoky Mountains. And now we have a new beautiful memory of that same spot (and "Mr. Bears" does, too)
