And That's Why They Call 'em The Smokies

View from Clingmans Dome.

Gatlinburg, Tennessee--what an excellent town! We emptied our wallets there and had fun doing it. Spent all kinds of money riding the ski lift, hitting museums, eating out, and treating ourselves to Ben & Jerry's every night. (This was not your regular ho-hum Ben & Jerry's; I'll post the video later this week.)

Not only did we hit the strip, we also went off-road and hiked in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We hiked some footpaths that were hardly trod at all. I couldn't get over the wildflowers that grew across the mountains in huge blankets of purple, white, yellow and red. Beautiful, and filled with bees. Everywhere we hiked, we could hear the buzzing, a monotonous, slightly threatening drone. I was glad to get back onto the main trail.

In the park, a sign was posted that said Feeding Wildlife Picking Flowers Prohibited. I did not see any squirrels picking flowers, but if I had, I would not have fed them.


Here are more signs I photographed:

If you are a jacuzzi, you are welcome at this establishment.


Yeah, but what about jacuzzis?

More photos and videos from the road coming this week.
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