Great Smoky Mountains National Park

6/17/2018 It was only 26 miles from last night’s stay at Whispering River Resort to the Elkmont Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As I started into the Smokey Mountains the road climbed and the foliage thickened. I rolled the windows down as the narrow road wound before me and the air became cooler and noticeable fragrant from the thick forest in which I entered. The short drive was completed with my registration at the Elkmont Campground US Park Service Ranger Station. My assigned campsite (L15), which I reserved June 6^th, is nearly in the middle of the campground and close enough to the Little River to hear it clearly from my trailer. After setting up, I met, Mike and Betty Copeland, my neighbors across from my site who come annually to the Elkmont Campground. Mike, a retired airline pilot, did Boeing 737 flight training at the now closed Palmdale Regional Airport. Later in the afternoon, a brief heavy thunderstorm soaked the campground and its inhabitants; afterwards the clouds cleared and a cool breeze fanned the surroundings.     

6/18/2018 The first cool night in a while was spent in a deep sleep. I awoke to a cool morning with the pleasant background sounds of the Little River cascading over its rocky riverbed. Having to restock my liquor from the collective sojourn with the Bruce’s at Rhea Springs, I set off toward Gatlinburg to purchase the desired supplies. As I soon found, that is no easy feat as Gatlinburg and it companion vacation destination, Pigeon Forge, are jammed pack with vacationers thus making traversing those locations difficult and time consuming. Once clear of those two locations, I researched and found a discount liquor store, albeit 20 miles further than I initially sought, but I rationalized it by the unnecessary desire to go to the Bass Pro Shop in close proximity to the liquor store. Once my window shopping was complete and the liquor procured, I headed back to my campsite in the Elkmont Campground. Because I always like to take the backroads, the 30 mile drive from the liquor store took two hours, not including the stop at the local Food City at which I stopped for additional consumables. Later, I had the pleasure of a very delicious salmon dinner with the Copelands. After dinner we walked through the campgrounds to an area where we watched the Synchronous Fireflies, a newly discovered phenomenon (1994) in which the Fireflies in this area of the Great Smokey Mountains seem to all glow simultaneously. Albeit, the end of the peak viewing period the Synchronous Fireflies show was still very nice. Afterwards, I sat with the Copelands around their campfire until it was time to retire for the evening.   

6/19/2018 This day began cool and clear so I thought I would take advantage of the pleasant weather with a trip to Clingmans Dome.   Clingmans Dome at 6,643 feet is the highest peak in the Smokies and requires a half-mile hike from the parking lot up a fairly steep, paved pathway to reach the observation tower atop the dome.

The views from the dome are outstanding enabling a view for miles around the countryside making it a trip worth taking. I then drove to the Indian resort town of Cherokee which the First Nations people have nicely developed with stores, hotels and a casino. I then drove around the outside of the Park, and through the very crowded Gatlinburg, to my campsite at the Elkmont Campground. As the sun faded, a thunderstorm stalled overhead and deluged the campground. The incredible pounding of very heavy rain in the campground, with occasional lightning and thunder, lasting over three hours, produced a slight flash flooding anxiety within this camper. As the storm eventually dissipated, the weather conditions and I both settled down for the evening.    

  

6/20/2018 My fellow campers, Mike and Betty Copeland, left this morning to go back to the real world. They were nice enough to have invited me up to Pemquaid, Maine in August if I’m out that way. After they departed, I reconnoitered the area after last night’s storm and surprisingly found no damage; in fact it is as if a storm never happened. These Tennesseans and their mountains sure know how to deal with the rain. Unfortunately, while procuring the liquor the other day I also procured a head cold so I decided to stay in camp and rest. That resting part didn’t last too long as soon I was on the roof of the trailer installing the last solar panel. I did rest afterwards feeling better that the last of the solar panels is now mounted on the roof of the mobile residence. It’s now awaiting the glue (Dicor adhesive) to dry before its connection to the trailer’s 12 volt electrical system.     

6/21/2018 Today, I needed that rest that I needed yesterday so I stayed in the trailer most of the day. I did get on the trailer roof to temporarily connect the new solar panel into the 12 volt electrical system. After that, I did nothing except drink plenty of fluids, take Airborne cold medicine, stay in bed and listen to the rain. Tomorrow is the end of the 5 nights spent in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, time that has been wonderfully spent. I’ll be off to visit my friend Bob Schindler in Lansing, North Carolina with the morning departure.