GSMNP-Clingman's Dome

Our last day in Gatlinburg was a day of choices. We certainly had not seen all of Great Smokey Mountains National Park and the hundreds of miles of trails in it, but we needed to hit one more highpoint before we left.

We chose to drive to Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the park at 6,643' elevation. Near the top a steep but paved 0.5 mile trail leads to an observation platform, from which one can see 100 miles in any direction on a clear day. It was a nice day when we were there, but by no means clear.

After a few rest stops, we made it to the top and took a pic of Mt Le Conte. We had to celebrate!

The observation platform was built in the 1930's by CCC workers using wood forms and scaffolding. What an engineering marvel!

On the platform, we found ourselves above the clouds.

But soon more clouds began to drift in.

The Appalachian Trail follows along the Park ridgline, and passes directly under the observation deck. Donna decided to take a short hike!

The bees were buzzing among the last of the summers flowers.

We stopped to take a last look to the east. Out there somewhere is Paynesville, Cherokee and Maggie Valley.

We left Gatlinburg about 10 this morning and drove south on I-40, I-75, and I-24 to Chattanooga, Tennessee. We are settled into the customer parking area at Lee-Smith Truck Service. Lee-Smith provides truck and rv sales, service, and parts on a 65 acre site just off of I-24. We're scheduled for a slide-out motor diagnosis tomorrow. Let's hope the problem is fixable!

We received a text message a few days ago from our friends from Michigan, telling us that they are on vacation in the Virginia/Tennessee area. Well, one thing led to another, and we were able to spend a wonderful afternoon with Dale and Lisa, catching up on what's been happening since we last saw them last year. Lovely people, and we are extremely happy to call them friends. We're already kicking around ideas that will allow us to meet again!

We enjoyed dinner with Dale and Lisa at Puckett's Restaurant in downtown Chattanooga along the Tennessee River. Dinner was unique, combining traditional bar-b-que with comfort food. One of the dishes we enjoyed was called Piggy Mac, with pulled pork under a layer of very cheesy Mac-n-Cheese! Oh, yeah, now we're talking!

We're looking forward to a successful conclusion to our repair problems, but in any case, we'll enjoy our time here in the home of the Chattanooga Choo-Choo!