Our drive into the Cades Cove campground within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park gave us incredible views of the16 peaks over 6,000 ft in elevation. We drove through the mountains on winding narrow uphill roads in the dark!
We’ve been having some bad luck with weather and got hit with a rainstorm this morning, but at least it poured while we were sleeping, so it didn’t really affect any activities that we had planned for the day.
We originally planned to wake up before the sun to hike Laurel Falls trail, but it continued to rain heavily, so we decided to sleep in a little. We got ready to start our day around 7:30AM and explored Cades Cove a bit before taking the longer Cades Cove Scenic Drive through the smoky roads to get back on the main highway.
We took I-40 straight to Nashville, TN where we stopped for lunch at The Stillery. A bartender we met in Dewey Beach recommended this, and we could not be happier that we took her word for it. They’re known for their cheese and bread, which they make daily, so we had to have the mac & cheese and hot chicken, …and we were not disappointed! While we were eating, we were trying to figure out our upcoming schedule. We were both puzzled for a second, but finally realized we had crossed time zones and actually gained an hour! After lunch, we walked around downtown; walking by all the bars and hearing all the different live country sounds of Nashville …WE LOVED IT! There was some amazing talent there playing in some pretty simple bar, which was really cool to see and hear. As we headed out, we drove down Music Row to see the different recording studios, of past and present, that line the blocks.
We left Nashville around 3PM and headed north towards Mammoth Caves National Park in southern Kentucky. As we were driving in, we started to see giant rain clouds and lightning from a distance…and we’re both thinking OH NO! We waited at our campsite for the rain to die down a bit, but it wasn’t looking too promising. We took a chance and set up our tent in a way that would ensure it would stay dry. We laid our footprint and put up our rainfly first. Once this skeleton was set up and supported, we got underneath and attached our tent.
Weather was definitely a variable in this trip, but I suppose it’s all part of the adventure! Besides, these caves would not be here if it weren’t for the natural rainwater! Tomorrow morning, we have a tour of the caves! Specifically, we’re doing the Frozen Niagara / Domes and Dripstones tour, which we’re really extremely excited for! Hopefully, I’ll have a bat encounter story for you guys tomorrow!