Another day in the park....

We slept in this morning....I think we all needed it!!  David decided that I should drive again :)  We drove back to Cades Cove to hit the other "off" road trail.  I didn't get a picture of that sign but I think its called Parson Branch Road.  On the way there we stopped by the Cades Cove visitor center.  Didn't stay there long because it was very crowded.  I really prefer traveling in the fall or winter when we pretty much have everything to ourselves.  I know...I am spoiled.  One of the greatest perks of homeschooling!   

We also stopped by a very interesting cabin on the way to the trail.  There were actually two cabins, one right in front of the other.  A young wife became a widow and her brothers quickly built her a small cabin for her and her young daughter.  Later she remarried and that husband built a larger cabin directly in front of the other.  You walk out the back door onto a small porch and at the end of the porch is the door to the older cabin.  We went inside the small cabin and I tried to take a picture.  For some reason my camera was being difficult, to flash was flashing really fast but the picture wouldn't take. The boys who were posing for me got a strange look on theirs faces.  Apparently there was a bat flying around me when I was trying to get the flash to work.  That sounds really odd to me but I looked up in the loft area and sure enough the bat was looking down at us!!!!  Was really weird that I didn't see it flying around me!!!  The boys said it flew right under my camera.

The Parson was a tad more "rustic"  but no trouble for the Jeep...even with me driving!  There were places that were kind of steep and a few ruts but nothing very bad.  At the very end of the trail we stopped to look at a small waterfall and take pictures.  While there tons of motorcycles were driving by on the main road, we could see it from where we had stopped.  David decided it was probably best if he drove on that road and he was right!!  It was very windy, a huge driving places for motorcycles.  There we even companies parked on the sides of the roads taking picture of the motorcycles has they drove by.  David says they set up on the more popular motorcycling road and sell the pictures online to the drivers.  I think I heard someone call the road "the dragons back" but I am not totally sure, I do know it was hwy 129.

From that road we took the Foothills Parkway back towards the cabin.  There were a few good pullovers with beautiful views so we stopped and took a few pictures.  We had noticed a store on called Jeepism and stopped to check it out on the back to our cabin.  Jacob and Michael each bought a cool t-shirt with their gift money from Papaw.  Michael's says.....where we are going we don't need roads and has a picture of a Jeep.  Jacobs has a picture of a Jeep with a German Shepherd in it, his says "mans two best friends."  Then is says Jeepism # K9 :)  

 The Rattlesnake we saw on Parsons Branch Road.