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The Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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So... we (I 😇) made big plans to come to the park and go to Clingman's Dome, Cades Cove and downtown Gatlinburg to walk around.  I also wanted to go on the Skywalk in the day. I walked on it at night and it wasn't very exciting because you couldn't see anything. Did I tell you I love the Smokies!? My trusty sidekick following me to make sure I don't kill myself trying to get a good picture. 😍 As we drove toward Pigeon Forge,  we quickly realized that everyone else had the same idea. Traffic through Pigeon Forge was hectic.  We took the Scenic Bypass to the entrance and it was also crowded. There was no parking at the Sugarland Visitor's Center. The road toward Clingman's Dome was at a complete stop.   So we turned away from the crowd and headed toward Cades Cove. Now, Cades Cove is best early in the morning or early evening. That's the best chance to see animals roaming around and eating. It was a...
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Cherohala Skyway and Tail of the Dragon

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Smokies take...3000?  We have gone to the Smokies  many times over the years.  Usually around September-October, I get the itch to go see the colors in the Smokies.  We got invited to stay with a friend who lives in Knoxville for a few days.  Conveniently, she lives about 45 minutes from Gatlinburg. So we made plans for a day trip to the Smokies and Cades Cove. Before we left, a friend of mine told me about the Cherohala Skyway that hooks to the Tail of the Dragon.  It begins in Tellico Plains, Tennessee and ends a little south of Maryville,  Tennessee.  I had heard of the Tail of Dragon and how dangerous it is on motorcycles. Luckily, while we had Big Red (our Honda Goldwing motorcycle), my husband never had the inclination to actually drive it.  But we decided it's probably pretty safe in the car.  It was pretty cloudy and overcast the day we drove it. But, it was a pretty ride through winding roads.  I can imagine how beauti...
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Cascade Falls, Ouray, Colorado

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We slept in a little yesterday morning. After we got up, I talked Curtis into a 3 mile walk, looping around the large KOA campground.  We enjoy checking out other people's rigs and seeing what they use and dreaming about retirement. After brunch, we did some clean up to get the bus ready for travel tomorrow.   I then talked him into going on a short hike (although very steep) to Cascade Falls. Truth be told, the altitude was getting to both of us. I've been suffering from some nausea and headaches. But I've been powering through.  No! It's not Covid. My temperature has been fine. I've been doing twice daily checks since we're heading back to see my parents. We've tried to be really careful and avoid people. That's the great thing about camping. You can still do outdoor activities and avoid people! Cascade Falls is off of 8th Avenue in downtown Ouray. But it's a very steep, short hike. It was really hot yesterday also...which didn't help. So this ...
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Million Dollar Highway

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The Million Dollar Highway is really US 550 that begins in Ouray and continues past Durango. It is a scenic route that takes you along the San Juan Mountain range. It is considered part of the San Juan Skyway.  It climbs up three mountain passes:  Coal Bank Pass (10,640 ft.), Molas Pass (10, 970 ft.) and Red Mountain Pass (~ 11,000 ft.).  We drove from Ouray to Silverton and then all the way to Durango. We got to Silverton and just drove around town.  There were a lot of people walking around not wearing masks (still Covid season, people!).  So we decided we didn't need to get out. Silverton is not very large...just a main street with some shops and bars. The drive over from Ouray is really the main attraction. There were several motorcycle riders on the roads.  It was a gorgeous day! Silverton main street Overlook with Silverton below. We then continued on to Durango.  Durango is larger than Silverton.  We drove around Durango and didn't find any...
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