The Waterstraut Waterspout: Day 2: The Great Smoky Mountains

We began Day 2 of our trip in Cherokee, North Carolina where we had stopped the night before. I had my coffee out on the balcony to the sounds of the river, and we had some geese come visit us. A nice start to a chilly morning- or at least chillier than we are used to.

When we looked at things to do in the Smoky Mountains, tubing came up quite a lot, espcially tubing down the Oconaluftee River. It's very reasonable (like $14 a person)! For that price, you get your tube and a shuttle to and from the tubing site.

YOu don't have to take much with you. They hold on to your car keys for you, and you can leave everything else in your car. I did take my phone in a waterproof case I could wear around my neck, so all the pictures are mine. Asa didn't take his phone, in case it got lost- he needs his for work, and we figured at least one of us should keep our phone safe. My pictures from tubing are all out of order, but you wouldn't know it. The whole river is pretty much the same thing: some areas where the water is very calm, some where it gets a little rapid-y and you go over rocks. I was a little nervous after reading reviews, because some people said it was way more radips than they expected. But, it was never too intense for me, I didn't even come close to flipping my tube, and the rapids never last all that long. The water, however, is very cold. I think 65 is generous. I wouldn't be shocked if it didn't break 60. And the air temperature wasn't all that warm that day either. Maybe 70. It wamred as we went, but we wanted to be done by lunch time, and it takes 2-3 hours to make the trip from where they drop you off to where they pick you up.

Along the way you can make some stops if you like. Some of the calmer areas are actually swimming holes, and some of those swimming holes even have rope swings. Asa did the rope swing, while I happily watched from the shore.

All in all, we LOVED this activity. Asa did lose his shirt somewhere in that river, and ruin his water shoes (which we're pretty cheap anyway), but other than that, it was a nice calm trip through some wooded areas, and some little bits of town. We did hear sometimes you can see elk drinking from the river, but unfortunately, we were not that lucky.

They tell you exactly where to get out of the river, and you can't really miss it. You cross under three bridges, and just past the third one, you get out to the left. The driver was waiting for us to take us back to our car with no waiting required. They do know about how long it takes and have a rough time to expect you. The other people who got dropped off with us, however, were way behind us. They had gotten a cooler tube too, and peeled off to spend some time at one of the watering holes at least an hour and half ago at that point.

It's an activity I highly recommend. One of my favorite things we did all trip- even though the water was very cold. Keep in mind it is cash only, and your experience my vary depending on river levels and rainfall. Plus they only do this Memorial Day to Labor Day. There's a coupld different companies that run tubing, but we were fine with Smoky Mountain Tubing. I wouldn't say they had like stellar customer service or anything, but they got the job done.

Just before we got out of the river, we had floated past this little outdoor resturant, serving burgers, so we decided to change and head there for some lunch.

It took quite awhile to get our food, but it was pretty delicious when it finally arrived. On the upside, the picnic tables sit just about the river, so you can watch the tubers and enjoy the cool North Carolina mountain air while you wait.

Cherokee, of course, also has a lot of Native American gift shops. We had places to be, so we didn't nose around too long, but we saw some really cool stuff including hand carved walking sticks, and uniquley woven blankets. Most stores do not allow pictures inside, kind of like New Orleans, but we had a nice time nosing around.

And then we decided to head thru the Great Smoky Mountains. If you're not familiar, there's basically one way through from Cherokee to Gatlinburg on Newfound Gap Road (Highway 441) right through the Smoky Mountain National Park. I was hoping to spot some wildlife on the trip, and we didn't even make it into the park before we spotted one snacking on grass on the side of the road. You'll note this one has a collar. That's because elk had to be reintroduced into the Smoky's after hunting basically killed them all off. The collar helps them keep track of them.

I did realize along this trip, Asa had never driven through a National Park. As a kid, those were my vacations. You drove, stopped off for some hikes, maybe a picnic, checked out some overlooks, and played in the rivers. Repeat year after year. (And, my dad id it all without Google! Impressive!) Anyway, I tried to describe it to Asa, but I didn't think he really got it until we made this drive. Our first stop was to take a picture at the Great Smoky Mountains sign.

And then we stopped at the Oconaluftee Visitors Center. This is the Visitors Center on the Cherokee side. Obviously here you'll find rangers ready to answer all your questions, park maps, a gift shop, and a small museum.

...and maybe if you're lucky some elk (that second sign was on the back of the bathroom door in the women's rest room).

You'll also find some short trails, mostly along the river.

And there is also a Mountain Farm Musem. Not only is it a bunch of farmstead preserved buildings, but there's animals there too. We saw chicken, pigs, and even some horses.

And we nosed through the old buildings.

They also have some gardens, but none appeared to be really functioning at the moment, excpet for the apple trees, which had to have a fence built around them so the elk would stop distroying them.

Back in the car, we continued along the way, and it was not long before we encountered a traffic jam. Usually a traffic jam like this means wildlife ahead, and sure enough, I poked my head out of the passenger side window and saw another elk.

But as we got closer, we could see it wasn't just this one elk. It was a whole herd of them (including one baby nursing from their mother!) There were also a couple of deer off in the distance.

Someone from the national park service was out driecting traffic, and getting people who wanted to stop a parking spot away from the elk, and making sure nobody got too close for pictures.

After watching our fill of elk, we continued on, stopping along the river and overlooks.

Of course, the pictures don't do any of it justice.

Eventually you happen along the North Carolina/Tennessee State line.

At this stop off, you can actually hike part of the appalachian trail.

At this stop you'll find gorgeous views, bathrooms, and the state line sign.

We continued along, winding through mountains and tunnels.

We stopped along the way a couple of times to explore.

And eventually we made our way into Gatlinburg. We had rented a cabin through Parkside Cabin Rentals. They have everything from tiny cabins to gigantic ones. Some are up in the mountains, some are closer to town. You have to check in at their location first, but lucky for us, that wasn't too far from our one bedroom cabin. Our cabin was named "Wild Thing", and slept up to four. It was the last in a row of cabins sitting down the parking lot from the Parkside Cabin offices and the Appy Lodge, near Davy Crockett mini Golf and Flapjacks Pancake Cabin. I know it doesn't sound great "off a parking lot", but it's actually kind of convienent. It actually is it's own road that comes down from that parking lot, which makes coming and going from that area a little easier. You don't see any of the affirmentioned establishments from the cabin, but rather a few other cabins and a creek. It's private, but not so private you can't get internet and you feel like you're in the middle of nowhere.

And the cabin itself if super cute. We got a whole kitchen, a dining area, and a pull out couch. There's also a fireplace you could use in the winter (it's not hooked up in the summer).

Our bedroom had a king sized bed in it, and came complete with a washer and dryer.

And outside on the patio, you had some rocking chairs, a table, and your very own hot tub! All this for just under $200 a night (with all taxes and fees included!) A killer deal.