Day 6

Day 6-Monday, April 26

 

On the road by 5:30 AM, taking the advice of the ranger, and heading to Clingman’s Dome to watch the sunrise.  It took us about 45 minutes to get there, continually climbing over very windy roads and through tunnels to the 6284 ft.  parking lot.  When we arrived we were shocked by how many people were already there, with their huge telephoto lenses and tri-pods.  We’re all hoping to capture that perfect picture.  

 

The full moon was setting in the west so we enjoyed a bonus sight, and the weather could not have been better;  31°F,  almost no breeze  and no clouds created ideal conditions that I’m sure are rare.

The views of the sunrise were incredible, and worth all the driving that we’ve done.  Once the sun was up, we made breakfast and ate in the van as we continued to enjoy the view.

Energized by the sunrise, we then took the steep ½ mile path up to the observation tower on the top of Clingman’s Dome where we were further spellbound by the 360° views.  WOW!

 

The Appalachian Trial traverses the national park from east to west and crosses the summit of Clingman’s Dome so we saw some presumed  “through hikers” who were also enjoying the spectacular views.

 

Leaving the Dome, we exited the park via the southern entrance in Cherokee, North Carolina.  From there we followed mostly two lane roads which paralleled the Ocoee River which is a rafting paradise. 

One of the many tumble down farms, many of which will have Trump signs.

Our route to our next campground took us through Chattanooga where we stopped for lunch, fried chicken on a biscuit with maple syrup.  Very yummy,  and then we continued to Fort Mountain State Park in Georgia.  We’ve stayed here before, and we both felt this is the cleanest and prettiest campground east of the Mississippi.