The 11 mile loop through Cades Cove in Tennessee's Smokey Mountains is the site of early settlers. Come for the history and stay for the hayrides, bike trails, and horseback riding.
If you have ever been in a traffic jam and watched people pedaling by on bicycles faster than you could drive, you will appreciate the congestion in Cades Cove.
The 1,800 acres at the base of the Appalachian Mountains is just the place to check out the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but it can become a real traffic snarl when there are more tourists than turf.
There are several good solutions to the problem: One is to ride into the park on the days when only bikes are allowed on the 11 mile loop and enjoy the automobile-free environment.
The other choice is to join one of the hayrides that wend their way through the park. The pace is leisurely and the large flatbed carts have ample space for a whole gang of folks and family.
The hayride offers the added perk of allowing the driver to enjoy the scenery instead of having to keep ones eyes on the winding road.
There are homesites along the way where people lived in abundance in the 20's and 30's. The cove was first settled by Europeans in the early 1800's.
The Cherokee were in the area earlier than that but it appears they were just passing through or on seasonal hunting trips. They took the time to plant some crops but were evidently not permanent settlers.
Even though this is a national park, don't confuse it with civilization. This is a mountain valley with lots of bears who think of it as home. We saw a mother with her triplets. They hibernate with their mama the first winter and enjoy her protective care until they are through their babyhood.
Park personnel remind visitors this isn't a petting zoo. Convertible tops are no challenge to a hungry bear intent on sampling a picnic lunch. A young bear is as strong as ten men when he is seeking food.
One of the animals less likely to be seen is the red wolf. Running fromn 50 - 70 pounds, this animal doesn't look for human contact. They hunt in family groups but not large packs.
The red wolf is a real success story as it has been brought back from the brink of extinction. It is estimated that numbers were down to about 10 before human intervention.
Red wolf pups have been released into the park but they haven't been seen much since. Naturalists say they will travel to find more food and can easily cover 20 miles a night. This is such a remote moutain area (and they can't read to know when they are ouyt of the park) that they might be anywhere in the neighboring mountains an valleys.
Bird watchers and listeners enjoy all the resident birds as well as migrating birds who seem to enjoy the safety of the park on their way across the country. People commonly see woodpeckers, orioles, wild turkeys, and indigo buntings.
If the fields were left to themselves it would be only a matter of time until they were woods again. The cove area is mowed and grazed to keep down the foliage and allow visitors a better view.
Original cove settlers knew all the plants and trees. They were viewed as a resource for food and medicine.
Surprisingly, there was a telephone line into the area in the 1890's. Bad weather could still cut folks off from the outside world, but the line went from neighbor to neighbor. The connection between those early settlers was economic as well as familial. They worked in cooperative farming situations to get their crops in and out.
As we drove through the ancient farm land, we thought of the 120 early families that lived here early in the last century. Because of the remote nature of their existence, family history was an important subject. People were very interrelated and concerned that children not marry a close relative.
This has been one of the most sought after areas in the country. We were so glad that it hasn't been clear cut or turned into a lake or allowed to become off limits private property. Yes, it can be crowded, but that's because it is so worth seeing.
