Cades Cove
Cades Cove is a small part of the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park. It is in the southern part of the park not far from
Townsend, TN. The most beautiful drive to the cove is via the park main
entrance at Gatlinburg. The park service bought the entire mountain
community several years ago. I believe the owners had a life estate and
could stay there until they died, but no non-resident could live there, even
after it was opened as part of the park. I think the last one passed away
recently because there are no more cattle in the fields. They have
preserved several homesteads and churches and cemetaries for
tourists to view.
The most beautiful time to visit Cades Cove is
mid-October. The worst time to visit is on the weekend. DO NOT VISIT
Cades Cove on a weekend, any weekend! That place is always packed
bumper-to-bumper on weekends. On weekdays it is a very enjoyable trip.
Take a picnic lunch, they have a nice picnic area on a beautiful mountain
stream. They also have a nice campground near the picnic area. Mama
Ponder, who was born in these mountains, loves Cades Cove.
Dorey hit 59 on the 23d of October so on Monday the 22d, I drove her and Mama Ponder up to
Cades Cove for her birthday gift. We hadn't been to Cades Cove in over
two years and Mama Ponder was having withdrawal symptoms. I told them I
would take them under one condition, they would not prepare any food.
Instead of them fixing a big picnic lunch to take we would stop by the Butcher
Shop down in Newport and pick up a bucket of broasted chicken, some taters, slaw, and biscuits
and call it a day. Every time Mama and Dorey prepare all the food for a
big to-do, her and Dorey have those mother-daughter spat things. I love
the food, but hate the preparation process....and it always starts the day out
on the wrong foot. Mama Ponder wanted to go back to the cove so badly she
agreed to my terms. Somebody ring the bell at the NY Stock Exchange....I
finally won one!!!
I also got us 3 egg rolls and a 1/4 lb of chicken livers to nibble on enroute to
the cove. The smallest bucket they had was 8 pcs. Before that day
was over I had chicken coming out of my ears. The leaves were still
pretty, but they turned a week early this year and we missed the peak color.
The WEEKENDS during tourist season and ESPECIALLY in mid October is hell for
traffic. You would enjoy a trip through the cove on a weekday visit.
Since all the cattle were removed, they have started replacing the pasture grass
with the original wild grass that they claim the wild animals prefer.
Mama always has to point out each old timey tool and tell us how they used it
back in the good ole days when she washed and ironed clothes and helped cook for
fifty cents a day or was it twenty-five cents...I should know that story by heart
by now. I thought those two were going to cry because we were there at the
wrong time to see lots of deer [early morning and late afternoon are best], but
about 200 yards from the end of the loop around the cove we finally spotted two doe about ten
feet from the side of the road...so I was saved. Well, actually I spotted it even
though that was their responsibility. Dorey could have almost reached out
and touched it, it was that close, but it wasn't moving so it was almost
invisible...at least to them. So they saw those deer, a big black snake
near one of the many old farms they have preserved [Dorey damn near stepped on
it...Miss Observant], a rat in the old mill down under the stone gobbling up the
crumbs, and one wild turkey gobbler, but no bears, wolves or elk.
Dorey chastized me [and still does now and then] for not warning her sooner about the presence
and whereabouts of said Mister No-shoulders. I was walking point man
position and it crawled out of the woods onto the path after
I passed. I stopped to wait on them and turned around and warned Dorey
just before she stepped on it. I thought she was going to have the big one
right there. I am still hearing from Miss Observant about that damn snake.
Can't be because I keep asking her how much her life insurance policy is worth
now, or could it? hehehe
Y'all come, heah?
Don "Brer Bear" Valentine
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