Mom wanted to see the Smokies after looking at William and Penni's Springbreak Pictures, so it became our last destination, and it was a favorite. We hit an afternoon rain storm that really cooled Mom off (temps dropped to a chilly 66 degrees).
We opted not to go through Cherokee and drove the Blue Ridge Parkway, instead. Mom loved the mountains, tunnels, and peaceful sounds of the Oconaluftee River as it meandered along its bed. I saw something I had never seen before--a rabble of Swallowtail Butterflies. I have never seen a rabble before, and I just stood their amazed that I could see some of the butterflies' proboscsis drinking from the wet moss at the foot of exposed tree roots. 
Mom needed to get out and walk around, so we stopped at the Kephart Prong Trail bridge. Mom walked around the trailhead admiring the quiet sounds of nature and the enclosed feeling provided by the towering trees. We snapped some pictures of Magnolia buds, and of course, I got some photos of Mom.
Traveling on towards the park's Appalachian Trail (which is also the Tennessee/North Carolina boundary), we came to a small clearing where two dozen cars were parked and people thronged the side of the road. Black Bear in tree, what else? Mom has earned the title "Bear Whisperer." Last year, on Mom's first visit to Yellowstone National Park, she and Cody see a baby Black Bear. This year, Mom's first visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, she and I see a juvenile Black Bear. The Ole Girl is two for two in bear sightings. This bear munched non-chalantly on tree leaves really initially unaware that he garnered so much attention. However, a couple of people talked so loudly, it attracted the bear's attention. The bear began shimmying down the tree quickly. So this one idiot moves closer to the tree, so the bear stops his descent and hisses, loudly I might say. At this point, I take off running (afterall, I have heard the bear stories in the Read Right books, and I had no intention for Mom or me to become the topic of a new bear story). After the bear hissed, he continued descending, then jumped the remaining 11 feet and lumbered off in to the woods.
Mom and I continued on our journey. Cloud cover and rain descended over Clingman's Dome, and even though the new road opened, we traveled maybe a mile before realizing that the clouds and rain prevented us from seeing anything, so we decided to continue on to Pigeon Forge. Our descent in to Tennessee continued to provide scenic, breathtaking views of the mountains, which really are blue in appearance. Even though the Sugarlands Visitor Center stays open an hour later than the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, our gawk at the bear caused us to miss touring the visitor center. We reached Pigeon Forge (gratefully by-passing Gatlinburg, the most redneck place in the South; I swear the War Between the States is still being fought and is alive and well, and you might run in to General Lee and General Jackson). Pigeon Forge was an eye-opener and a lively, little redneck tourist trap, but we were only staying the night, so after eating at McAllister's Deli, we headed back to our hotel.
According to Cody's GPS, it is 909 miles from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee to Palmer, Texas, but Mom and I are going to try to make it home tomorrow evening. We will cross in to the Central Time Zone, so we do gain an hour. Mom is tired and ready to eat and sleep at home, so travel we will. It has been a great vacation, though!
That looks like a gorgeous part of the world! I am not surprised your Mum was tired at the end of all of that! Thanks for Rewinding this Weekend x
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