We left the hotel this morning at 8:25 and 72 degrees and headed for the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. I won't even talk about the sky. The drive took us through Pigeon Hollow. There really is no good way to describe this town but to say that it is an attraction full of attractions. The main road is about 7 miles long, lined on both sides with cheap hotels and restaurants and tourist attractions. You can see the Titanic, Hill Billy Village, The Hatfields and McCoys, Dixie Stampede, Wonder Works, Pigeon Forge, Dollywood, and there are countless other ways to spend your money. It is definitely tacky, glitzy, touristy and it looks like a fun place to stay for a couple of days.

We soon entered the park, which is a drive through the mountains and the forest and takes about an hour and a half to get to the other side. Gatlinburg is on the north side and Cherokee is on the south side. And the drive between the two is beautiful. We followed a rushing river up the mountain and down the other side. And I think I discovered why it is called the Smoky Mountains. When you look at the photos, you may come to the same conclusion as I did. The forest is thick and dense and very green. And there are many pull offs where you can take photos. On the other side we drove The Blue Ridge Parkway and through Maggie Valley where you can eat at Tarheel Country Kitchen, Fat Buddies BBQ and Moonshine Grill.

After exiting the park, we had a long drive to Raleigh, where I was looking forward to sleeping in a familiar bed. And I knew when we had crossed into North Carolina. You can always tell by the flowers. North Carolina does a wonderful job lining the highways with beautiful flowers, and today there were thousands and thousands of yellow daffodils everywhere.

At 5 PM we rolled into Apex, a bedroom community of Raleigh where Michelle and family live. The girls were a sight for sore eyes after 27 days on the road. We will stay here for the next few days, enjoying our granddaughters before we make the final trek to Florida. When we are home and settled, I will write my last posting to this blog, with my final thoughts on this very long but very enjoyable trip. Stay tuned. Now…for that comfortable bed…it is calling me.