On the final day of our Great Smokey Mountains adventure, we went on a driving tour of the Great Smokey Mountains national park, stopping at any viewpoint that caught our interest.
After getting some coffee, we headed for the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.
On the way there, we saw a bear
It was a bit stressful at first, trying to organize 2 cars to the same place when we had no signal, but we were eventually able to meet up and continue together.
Along the way we found some nice waterfalls and friend shaped rocks.
We headed back to Pigeon Forge to get lunch, with plans to go to Cades Cove after, which had been recommended by a local. Unfortunately Jason wasn't feeling well so we split up again to make our way there separately, with Alena and I planning on taking the scenic route from yesterday.
By complete coincidence, we encountered Brittany and crew along the way, who had somehow gotten ahead of us, so we met up and proceeded together.
We made a pit stop at a campground to use the restroom, and touch the river. I also found a free apple in the mens bathroom, but I decided to leave it for someone else.
After a bit more driving, we found the entrance to the Cades Cove Scenic Loop. which offered some incredible views of the mountains, unobstructed by civilization.
After completing the loop, we decided to get dinner on our own and make our way back to the cabin. Alena and I opted for the northern route, since I wanted to find a a general store in Pigeon Forge for laundry detergent and we figured we could get food there as well.
We ended up finding a dollar general, which was fine, and meant we wouldn't have to drive through Pigeon Forge again.
The other benefit of taking the northern route is there were some nice sunset views of the mountain.
