What a gorgeous day! A little chilly and plenty of sunshine. After an early morning at McDonald's blogging and posting photos via the Wi-fi, I went back to Indian Creek Campground. Sid and I hiked around this versatile campground following creeks, discovering waterfalls, identifying mountain flowers, meeting folks. It was so nice to have no plans for the day.
We drove the truck up a one-lane road running near the campground. It was steep, gravel-covered, remote...did I say steep with lots of switchbacks (aka hairpin turns)? Voila! We found ourselves on the Blue Ridge Parkway just a few miles from the Maggie Valley exit.
So, we decided to explore Maggie Valley starting with a "country vittles" lunch. We explored Ghost Town In the Sky with the unbelievable Cliffhanger roller coaster that literally hangs off Buck Mountain, at an elevation of 3300 feet. Unfortunately, the theme park opens for the season next weekend. That didn't stop us from driving around the mountain roads until we found ourselves at Cataloochee Ranch near the ski area.
After a pleasant drive back and a nap, Sid took off on the bike, and I went into Cherokee for some bearhunting. Yep, thar's bears in them thar hills. Don't worry, I was hunting the big painted bears scattered throughout the Cherokee Reservation displaying the considerable talents of local artists. Take a look at a sample of the bears I shot with my camera below. Tomorrow, we will break camp and start making our way west toward home. More to come.
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