We spent a very rainy day relaxing in the campground. John finally took down the awning as the winds were gusting over 40 mph and I was afraid for our awning. We are on our 3rd RV awning – one was taken out by a big storm in the Smokies, heavy rain and wind; our second was taken out by softball size hail, while in the Smokies. (Yup, we have experienced
no view of Mount LeConte today…
view from the RV – rain and wind gusts overnight but stopped for now…
the four motorhomes next to us pulled out this morning…
We needed some air so we went for a ride along the Foothills Parkway to see the sights… It started to rain again just as we left.
started to rain again as we left
And, the driver found the curvy, twisty, mountain roads slippery with wet leaves. He decided to bag it and head back. We had lots of chores to do, pictures to go through, newspapers to read online… You get the idea! We decided to get up early tomorrow (for us in retirement!) and head out to see how high the water is in the rivers after more rain tonight.
The next day dawned raw and wet with a morning low of 45 degrees but the weather dudes promised a high of 74 later.
fog ahead…
We headed toward Greenbrier Road, armed with coffee and sausage biscuits from McDs. Little Pigeon River was high…
but the water had already receded a lot during the night – the high water marks left behind were impressive. The racing water cascaded over huge boulders in the river, making a loud, roaring sound… We continued back on the path to Middle Prong and Ramsey Cascades Trail.
smaller stream or rain run off to the side of the trail
West Prong Little Pigeon River – Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The raw power of the water in the cascades was just mesmerizing… all my senses filled with sight and sounds of lots of water moving over the boulders in the river. I could lean on the footbridge railings watching and listening forever : )
When we were ready to head back, some kayakers showed up and put their kayaks in the river.
Kayakers, just putting in the river – Little Pigeon River
It was exciting to watch the colorful boats darting around the boulders and whitewater. After watching for awhile, we headed back down river, along the path and found a good spot to wait for them. Along the way, I admired an amazing tree or many trees! growing out of huge mossy boulders…
Greenbrier Road – Holly by a neat tree growing out of the boulders – by Little Pigeon River
I also saw some partridgeberry vine,
Partridgeberry, (Mitchella repens L.) Greenbrier Road, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
and some turkeys!
turkeys crossing the road – Greenbrier Road, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
I found a spot where the river was just below the level of the road, and I got to the water’s edge easily. (no climbing down cliffs!) The water was much calmer here
but the kayakers quickly arrived,
Kayakers on the Little Pigeon River
and took out their boats for another run.
We headed back along Hwy 321 to the RV to get warm and get some more coffee : )
I love when the rivers and streams are about to burst. The sound of that rushing water is so relaxing. Great photos of the rushing water:) Those kayakers are a little crazy, kind of like surfers with the big storm and the huge waves!
Gee, it sounds like you need to stop visiting the Smokies! Don’t bother with an awning with a wind sensor. Like many things, it sounds better than it is. The sensor only detects a steady strong wind not wind gusts which can do lots of damage. We have ours turned off.
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I usually find the water sounds relaxing, but there was so much water moving fast that it was more like a roaring sound. I took a video which captured the rushing water nicely but haven’t figured out how to post it. WordPress 101!
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Even with the rain I’m glad you are having a good trip. We had rain in Missouri but nice weather in Arkansas.
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The lush flowers and forests need lots of rain and I don’t mind a lazy day or three in the camper during inclement weather. It helps being retired and having lots of time to camp… And, we are warm, cozy and quite comfy and have lots to do in our down time : )
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The river shots are great! Down time is great also!
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Absolutely, Sherry and thanks! We have really gotten the hang of taking our time and relaxing this year while RVing : )
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