Ferrovia delle Grandi Montagne Fumose

It felt like it was still in the middle of the night when our alarm clock rang. Today was the train ride. It was supposed to start at 8 o'clock, but we were recommended to be in Bryson City by 7 o'clock. It was still pitch dark when we exchanged the cozy warm cabin for the cold. Shortly before 7 o'clock we reached Bryson City, which was still asleep. The 'platform' greeted us with a yawning emptiness. Only gradually did the departure point fill up with travelers. There were different categories of wagons in which you could book a seat in advance. We had chosen the cheap open-air wagon. At 8 o'clock sharp, we set off at a leisurely pace. Stefan had torn his sweater sleeve when boarding the train. Accordingly, his mood also matched the temperature. Speaking of temperature: cold + wind + open wagon = very bad idea. The conductor seemed to notice this and invited us to move to a closed wagon. Slowly, we could feel our limbs again. The railway line led, among other things, along Fontana Lake. There, you could also see impressively how low the water level currently was. The route continued parallel to the Nantahala River. The Nantahala Outdoor Center marked the end of the outward journey. We had about an hour to spend there. It turned out that the center had shopping opportunities, but upon closer inspection, they didn't offer any bargains. Instead, Steffi treated herself to a beer while the first rays of sunshine slowly made their way to us. We spent the return journey of the nearly 90-mile long tour in the open wagon. Thanks to the sun, it was much more pleasant than on the outward journey. When we arrived in Bryson City around noon, we found a very crowded 'platform'. The lunch tour seemed to be much more popular among tourists. After the train ride, we got back in the car and headed into the Smoky Mountains. Our destination was Newfound Gap, an observation point about 1.5 hours away at an altitude of about 1,500 meters on the border between Tennessee and North Carolina. Here, we were greeted by tourists from all over the world, some of whom also made their presence known loudly. It was very crowded on site, but we were still able to find a parking space. We had been here 5 years ago, so our stay this time was a bit shorter. Glad that we didn't have to experience the tourists we met here in Bryson City, we continued towards Clingmans Dome, a mountain about 2,000 meters high. We wanted to visit an observation tower there, theoretically. In practice, however, the implementation failed due to the crowds of tourists who had parked everything. Well, then we'll just come back here on our next vacation in the Smokys... Back in Bryson City, ice cream and beer were waiting for us, once again, for the last time. We have really fallen in love with this place. Additionally, we met two really nice people here, Jennifer and Jeremy. Upon arrival at the cabin, we finally used the billiard table. Steffi had to admit defeat twice. Then the grill was fired up again and the tub was turned on. This is really a great place to stay. We enjoyed our last evening in this unique area.

Best regards

Steffi and Stefan