Mountains and rain

At some point it had to happen. The day was very rainy. We used the time until noon to go shopping in Pigeon Forge. Then we headed to the mountains of the Great Smoky Mountains. For me, Gatlinburg is only 5 miles from Pigeon Forge, simply extraordinary. In principle, it's like an alpine village transplanted to Tennessee. Crazy.

Shortly after, we made an involuntary but very welcome stop. A herd of elk had settled comfortably on our highway in the national park. About 20 animals were grazing there very peacefully. It's great how the animals can live here without fear.

In the town of Cherokee, just like the largest surviving indigenous people in North America, we made a brief stop at "Paul's" for a refreshment. Nadine finally got her long-awaited sweet potatoes. The food was very delicious. From there, we had another 150 miles of pouring rain ahead of us. But we arrived safely at the Comfort Inn in Stone Mountain. We will stay here for 2 nights before heading back home on Thursday evening.