Beautiful Cades Cove brings joy to over 2 million visitors yearly
November 2, 2016
Townsend, TN — Cades Cove is beautiful in the Fall. Cades Cove is broad valley surrounded by Mountians located near Townsend, Tennessee, about two and one half hours away(119 miles from downtown Dayton). It is one of the most popular attractions in the Smokies. The Cove is an 11 mile loop, with a few different loops to afford motorist, pedestrians and bikers the opportunity to enjoy nature at a nice slow pace. Normally over 2 million people visit the Cove yearly. The Cove is one of many beautiful areas of the Smokey Mountains. For me the trip was both a chance to enjoy God’s handiwork and a chance to step back into the past.
The Cove offers a great opportunity for wildlife viewing. If you are lucky, you might get a glimpse of a black bear, coyote, turkey, raccoon or one of many other animals. Unfortunately for me, I did not stumble across my favorite target for shooting, the black bear. Last time I visited Cades, I was fortunate enough to photograph a Black Bear of her cubs. Some of my favorite pictures were just off the road on the road to Caves Cove.
Visiting some of cabins and churches took me back to my younger years, growing up in Tennessee and visiting my Grandmother in a cabin much like those in the Cove. The church has such a warmth and was so simple. Reminded me of a less cluttered time in my spiritual life attending small country church with just the essentials, and no big screen, orchestra or latte machine. I could almost see myself sitting in one of the pews listening to the choir singing from the heart and seeing the worshipers dressed up for a special day, Sunday.
It was a beautiful day and traffic was heavy in and out of the Cove. I noticed license plates from everywhere from Ontario Canada to Florida and west to Arizona. There were plenty of pull-offs for those who wanted to take an opportunity for photography or to hike back into some nice hiking paths.
I did not get a chance to see everything, so I will be back soon. On the way home from Smokies, the day wrapped up nicely with a beautiful sunset to show the beauty God has provided for free.
