Mom and Dad Pay A Visit

I had a surprise visit from my parents while staying at my little camping cabin in Townsend.  They left for Massachusetts a few weeks ago to visit relatives and then did some more visiting in Georgia so they decided to swing my way before heading home.  I guess they couldn't wait to see me again even though I just took my dad shopping a few weeks ago for the outfit he is wearing!

Meigs Falls

They stayed at the Best Western for a great price, but in the morning I suggested we all move to Gatlinburg since that was where all the things that were more their speed were located.  We took the Little River Road and stopped at Meigs Falls and The Sinks, easy stops without much walking for my dad who suffers from COPD.

Mom and I took the stone steps up above The Sinks and I got a nice picture of her in the trees, even with the graffiti.

I took a chance that the same house that Cory and I rented in February would be available on short notice on a Sunday and contacted Lynn about the 3 bedroom Grandview on Innsbruck.

Mom and Dad getting a reminder of what it's like to live with their only child....I'm no walk in the park!

Lynn knows how to treat her guests right, and so does the housekeeper, Sabrina.  They accommodated my allergy concerns and made special trips out to get the cabin ready last minute on a Sunday.  The cabin has 3 bedrooms, a hot tub, wifi and a fully stocked kitchen, but best of all it boasts a view of Gatlinburg, the tram and sometimes even frolicking bears.

watching the tram and checking the hillside for bears from the deck

It's less than five minutes from N.O.C. and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park entrance.  And there is more color left on the Gatlinburg side of the Smokies than the Townsend side by far!

One of the trees plentiful in this area is the American Basswood whose leaves are so large that the ones that are still on the trees look more like lily pads than leaves!

Basswood dwarfs all the rest of the leaves on the walkway

I didn't plan on coming to Gatlinburg this trip, but I'm surprised that I'm glad I did.  It's the most popular section of the park for a reason!

Enjoying the views at Mahoney Point

I missed the bear sighting when we joined the "bear jam" on the side of the road, being so busy grabbing my zoom lens that I didn't have the opportunity to use it!

We're heading home today, but I have a few more posts about my time in the Smokies to come later this week so stay tuned.