Gatlinburg rests on the border of the Great Smoky Mountains. It's the exact opposite of the Blue Ridge Mountains which are next door. The town can best be described as a combination of parts of Las Vegas and the Good Coast in AU. Minus the high rise and the scale. We were fortunate to have a great day to visit.
After a short trip through Gatlinburg we travelled along the Roaring Fork Smoky Mountains tourist trail It was 13 km and took 2 hours to complete as you drive at 16 km per hour. There are so many places to stop and see.
A view of the Smoky Mountains.
Lots of water running over rocks.
Pretty wild flowers throughout the area.
In 2016 there were devastating forest fires that destroyed a large part of the Smoky Mountains. Some 14K of people were evacuated from Gatlinburg and surrounding areas. Following this burn the trees are staring to regrow.
There are several homes of old still staying in the forest. The following is the The Ephraim Bales Place.
The family was 11 all up, 9 of whom were children. The father owned 80 acres and farmed 4 acres. Second photo from the bottom of the photo above shows how cleared the land was in 1930. Today it would be impossible to farm here as the forrest has reclaimed the land as its own. This shot is the back of the home.
The home had 2 rooms both with a fire place and a central area. The ceilings are so low Beverley hit her head on the door leaving the bedroom. She is 5'3'' so this gives some idea of the height of the ceilings.
These are the outer houses.
This is a shot of the front of the home.
On the way back to Gatlinburg we passed another old building which was built in 1925.
We had a great day .
Cheers,
Beverley and Ross
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