Great Smoky Mounts

 July 4th weekend was a road trip to the Smoky Mountains National Park and Asheville NC on the return leg home.

3 days and 2 nights.

A counterclockwise loop that took us west - NW to the towns of Cherokee and Maggie Valley, NC before heading north toward Gatlinburg TN.   

hidden gem - two waterfalls merge to form Soco Falls

Maggie Valley was so named for the daughter of a local post master in 1905.  Soco falls and a tower to climb over the valley were local attractions as was checking out Native Indian art at a crafts store with boiled peanuts for snacking.

We checked out the southern part of the NP which runs east to west cutting across the state of TN and NC border. Rapids and waterfalls and sights of the Little River gurgling alongside the road through the park kept us occupied with oohs and aahs. Then finished that day 1 with sightseeing more waterfalls on the eastern portion of the park.

Day 2 dawned bright with a drive to the western part of the park to see Cades Cove, a beloved trek to spot deer and elk.  We did encounter some of the former hooved members but not the elk.  We did on one trip to Rainbow Falls see a young black bear looking for food.  What a sight!

Then a trip to Grotto Falls with a 3 mile round trip hike took the wind out of my legs and lungs.  It was refreshing no doubt but the weekend crowding was not my fave. To be expected though.

The evening was spent checking out shopping and theme parks around Pigeon Forge, TN. A brewery offered some amazing bar food (Yee Haw Brewery) while I could not say the same for their pilsner (the only type of beer I will drink).

Boneless Chicken Wings and Southwest Rolls

That concluded day 2.

The last day we drove early in hopes to complete our trifecta of the wild mammals and visit the Cataloochee Valley for some Elk shooting.  Only with a camera of course.  Those large deer like animals had evaded us in Cades Cove and we were hopeful the early morning fog would be the ticket to see them relaxing.

Our lucky stars led the way and with the help of a ranger we did manage to spot a herd of five lounging in the early morning sun.

grazing Elk (antlers seemed to be gone for now)

After having had this amazing experience it was time to check out the newly victorious James Beard award winner Indian street food restaurant run by a London born boy of Indian heritage.

A thali which is a sampler - I had mine with Naan and Butter Chicken

Place is called Chai Pani in Asheville, NC.  'Chai Pani' translates to Tea and Water, is a homage to the basic welcome drinks that any family in India would offer a guest even if they were complete stranger.

The award had certainly been well publicized resulting a 2 hour wait for a table and another hour before the food actually made its way to the table.  Good taste but not worth the 3 hours of waiting IMHO.  Again fascinating intro to the world of Indian street food which may let the average American palate explore what they have been missing but service can definitely be improved.

Not too familiar with the James Beard criteria for awarding so it was worth stopping by and checking it off the bucket list.

Finally we wrapped the trip to visit an Omni hotel in a secluded part of the town - The Grove Hotel nestled in the mountain greenery is a quiet and luxurious but old worldly retreat.  We had a quick cocktail on their oversize veranda overlooking downtown Asheville in the valley below.

A place frequented by a dozen or so US presidents.  Recently Obama stayed here.