We woke up to a foggy morning here in the Smokey Mountains. The temps are cooler now but it is suppose to change the next few days. We decided to go out for breakfast in Maggie Valley. There is a restaurant there called Joey's Pancake House. When we drove by yesterday it was pretty crowded so we assume it must be good. We didn't get out until 9:00 but thought that the crowd would be gone, nope! We had a 15-20 minute wait when we got there. This place is only open from 7:00 AM to noon. They do a good job of rotating people in and out. As soon as someone gets up from the table the busboys are there cleaning it. They seat the next people at that table just as they finish cleaning! We decided not to be rushed and enjoyed our breakfast. Bill had pancakes and I had a waffle. Good food. So, even though there is a wait I recommend the place. This picture was taken when we left around 10:30 and you can still see the crowd.
We checked out a few of the stores in the area and then headed back to the campground. We were surprised about how few people had left. Checkout time is noon and it was almost that time when we got back. People slowly left and now the park is less than half full.
I fixed an early dinner of turkey burgers and fried apples (that I bought at one of the stores). It was good. I planned to have corn on the cob but couldn't find any that I liked the looks of.
Later in the evening we decided to take a drive over to the Cataloochee Valley to see the elk. Elk used to roam free in these mountains but the last elk in North Carolina is believed to have been killed in the late 1700's. In 2001 the park service introduced elk back into the park. Today the herd is growing.
While we were watching the elk someones dog got loose and the guy ran out into the field after it. The dog ran really close to the elk, especially the bull. The old guy kept running and shouting and waving his arms. He finally got the dog to turn back and run to the car. We fulled expected the bull to charge him. The entire herd was on alert and focused on the guy. Some people just don't think! He was really lucky.
Oh to get to the valley you have to drive this twisty, narrow, winding road. At one point it goes from pavement to gravel. They left three miles of the road gravel as a memorial to the people who built the road out of the wilderness way back when. I think they could have left a little piece, not the three miles they have now!
Anyway, here are all the pictures.
2 comments:
I think the 3 miles of gravel is a nice idea. Imagine traveling it in a mule-drawn wagon.
Love the close elk shots.
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