Yesterday’s ride started much the same as others on this motorcycle trip.  We started off by going into Maryville to eat.  We wanted to go to the Cracker Barrel there, but opted for Lee’s “Famous Recipe” Chicken, as that sounded good to Amy.  It turns out that they have a few less menu items at their location than the one that is about 25 miles south of our house.  I like hot and spicy foods, and the location near our house has chicken with hot and spicy breading and noodles that are loaded with black pepper.  I do not know if either of these are common at other locations, but they did not have them in Maryville.  We still enjoyed our meal.  

After eating, we headed out of Maryville, TN on US 129.  This time, we rode a length of it that I have never been on, from Maryville to the Foothills Parkway.  After passing the Foothills Parkway, we rode “The Tail of the Dragon” for the last time of this trip.  We were not in the area to ride the Dragon, it just happened that we rode it several times as it was the best way to get to where we wanted to go.  After riding the Dragon, we rode NC 28 “The Hellbender” to US 19 then US 74 to Cherokee, NC.  We rode US 441 through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Traffic was heavy and the going was slow in Cherokee and in Smoky Mountains National Park.  I have been through this park so many times it is not funny, but I have never hiked (or walked on the paved path, however you may look at it) to the top of Clingman’s Dome.  I have been up the road to Clingman’s Dome several times, but only managed to make it as far as the parking lot, because nobody ever wanted to take the steep trail with me.  Here is a little information on Clingman’s Dome, from http://www.clingmandsdome.com

At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s highest point. It is the highest point in Tennessee, and the second highest point east of the Mississippi. Only North Carolina’s Mt. Mitchell (6,684 feet) rises higher.Clingmans Dome is a popular Park destination. Located along the state-line ridge, it is half in North Carolina and half in Tennessee. The peak is accessible after driving Clingmans Dome Road from Newfound Gap, and then walking a steep half-mile trail. A paved trail leads to a 54-foot observation tower. The Appalachian Trail crosses Clingmans Dome, marking the highest point along its 2,144 mile journey.

On the road to Clingman’s Dome, we came around a bend, and there were cars stopped.  Amy, of course had the camera ready to go.  There was a black bear standing right beside the road, eating the grass.  It was pretty comical that people were in their cars, with the windows barely cracked and holding camreas out to take photos of the bear.  The people in front of us did not want to stop directly in front of the bear, I guess they were scared that the bear would maul them in their minivan, so they pulled past the bear and stopped.  You guessed it, this put us right in front of the bear.  Here is a photo.  

Here is a black bear standing beside the road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This is the first time that Amy has ever seen a bear in the wild.

 Now I was not worried one bit, sitting by that bear on my motorcycle, as it was a black bear, and I know that they are not usually aggressive.  Then when I got back to my uncle’s house, I was told of this story.

 

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (AP) — Officials at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park say a black bear mauled an 8-year-old Florida boy and the boy’s father was injured while defending him.

Park rangers later killed a bear matching the description of the one in the attack.

Park spokesman Bob Miller says the bear approached Evan Pala of Boca Raton, Fla., while he was playing in a creek at about 7:30 p.m. Monday. Miller says the bear attacked the boy, was driven off and came back a second time.

Miller says the father was able to chase the bear away with rocks and sticks.

 

The boy suffered some puncture wounds that were serious but not believed to be life-threatening. The father, John Pala, suffered several cuts during the attack.

So much for my career as a park ranger. My guess is the bear that attacked had been fed by humans.  That always ends bad for the bear.  People think it is “cute” to feed the wildlife, never thinking about the outcome.  There are people around here that feed ducks and geese, then they end up dying in the winter, because they don’t migrate.

After making it to the parking lot of Clingman’s Dome, we hiked up to the top.  Just as when we visited Mt. Washington, it was beautiful when we pulled into the parking lot, but by the time we hiked to the top, the clouds rolled in and we couldn’t see a thing.  Oh well, we got to go to the top and see the bear too.

We left Clingman’s Dome and rode back to the house via US 441 to US 411.  It was a slow ride going through Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.  This ride took about 6 hours with the hike included.  It took so long mostly due to the heavy traffic, and the steep hike to the top of Clingman’s Dome.  We had a great time, but it is not a ride to take if you want to go fast, it just won’t happen. 

I wonder why they call these The Great Smoky Mountains?