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Borrego Springs, CA

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

This July 4th was kind of a fizzle

First of all I’d like thank those commenters and emailers that were punctual in correcting me on how I displayed the Stars and Stripes.  Seems I had the field of blue with stars pointing the wrong direction.  I’m thinking my 8th grade teacher is probably rolling over in her grave.  In order to pass 8th grade, all students in Chicago had to pass a flag test.  I passed it, but apparently my memory kind of fuzzed over the last 53 years.  My daughter, the Sergeant First Class, ret., gave me a great way of remembering which way to hang the flag.  When you are facing the flag that is hanging on a wall or flat surface, the stars should be on the left, over your heart.  How appropriate.  I was outside at 5:15 this morning correcting that error.

Yep, I set the alarm for 5:00 (groan) so Emma and I could get an earlier start to Cades Cove to beat the crowds.  On a whim, I checked my email before I left, and lo and behold, Judi and Gene of Blue Roads to Hiking Trails had sent me a message.  Judi had read my post from last night and wanted me to know that Cades Cove was closed to motorized vehicles on Wednesday and Saturday mornings until 10:00.  Aw shucks!

Well, since my lunch was already packed, the car was loaded, and Emma could sense we were going off on an adventure, I decided to leave anyway and take my chances.  Maybe they’d change the rules since it was the Fourth of July?  Not a chance!  As I neared the Cove and turned around to while away almost three hours, it seemed like about 8000 vehicles with bikes attached passed me by.  In my mind I conjured up the sight of that famous bicycle race… The Toure de France (sp?).  That did not bode well for my trip back at 10:00.

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I just kind of drove around to kill some time.  The park was certainly busy for so early in the morning, and the skies were the haziest I’d yet seen.

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I stopped at the Metcalf Bottom's picnic area to use the facilities and discovered a short road across a bridge that led to the Little Greenbrier School.  The final gravel road to this historic site was almost my undoing.  It was awful!  Thank goodness it was before 8:00, and I didn’t meet any other vehicles on this skinny, curvy, lumpy road.  I also found it hard to believe that most of the picnic sites were already taken by this time in the morning.

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Eventually I wormed my way back along Laurel Creek Road to the Cades Cove Loop.  By this time I was getting pretty hungry since I’d had breakfast at 5:00.  Well, forget about finding a picnic table.

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I just found a shady pull out along the Loop, and ate in the car.  I was astounded to find the traffic along this one way loop to be bumper to bumper.  Kind of like being stuck in rush hour traffic in Chicago.  Crying face

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It’s an eleven mile loop, and it took me over two hours to do it.  That wouldn’t normally matter to me one bit except I didn’t even try to stop at the historic buildings along the way.  They were just crawling with humanity, and it was getting too hot to leave Emma in the car.  (As with most National Parks, dogs are only allowed on the roads, in the parking lots, and the picnic areas.) 

I even missed the turn off for a circuitous route on a road less traveled that I had thought to take back to the rig.  To get back to that turnoff meant I would have had to go around more than half of the loop again, so I just gave up and returned the way I had come.  There are several morals to this story.  Don’t go to Cades Cove on a Wednesday or Saturday; definitely don’t do it if the Fourth of July falls on a Wednesday or a Saturday; and next time I think I’d do it in April. 

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I also couldn’t believe the number of people ‘tubing’ the river on the exit road from the park.  It was as crowded on the river as it was on the roads!  Talk about lessons learned.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

21 comments:

  1. Ah, yes. All those holiday people out there interfering with our enjoyment. Especially those choosing to spend a hot day floating down a river. How dare they? :) We decided today is a good day to stay home with the A/C running in this nearly nation-wide heat wave.

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  2. Oh, that is too bad your good plans were foiled.. There are lovely pictures there you took!!

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  3. Little Greenbrier School sure is in a hidden area. I can just see the kids running around and playing.
    How can those people be enjoying their selves. They are bummer to bummer.

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  4. That's how I felt when we went to Arches. It as bumper to bumper with no place to park to get out and even look at the arches. I hated it. We are staying at home today even though our weather really isn't too bad. I'm just not up to facing a lot of people.

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  5. I like people, but hate crowds. Sometimes it just pays to stay home and enjoy the peace around you as probably everyone else is part of the crowd.

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  6. Interestingly the Tour de France started this past weekend. Nice drive, except for the crowds. :)

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  7. We got really lucky on the Cades Cove loop we did YESTERDAY! The Cades Cove Loop is closed from sunrise to 10:00 AM on Wednesdays and Saturdays and not all day, so it might be ok later in the day?...it looked like a bad rainstorm was coming in yesterday so people were not coming out for the loop drive late in the day...The historic buildings were really cool, but no history or explanations at the site. We should have had you come over to our picnic site on a rock on the river. We couldn't find any place to picnic other than a big ole rock on the river. :-)

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  8. We walked around downtown Grand Marais today after lunch and while there were more people than normal still not bad. We don't like big crowds or bumper to bumper traffic either. Temps in the mid 60's which helped.

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  9. OH my what a crowd! No thanks...

    Even the park we are at is usually filled for the 4th of July, but so many cancelled because of the excessive heat, I would say only half of the 120 sites are filled tonight. Wowzer!

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com

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  10. I am sorry you couldnt find a place to have your picnic but the pictures that you took were beautiful. Looks like everyone had the same idea of where to be and what to do. Too hot here to do anything. We stayed in today.

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  11. Fall colors are beautiful, but the cove is always crowded on the weekends & holidays! We like to go late evening & watch the deer come out of the trees into the meadows to eat all night. Shame you couldn't go in at 8am, might have seen a few still out. Don't know how long you're staying, but Maggie Valley area is less crowded and there are several elk herds in that area. Tom & Lynn

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  12. As you have said...lesson learned...Our parade on Saturday has new rules...NO super soakers from the floats ,,and NO candy thrown from the floats...What the Hell is left of the parade?

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  13. How dare all those people get in your way! Who do they think they are?

    Hang in there, September is coming and all those people will suddenly disappear. :c)

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  14. This brought back memories of our drive to Cades Cove. We avoided Wed and Sat and it was still busy! I guess the shoulder seasons might be better.

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  15. looks like long weekend traffic jam on the river!!..Happy 4th of July!!

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  16. The tubing down the river looked like fun and pretty cool in that hot weather too. I suppose it's a good thing that so many folks are out enjoying the parks and nature as that was the idea behind it all.

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  17. Spring and autumn are the best times to visit the Smokies, although there are usually lots of visitors any day of the year. I always loved backpacking there in those two seasons mainly because there were good campsites available by a stream tumbling over the rocks. What a way to be lulled to sleep! I think you'd like spring best for the wildflowers, at least it's my very favorite.

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  18. I share your 'crawling with humamity' thoughts.

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  19. September is a great time to visit the Smokies, but it is always crowded.

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  20. Teri and I have decided that summer holidays (Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day) are days that we stay close to the trailer and avoid the parks and tourist destinations. The traffic, the noise, and the crush of people takes the enjoyment out of it for us. Though our National Wildlife Refuge was pretty darned quite yesterday!

    Mark
    www.markteri.blogspot.com

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