June 9 - Off to see the fireflies we go...

Asheville was a very beautiful place to visit, and I have also heard how amazing it is in the fall. One day, some day...hopefully...

So we had about a 5 hour drive from Asheville to the Great Smokey Mountains.

Set up camp at Elkmont Campsite. Great camping spot in a beautiful forest, many sites along the river...


Headed into Gatlinburg for a tour around. It's a pretty cool place, quite a small hilly area .....filled with hotels, restaurants, arcades, distilleries, stores, mini golf...chair lifts or gondolas taking you for scenic views or amusement park rides...
 
Definitely family oriented and then to keep the parents happy  they mixed in the Tennessee Moonshine theme and made it for everyone.



We took the Gatlinburg Skylift for an amazing view of the area. Oddly enough...dogs were allowed on the chairlift. I was a little nervous but Lu did amazing!







The skybridge stretches 680 feet as the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America with glass panels in the middle at 140 feet above ground.. and Lu barely missed a beat...me on the otherhand.......I did make it across...





Feet back on the ground, we wandered around...trying to still keep a safe distance from others ....it was pretty busy...no covid protocols here...just our own. There were many little side malls to enjoy a little space...




Headed back to our campsite we were super lucky to see this guy along the roadside...


And then an owl at the campsite...

George said many times...."You can't plan a 9 week trip and book a campsite 6 months in advance ....based on the mating season of some bugs....OH YES YOU CAN!

We were set......Lu happily in the RV with her happy pill...flashlights covered in red cellophane not to annoy the fireflies...plan in place....find your spot.... and wait...


There is no way to describe it..... you cannot take pictures or videos... the pros even have a hard time...I have searched YouTube and this is all I found to best show this. It brought tears to my eyes..

fireflies

For me...it was a once in a lifetime event...to be in  the Great Smokey Mountains...in the first week of June...in the 2 week mating season...that fluctuates... and to get a campsite and to have the weather cooperate....feeling blessed...and I get not one night but two!!!!








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