Senior Moments

The sign at Rich Mountain Road in Cades Cove, Grreat Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. September 9, 2010.

This is my post for the My World meme.  It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar, Sandy, Wren, and Fishing Guy.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

As I mentioned yesterday, last week Betsy and I went to the Smokies to drive the Rich Mountain Road.  We enjoy exploring new parts of the Smokies, and this seemed like a great time to go.  The entrance to Rich Mountain Road is in Cades Cove, and we’re always happy to find an excuse to visit that pretty place.

Rich Mountain Road, Smoky Mountains. September 9, 2010.

The road is gravel and closed during the winter, but we had no trouble getting through, other than having to dodge some pot holes.  And although there were no particularly steep grades, we did have quite a few switchbacks, as you can see from the picture above.

Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. September 9, 2010.

One reason for taking this road is that we were told that there were some nice overlooks from which Cades Cove could be seen.  We found one at roadside and stopped to get some pictures.  If you look carefully in the lower left of the picture above, you can almost make out the Methodist Church in Cades Cove, which Betsy blogged about yesterday.

We saw several trail heads along the road, so we’ll get some trail maps before we go back.  Perhaps we’ll find another overlook along one of the trails.  We’ll definitely go back to Rich Mountain Road.

The Cable grist mill in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. August 27, 2010.

This is my post for the My World meme.  It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar, Sandy, Wren, and Fishing Guy.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

When we visited Cades Cove in the Smokies a couple of weeks ago, we stopped at the Cable Mill area in the southwest corner of the cove.  Although there are several buildings (and a visitor center) here, it was the mill that most interested us.

John F. Cable bought land in the cove in the late 1860s and built a water-powered grist mill and sawmill in about 1870.  The same  wheel provided power for both mills.  The sawmill no longer exists, but the restored grist mill still grinds away.  It’s possible to see corn being ground most days, but we couldn’t get a decent picture of the inside of the mill.

Cable Mill water wheel, Cades Cove, Tennessee. August 27, 2010.

The docent in the mill said that a water wheel lasts for about 25 years and then needs to be replaced.  She wasn’t sure how old the current wheel is.

The Cable Mill flume, Cades Cove, Tennessee. August 27, 2010.

The mill flume is quite long, but does a good job of holding the water as it makes its way from the mill pond to the water wheel.  The flume also holds quite a few coins, as you may be able to see if you enlarge the picture.