Non-bike related, photo-laden content, just for you BS 
Some old family friends have an enormous cabin in Sevierville, TN, so we thought we'd take advantage of a relatively cheap trip to the Smoky Mountains.
Got up there late Friday night, ate, had some drinks, shot some pool, and went to bed. The next morning we woke up to this view off the front porch:
Pretty amazing cabin, 8 bedrooms, 5100 sq. ft. This picture makes it look like pretty urbanized, but in reality, those are the only three cabins on that section of the road.
The next day, we drove into the park. The roads through the park were awesome, great views, lots of tight, twisty turns and even some foliage here and there.
We got a late start the first day and underestimated the amount of time it would take to get from place to place, so we decided to just hit one major point of interest and stop a lot on the way to take pictures.
The point of interest we picked was Clingman's Dome, a highly trafficked tourist spot but everyone says it's the best view in the park. We were not disappointed.
Here's the view... from the parking lot, before you even climb anywhere.
Layers and layers of mountains...
A panorama. Linked so as not to screw up everyone's screen width.
Panorama #1 of Clingman's Dome
We climbed up the short, paved path to Clingman's Dome, absolutely astounded at the number of people who were all but having a heart attack on this half mile walk. We heard one future-Nobel prize winner wondering out loud why the walk up the mountain was so steep?
The view from the top was spectacular.
Here's the real view in another linked panorama:
Panorama #2 from atop Clingman's Dome
We did the same, meandering trip back, stopping to see whatever caught our eye.
Next morning, we got up early to do a short hike and see a waterfall before we headed back home. All the fog had filled into the valleys making for a very picturesque scene.
The waterfall we picked was Laurel Falls. It's a couple miles to the falls, after which you get into some nice old growth forest. There are no bad views in this park.
We got to the falls, which are about 75'. Nice. Not huge, but very scenic.
After that, we had to head home. We did stop by the Wonder Works in downtown Pidgeon Forge, which was a lot of fun. They have a build-your-own roller coaster where you design a track, and then you are loaded into a spinning, rotating pod. Your track is projected in front of you in a first person view, and you are fairly violently spun and twisted around inside the pod. Lots of fun.
All in all, a successful trip.
Some old family friends have an enormous cabin in Sevierville, TN, so we thought we'd take advantage of a relatively cheap trip to the Smoky Mountains.
Got up there late Friday night, ate, had some drinks, shot some pool, and went to bed. The next morning we woke up to this view off the front porch:
Pretty amazing cabin, 8 bedrooms, 5100 sq. ft. This picture makes it look like pretty urbanized, but in reality, those are the only three cabins on that section of the road.
The next day, we drove into the park. The roads through the park were awesome, great views, lots of tight, twisty turns and even some foliage here and there.
We got a late start the first day and underestimated the amount of time it would take to get from place to place, so we decided to just hit one major point of interest and stop a lot on the way to take pictures.
The point of interest we picked was Clingman's Dome, a highly trafficked tourist spot but everyone says it's the best view in the park. We were not disappointed.
Here's the view... from the parking lot, before you even climb anywhere.
Layers and layers of mountains...
A panorama. Linked so as not to screw up everyone's screen width.
Panorama #1 of Clingman's Dome
We climbed up the short, paved path to Clingman's Dome, absolutely astounded at the number of people who were all but having a heart attack on this half mile walk. We heard one future-Nobel prize winner wondering out loud why the walk up the mountain was so steep?
The view from the top was spectacular.
Here's the real view in another linked panorama:
Panorama #2 from atop Clingman's Dome
We did the same, meandering trip back, stopping to see whatever caught our eye.
Next morning, we got up early to do a short hike and see a waterfall before we headed back home. All the fog had filled into the valleys making for a very picturesque scene.
The waterfall we picked was Laurel Falls. It's a couple miles to the falls, after which you get into some nice old growth forest. There are no bad views in this park.
We got to the falls, which are about 75'. Nice. Not huge, but very scenic.
After that, we had to head home. We did stop by the Wonder Works in downtown Pidgeon Forge, which was a lot of fun. They have a build-your-own roller coaster where you design a track, and then you are loaded into a spinning, rotating pod. Your track is projected in front of you in a first person view, and you are fairly violently spun and twisted around inside the pod. Lots of fun.
All in all, a successful trip.
Where in the hell do these people come from that they never see squirrels and deer? 
