Saturday morning we went BACK to Cades Cove. (Yes, we do go other places.) We decided to

hike up the Rich Mountain trail at the beginning of the loop road.

until we reached the John Oliver cabin. It was about a mile and a half walk.

John Oliver, his wife and two oldest children arrived in Cades Cove in 1821.  They were the first permanent white settlers in the cove. From their place, we walked down to the loop road

and back to where we had parked. Just in case you ever get the notion to do this same hike, it was an easy three mile loop.

Monday, about the time we arrived in Wear’s Valley, it began to snow in the mountains.  The park service closed the road from Sugarlands to Newfound Gap and did not open it until Wednesday.  Friday, after several days of sunshine, we decided to drive up to Newfound Gap to see if there was any snow left…and there was.  So, being from a place where we rarely see snow, we stopped the car several times just to walk around in the stuff.  (I know… tourists)  Anyway, here’s a record of our”‘snow day”.

The best part was that it wasn’t very cold.  As a matter of fact, it was forty degrees!