Summer Road Trip: Day 34 Day tripping the Smokeys.

Today was a little weird for a few different reasons. Waking up late, almost running out of gas, and coming close to a really big Elk.
So, we woke up at 9:00! This is late for us. We usually get up 7ish maybe 8. Maybe after my crazy itchfest yesterday and not sleeping well last night I definitely needed more sleep. I don't know about everybody else, but we needed it.

After breakfast we decided to go to Smokey Mountain National Park and see what we could there since today is supposed to be the best weather day over the next couple of days. We started out by getting JR. Ranger booklets for the kids and headed out to a ranger led program. This one was called Slimy Salamanders. I thought the ranger was just going to talk about them and what kinds were in the park and show a few pictures. Well, She did that and more. We walked through the trees and to a little creek and actually got to pick up salamanders in plastic bags (known as "Salamandering"). We weighed, measured and identified them by their markings. Michelle, Nakai, Sora, and I caught 3 different kinds. They were Black Spotted Dusky, Spring, and Seal. They about 2-3 inches long and very cool. About 30 different species of Salamanders live in the Smokey Mountain Region. The Great Smokey Mountains are the Salamander capital of the world.

After that we walked by an old mill used for grinding corn and wheat. By the mill "Eagle-eye" Sora spotted another Salamander hiding in a crack of a wood water channel. We saw different Mushrooms, a couple of centipedes, and a weird slug type thing, We also did our part by picking up a little trash.

As we drove up to Klingmans Dome I realized we were getting pretty low on fuel (my bad). I forgot to look at it this morning before we headed out. We drove down to Gatlinburg, but for a few minutes I wasn't sure we were going to make it. It was a little close but we made it.
After refueling we drove back into the Park so the kids could get their 6th JR. Ranger Badge of this trip.

All day in the Park made us a little hungry. We drove back to Gatlinburg for dinner and touristy type stuff. There are a couple of cool shops, but most are a big tourist traps. We mostly wanted food and candy/fudge/ice cream, etc. Food was good then we played some mini golf. After playing Sora said "that was like my happy place."

We bought some candy and headed back to Cherokee. On the way we saw a few flashes of light in the trees and realized after a few seconds that they were lightning bugs. "That's pretty neat."
A few miles before town I was thinking to myself how we hadn't seen any animals all day long and then all of the sudden there was a huge Elk on the other side of the road just standing there. Good thing it didn't move. I hope everybody else was able to see it and avoid it.