“I like the mountains because they make me feel small,’ Jeff says. ‘They help me sort out what’s important in life.”― Mark Obmascik

Something similar happens to me too. If I had to rank the order of places I would want to spend my time in – mountains would top the list, then cities and lastly beaches. Cities rank second because I like the continuous hustling and bustling of cities, such as New York and Chicago. However, I prefer to live in a slightly more peaceful city with a reasonable cost of living.

Coming back to the main agenda of this post, which is about my experience in Smokies. I have visited Smokies twice now, although different parts of this mountain range. It is called Smokies due to the dense fog that surrounds the region. For my first trip, I went to the Tennessee side of Smokies, which includes Gatlinburg. One of the most wonderful experiences was the car ride that was highly scenic. You can stop your car at any viewpoint and you would see a vast land of lush green forest, feel the cold breeze against your face and breathe in lots of oxygen, which really helps to clear up your mind.

We would stop at random places, such as an overlook point or find hidden gems, such as the one pictured below. It was a flowing stream of water with big rocks in the middle, on which one could sit. Although there were five of us, still there was a point when there was complete silence amongst us as everyone was just taking in what Smokies had to offer.

It was a weekend trip and we left from Charlotte, NC early morning. It was a four-hour drive and not a single dull moment in it. It was also my first road trip with my boyfriend. We reached our cabin at around 2 p.m. in the afternoon. It was a nice cabin at the foot of the Smoky Mountains (Bryson city). The owner mentioned that he had handcrafted all of the furniture and that at night there would be complete darkness, and if it’s not that cloudy then we can see some celestial objects too. We bought some food and drinks from local grocery stores and prepared to settle in and look at the sky filled with millions of stars which were clearly visible in this clean environment.

Next day we left for Gatlinburg at around 10 am and had breakfast in Gatlinburg at Crockett’s breakfast camp (http://crockettsbreakfastcamp.com/). I had Crockett’s mountain omelet served with huevos rancheros. The food was delicious. The town was like a little noddy world. Everything was so decorated and full of colors. Some of the locals told me that I should visit during Christmas time to look at the decorations.

Then there are the famous Moonshine distilleries in Gatlinburg. Attending a tasting event is a must over there, where they offer you a shot of 10 different varieties of Moonshine for just $5. And even that can be redeemed if you purchase something from the store. I bought back with me an Appalachian moonshine and a Green Apple-Caramel moonshine. The trip to Gatlinburg consists of various small experiences such as visiting a local ice cream store and trying out various flavors or visiting a hot sauce store where we made our friend taste one of the hottest sauces, a combination of the Carolina Reaper and Ghost Pepper. When you are in Gatlinburg just roam on the streets and do whatever you want to.

For my second trip, I chose Blue Ridge Parkway. This time I visited Asheville and nearby places, such as Cherokee. Along with the scenic beauty, it offers you a variety of waterfalls and wildlife. I even saw a family of bears. We visited the Lineville falls and Looking Glass falls (pictured below). I have written about the place that we dined in, in a different post.

I am a tea addict, so when we go on road trips I always carry tea, milk, sugar, and all the essentials to make a chai latte. This time I was not able to make my early morning tea as we were getting late but that did not mean I was letting go of my chai. We stopped at an Indian restaurant called Chai-Pani for some snacks and tea. Though the place is a bit pricey, the food was good. It was not very spicy and had some elegant vibe to it. While we were waiting for our food, the owner even offered us an extra round of chai on the house. Do you think I was gonna say no? 😛

there were quite a few people at the Looking Glass falls, but we still managed to find a huge rock on the side of the stream and sat there for like half an hour. The point where the falls made contact with still water, a small rainbow could be seen. It was pretty.

After that, we all bid adieu to the mountains and went on our way to our busy city life, with the memory of this trip keeping us sane till next time.

Happy Travelling!!!

[instagram-feed]