Cades Cove - Townsend Tn

A visit to Townsend has to include a drive around Cades Cove.  The Cove is full of wildlife and beautiful settings.   The drive is on an 11 mile one way loop and makes for some nice photo ops.

We saw lots of mule deer.

These guys both had a rack of antlers.  You have to look hard to see them on the second buck.

Old wooden stack pole fences are found throughout the Cove.  These type fences were used by early settlers to the area to keep their livestock in check.  Wood was abundant and much easier and quicker than using stone, although you will see some stone walls used at times as well. 

The area is a great museum of life in the early years.  There was no electricity and creature comforts were few.  As you can see in this photo, the beauty of the area is unquestionable.

This cabin has a second level where the sleeping loft resided.

Stairs to the upper level.  Unlike today's luxury cabins, these homes were drafty and required a lot of work to keep the chinking set between the logs and wood slabs.

The main room of the cabins were the epicenters of the home....you stayed here if you wanted to stay warm from the huge fireplace and all the cooking took place in the main area as well.  No granite countertops here, no running water.  Makes me thankful for today's conveniences and the ability to flip a switch to stay warm.  I remember both sets of my Grandparents lived in homes without all the modern conveniences...both had electricity, but neither had indoor plumbing, so bathrooms were Outhouses located a little way from the home, for obvious reasons.  Water for cooking had to be drawn at the well and carried into the house...baths meant that you hauled in bucket after bucket of water and heated each one on the stove and poured it into a large galvanized tub.  My Granny Powell had an electric range, but my Grandpa Griffith had a big black wood stove for cooking. 

I hope you enjoyed the tour and I'll leave you with one last image of the snow capped mountains surrounding the cove. 

I'm joining the party for Outdoor Wednesday with Southern Daydreamer.  Please click the link to visit her and read through the other Outdoor Wednesday goings on. 

Be sure and check my sidebar for a great giveaway from Tara's Twilight Party...yummy cake pops.  She will enjoy the visit and you might pick up some party ideas as well.  Also on my sidebar, you can click the Dunkin Doughnuts icon to go to the site and receive a free ground coffee sample sent to you via the good old postal service.  While browsing the sidebar, there is also a giveaway going on over at Tales from Bloggeritaville.  Enjoy!

All The Best,

mill57@charter.net
http://www.theycallmejammi.blogspot.com/