LOVE in the CLOUDS

For our 4th Wedding Anniversary, Aurora and I took an overnight trip to Gatlinburg in East Tennessee to get away for a couple of days at the end of last week.  We fought the state-wide thunderstorms on our drive to the mountains to find ourselves graced by perfect weather during our stay.  The sky opened up over Gatlinburg as we got in some pool time, creek-side time and relaxed for the evening.  The next morning, we took a very scenic drive through The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  The storms had left the air cooled with abundant towering clouds filling our ride.  The fresh mountain air gave us a new lease on love for the day as we climbed to the highest heights offered.  We managed to get too many gorgeous pictures to not share the art of Mother Nature with you!

We stayed the night in the Honeymoon Haven Cottage at Zoder's Inn

Zoder's Inn has been family-owned for generations starting our as a line of creek-side cottages which is now a very swank motel complex!

Creek-side view from our Balcony

Lovers have been professing their passion in the bark of this tree for decades...

...and a "Brandt" had already been here!

The happy couple on the bridge crossing the creek

J-A-C-U-Z-Z-I!!!

After breakfast and a walk around Gatlinburg, we headed for the mountains!

Carlos C Campbell Overlook

One of many hair-pin curves

The DREGstudios! Wagon

The stone wall at one of the overlooks was also covered in Lovers' and Families' graffiti mementos.  I dug a blue felt pen out of the van to leave our own memory...

I also doodled a "King of the Mountain" on the tagged stone wall!

Wildflowers

A Small Waterfall

We had some fun hooping and honking though the tunnels throughout the drive

Click HERE for MORE on the Great Smoky Mountains from the National Park Service

Click HERE to Explore the the Smokies with the National Park Foundation

Click HERE for the Great Smoky Mountain Association