With all the rain this week my wife and I decided to skip fishing and take the bikes up to Cades Cove in SMNP. We hit the trail about 6:30 AM and saw a ton of deer right off the bat. We got to a group of people gathering to watch a bear with 2 cubs (cubs were in a tree just hanging out). Well, we got a little too close and the mother decided enough was enough. It didn't charge anyone or make any overly aggressive moves, but it backed all of us up and let us know her limits.
We've done the Cades Cove loop more times than I can remember in the truck, but have never taken it at sunrise on bikes. The loop is closed to vehicle traffic until 10:00AM on Wednesdays and Saturdays during the summer. We saw a lot more animals than we have ever seen before. Lot's of deer, turkeys, and two separate bear sightings. Highly recommended. Just don't poke the bear.
[video=youtube_share;qwsPGMLES3o]http://youtu.be/qwsPGMLES3o[/video]
We've done the Cades Cove loop more times than I can remember in the truck, but have never taken it at sunrise on bikes. The loop is closed to vehicle traffic until 10:00AM on Wednesdays and Saturdays during the summer. We saw a lot more animals than we have ever seen before. Lot's of deer, turkeys, and two separate bear sightings. Highly recommended. Just don't poke the bear.
[video=youtube_share;qwsPGMLES3o]http://youtu.be/qwsPGMLES3o[/video]
Awesome.
