my travels in pixels

Smoky Mountains NP TN Rainbow Falls Trail The Great Smoky Mountains is the most visited national park in the USA and was acquired with donations from the public - which might explain why it has free entry. I’m not sure how they count the number of visitors though, as Yellowstone seems a lot busier to us. The temperate climate supports more tree species than Europe, 1,500 flowering plants, 200 species of birds and 60 species of animals including red fox, black bear, bobcat, turtles, white tailed deer, wild hog. The smell of the scented trees as we were walking up to Laurel Falls was exquisite. Everything is green because it rains a lot and we missed a torrential downpour by five minutes. John Oliver's Cabin We came in through Townsend and stayed in Cades Cove campground which is in the north west section of the park. There are a number of excellent brochures for motor trails, waterfall trails, hiking trails, wildflower trails and wildlife trails that you can purchas...

Cades Cove Campground 10042 Campground Drive, Townsend TN Why we chose here? We wanted to explore the northern part of the Great Smoky Mountains. Location: Near Townsend TN Sites: There are two loops B (85 sites) & C (76 sites) and four group sites (2 x 20 & 2 x 30). Maximum size is supposed to be 40’, we are only 35’ and we had trouble getting into a few spots in both sections. In section B, the driveways are narrow, many with trees right on the side so you wouldn’t be able to put your slides out. Section C has a couple of old sites with gravel driveways that slope, so these really only cater for tents. The rest are concrete slabs, each with a tent area. Many were just too short for us. Backing into all the sites in this park is difficult as the roads are too narrow to turn without the truck running out of road. These sites are not very old, I cannot believe they are not catering for larger rigs. Sites C17-20 are the easiest for our size and we had to park our tru...

T.O. Fuller State Park 1500 W Mitchell Rd, Memphis, TN 38109, USA Site 15 is in the middle section near the playground Why we chose here? The closest State Park to Memphis Location: 10 miles south of Memphis Sites: 45, some back in and some pull through, set in a woodland setting. Quite a number of sites fit large RV’s. All sites have 30 or 50amp and water and there is a dump on the way in/out. Facilities: Restrooms with showers, laundry $1/wash, $1/dry, playground. In another area of the park is an Olympic sized swimming pool. You also get free tickets to the Chucalissa Indian (prehistoric) Village that was found when they were digging a swimming pool in the 1940’s Groceries: Shops are about 5 miles away Reservations: Yes Cell Coverage / WiFi: Verizon 3G 1 bar, 4G with aerial Price Paid: $21.85 Date of visit: April 2016 Would we come here again? Yes, it’s a lovely park. Even if you don't want to visit Memphis, it's very peaceful to rest for ...

Memphis TN Hernando De Soto Bridge The I-40 took us across the Hernando De Soto Bridge and into Memphis. We prefer to have space and vegetation around us when we camp and we found a gem just south of the city. You enter the park through a tunnel of green trees which are gorgeous and makes you think of coolness, but when we got out we are hit with a blanket of humidity. Totally understandable since it’s supposed to rain the whole time we are here. Looking online there were lots of sites available so we didn’t book. The birds chatter constantly all day long and the setting is very peaceful. Lots of greenery - the road to the campground The park’s name comes from Thomas O Fuller who dedicated his life to empowering and educating African Americans. This was the first park that opened to African Americans east of the Mississippi river and was originally called the Shelby County Negro State Park. It reminds you that we are in the South now and memories of the bigotry portrayed...