Conference noted::bicycle

3121.0. "Cades Cove, Great Smokey Mountains N.P." by TAPE::SENEKER (OSMS Engineering) Wed Jul 17 1996 17:18

    The ride through Cades Cove, in the Great Smokey Mountains National
    Park, is nice during "bike hours" in the day.  During the July 4th
    week I was visiting friends and family and tried a new variation of
    riding the cove.
    
    Midnight rides in the dark, or semi dark with a full moon.  It was
    a Saturday/Sunday ride, the cove is closed by park rangers to auto
    traffic at sunset each night so only bikes and walkers are allowed
    into the cove. (That is unless someone crashes and gets hurt bad
    enough that an ambulance comes in and runs over a few more people
    getting to the original victim.)
    
    Cades Cove is a single lane paved road about 11.5 miles long with
    various side road (gravel). Our ride ended up being about 15 miles.
    The road doesn't have any difficult climbs but some of the downhill
    sections have recommendations (signs) to walk down because of near
    fatal accidents that have happened. These were during the day.
    
    On this night about 300 to 500 other people were riding.
    
    We had a group of 8 people.  It was a full moon night and the group
    had various lighting means.  I had a 20 watt scuba diving light duct
    taped to my helmet, my girlfriend used a normal flashlight and taped
    it to her bike frame.  Some had bike helmet lights, some single
    light, some hi/low beam lights, others in our group used smaller
    dive lights attached via zip ties.  All variations seem to be ok.
    
    We started about 10:45 and rode until 12:30am.  As we were coming
    out other groups were just starting.
    
    Max speed was 27 mph coasting down hill into a fog were you could
    only see about 10 feet with your light and maybe 30 feet without.
    
    Some of the thing seen were: Raccoons, White Tail Deer, Owls, Bats.
    
    We did not see the coyotes or red wolves on this night but we did
    hear them howling and it sounded like a pack was running.  Other
    people in this group have seen wolves on other trips.  Just stopping
    and listening to the night sounds was wonderful.
    
    The month before a black bear with 3 cubs was seen.  One of the
    group almost hit the mother bear as see crossed the road.
    
    The road has 3 to 8 inch drops from pavement to dirt in some places
    and this caused a crash in our group when the rider went off the
    pavement and fell.  Road rash was the result, she washed the wounds
    with water and continued on, slower and more careful.
    
    This is a great group ride day or night and I recommend it to anyone
    that goes to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

    I have fond memories of Cades Cove.  A 5 day trip bicycling through 
    the Smoky Mountains during labor day weekend and camping out wherever 
    we could find a place in the holiday crowd proved to be quite an adventure.
    
    The 1st night a friend and I cycled from the park entrance to 
    the campground near Cades Cove.  The ranger told us that it was full 
    and we would have to find a place outside the park.  Since it was twilight 
    and too dangerous to head back (no lights), we snuck down the Cades Cove 
    loop, and tossed our gear over the fence into a field and camped out to 
    the sounds of wild animals.
    
    We rode the Cades Cove loop the next morning and continued our adventures 
    throughout the park, every night camping out in full campgrounds, thanks to 
    campers that would share their site.  
    
    Years later I took my wife to the Smoky Mountains and we rented old, heavy 
    1 speed bikes and did the Cades Cove loop.  Now that is a great way to get 
    some exercise !