Jill and Curtis camped at Mile High Campground a few days before the 4th. So, they are official members of the mile high club I suppose. It is near Maggie Valley and a little difficult to find. They discovered it last year while driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It has an ok bathroom, no electricity, but stunning views. While our group chatted at their picnic table, I took a nap. My snoring kept the bears away.

Then, we rode the slow and winding drive into Cataloochee. This is an area of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park that was once a settlement. It now has a couple houses and outbuildings, a church, a school, a cemetery that are open for touring. The park service is reintroducing elk to this area. They are doing very well as the population is growing and the bucks get larger each year. This one thought Curtis was pretty cute.