Owls add to entertainment during trip

One of two owls that made an appearance at our campsite at Elkmont

Owl offers a more evil look

Another summer has come and is almost gone.

But we did make a pilgrimage to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park along the Tennessee/North Carolina border for a week of camping in July with our children, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, brother and sister and their spouses.

It was a great time, with temperatures, as expected, to be in the mid to high 70s in the day and hovering in the mid 60s during the night.

Sunny days gave way to rainy skies on a couple of occasions.

I like to say that “a rainy day in the Smokies is better that any day anywhere else.”

We ventured into Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville to find the temperatures there to be 15 to 20 degrees higher.

That’s why I like the 2200-foot elevation of the Elkmont campground -- always a little bit cooler.

Didn’t see any bears this year, although part of our contingent did. Another surprise was the fact that some owls were spending time around our campsite. They stayed stationary long enough to get rather close for some pictures.

Tubing in the river, taking walks, having a campfire and making smores added to the pleasure for our group.

The days quickly passed and then it was time to get back to reality. Ugggh.

Next post: August 18, 2015