April 20 April 21 April 22 April 23 April 24 April 25 April 26	Saturday, April 26, 2008 We got up at our usual time and got most of the packing done (check-out time is 11). We walked down for breakfast at the Carriage House when it opened at 7:30. After breakfast, we finished packing and got ready to load up the car. Opened the door to discover that it was raining. Our only rain all week! The shower didn’t last long and we soon had the car loaded and the room double checked. We headed back to Cades Cove one last time and concentrated on the side roads, driving up and back on both Sparks Lane (photo on the left above) and Hyatt Lane. There were some bicyclists out making the round of the Cove today. One family had their youngest on a “tag-along” - a sort of cycling trailer which allows the child to help with the pedaling without having to learn how to steer or brake. These cyclists can be seen making their way down Hyatt Lane in the photo to the right We left Cades Cove by way of the Rich Mountain Road, which has a single photo op. We stopped there and took some photos (see the one to the left). The road is slow going and we arrived at the highway just in time to head for the airport. I dropped Deb off there. I think she had a good time. We managed to expose almost all of the film she had brought with her, anyway. I headed back to the park to see if the Visitor’s Center bookstore could identify some of the stuff we hadn’t identified yet. They could. Along the way, traffic got really heavy. But then, it’s Saturday and the wildflowers are peaking and everyone is heading for the park. Chestnut Top Trail had a large group of wildflower peepers on it. There were people tubing down the Laurel Creek near Chestnut Top. Lots of cars and motorcycles.... I was driving along when I noticed brake lights coming on ahead of me. As I rounded a blind corner, a park ranger car with blue lights flashing and siren roaring came the other way. It really startled me. The Sinks parking lot was the fullest I’ve ever seen it. The parking areas for Laurel Falls were not only full, the overflow areas were full, and there was a large bus blocking some of the parked cars. It must have been a zoo on that trail! Fortunately, everyone seemed to be out on the roads instead of in the Visitor’s Center, so I found a good parking spot and soon found what I was looking for. From there, I went on home. Carl had been working steadily on the house all week. He had the water turned off most of the week so that he could get some plumbing moved and was thankful that I wasn’t there.... He camped out most the week, showering at the gym and eating out when he was hungry. I hopped into the hot tub as soon as the car was unloaded.....