Cades Cove

What a difference a week makes at this time of the year! More of the same place here.

This is the cabin where we saw the bears a few days before - but then I didn't dare to go any closer ;-)

Detail of the barn at the historic Elijah Oliver Place in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

Seen last summer in Cades Cove

Picture taken through the windshield of our car

~ Archive ~ Towards the entrance to the cove, the air was a bit clearer, not so much haze from the wildfire in the Abrams Falls area.

I was glad I had my camera ready!

I like to eat Bear Claws as a pastry, but I would not want to come in close contact with the real thing: Look at those nails - preferably in the large size! ;-) (Contrast slightly enhanced, to show more detail)

Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

... and the safest way to take photos of them! Rest assured: I did NOT walk out in the meadow to take the pictures of the bears. As you can see here, they were taken from the relative secure inside of my car, even with the windows rolled up! About a min…

All together we saw 5 black bears in Cades Cove that day: Daddy Bear way back in the meadow, and then Mama Bear with her 3 cubs. It was a magical day indeed!

The one with the bad hair day ;-)

Those 3 cubs were adorable - but it also gave me goose bumps to see people get so very close to them! I myself preferred my looong zoom to a perfect macro of a bear cubs cute nose. Better safe than sorry!

We could clearly see the two markings on her ears.

Seen next to the Abrams Falls trail head.

... with a tiny butterfly :-) Found near the Carter Shields Cabin in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park