When I was 5 years old, my family moved from Mobile, Alabama on the Gulf of Mexico to the mountains of east Tennessee. I was so excited to see mountains. If you have driven through Alabama, you know land around the Gulf is very flat. I was used to beaches and water not mountains and forests. That first visit to the Smokies is burned into my memory. My brother and I hung our heads out of the car windows with our mouths open. We wanted to “taste” clouds as we drove in the mist up to the top of mountains. I returned to the park many times throughout my childhood and into my young adult years. I love living in Florida now, but my heart beats faster every time I drive the interstate up to Tennessee and see the mountains. Today let’s visit the most visited national park in the United States, The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.