We cleared our campsite, Lucky Foot earned his trail name, we filtered water in the creek, and left. It was an easy hike back to Twentymile Ranger Station. The trail entertained us with many things to see. On our way back, we heard rustling in in the woods. We thought it was a bear. Instead, a drift of wild boars scurried up the incline when they saw us. A short time later, Lucky Foot saw a cute little salamander he almost stepped on. The little guy didn’t move. The salamander allowed us to photograph him at different angles.
After we bid the salamander goodbye, proceeded to hike down Twentymile Trail. We crossed a few bridges going over the creek until we finally made it to campground 92. We orginally planned on staying here but the rangers said there had been bear activity. I’m glad we didn’t stay here because there are no good places to set up a tent. we ran into a lot of rain. It was the first major rain we had in the afternoon. All the nasty storms came in at night. 
While hiking in the rain, we came across a snake relaxing on the trail and enjoying the rain.
The rain stopped by the time we got to the Twentymile Cascades. We went down to take photos of the cascade and take a break. The ranger station isn’t too far away. Many people park at the ranger station to see the cascades and walk back. Near the head of the trail we saw the oddest thing. A swarm of butterflies were congregating in one spot. We realized they were dining on animal scat. Pretty gross. I’ll never look at a butterfly the same way again.
We stripped the gear off of out backs, peels out socks and boots off of our feet, and threw our stuff into the trunk. We hopped in the car and decided to head to Elkmont. While on the trail, Nutty Cowboy pined for some barbecue. I thought we’d be getting it before we head back go Chicago. Nutty Cowboy became agitated on the Foothills Parkway because his cravings got the best of him. We turned around on the closest outlook and headed to this cool BBQ place we saw on the way to the ranger station. Unfortunately, it was closed when we got there and wouldn’t reopen for another couple of hours. 
We headed back to the the parkway but decided to stop to get gas at the Tallassee Store on US 129.
The Tallassee General Store was a gem of a place. They had old antiques decorating the walls and photos of bike and cars driving through the dragon. They fried up the best chicken tenders I have had in a long time. It wasn’t under or over cook. The meat was warm and the breading was crispy. The waffle fries were great! This will be my official pit stop when I drive the dragon next time I visit.
Across the street, I noticed an abandoned building. The sign read, “TALLASSEE STORE CO…. GENERAL MDSE. est 1933.” The building was in disrepair but had a lot of character. It reminded me of a gas that came out of an movie. I hope the owners can think of something useful for the building. It’d be a shame for it to fade away. I can see it being a hostel or a museum. I don’t know what would work there. I’d love to solve that problem and save the building.
We headed back to the parkway. Foothills Parkway gently winds up and down the outskirts of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are many outlooks to stop at and enjoy the view. We arrived at the Townsend entrance but didn’t want to drive down Little River Gorge Road because it seems to be a hassle. We saw a side entrance that looked less tenacious on the map. It was on US321 in Wear Valley. We drove down US321 and saw how commercialized Wear Valley was BUT we didn’t see Wear Gap Road. We ended up in Pigeon Forge. You can call me ‘Lost Road’ or ‘Lost’ for short.
Nutty Cowboy asked for directions and we drove into Gaitlinburg to get to Elkmont. Getting lost was a blessing. We stopped at the Gaitlinburg Visitor Center/National Park Information Center. 
They had clean restrooms for us to use, the women at the information center were nice, and a cutie with a soft southern accent was at the visitor center. Oh so cute. The trail had three types of people: men, women with their significant other, and kids. I completely understand that women who do this kind of stuff gets scooped up. They seem to be a rare find. It’s nice to see someone not attached to a guy. No, I did approach her. I was a bit self conscious after being on the trail for four and a half days. After some contemplating at home, there was an effective way to approach her and perhaps have dinner before I leave for Chicago. I digress.
Nutty Cowboy bought a souvenir for his girlfiend and we headed to Elkmont. The food from the Tallassee Store still sat in our stomachs so we had a light dinner. I pulled everything out of mybackpack to I can dry it out. I tossed a few things in the warm car interior. It was a little bit better but not by much. We bought a bundle of wood and built a big campfire. We stared at it and began to wind down. While Lucky Foot and Nutty Cowboy were trying to go to sleep, I went through my camera to delete bad or unnecassary photos. I need to bring more memory cards next time.
Tomorrow, we begin a loop hike to Mount Le Conte.