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When Betsy and I were younger and more mobile we enjoyed visiting waterfalls. An added bonus to that hobby was that we could often explore along the banks of streams, especially in state or national forest areas. I captured this photo of the Tellico River here in Tennessee a few years ago. We were on our way to Bald River Fa;;s. and stopped to explore the bank of the Tellico River.
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Back in the good old days when my Beautiful Bride and I could hike, we visited Yahoo Falls in the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky, Yahoo Falls isn’t very big, although it is tall and very pretty. I got this picture from a bridge on the trail to the falls.
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In early November, during a visit from Betsy’s son Mark, we went on a hike with Mark and Robin along Daddys Creek here in the Glade. The trail is one of several in our area, and this trail descends into a gulch and follows the creek bed for some distance. The total distance of the hike on this trail is just under two miles.
We didn’t have much autumn color in our area this past year, but there were still some evidences of color along the creek.
Daddys Creek is shallow, but fairly wide. The water is crystal clear and we could easily see the rocks on the bottom.
In areas where the gulch widen we were treated to beautiful reflections in the quiet waters of the stream. All in all it was a beautiful hike which we hope to do again in other seasons of the year.
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Fall Creek Falls State Park in Tennessee contains many beautiful places, but My Beautiful Bride and I think Cane Creek, especially near the cascade and the waterfall, has to rank as one of our favorites.
The picture above shows can creek above the cascade.
The creek thunders over Cane Creek Cascade. We enjoy sitting near the base and enjoying the sight and sound of water.
The creek is not very deep below the cascade, but it is still beautiful.
Soon the creek reaches the brim of Cane Creek Falls and disappears from sight.
It’s hard to get a good vantage point from which to see Cane Creek Falls, but I did manage to get a faint rainbow from the viewpoint.
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Desoto State Park in Alabama is one of our favorite places to visit, and we’ve been there several times. The photos in this post were taken during a birthday trip Betsy arranged for me in March, 2013.
We originally went to Desoto State Park for the waterfalls — there are five in the park — but on this visit we hiked a trail along the West Fork Little River within the park. Since it was very early Spring, there weren’t many people around and we had the trail to ourselves.
There were parts of the river that had rapids (as can be seen in the first photo), but along other parts the river was calm and serene.
As we hiked, the channel got smaller and the water got more shallow.
But all-in-all it was a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday with My Beautiful Bride.
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Betsy and I visit Mt. Nebo State Park in Arkansas early each year. We have many reasons for continuing to go there: a beautiful little cabin that we get each year, gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, a peaceful and quiet atmosphere in which we can relax and enjoy each other’s company, and beautiful views.
Another thing we do its hike along the Rim Trail, which circles the mountain top just below the rim. We don’t always hike all the way around the mountain, but we do cover most parts of the trail while we’re at Mt. Nebo.
There is access to the Rim Trail near our cabin, and the views beckons us each morning, as can be seen in the picture above.
On a clear day we can see Mt. Magazine in the distance, another favorite place we like to visit.
When we hike from the cabin toward Sunset Point we pass this gnarled old tree standing guard along the trail.
With all the beautiful views along the Rim Trail there are times when we just have to stop and soak them all in.
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Both Betsy and I have mentioned the extreme drought we had in this part of Tennessee during the latter part of 2016. We haven’t completely recovered in spite of rains over the past few weeks, but the situation has certainly improved.
We weren’t sure what to expect when we visited the Smokies in mid-January of this year. But we were happy to see water flowing in Middle Prong Little River in the Tremont area of the park, as can be seen in the photo above. That’s Lower Spruce Flat Falls in the background.
We could even enjoy flowing water from the balcony of our room at Rocky Waters Inn in Gatlinburg.
The next day we went to the Greenbrier section of the park and hiked along Middle Prong Little Pigeon River. It, too, was beautiful.
Although we very much enjoy hiking, sometimes we just have to sit and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us.
Middle Prong Little River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. August 27, 2012.
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Betsy and I like driving and hiking along Middle Prong of the Little River in the Smokies. This river is in the Tremont section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which means it is less crowded than more popular sections of the park.
We usually go when there is plenty of water flowing over and around the boulders in the river bed, but a couple of years ago we went on a beautiful August day when the water levels were very low.
At first I was disappointed that the water of the river was barely moving, but then I noticed the light and reflections. Sunlight streaming through the trees seemed to turn portions of the river into gold.
Middle Prong Little River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. August 27, 2012.
A little later we came upon a pool of water that was turned a yellow/green by the leaves of the trees overhead.
Middle Prong Little River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. August 27, 2012.
As I continued to pay attention to the reflections in the water, I found I could capture the trees overhead and the sky by photographing the water. The result is different from most of the photographs I’ve taken, but I like the color of both the green leaves and the blue sky as painted by the river.
Little River near Elkmont in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. May 22, 2012.
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We had to take our car into Knoxville for servicing in late May, so we made an early morning appointment so we would have most of the day for a visit to the Smokies. We decided to hike to the Little River Trail from the Elkmont Campground. The trail follows the river and leads to Husky Branch Falls.
The day started well, and we enjoyed the drive to Elkmont as we always do. We often left the trail to get pictures of the river, which was beautiful (above).
George in the rain on our hike along Little River. May 22, 2012. (Photo by Betsy)
And then the rains came. Fortunately we had rain jackets with us. The jackets helped us, and our cameras, keep dry. We kept going, even though it was raining hard at times.
Husky Branch Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. May 22, 2012.
The rain started to let up when we got to Husky Branch Falls, so we were able to enjoy this pretty waterfall.
Betsy taking pictures along Little River in the Smokies. May 22, 2012.
It was still raining as we headed back to the car. At times it was only drizzling, so we continued to shoot the river as we walked back.
Our hike that day was about 4.3 miles, and it was raining for only four of those miles! But it was a great day.
Black bear seen along Skyline Drive in Virginia. August 6, 2010.
As most of you know, Betsy and I do a fair amount of hiking in our search for waterfalls. Many of the trails are in remote areas, but we’ve always enjoyed them. We’re often the only people on a trail, and that’s fine with us.
We have a friend who is scared to death of bears. Just the mention of the word can upset her. Betsy and I have encountered bears on the trail only once. We were hiking near the entrance to Cade’s Cove in the Smokies and saw a Mama Bear and two cubs cross the trail quite a way ahead of us. We stopped and watched the three of scamper up the side of the hill.
The picture above was taken at an overlook on Skyline Drive in Virginia back in 2010. The bear was close enough to be easily seen, but this picture was taken with my long lens, so he really wasn’t that close. But just between us, I’m glad he didn’t come any closer.
Senior Moments 