Archive for the ‘Our World’ Category

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Our World: Grandfather Mountain

December 17, 2012

The view from Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina. November 8, 2012.

 

 

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them.)

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina is the highest peak in the Blue Ridge Mountain range.  It is also the only private park in the world designated by UNESCO as an International Biosphere Reserve.  Grandfather Mountain received this designation because of the sixteen different habitat communities that can be found on the mountain.  The vegetation on some parts of the mountain has more in common with northern Canada than North Carolina.

We visited Grandfather Mountain on a beautiful but cold and windy day in November.  The picture above shows the view from the first overlook on the road leading to the summit and the Mile High Swinging Bridge.

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Our World: Cox Covered Bridge

December 3, 2012

Cox Covered Bridge, Vinton County, Ohio. October 18, 2012.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them.)

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Betsy and I enjoy traveling back roads whenever possible.  It may take us a little longer to get somewhere, but that’s usually not a problem.  Besides, we often come across some very interesting sights.

On our way home from our visit to Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio, our GPS took us along two-lane Ohio 93.  We were enjoying the autumn color when Betsy spotted a covered bridge.  Of course we stopped to investigate.

The Cox Covered Bridge was built in 1884, and served as the road bridge over Brushy Creek in Vinton County, Ohio, until 1992.  That year the bridge was moved 20 feet north to rest on a concrete foundation.  The bridge no longer carries traffic, but it can be walked across.

Autumn color as seen looking through the Cox Covered Bridge. October 18, 2012.

We got a great view of a beautiful orange tree looking through the bridge.

Satellite image of Cox Covered Bridge, Vinton County, Ohio.

The above image from Google Earth shows the location of the bridge.  There were no nearby towns, but the Vinton County Airport is off to the southeast.  The red dot shows our position in front of the bridge.

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Our World: Another Smokies Panorama

November 26, 2012

Looking toward the Smoky Mountains from the Foothills Parkway, Tennessee. October 23, 2012.

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This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

This is another panorama I put together after Betsy and I traveled the Foothills Parkway in late October.  We stopped at several overlooks along the way, and at several of them I took photos which I hoped I could merge into a single panorama image.  This picture was taken looking toward the Smokies.  I like both the autumn color in the foreground and the blue sky above the mountains.

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Our World: Ohio Autumn

November 19, 2012

Autumn scenes from Ohio, October 15-16, 2012.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them.)

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

In mid-October Betsy and I went up to Ohio to meet our friends Patti and Neal at Hocking Hills State Park.  We had two wonderful days of fellowship, hiking, and beautiful autumn colors.

Two of the pictures in the collage were taken at a rest area on our way to Hocking Hills (I even managed to get Betsy in one of the photos).  The whimsical sculpture was almost as colorful as the trees.  The other two pictures were taken during a hike to a natural bridge in Rockbridge State Nature Preserve near Logan, Ohio.

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Our World: Beggars on the Road

November 12, 2012

Burros begging for food on the Wilderness Loop, Custer State Park, South Dakota. September 25, 2012.

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This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Betsy and I live in a small Tennessee town, so we don’t have much experience with beggars.  But as we drove along the Wildlife Loop in South Dakota’s Custer State Park, we encountered a whole herd of them.  As you can see from the photo above, they were quite brazen about begging for food.

Burro in Custer State Park. September 25, 2012.

We tried to identify the ringleader, but we didn’t have much success.  This character was definitely one of the larger beggars, and the others showed him a great deal of deference.

A young burro along the road in Custer State Park, South Dakota. September 25, 2012.

We were surprised to see even children among the beggars.

A begging burro along the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park, South Dakota. September 25, 2012.

Could you refuse a face like this?  I hate to admit it, but we did.

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Our World: Historic Railroad Tunnel

November 5, 2012

The western entrance to the Western & Atlantic Railroad Tunnel in Tunnel Hill, Georgia. This is the way we entered. September 1, 2012.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them.)

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

On the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, Betsy attended another pre-wedding event for her future daughter-in-law in Dalton, Georgia.  While Betsy was partying, her son Jeff and I visited the historic Western & Atlantic Railroad Tunnel in nearby Tunnel Hill, Georgia.

The interior of the tunnel, showing the layers of rock the workers had to cut through. September 1, 2012.

The tunnel was built to connect the port of Augusta, Georgia, and the Tennessee River Valley.  The tunnel is 1,477 feet long through the base of Chetoogeta Mountain, and it was designed to be the first railroad across the Appalachian Mountains.

Another view of the rock inside the Western & Atlantic Railroad Tunnel. September 1, 2012.

Construction of the tunnel began in 1848, and the first Western & Atlantic train passed through the tunnel on May 9, 1850.  The town of Tunnel Hill sprang up during construction of the tunnel, and after the tunnel was completed Atlanta became one of the railway’s major hubs.

The railroad tunnel played a part in several Civil War events, including the Great Locomotive Chase and the 1864 Battle of Tunnel Hill.

After the Civil War larger train cars got stuck in the tunnel several times, which led to the building of a larger, parallel tunnel.  The railroad stopped using the historic tunnel in 1928.

The eastern entrance of the tunnel, 1477 feet from the western entrance. Tunnel Hill, Georgia. September 1, 2012.

The tunnel suffered neglect for about 70 years, but in 1992 steps were taken to preserve and rehabilitate the old tunnel.  It was opened to the public in 2000 in time to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first train passing through.

The ceiling of the tunnel. The black is soot from the wood- and coal-burning engines that traveled through the tunnel. September 1, 2012.

I couldn’t take my tripod into the tunnel, so most of the interior photos are not very good.  But it was fascinating to walk through the tunnel and remember that it was built with hand tools.

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Our World: Ocoee River

October 29, 2012

The Ocoee River in Tennessee, August 17, 2012.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them.)

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

In August Betsy and I had to go to Young Harris, Georgia, so Betsy could attend a bridal shower for her future daughter-in-law.  Since there are several waterfalls in the area that we haven’t visited, we decided to go down a day early and do some hiking.

We decided to take the ‘scenic route’, and drove along the Ocoee River here in Tennessee for several miles.  The Ocoeee River was the site of the whitewater slalom events during the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics.  A mile-long Olympic whitewater course was built by the Forest Service fed by releases of water from Ocoee Dam #3.

White water on the Ocoee River in Tennessee. August 17, 2012.

Downstream from the Olympic course is a 4.5-mile whitewater rafting area fed by water released from Ocoee Dam #2.  This section of the river has been open to the public since the 1970s, mainly for daytime releases of water on weekends and holidays.  We stopped along this public section of the river to get some pictures.

Rafts on the Ocoee River in Tennessee. August 17, 2012.

There were many rafts and kayaks along this stretch of the river.  While the rapids were not the highest we’ve seen, people seemed to be having a lot of fun floating down the river.

Kayaks on the Ocoee. August 17, 2012.

All of the rafts we saw made it through the rapids near us without incident.

Oops! A kayak going over in white water on the Ocoee River. August 17, 2012.

Not all of the kayaks were so lucky.

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Our World: Where the Buffalo Roam

October 8, 2012

Bison in Custer State Park, South Dakota. September 25, 2012.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them.)

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

After visiting Mount Rushmore, Betsy and I drove to South Dakota’s Custer State Park.  One area of the park that was highly recommended was the Wildlife Loop, where we were assured that we would see plenty of wildlife.

Our friends were correct — we saw a wide variety of wildlife:  big horn sheep, burros, pronghorns and bison.  I’ve seen bison before, but never so many at one time.

Bison on the prairie in Custer State Park, South Dakota. September 25, 2012.

Seeing them on the prairie reminded me of descriptions of the huge buffalo herds encountered during the westward expansion of the United States.  At one time there were millions of bison in North America, but by 1900 it is estimated that fewer than 1,00 bison remained on the entire continent.

Bison at Custer State Park, South Dakota. September 25, 2012.

There are now as many as 1,300 head of bison in Custer State Park.  Bison can grow to 6 feet tall and weigh more than 2,000 pounds.  They are the largest native terrestrial mammal of North America.

The park holds a roundup each year to adjust the size of the herd according to the predicted availability of grassland forage.    The spring birthing season           rejuvenates the herd to approximately 1,300 head each year.

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Our World: Rotier’s Restaurant

August 20, 2012

Betsy at Rotier’s Restaurant, Nashville, Tennessee. June 23, 2012.

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This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

After celebrating our anniversary by walking around Centennial Park in June, Betsy and I had lunch at Rotier’s restaurant.  Rotier’s is near the park, and serves some of the most delicious burgers I’ve ever had.  It’s not a fancy place, but it is a local favorite and is often crowded.

The front dining area of Rotier’s has many autographed photos on the wall. Nashville, Tennessee, June 23, 2012.

We wanted to have lunch at Rotier’s because it’s a special place for us.  We had lunch there on our second date back in 2001.  I don’t remember what I had to eat at that time, but our visit was memorable.

On that April date Betsy and I visited the interior of the Parthenon and the art museum.  Betsy, self-sufficient woman that she is, wanted to pay for her own admission, but I pointed out that going inside was my idea and I should pay.  It took some doing, but she finally agreed to let me pay for our admission.  However, Betsy absolutely insisted on buying our lunch.  So after leaving the Parthenon we headed to Rotier’s, which had been recommended to both of us.

After a delightful lunch, Betsy pulled out her credit card and went up to the cashier to pay.  She was politely informed that Rotier’s didn’t accept credit cards.  My Sweet Date put her credit card away and pulled out her checkbook — Rotier’s didn’t accept checks.

The interior of Rotier’s Restaurant, Nashville, Tennessee. June 23, 2012.

By this time I was having trouble keeping a straight face.  But we fortunately were able to come up with enough cash to pay for lunch.

We had no problems paying for our lunch on our anniversary.  Rotier’s now accepts credit cards.

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Our World: Lake Wautauga

July 30, 2012

Centennial Park in Nashville, Tennessee. Picture from Google Earth.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them.)

This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Lake Wautauga, Centennial Park, Nashville, Tennessee. June 23, 2012.

I’ve mentioned a couple of times that Betsy and I celebrated our anniversary back in June by going to Nashville to visit some of our old haunts.  One of the places we visited was Centennial Park.  We had often walked around the lake in the park while we were dating and after we were first married, but it wasn’t until this year that I learned that the lake had a name — Lake Wautauga.

The fountain in Lake Watauga, Centennial Park, Nashville, Tennessee. June 23, 2012.

The path around the lake leads past a fountain and under some beautiful shade and willow trees.

Betsy getting a picture at Centennial Park, Nashville, Tennessee. June 23, 2012.

I managed to catch Betsy hard at work with her camera under one of the willow trees.

A view of Lake Wautauga through the branches of a willow tree, Centennial Park, Nashville, Tennessee. June 23, 2012.

She inspired me to try my luck at getting a picture through the willow branches.

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