Archive for the ‘Watery Wednesday’ Category

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Watery Wednesday: Bald River Hike (Part II)

January 18, 2012

Bald River Falls, Tellico Plains, Tennessee. June 18, 2010.

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

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

As I mentioned in last week’s Watery Wednesday post, while Betsy, who was recovering from knee surgery, enjoyed Bald River Falls, I hiked along the river above the falls and found three other waterfalls and a cascade.  I told about the first waterfall and the cascade in that previous post.

The trail (Bald River Trail #88) got more difficult once I got above Bald River Cascades.  I did find two more waterfalls, but was not able to get real good views of either.

Suislide Falls, Tellico Plains, Tennessee. June 18, 2010.

I could only view Suislide Falls from the top of the falls.  Suislide (I have no idea how it got that name) Falls drops approximately 30 feet.  If I get back there I would like to see if I can bushwhack to the base of the falls, but I didn’t have time to try anything like that on this visit.

Shallow Falls, Tellico Plains, Tennessee. June 18, 2011.

Shallow Falls is immediately upstream from Suislide Falls.  It drops from 15 to 20 feet, and I was able to get a pretty good shot of it with my telephoto lens.  I would like to do some bushwhacking around this waterfall as well, but that, too, will have to wait for another time.

I was a little over half a mile from Bald River Falls when I spotted Shallow Falls, and it was time to head back to my Beautiful Bride.

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Watery Wednesday: West Prong Falls

January 4, 2012

West Prong Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. December 11, 2011.

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

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

2011 was a ‘wet’ year in our part of Tennessee, with an above-average rainfall.  The results of this rainfall was apparent to Betsy and me when we visited the Smokies last month.  Waterfalls in December are often reduced to a trickle, but the water-levels were up when we visited.

West Prong Falls is a pretty little waterfall on the road to Cades Cove.  I didn’t bushwhack to the base of the falls, but the light and shadows on the water when viewing the waterfall from the road were pretty.

West Prong Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. December 11, 2011.

My zoom lens let me get a closer look at a part of the falls.

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Watery Wednesday: Little River at the ‘Y’

December 21, 2011

The Townsend 'Y'. Image from Google Earth.

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This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

When Betsy and I go to the Smokies, we usually enter the park from Townsend, Tennessee.  Shortly after entering the park, we get to the ‘Y’.  As you can see from the photo above, there are a couple of reasons why the ‘Y’ is called the ‘Y’.  The road into the park splits at this point, with one branch going to Cades Cove and the other going to Gatlinburg.  This is also where the West Prong of the Little River joins the Little River.

The ‘Y’ is a popular spot and is usually very crowded.  But earlier this month the parking lot was practically deserted, so we decided to stop and check out the rapids.

Little River, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. December 11, 2011. (Photo by Betsy)

One of the first things we noticed was how clear the water was.  Betsy did a great job of capturing the clarity of the river at this point.

Tree in the middle of Little River, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. December 11, 2011.

I was attracted by the rapids and the unusual tree growing in the middle of the stream.

Little River at the 'Y', Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. December 11, 2011.

It was a real treat to have this beautiful, peaceful scene to ourselves.  The Smokies are a fantastic place to visit any time of the year.

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Watery Wednesday: Wintry Waterfall

December 14, 2011

Dry Falls, Highlands, North Carolina. December 12, 2009.

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This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

Betsy and I usually visit waterfalls in warm weather, but there are advantages to visiting a waterfall in cold weather.  In addition to flowing water, it is often possible to see ice and icicles, which give additional elements to enjoy.

This picture of Dry Falls was taken in December, 2009.  Dry Falls, near Highlands, North Carolina, can be seen from an observation deck fairly near the road.  In warm weather it is possible to walk behind the waterfall, but the path was closed because of ice when we took this this picture.

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Watery Wednesday: Upper Linville Falls

December 7, 2011

Upper Linville Falls, Linville Gorge, North Carolina. November 20, 2011.

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This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

On our Thanksgiving Week getaway Betsy and I drove part of the way on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.  We were near Linville Falls about the time we needed to stop and stretch our legs.  We had visited Linville Falls back in 2004, but haven’t been back since then.

My sweet bride couldn’t do any hiking, but she said she would remain in the car while I took a quick hike to Erwin’s View. which was a trail we didn’t hike when we were there before.  The overlook was half a mile from the parking area and offered the wonderful view of Upper Linville Falls shown above.

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Watery Wednesday: Road Prong Falls

November 16, 2011

Road Prong Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. October 14, 2011.

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This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

One of the joys of collecting waterfalls is finding one that you did not know was there.  Last month Betsy and I went to the Smokies to view the autumn color.  As I showed in my previous post, we drove along Newfound Gap road and stopped at several pull-ins to view the West Prong of Little Pigeon River.

When we came to the parking area for the trail to Chimney Tops we stopped because I knew the trail would have to cross the river before heading up to the Chimney Tops.  I hiked along the trail and as I came to the footbridge over the West Prong of Little Pigeon River, I noticed the small waterfall pictured above.

The waterfall wasn’t listed in any of the books we had, but a little research showed that Road Prong is the tributary entering the river from the right, and Road Prong Falls is the little waterfall I spotted.  What a nice unexpected surprise.

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Watery Wednesday: Blue Hole Falls

November 9, 2011

Blue Hole Falls, Old Stone Fort State Park, Tennessee. August 26, 2006.

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This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

The pretty little waterfall above is Blue Hole Falls in Old Stone Fort State Park, Tennessee.  Blue Hole is one of three waterfalls around the perimeter of the park.  When we visited in  August, 2006, Tennessee was in the midst of a drought, so the water flow was low.  In spite of the drought, Blue Hole Falls is a peaceful, beautiful waterfall.

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Watery Wednesday: Duck River

October 26, 2011

A small drop in the Duck River, Old Stone Fort State Park, Tennessee. August 26, 2006.

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This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

This picture, taken from my archives, shows a small drop in the Duck River at Old Stone Fort State Park, Tennessee.  We visited the park in August, during a drought.  The slow-moving water flowed through grasses before reaching the drop.  It all made for an interesting — yet pretty — scene.

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Watery Wednesday: Walker Camp Cascade

October 19, 2011

Walker Camp Cascade, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. May 10, 2009.

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This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

There are many pretty little streams and cascades in the Smoky Mountains, and Betsy and I enjoy finding them whenever we can.  Walker Camp Cascade comes down the mountain beside Newfound Gap Road.

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Watery Wednesday: Byrd Lake Reflections

October 5, 2011

Byrd Lake, Cumberland Mountain State Park, Crossville, Tennessee. September 27, 2011.

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This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

Last week Betsy and I went to Cumberland Mountain State Park near Crossville and walked along the shore of Byrd Lake.

The beginnings of autumn color, Cumberland Mountain State Park, Tennessee. September 27, 2011.

The fall color was just starting to show, but the quiet waters of the lake gave us some beautiful reflections.

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