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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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Late autumn can be a great time to go searching for waterfalls — the weather is usually mild and there are fewer people on the roads and trails than is the case during spring and summer.
Several years ago we explored the Unaka Mountain area near Erwin, Tennessee, on Thanksgiving weekend. Being on the mountain was certainly much more enjoyable than facing Black Friday crowds at the stores and malls. We drove along some Forest Service roads and did some hiking. This pretty little waterfall is one of the sights we enjoyed.
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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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When Betsy and I would visit Mt. Nebo in Arkansas, one of our favorite places to visit and hike was the Pedestal Rocks Scenic Area off of Scenic Route 7 north of Mt. Nebo.
Pedestal Rocks features “mushroom’ shaped columns sculptured by wind and weather. The “pedestals” are both fascinating and beautiful.
Pedestal Rocks is a great place to hike on a beautiful winter day.
In addition to unique shapes, many of the pedestals have lichen growing along one or more sides. Some of the colors are varied, vivid and beautiful.
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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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I’m old enough to remember when the Fourth of July was more than just a weekend holiday, as wonderful as that can be. Way back then, the Fourth was a time of patriotic music (when is the last time you heard a John Philip Sousa march?), and stories of the founding of this nation.
So, in the spirit of the Fourth of July from yesteryear, I thought I would share some pictures taken at Colonial Williamsburg several years ago. We weren’t there on the Fourth of July, but it was still possible to catch the spirit of the ‘Revolutionary City’.
We’ve always enjoyed the Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drum Corps, as seen in the photo above.
One evening we were able to see a muster of the colonial militia. They certainly didn’t march with the ‘spit and polish’ of British regulars.
Even their firing line left something to be desired.
But I would hate to be in front of them when they fired.
The ‘colonists’ even had a cannon they were able to fire.
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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.
Falling Water Cascades, Burgess Falls State Park, Tennessee. October 5, 2014.
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In early October Betsy and I met my daughter Kelly and her husband Chuck in Cookeville, Tennessee, to do some hiking at nearby Burgess Falls State Park.
The park contains three waterfalls, but the trailhead for the main trail begins upstream at Falling Water Cascades. That’s the trail we hiked, so we took the time to visit the cascades as well.
The water in river was low, but the cascades were still pretty.
Falling Water Cascades, Burgess Falls State Park, Tennessee. October 5, 2014.
There was enough water in one channel to create beautiful flowing waters.
Falling Water Cascades, Burgess Falls State Park, Tennessee. October 5, 2014
Even the shallow water covering the rock river bed took on a dreamy experience.
Senior Moments 