Posts Tagged ‘River’

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Our World: Chattahoochee River

June 11, 2012

Betsy at the Chattahoochee River in the north Georgia mountains. May 5, 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 wanted to visit a couple of waterfalls in northern Georgia on our way to the beach last month.  We had been to the area is February, so we had a good idea how to get to the falls we wanted to see.  Unfortunately the Forest Service road we needed to take into the mountains was closed, so we had to go to Plan B.

We found an alternate road to one of the waterfalls we wanted to see, and this route would also let us see a couple of ‘bonus’ falls along the way.  Our alternate route took us into the mountains along the Chattahoochee River, which has its headwaters near the waterfall we wanted to see.

As we drove deeper in to the mountains, we found a pullover where we could stop and go down to the river.  The picture above shows Betsy on the bank of the Chattahoochee.

George at the Chattahoochee River. May 5, 2012.

Here’s another view of the Chattahoochee that Betsy took.  I’m not sure where the old man came from, but he popped up in quite a few pictures that Betsy took on this trip.

The clear waters of the Chattahoochee River in north Georgia. May 5, 2012.

The Chattahoochee wasn’t very wide or very deep at this location, but it was running freely and the water was crystal clear.  It’s a beautiful stream.

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Posted in Our World | 17 Comments »

Hiking in the Rain

May 30, 2012

Little River near Elkmont in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. May 22, 2012.

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

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.

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Our World: Roaring Fork

April 30, 2012

Roaring Fork, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. April 23, 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.

Last Monday Betsy and I took a trip to the Smokies — a place we like to visit several times a year.  We decided to drive the Roaring Fork Motor Trail behind Gatlinburg since it had been several years since we had driven that road.

The road follows Roaring Fork (hence the name) for much of the way, so we stopped quite often to take in the beauty of the stream.  I was happy for the opportunity to try out my new variable density neutral filter, which allows me to use extremely slow shutter speeds.  The exposures for the photos in this post were from 15 to 24 seconds.

Roaring Fork, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. April 23, 2012.

We were mostly interested in the flowing water and cascades of Roaring Creek, but the moss-covered rocks in and bordering the stream were also interesting and beautiful in their own right.

Roaring Fork, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. April 23, 2012.

I’ve decided I rather like the way the long exposures smooth out the water while preserving the sense of motion.  I’ve got a lot to learn about using this filter effectively, but I’m pleased with the results of this first experiment.

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Watery Wednesday: Little River at the ‘Y’

December 21, 2011

The Townsend 'Y'. Image from Google Earth.

(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.

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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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 18 Comments »

Scenic Sunday: Caledonia Cascade

December 4, 2011

Caledonia Cascade, Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia. October 14, 2009.

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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 picture of Caledonia Cascade in Georgia’s Tallulah Gorge State Park comes from my archives.  Tallulah Gorge is one of our favorite places to visit.  The gorge is two miles long and nearly 1,000 feet deep.  We’ve hiked both rims of the gorge and had hiked down into the gorge.  One of the attractions for us is the waterfalls along the river as it makes it’s way through the gorge.

Caledonia Cascade is a small ribbon waterfall that tumbles down the side of the gorge from a side creek.  It can only be seen from the floor of the gorge (where it is hard to get a decent perspective) or from the opposite rim, which is where this picture was captured.  You have to look carefully to see the cascade, but there is that bit of autumn color in the bottom corner.

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Our World: Water and Autumn Color

November 15, 2011

West Prong of the Little Pigeon River through the trees. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. October 14, 2011.

(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.

When Betsy and I visited Smoky Mountains National Park in October, we drove up Newfound Gap Road from Gatlinburg into North Carolina.  In the area of Chimney Tops the road follows the West Prong of Little Pigeon River.  Since we were stopping to admire the autumn colors, we could also catch glimpses of the river through the trees.

Autumn Color along Little Pigeon River, Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. October 14, 2011.

The river is neither very deep nor very wide along this stretch of road, but it is pretty as it tumbles over and around the boulders in the stream.  This is especially true when the trees are beginning to turn.

West Prong Little Pigeon River, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. October 14, 2011.

At some places the trees were far enough apart that we could catch a good glimpse of the water as it rushed down the mountain.

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Our World: Fayette Station Rapids

November 8, 2011
Kayakers on the New River above Fayette Station Rapids. September 17, 2011. (Photo by Betsy)

Kayakers on the New River above Fayette Station Rapids. September 17, 2011. (Photo by Betsy)

(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.

When Betsy and I got to the New River at the bottom of the gorge (click here to read about our trip down), we parked the car to walk over the bridge.  We wanted to get some pictures of the beautiful gorge, but when we got onto the bride Betsy noticed two kayakers, as seen in the picture above, getting ready to shoot the Fayette Station Rapids.

Kayakers approaching Fayette Station Rapids, New River Gorge, West Virginia. September 17, 2011.

The rapids were some distance downstream from the bridge, and the kayakers were moving too quickly for me to get back to the car to retrieve my telephoto lens.  So I did the best I could with my standard lens.  The kayakers are approaching the rapids in the picture above.

Kayakers shooting Fletcher Station Rapids, New River Gorge, West Virginia. September 17, 2011.

If you look carefully in the middle of this picture you can see two helmets and two paddles as the kayakers shoot the rapids.

Enlarged photo of the kayakers in the Fayette Station Rapids. September 17, 2011.

I cropped and enlarged the previous picture to give a slightly better picture of the kayakers in the rapids.  It’s a good thing it was a warm day.

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Scenic Sunday: New River Gorge

October 30, 2011

New River Gorge Bridge, West Virginia. September 17, 2011.

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

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

One of the places Betsy and I visited during our travels in September was the New River Gorge in West Virginia.  We had visited the upper part of the New River back in April, 2009, and we wanted to see the new bridge over the gorge on US 19.  The bridge is the third longest arch bridge in the world.  We also thought it would be nice to drive down into the gorge along the old road.

The picture above is of the new New River Gorge Bridge, taken as we started going down into the gorge following the old winding road (West Virginia Route 82).

The Tunney Hunsaker Bridge across the New River, Fayette Station, West Virginia. September 17, 2011.

The Tunney Hunsaker Bridge carries Route 82 across the New River at Fayette Station at the bottom of the gorge.  This bridge, and the winding road down into and then up out of the gorge was the only way to get across the river until the new bridge was built in 1977.

Routes across the New River Gorge in West Virginia.

The map above shows US 19 and the new bridge across the gorge, and the old route (in gold) that had to be used before the bridge was built.

The New River Gorge Bridge as seen from the old bridge across the river. September 17, 2011.

I was able to get a picture of the new bridge high above the river from a walkway on the old bridge.

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 18 Comments »

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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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 19 Comments »

Watery Wednesday #153: The Virgin River

August 17, 2011

The Virgin River in Zion National Park, Utah. June 18, 2011. (Photo by Betsy)

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 Virgin River carved the Lower Zion Canyon, which is the main feature of Zion National Park in southern Utah.  The cliffs and rock formations were created by the river over thousands of years.

Betsy took this picture of the Virgin River while walking across a bridge near the Visitor Center in Zion National Park.  The river, while beautiful, doesn’t look especially powerful in this view.  But I like the way Betsy captured Bridge Mountain in the background.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 14 Comments »

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