Posts Tagged ‘Smokies’

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Memories of a Smokies Autumn

November 9, 2009
BetsySmokies

Betsy along Little River in the Smokies. October, 2002.

Most of the leaves have fallen from the trees around our house, so in many ways the pretty part of autumn is just about over for us.  But I’m not sure which season is going to follow — the temperatures were in the mid-70s Sunday.  That’s entirely too warm to be raking leaves!  Some of our blogger friends have been complaining about the temperatures in Florida.  I think they must have sent that warm weather our way.  I’m going to try to send it back!

Although most of our leaves are gone, we still have many memories of of beautiful autumn colors from years past.  In October of 2002 Betsy and I spent a long weekend in the Smokies.  Of course we checked out some waterfalls, but we also enjoyed some wonderful autumn colors.

In the picture above my favorite tree hugger is making a tree along Little River very happy.  To see more of autumn in the Smokies click HERE.

 

 

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Posted in Autumn | 13 Comments »

Scenic Sunday # 69: Cheoah Lake

November 8, 2009
CheoahLake09101302

Cheoah Lake and Dam, Graham County, North Carolina. October 13, 2009.

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.

Last month Betsy and I drove The Tail of the Dragon on our way to Georgia.  The Tail of the Dragon is an 11-mile stretch of U. S. 129 which is considered by many to be one of the world’s best motorcycling and sports car roads.  The Tail of the Dragon gets its name from the 318 tight curves on the 11-mile stretch.

The Tail of the Dragon takes drivers through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  After crossing into North Carolina we turned onto North Carolina 28, which continued to offer some beautiful scenery, even if it did have fewer curves.

The picture above was taken at a turnout overlooking Cheoah Lake in North Carolina.  Near the center of the picture is Cheoah Dam, which forms the lake on the Little Tennessee River.  The Cheoah Dam was featured in the Harrison Ford movie The Fugitive.  This is the dam that Ford jumped off to escape near the beginning of the movie.

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 13 Comments »

Watery Wednesday # 56: Little River in Autumn

October 7, 2009
Little River at Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area, Smoky Mountains, Tennessee.

Little River at Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area, Smoky Mountains, Tennessee.

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.

Autumn is slowly coming to our part of Tennessee — the trees are starting to get some color.  Betsy and I haven’t had a chance to get to the Smokies since things have been hectic around here over the past couple of weeks.  The picture above was taken a couple of years ago at Metcalf Bottoms Picinic Area along Little River Road in the Smokies.  The trees along Little River had the definite look of autumn when this picture was taken.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 18 Comments »

Lynn Camp Prong

September 3, 2009
Middle Lynn Camp Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. June, 2007.

Middle Lynn Camp Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. June, 2007.

There are many popular areas in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that almost everyone who visits the park have seen or at least heard about — Cades Cove, Laurel Falls, and Clingman’s Dome to name just a few.

Betsy and I have been to all of those places, but some of our favorite times in the Smokies have been when we visited lesser-known areas of the park.  One such area is along Lynn Camp Prong.

In southern parlance, a prong is a branch of a river.  Lynn Camp was a lumber camp before the park was formed.  Lynn Camp Prong is a small stream that runs through the location of that old lumber camp.

To reach Lynn Camp and the hiking trail you have to go past Tremont Institure (off the road to Cade’s Cove) to the very end of the road.  The trail heads up along Lynn Camp Prong as it tumbles over several cascades and small falls.  Although they are not very big, the falls are pretty.  The hike is not difficult, and the chances are that you will have the trail and the cascades all to yourself.  There are even a couple of benches along the trail at which you can enjoy the views.

If you would like to see more of our hike along Lynn Camp Prong click HERE.

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Posted in Hiking | 9 Comments »

Scenic Sunday # 54: Newfound Gap

July 26, 2009
Newfound Gap, Great Smoky Mountains. May 19, 2001.

Newfound Gap, Great Smoky Mountains. May 19, 2001.

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.

As I mentioned the other day, Betsy and I visited with friends at Cades Cove in the Smokies on Thursday.  That visit got me looking at other pictures we’ve taken in the park, and I decided to share these pictures with you.

The picture above was taken in 2001 at Newfound Gap.  As southerners know, a gap is a low point in a mountain ridge.  New Englanders call such places “notches” while westerners refer to them as mountain “passes.”  At an elevation of 5,046 feet Newfound Gap is the lowest drivable pass through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The old road over the Smoky Mountains crossed at Indian Gap, located about 1.5 miles west of the current site.  In 1872 a Swiss geographer, Arnold Henry Guyot, discovered Newfound Gap was lower than Indian Gap.  When the lower, easier crossing was discovered, it became known as the “newfound” gap.  A new road followed, and it became the forerunner of Newfound Gap Road, which can be seen in the distance in the picture above.

But as scenic as the picture above may be, the following picture is even more scenic.  That’s because it shows my beautiful bride at that same location on the same day.

Betsy at Newfound Gap, GSMNP. May 19, 2001.

Betsy at Newfound Gap, GSMNP. May 19, 2001.

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 9 Comments »

Skywatch Friday # 54: Cades Cove

July 24, 2009
Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. July 23, 2009.

Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. July 23, 2009.

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

Yesterday Betsy and I visited our friends Judy and Charlie, who were camping at Cades Cove in the Smokies.  Judy and Charlie camp there every year, and Betsy and I usually go over to visit with them at least one day.  We sit around a campfire (it’s been cool in the mountains) and get caught up on what each couple has been doing since the last time we got together.

We talked so much yesterday that we didn’t have time for a hike, so the best Betsy and I could do was drive to the beginning of the Cades Cove loop and get a few pictures.  That’s where the picture above was taken.

Celebrating our monthaversary at Cafe Uno, Maryville, Tennessee. July 23, 2009.

Celebrating our monthaversary at Cafe Uno, Maryville, Tennessee. July 23, 2009.

Yesterday was our 97th ‘monthaversary’.  We decided since we met so late in life we would celebrate our wedding ‘monthaversary’ as well as the anniversary.  Since it was on the way home, we decided to stop at Uno’s for a deep dish Chicago pizza.  It had been quite some time since we had one and that seemed like a great way to end a special day.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 16 Comments »

Watery Wednesday # 42

July 1, 2009
Twentymile Creek, Great Smoky Mountains, NC. June 22, 2009.

Twentymile Creek, Great Smoky Mountains, NC. June 22, 2009.

This is my post for Watery Wednesday, a weekly meme created and hosted by 2sweeetnsaxy of Eyes, Mind, Heart.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

On our anniversary trip we went through the Smoky Mountains along US 129 (Tail of the Dragon) and N.C. 28.  This part of the Smoky Mountains is about as far off the beaten path as it is possible to get, but the views are definitely worth while.

Our route crossed Twentymile Creek, and it looked so inviting that we had to stop and investigate.  We obviously did not find a waterfall, but the cascades along the creek caught our attention and are definitely worth a Watery Wednesday mention.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 23 Comments »

Fontana Lake

June 8, 2009
Fontana Lake, North Carolina. May 30, 2009.

Fontana Lake, North Carolina. May 30, 2009.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a wonderful place to visit.  Most people visit the Tennessee side of the park since that’s where the towns of Gatlinburg and Sevierville are located.

The North Carolina side of the park is more remote and doesn’t have as many visitors, but it also has many gems.  Last month Betsy and I drove through the park from North Carolina to Tennessee, stopping at just about every overlook we passed.

The picture above was taken at one of those overlooks.  The lake is Fontana Lake, which is one of the deepest lakes in the region.  In some places it is over 400 feet deep.  The lake is roughly 30 miles long and is at an elevation of about 1700 feet.  Nestled in the mountains, Fontana Lake offers boating, fishing, hiking, and camping.  It may be remote, but it is well worth a visit for anyone who enjoys the great outdoors.

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Posted in Travels | 17 Comments »

Watery Wednesday # 37

May 27, 2009
Betsy on a bridge over the Little Pigeon River. March 28, 2009.

Betsy on a bridge over the Little Pigeon River. March 28, 2009.

This is my post for Watery Wednesday, a weekly meme created and hosted by 2sweeetnsaxy of Eyes, Mind, Heart.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

The picture above is of my favorite hiking partner on a bridge over the Little Pigeon River in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  The picture was taken in March, while we were staying in a cabin at Serenity Falls.  We had gone to the area of Greenbrier Campground to drive and hike along the river.  There had been several days of rain prior to our visit, so the water was rushing over the rocks and boulders.  The sight and sound of that rushing river in the forest/mountain setting is an experience that everyone should have at least once.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 12 Comments »

Scenic Sunday # 45

May 24, 2009
The Smoky Mountains on Newfound Gap Road. May 10, 2009.

The Smoky Mountains on Newfound Gap Road. May 10, 2009.

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.

The picture above was taken at an overlook on Newfound Gap Road in the Smokies.  Newfound Gap Road (US 441) is one of the most popular drives in the Smokies and runs between Cherokee, North Carolina and Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  There are several overlooks along the road, this is an unnamed overlook on the Gatlinburg side of the mountains.

The most popular Smokies views along Newfound Gap Road are autumn scenes and sunrise/sunset views.  This picture features neither, but still gives an indication of the beauty of “America’s Most Popular Park”.

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 18 Comments »

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