Posts Tagged ‘Travels’

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Down Memory Lane: The Great Wall (1990)

November 4, 2010

I went to China for the second time in 1990.  Our hosts took us to some of the places I had seen in 1987, including the Great Wall at Badaling near Beijing.

I don’t think it is possible to visit the Great Wall too many times and I found it to be as inspiring the second time as it was the first.  But this time, instead of following the tour groups, I headed in the opposite direction and climbed a part of the wall that I had not been been on before.

I did notice some differences in the three years since I had been there before.  There were more Chinese families visiting the Wall, and they were younger than the visitors I had seen before.  They were also more colorfully dressed than previously.

After getting over the ridge I came to a portion of the Wall that was out of sight for most tourists.  This part of the Wall had not been reconstructed; watchtowers were in ruins and parts of the wall had disappeared.  In many ways, this part of the Great Wall was even more impressive than the restored parts.  The great age of the wall was obvious among the ruins, as was all the effort and suffering that went into its building.

I would definitely go back to visit the Great Wall again!

To see these pictures and others, click HERE.

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Posted in Travels | 11 Comments »

Cataloochee Valley Elk

October 28, 2010

A bull elk in Cataloochee Valley, North Carolina. October 20, 2010.

One of the high points of our visit to North Carolina was getting to see the elk in the Cataloochee Valley.  We got up early on a foggy Wednesday morning and drove to Cataloochee.

Elk once roamed the southern Appalachian Mountains, but they were eliminated from the region by over-hunting and loss of habitat.  The last elk in North Carolina was believed to have been killed in the late 1700s.

In February, 2001, there was an experimental release of 25 elk into the Cataloochee Valley of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  In 2002, another 27 elk were introduced.

We first saw elk in a field along Ranger Station Road, the main road leading into the valley.  There were twenty of so elk in a field bordering the road.  The bull elk in the picture above was apparently the dominate male, and his bugling call could be clearly heard.
Elk grazing in a field in Cataloochee Valley. October 20, 2010.
The herd we saw consisted mostly of females and young elk, although there were one or two other males in the herd as well.

A bull elk relaxing in a field in Cataloochee Valley, North Carolina. October 20, 2010.

We then drove over to see the Palmer House on National Park Road.  As we pulled into the parking area, we saw two more bull elk in a field across the road.  The bull in the picture above was one of those bulls.

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Posted in Travels | 16 Comments »

Thankful for Blogging Friends

October 27, 2010

Mildred, John and Harriet on the porch of their home. October 25, 2010.

Betsy and I were fortunate to be able to enjoy an early Thanksgiving this past Monday.  We had planned to meet blog friend Mildred and her husband, John, at their home in northern Georgia.  What we didn’t know was that Mildred had a wonderful Thanksgiving lunch planned for us.  The lunch was delicious and was topped off with a new treat for me — pumpkin ice cream on pumpkin coffee cake.

One reason we went down to visit them was that John has been having some health problems and we have been thinking and praying for the two of them.

The picture above shows Mildred and John with Harriet, the third member of their family.

This scarecrow welcomed us to Mildred and John's home.

Mildred is very creative and talented (in addition to being a great cook) and had this welcome set up for us on their screened-in porch.

Betsy and Harriet. October 25, 2010.

We had a wonderful visit with Mildred and John.  And, as you can see, Betsy found a new best friend while we were there.

Both Betsy and I are very thankful for blogger friends.

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Meeting New Old Friends

October 25, 2010

Patti and Neal at Cataloochee Valley, North Carolina. October 20, 2010.

Both Betsy and I have been following Neal’s blog (and he’s been following ours) for nearly two years.  Neal is a retired systems analyst living in Indiana, although he was born in eastern Tennessee.  Neal is a wonderful photographer and features his photos on his blog.  Neal is also my hero — he’s not afraid to tell Betsy exactly what he thinks!

When Neal found out that Betsy and I were going to Maggie Valley to see the autumn colors, he decided that he and Patti would like to do that as well.  The four of us met up Tuesday evening and had a delightful dinner.  It was as if we had known each other for years.

On Wednesday the four of us visited the Cataloochee Valley to see the elk which had been reintroduced there.  We then drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway to Mount Pisgah, stopping at just about every overlook to take in the colors.  I won’t frighten you by telling you how many pictures Betsy and I took over the three days.

Betsy, Patti and Neal at the highest point of the Blue Ridge Parkway. October 20, 2010.

Thursday we drove across the Cherohala Skyway from North Carolina to Tennessee, again enjoying the autumn color.  After visiting Bald River Falls near Tellico Plains, Tennessee, Betsy and I headed home while Neal and Patti headed toward a visit with Neal’s brother.

Patti and Neal taking pictures at Santeelah Overlook, Cherohala Skyway, North Carolina. October 21, 2010.

We enjoyed our time with Patti and Neal, even if this is the view of them we often saw!

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Posted in Travels | 23 Comments »

Down Memory Lane: Tallulah Gorge

October 14, 2010

One of our favorite places to visit is Tallulah Gorge State Park in Georgia.  It’s a spectacular river gorge with five major waterfalls.  A dam just above the gorge controls the flow of water throughout much of the year, but the river and waterfalls are still beautiful.

There are trails along both the north and south rim of the gorge.  The Interpretive Center is on the north side of the gorge, but in our opinion the best views of the falls are on the south side.

Most of the waterfalls can only be viewed from the rim trails, but one, Hurricane Falls, can be seen from near the base, if you’re brave enough to tackle 600 steps down into the gorge (and 600 back up).

These pictures were taken during our first visit to Tallulah Gorge in June, 2009.  At that time we weren’t aware of the South Rim Trail, but we did hike the North Rim and take those steps down into the gorge and back up.

To see these pictures and others, click HERE.

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Posted in Travels | 9 Comments »

Scenic Sunday #117: Paradise Point

October 10, 2010

The harbor at Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, from Paradise Point. September 10, 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.

When we took our Caribbean cruise, we had a port of call at Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.  While there we took a tram up to Paradise Point above the town.

Paradise Point has an observation deck and walking paths that give wonderful views of the harbor and out to sea.  This picture was taken looking down on the cruise ship dock.  Our ship is the one on the extreme right.

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Skywatch Friday: Cumberland Gap Skies

October 1, 2010

The sky and mountains from the Visitor Center, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. September 23, 2010.

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.

Last week Betsy and I spent a very beautiful  day at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.  It was a perfect autumn day — bright sunshine, blue skies and cool temperatures.

The picture above was taken from the parking lot of the Visitor Center shortly after we arrived.

Brush Mountain Sky, Hensley Settlement. September 23, 2010.

The first thing we did at the park was take a tour of the Hensley Settlement on top of Brush Mountain.  If anything the sky appeared to be even bluer.  There was a hint of color in the trees at the edge of the fields.

The evening sky from Pinnacle Overlook, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. September 23, 2010.

After dinner we drove up to the Pinnacle Overlook hoping to catch the sunset, but the sun was behind the mountains by the time we got to the overlook.  But the color of the sky was gorgeous.  I captured this picture of the sky and the reflection in Fern Lake far below.

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Down Memory Lane: Blue Ridge Parkway

September 30, 2010

On our way home from Williamsburg, Virginia, in 2007 we traveled part of the way along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  We chose that route so that we could visit some waterfalls along the way.

Summer is not a great time for waterfalls, especially if they are small and there hasn’t been much rain.  But the drive along the Blue Ridge is beautiful any time of the year and the hikes to the falls were through beautiful woods and along pretty streams.

It may have taken us longer to get home by taking this route, but it certainly made the trip more enjoyable.

To see these pictures and others, click HERE.

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Posted in Travels | 12 Comments »

Watery Wednesday #107: James River

September 29, 2010

James River, Shirley Plantation, Virginia. June 23, 2007.

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 of the James River was taken at Shirley Plantation in Virginia.  Shirley Plantation was one of Virginia’s first plantations, founded in 1613.

At that time the James was the great transportation route of Virginia.  The first English settlement, Jamestown, was founded on the banks of the river, and the early plantations had their own wharfs to handle ships carrying both passengers and cargo.  Ocean-going ships could navigate the James as far upstream as the present-day Richmond.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 16 Comments »

My World: Hensley Settlement

September 28, 2010

Sign at the entrance to Hensley Settlement on Brush Mountain, Cumberland Gap Historical National Park. September 23, 2010.

This is my post for the My World meme.  It is hosted by Klaus, Ivar, Sandy, Wren, and Fishing Guy.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Last week Betsy and I went to Kentucky to visit some places we’ve long talked about.  On Thursday we went to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park in the mountains where Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee come together.

The first thing we did was take a tour of Hensley Settlement, a community that existed from 1903 – 1951 atop Brush Mountain.  We were driven to the settlement in a Park Service van along some ‘interesting’ mountain roads.  Once we got to the settlement, we had a walking tour through the community and into some of the buildings.

Our guide through Hensley Settlement, Ronny Oplinger, the grandson of one of the founders of the settlement. September 23, 2010.

The guide on the day we were there was the grandson of one of the founders of the community.  It was definitely interesting to hear his family stories as we walked through the community.

The Lige Gibbons Farm, Hensley Settlement. September 23, 2010.

The Lige Gibbons Farm is one of the preserved homesteads on the mountain.  This farm is in a pretty little hollow on the mountain top.

Ruins of the Willie Gibbons House, Hensley Settlement. September 23, 2010.

Unfortunately, preserved doesn’t always mean protected.  This is the ruins of the Willie Gibbons house.  It was built in 1904 and was the most unique cabin on the mountaintop.  It was larger than most and had a double fireplace.  Sadly, it was destroyed by fire in 2000 and there are no longer any American Chestnut logs big enough to rebuild it as it was.

There are many more things to see in Hensley Settlement and I will post more after I get through some of the pictures we took.  The map above of our visit to Hensley Settlement was created on Google Earth using data from our geotagger.  The yellow line is our track, and I’ve noted some of the main features of the settlement.  If you ever get the chance to visit this site, I urge you to do so.  I think you will enjoy it.

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Posted in My World | 13 Comments »

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