Posts Tagged ‘Travels’

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Watery Wednesday # 65: Warwoman Creek Cascade

December 9, 2009

Warwoman Creek Cascade, Clayton, Georgia. October 13, 2009.

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 have been through Clayton, Georgia, several times on our waterfalling adventures.  One of the roads we’ve traveled has the intriguing name Warwoman Road (I would love to learn the origin of that name, wouldn’t you?).

On our last visit to Clayton in October, we found Warwoman Creek.  We didn’t find the waterfall we were looking, but we did find this cascade on Warwoman Creek.  I thought it was pretty enough to share on Watery Wednesday.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 14 Comments »

Skywatch Friday: Galveston Sunset

December 4, 2009

Sunset at Pointe West, Galveston, Texas. April, 2007.

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.

This picture was taken on Galveston Island, Texas, in 2007 before Hurricane Ike did so much damage on the island.  I like the silhouettes of the palm trees against sunset afterglow.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 15 Comments »

Why?

December 1, 2009

Hogskin Branch Falls, Flag Pond, Tennessee. November 28, 2009.

As most of you know, Betsy and I ‘collect’ waterfalls.  We enjoy finding waterfalls, since they give us a great excuse to get out in the great outdoors.  We’ve been to some beautiful and awe-inspiring places on our visits to waterfalls.  We usually research an area (online and through books) and try to find and visit as many waterfalls as we possibly can.

This past weekend we spent a couple of days in northeast Tennessee and visited several waterfalls.  The waterfall in the picture above was one of them.  We knew that not much could be seen from the road since it was a small waterfall and was in a small gorge.

I’ve become pretty good at bushwhacking (for an old man), so I went down into the gorge and was able to get a better view and the photo above.

But I also found some other things that weren’t apparent from the road — garbage bags, old televisions, tires, and even the old car pictured above.

Hogskin Branch Falls is no Niagara, but it could be a pretty place to visit.  Why do we feel it is okay to trash any part of God’s beautiful creation?

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Posted in American Life | 16 Comments »

Memories of Fall Creek Falls

November 16, 2009
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Fall Creek Falls and Coon Creek Falls. January 8, 2009.

One advantage of the weekend is that I make myself take some time to get things done in the house rather than work outside.  I have a list of indoor projects that’s even longer than the list of outdoor projects!  If I live to see the end of both of those lists, I’m guaranteed to attain a ripe old age.

I managed to work through a folder of pictures taken this past January when Betsy and I visited Fall Creek Falls State Park here in Tennessee.  As you probably know, that is a very special place for the two of us.  Since it is only about an hour away, we do get there fairly often, although we’ve rarely been there in the winter.

One advantage of going in the winter is that the view of some of the falls is not as obstructed as it is when there are leaves on the trees.  And the water flow is usually better than it is in late summer or autumn.  We even got a bonus by visiting a small waterfall, Wildcat Falls, on the way to the park.  It is usually only a trickle but there was a pretty good flow when we stopped by, so of course we took some pictures there as well.

The picture above is of Fall Creek Falls and its smaller companion, Coon Creek  Falls.  To see more of our visit to Fall Creek Falls click HERE.

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Posted in Waterfalls | 16 Comments »

Watery Wednesday #61: The Distant View

November 11, 2009
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Hurricane Falls, Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia. October 14, 2009.

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 I posted a couple of pictures of Hurricane Falls in Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia.  Those pictures (which are HERE) were taken from the base of the falls at the bottom of the gorge,  To get those pictures I had to go down (and back up) 590 steps.

After getting back up to the rim of the gorge Betsy and I hiked along the South Rim Trail.  We found an overlook that looked down on Hurricane Falls, which is where the above picture was taken.

I’m guessing we’ll go back to Tallulah Gorge since we like it so much.  Will I hike down to the base of Hurricane Falls again?  Probably.  But I will definitely stop at this South Rim Trail overlook to view the falls from this vantage point.  Closer isn’t always better!

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 18 Comments »

Scenic Sunday # 69: Cheoah Lake

November 8, 2009
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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 # 60: Hurricane Falls

November 4, 2009
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Hurricane Falls, Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia. June 23, 2009.

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 have been to Tallulah Gorge State Park in Georgia twice this year.  We were there for the first time in June and liked it so much that we returned in October.

Actually the main reason we went back fits in very nicely with Watery Wednesday.  There is a dam at the head of Tallulah Gorge that restricts the flow of water through the gorge.  The picture above was taken in June and shows Hurricane Falls as it normally appears.

But a few times during the spring and fall the flood gates of the dam are open to allow the water to flow over the falls as it did before the dam was built.  We went back to see the waterfalls when there was an increased flow over them.

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Hurricane Falls, Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia. October 14, 2009.

This picture was taken in October when the flood gates were open.  Both pictures were taken from the same location.  Can you see the difference a lot of water can make?

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 18 Comments »

Skywatch Friday: An Autumn Sky

October 30, 2009
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A beautiful autumn sky, Cherohala Skyway, Tennessee. October 25, 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.

Because of the rockslide on I-40, Betsy and i came home by coming from North Carolina to Tennessee on the Cherohala Skyway.  The scenery along the skyway is beautiful any time, but this particular day the autumn colors were stunning, especially along the middle elevations.

The picture above has just about everything you could ask for on a beautiful autumn afternoon:  bright colored leaves, a clear blue sky, and, if you look closely (the picture can be enlarged), a beautiful moon in that blue sky.

 

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 11 Comments »

Watery Wednesday # 59: Becky Branch Falls

October 28, 2009
Becky Branch Falls, Clayton, Georgia. October 13, 2009.

Becky Branch Falls, Clayton, Georgia. October 13, 2009.

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.

Earlier this month Betsy and I went back to northern Georgia to revisit the waterfalls in Tallulah Gorge and to visit some new ones for the first time.  One of our new waterfalls was Becky Branch Falls, near Clayton, Georgia.

Becky Branch Falls is near the Warwoman Dell Recreation Area east of Clayton.  The falls is reached by a steep, but short, trail from the parking area.  When we reached the falls we decided that the hike was definitely worth it.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 23 Comments »

My World: In Search of Autumn Color

October 27, 2009
The view from the Blue Ridge Parkway near Maggie Valley, North Carolina. October 25, 2009.

The view from the Blue Ridge Parkway near Maggie Valley, North Carolina. October 25, 2009.

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

Since the direct route home from Maggie Valley was closed because of the rock slide on I-40, Betsy and I decided to get home by going south on the Blue Ridge Parkway and then west on the Cherohala Skyway.  We were hoping that we could find some autumn color while avoiding the masses of traffic around Gatlinburg and in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

It was a beautiful day with a clear blue sky.  Most of the color was gone from the higher elevations as you can see from the picture above.  But there was more color at the lower elevations.

Woodfin Cascades, North Carolina. October 25, 2009.

Woodfin Cascades, North Carolina. October 25, 2009.

No trip would be complete for Betsy and me if we didn’t find a waterfall.  We had to view Woodfin Cascades from across a valley, but it was still a nice addition to our collection.

The Cherohala Skyway is a 36-mile road from Robbinsville, North Carolina, to Tellico Plains, Tennessee.  Along the way it crosses the 5400 foot mountains on the border of the two states.  There are very few signs of civilization along most of the skyway.  Construction of the skyway began in 1960 and it finally opened in 1994.

Color along the Cherohala Skyway, North Carolina. October 25, 2009.

Color along the Cherohala Skyway, North Carolina. October 25, 2009.

We probably saw the most vibrant colors of the trip on the skyway.  The picture above is only a small sample of what we enjoyed along the way.

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Posted in My World | 21 Comments »

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