It has been such a long time since I’ve posted an adventure. I have been slacking or working, you take your pick.
Becky has her website up and running with the super assistance of our son Drew who did the design. As all websites, it’s a work in progress. Becky and Drew are working at getting it just right. You can visit it here.
Last October(2011), Becky and I took a long weekend trip up to Tennessee to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We left on a Thursday Morning and arrived in Gatlinburg late that night.
Friday Oct. 21st
Friday morning was an up and early one at Ohdark30. We decided to see if we could catch a sunrise over the Smokies that morning. So off to the East Foothills Parkway. The sunrise was OK but nothing to write here about but we did find some good shots on our way back to the park. The fog was hanging low that morning, which is how the Smokies got their name. We came across a nice little stream and with the morning light decided to do some shooting. In stopping by a stream we spotted a couple of horses and their beautiful colt in a nearby field. Here’s one of my shots. If we only had an apple or a carrot to give him!
Our next stop was in an area of the park called Greenbrier. This was a special spot off the busy path and a very quiet place. Here we worked on our skills of taking smooth water shots. Some worked, some did not. When I had finished taking the shots I wanted, I pulled up on a huge fallen tree and pulled out my Navajo flute. I played Indian tunes to the birds and occasional hiker while Becky gave her camera a workout We relaxed with the quite, fall colors and the wonderful sound of the Little Pigeon River in the background.
By this time it was lunch time so a stop at the Hungry Bear BBQ restaurant was just the ticket. It was located just past the turn out to Greenbrier. It was very good and we would recommend it.
On down the road we go. It was our goal for the day to make it through Cades Cove. Next stop was the Sugarlands Visitor Center which is one of the three visitor centers in the park. This leads you along the Little River Road towards Cades Cove. This valley was one of the earliest settlements for the early Americans on the Tennessee side of the Smoky Mountains. It was called Sugarlands due to the abundance of sugar maple trees.
We spent quite a bit of time stopping here and there along the Little River Road. Pictures of the fall foliage and the placid river running along side can barely reveal the beauty. But we gave it a good try.
It’s through the tunnel and on the road to Cade’s Cove. This part of the journey is called the Laurel Creek Road. It is a windy, scenic 7 miles into the Cove. With many pull overs of which I think we hit all of them to get that great shot of course.
Ah into Cades Cove at last. At it’s peak it was home to some 700 settlers. Then in the 1930’s it was left to be reclaimed by the forest and turned into the park as it is today. You could spend a whole day in the Cove by itself. I’ll let my pictures tell the story of the high lights of the drive along the Cove loop. The loop is only 11 miles but I think it took us 5 hours to finish.
Here are just a couple of shots of Cades Cove. We could fill up a book with all the shots we took. Now there’s a thought. We should put together a book from both Becky and my pictures. I think I took the most pictures I’ve ever taken during this trip. I know Becky was well over 3000 shots for the trip.
This is one of the many old, rustic cabins that are left in the park. Also a playful bear cub running by the side of the road. We also saw quite a few deer and these bucks were doing some practice jousting in preparation for the rutting season. We arrived back in Gatlinburg late for a great steak dinner and the end of a great day in the Smokies….
The second day in the park was up early once again. Today the plan was to get some breakfast and do the Cherokee Orchard Road and the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. Gatlinburg is so packed with folks this time of year it was very time consuming just trying to drive through town.
Then the day had to end and we were set to drive that evening over to Chattanooga, TN to spend the night. We were going to go to Woodland Park Baptist Church there for Sunday services. Our dear friends and mentors Wayne and Diana Barber had moved there to be the senior pastor at that church. It was a sweet time to hear him deliver a great sermon from the word and to get the perpetual Wayne bear hug when he saw us come in. On the menu for lunch was a delicious steak(He probably shot it himself and didn’t tell us ;-). We also got to spend time with our friends Rick and Linda Gail Shepherd from Florida who happened to be in town at the same time as us. Parting was sweet sorrow but they are not too far down the road for another adventure soon. On our way out of Chattanooga we stopped and took a tour of LookOut Mountain. Then it was hit the highway home.
So just remember that when Dean and Becky are out on their adventures they may show up to your door to visit.
Happy trails to all of you.
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