Mingus Mill, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Mingus Mill located on the far eastern side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in North Carolina is still an operating mill to this day. In the late 1790's, the metal turbine was considered a modern marvel compared to the old wooden waterwheels used up to date in the milling industry. The Mingus Family opened the mill in the 1790's and later built this structure for a mere $600. At that time the mill was surrounded by fields and crops.

Today, surrounded by the national park itself, the Mingus Mill is quaintly nestled in a grove of trees a short walk off the entrance on a winding path which crosses over a narrow creek called Mingus Creek. When you begin your walk back to the mill, the trail is actually the Mingus Creek Trail head with the mill itself about one tenth of a mile in. This trail is also part of the Mountains-to-the-Sea Trail which stretches 1,000 miles beginning at Clingman's Dome and ending at Jockey's Ridge at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. At this point on the path, this is when the mill begins to divert the water from the creek itself to the mill. I have photographed this site once before and decided to stop by during my recent visit to the park and attempt a new perspective to include the building. Hope you have great plans for the weekend. ENJOY!

Linking to Barn Collective

Roaring Fork Nature Trail, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

A little bit of heaven is what you find in the Smokies while driving the Roaring Fork Nature Trail. The waterfall is called, A Place of Thousand Drips, and I got lucky one fall and captured just about that many drips coming out of the falls. Believe it or not you can practically photograph this sitting in your car driving by. But I did chance it, although the road is very narrow, and got out and took some pics in between the cars driving by. The other shot is a bridge not too far from the "Drips". Enjoy!