Landscape, Great Smoky Mountains

In the Smokies this year, there is a subdued color pattern. No doubt a byproduct of the slightly dryer conditions over the past few months. Leaves are gone from higher elevations with peak colors in middle elevations in the mountains and on the roadways. Lower elevations are a variation of color pattern depending on where you are in the park with a lot of brown color mixed in. It's still evident where the wildfires impacted the mountains and the lower elevations around Gatlinburg.

Capturing images of the mountain ranges is one of my favorite things to do here. The cloud cover was heavy on this morning dampening the vivid colors. However, I managed to snap this shot just as the light was peaking through the clouds. There's still a good deal of green in this shot, as it's the lower portion of the mountain range just outside of Gatlinburg, just as you are gaining elevation in the park. This was taken with my 55 mm which I normally don't bring along. I wanted to get more of a landscape of the mountain ranges. As I went to snap this image I noticed the stone wall in the bottom left and decided it could stay. I really like it. Back soon. ENJOY!

It's Official, It's Fall

Fall arrived yesterday at 4:02 pm. In many areas of the northern United States, Fall's leaves are at peak. Here in middle Tennessee, leaves have yet to turn, although I do see the occasional yellow leaf from trees here and there.

I captured this image a few years ago in Fall, as I was making the drive from Gatlinburg to Cade's Cove, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Meig's Falls sits back off the park road, but in full view of visitors. As usual I had my 300mm lens on my camera, so I stopped to take a few photos. The yellow leaves really frame Meig's Falls beautifully. I can't wait to share new images as I venture out this season. I hope you have fun out there photographing this beautiful season. Have a wonderful weekend. ENJOY!

The Roaring Fork River's Beauty

There just is nothing more beautiful and serene than watching the water fall over the rocks and boulders along the Roaring Fork River in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I captured this image two years ago, but never shared it. I happened across it in my archives and thought, well, why not. Hope you are having a good week. I must say Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Jose and now Hurricane Maria. Let's pray this is all for this hurricane season. I pray for all of those devastated by these terrible storms. It will take many many years for some to recover and rebuild. ENJOY!

Mushrooms, Toadtools & Fungi

Bracket Fungi, Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

As I drove the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail in early August, I stopped repeatedly along this one lane winding road to capture the flora and fauna I saw along the ground and in the trees. Mushrooms, Toadstools and Fungi were thriving all along this route due to the especially rainy past few weeks. No doubt fuel for these species.

Large Mushroom, Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail winds its way around the mountainside. On this section of the tour, there is a major drop off on the left and on the right your car is literally hugging the side of the mountain. You can basically open your right side windows and take photos of the ground cover. These large Mushrooms were growing right up next to the mountainside in a clump.

Black Tooth Fungi, Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

This Black Tooth Fungi was growing around some moss along the road. It was so perfectly formed and had such a nice white ring around the edge. What a vivid black hue.

Toadstool, Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

Keep in mind the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a temperate rain forest, as is all of the Southern Appalachian Mountains of southwestern North Carolina and southeastern Tennessee. The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trails takes visitors through one of the wettest areas of the park. Evidence of the rain forest climate is especially evident in this area with moss covered rocks and boulders in and around the river itself. Conditions you won't find as plentiful in other areas of the Smokies. Perhaps this is why this area of the park was spared during the wildfires last year. A wonderful weekend is coming up with sunshine aplenty. Back soon. ENJOY!

Prayers for Great Smoky Mountains & Gatlinburg

As I sat and watched the wildfires descend upon Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and into Gatlinburg and Sevier County, Tennessee, my heart ached. I normally trek to the Smokies once or twice a year. I have thought about nothing else but the people and the hardship ahead. I have also wondered how the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail was impacted. Many people can't take long trail hikes and this is one drive that anyone can do in their car and be totally immersed in the forest while the Roaring Fork River rushes downstream. It's a breathtaking place. Thankfully, most of Tremont is alright and Cade's Cove was unaffected by the fires.

Lives lost, lives perished with no trace, homes destroyed, businesses devastated. All over Tennessee and neighboring states, firefighters have traveled to the Smokies to help with the wildfires. We had some rain this week, but there is heavy rain coming this weekend and hopefully it will push East. I pray it will push East. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the 'most' visited park in the entire United States and I hope it stays that way in spite of everything that has happened. And pray for the families in south central Tennessee who lost loved ones, homes and businesses, as well, due to tornadoes the day after the wildfires. And a week prior to this six small children were taken from us by a crazed school bus driver in Chattanooga. Needless to say, Tennessee has been hit especially hard by tragedy in the past two weeks. Tennessee will bounce back, but in the meantime, I ask for your prayers. Thank you. Carol

SPECIAL NOTE: Do you believe in Climate Change. It not, watch just two episodes of the 'Years of Living Dangerously' on the National Geographic Channel. It's an awakening! Sadly, Americans have the highest carbon footprint globally. Yet, the worst areas affected right now by our ever warming ocean is not the U. S., but areas like the Philippines and the Amazons where the majority of the population live well well below the poverty level and who's entire existence and livelihood depends upon the land, and especially the ocean. If we do not take action now, fifty years from now there will be floods, hurricanes and wildfires, not to mention droughts, the likes of which we could never ever imagine.

Water, Water, Waterfall

Another beautiful scene along the Roaring Fork River in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As you stand next to your tripod capturing this unparalleled scene, the water rushes over the rocks and boulders as it makes its way downstream. The sound soothes your mind. The sound soothes your soul. Your heart beats a little slower. A calm comes over you. It's a heavenly place to visit. Have a wonderful weekend all. ENJOY!

The Roaring Fork River

The source of the Roaring Fork River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is 5,000 feet up the slope of Mount Le Conte where several springs converge. Twenty five hundred feet over a two mile span the river falls until it spills over Grotto Falls, absorbs Surry Creek and comes to a steady flow, as it meanders through the narrow valley between Mount Winnesoka and Piney Mountain. The mouth is at the northern end of the small town of Gatlinburg. From there it empties into the West Fork of the Little Pigeon River.

On a dry day, the river could easily be a steady trickle, but let the slightest rain fall and the river turns into a torrent smashing its way downstream rushing over moss covered boulders as it makes its way through the valley. It's magnificent to see and hear. I always drive the motor nature trail to see the Roaring Fork River. I love this river and look forward to hearing the sound of the rushing water. On this particular visit, with wet weather before and after my trip, the river was a monster barreling through the valley. This is just one of the stops I made to photograph the water. ENJOY!

Blue Smoke, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The essence of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park surely must be the fog and blue smoke that hangs over the Sugarloaf Mountains. This mountain range is typically immersed in blue smoke, but this past weekend there was an abundance of fog and blue smoke due to the rain showers that plagued the park. In spite of the weather, I did visit several sections of the park taking in the various wildlife including a few Black Bears in Cade's Cove. If you look at the very bottom of this image you will see bright pink blooms from the Mountain Rhododendrons. The Rhododendrons will be in full bloom in mid June. I just wished I could be there to see it. ENJOY!

Blue Smokies

Even on the 'not so perfect' Fall day in the Smokies when the sun has eluded the mountains, the colors of Fall and the blue smoke of the mountains still reign supreme. ENJOY!

Slice of Heaven

Do you suppose when we die and go to heaven it might be anything like this? Oh, please God, make it so. ENJOY!

Photographer's Backstory: At the end of a two hour workshop with Judy in the Smokies in late October, we were getting ready to get back into the car and head over to the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. I turned and looked at this setting and quickly snapped this image.

Fall in the Valley

Some of us choose to see through the fog and mist on a cloudy day in the Smokie Mountains. One never knows what you will find when you choose to stop, no matter the weather, to capture an image. ENJOY!

Fall's Leftovers

Is it a coincidence that beautiful Fall colors are followed by Winter's dull and dreary days followed by Spring's brightly colored bulbs. I think not. I think there surely is a reason why Winter was tucked in between two radiant colorful seasons with reds and oranges and yellows and blues and purples and pinks. Special Note: Set your turkey out to thaw. ENJOY!

Ravishing Fall Color

The natural beauty of Fall is quickly coming to an end. I relish every single moment of Fall with its reds, yellows, oranges and even its greens. There are times when one snaps an image only to realize later that it needs no words as it speaks for itself. This is one of those times. ENJOY!

Mountainscape

Such a gorgeous few days in the mountains regardless of the wet weather. The clouds moved over quickly at times and at other times they seemed to move at a snail's pace.

As I drove through the mountains on Newfound Gap Road, this scene greeted me at one turn. It is so nice that there are so many pull offs in this national park for visitors to stop and snap images. ENJOY!

PRAYERS: My prayers to all French citizens, and to all of those whose lives were impacted today, because of yet again more terror attacks. What more can one say in an era where terrorism is almost a daily occurrence even when you don't live in the Middle East.

Winding Mountain Road

What an unusual perspective I captured here of this winding road working its way around the mountain side.

Can you see the tiny car on the left side. I like the way you can see that car and the road in the middle of the frame. Those orange Fall leaves just added the right punch of color too. The Smoky Mountains is such an amazing place to photograph no matter the season, but Fall definitely is my favorite. ENJOY!

Fall Colorscape

If I had to choose an image that I love most from my trip to the mountains of eastern Tennessee, it might be this one. I hope you will leave me a note and let me know your thoughts. Have a fabulous Sunday all. ENJOY!

Fall Along Oconaluftee River

Photographing water is a challenge I love to take up at least once every trip I make to the Smokies. There are countless opportunities to photograph water at almost every bend in the road. You will find the Roaring Fork River, the Little Pigeon River and the Oconaluftee River in the park just to name a few. If you drive any distance, you will encounter waterfalls in every shape and size as well. As I drove to Cherokee on the main road from Gatlinburg, I pulled off the road at the Kephart Prong Trail head and stood on the wooden bridge that traverses the Oconaluftee River. Looking east I saw this beautiful Fall scene.

Gorgeous yellow Fall leaves in the background were in stark contrast to thick, dark green Rhododendron leaves hanging over each side of the bank along the river. I stood for a bit photographing the scene using my shutter mode with a few aperture adjustments. I knew the gray overcast day would impact the light and tried to adjust accordingly. Overall I was pleased with the image although I would have loved blue sky in the background. I have attempted in the past to photograph this type of composition, but found you have to have the right elements to really do it justice. Oftentimes, there will be logs in the river or brush along the bank that takes away from the composition. This was as near perfect as I could ever hope for. I love when that happens. ENJOY!

Hiking, Bote Mountain Trail

Every trek I make to Great Smoky Mountains National Park I try to take a hike on 'a path less traveled'. As you drive along the main road from Cade's Cove back to Gatlinburg, there are many pull offs. One pull off is the West Prong Trail which is part of the Bote Mountain Trail. I liked the looks of this trail as it was wide and flat, although after hiking a short way in you begin to feel the rise in elevation in your knees.

This visit to the Smokies brought the remnants of Hurricane Patricia so I had rain to contend with throughout my entire stay. Albeit, one minute there might be a sliver of blue sky with a few rays of sun peeking through white clouds and then a dark gray cloud moves in and drizzle in varying waves sets in.

After I parked my car at this trail head and gathered my walking stick, I set out. Not sure how far into the hike I would get before drizzle might set in and force me to turn back. I hadn't hiked more than a quarter mile when a serious drizzle started forcing me to turn back. UGH!

At this time of year black bears are foraging heartily for food to fill their fat reserves for the long Winter months so I was mindful of this before I had started on this trail. On Newfound Gap Road on Sunday I caught a few glimpses of a bear cub foraging, but that was the only bear siting I encountered. Perhaps on my next adventure to the Smokies I will get to walk further along this path as it really looked like a beautiful hike. I snapped a few images of the Fall leaves while walking along the path. This is my favorite image. I love the greens of the forest and the yellow Fall leaves. I hope everyone had a fun filled Halloween. Next stop, Thanksgiving! ENJOY!

GSMNP, Shrouded in Fog

There is always more to photograph than there is time to do so when you spend any amount of time in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is a virtual wonderland of rivers, streams, forests, woods, mountains, valleys and let's not forget the history that is found here. When you take 500 images over the course of four days and slowly cull through them to see just what you have captured, you never know what will be peering back at you.

When I happened upon this image, I decided it has to be one of my favorites from my trek to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. No doubt there are people who believe rain and fog won't net them much on a photography trip. I beg to differ. A foggy mountainside can be stunning to me and when you add yellow Fall leaves with the dark green Fir trees, I declare a winner. I love to capture photos that have natural lines such as the one I shot here of the ridge line. It takes your eye right up to the top left of the photo. I did photograph some Fall color and some water images while on my trek and will post those soon. Back very soon. ENJOY!

Waterfall, Roaring Fork River

Sitting half way back along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, tucked neatly out of most visitors' sight, you will find this quaint waterfall. The water rushes down around the boulders and rocks as it makes its way to other tributaries.

If you look closely, you will find it. If you listen closely, you will hear it. ENJOY!