So, let me tell you about this current vacay, which is one of two I'm taking this summer. This one is set in the mysterious Applachian Mountians of East Tennessee and North Carolina.
On day one, we drove through the historic Cades Cove, where some of the original homesteaders settled this area in the early 1800's. We saw old mills, homes, spring houses, barns, and churches. All still original. Yet, the most incredible aspect of that excursion was the wildlife: coyotes, deer, snakes, squirrels, and the big one..BEARS. Yes, the black bear of the Smokies. The pic below is of a sunrise in Cades Cove, taken on an early morning hayride.
On another day, we took another tour through the Roaring Forks mountain pass just outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It was a 5.5 mile, one-lane drive up a steep mountain, with scary drop-offs and the most beautiful rushing waterfalls and bubbling brooks. Breathtaking is not enough to describe it.
The pic below was taken from the Chimney Tops.
And finally, we got out of our cars and took these hikes through the mountains, which teemed with wildlife and plantlife. It was green and lush and slightly wet, which seems to be the norm this high in the mountains, reminding me of what a rain forest might be like.
And so, I'll end this blog post...because I'm supposed to go sit on the deck of our cabin in the Smokies, gaze at the mountains, and drink some coffee with my family. Yes, the ideas are blossoming and the views are like no other. Talk to you soon!
Ilsa Madden-Mills
Very Bad Things
Falk 2013
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Ilsa-Madden-Mills/164946810330135
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue0eLwXXpdc
Oh, that just made me feel all relaxed reading this and looking at the pictures!
ReplyDeleteSimply breathtaking photos. Something about these mountains soothes the soul. Thanks for sharing.
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