Beauty and the beast: Great Smoky Mountain National Park
October 14, 2011 5 Comments
Tennessee is an odd state. Until 1994, this place was reliably Democratic and relatively tolerant. It produced Al Gore for Christ’s sake. Now, we elect people who vote to permit guns in bars. When Stephen Colbert mocks you, you know you’ve got to apologize for your elected representatives. Despite our somewhat questionable politics and our lamentable history of sending legions of people to die in Texas, Tennessee is graced by one of the most spectacular landscapes anywhere.
The sheer prettiness of Roaring Fork in the Smokies in the fall. Suck it Texas - Tennessee is way more attractive.
The combination of water, fog and forest in the fall produces spectacular hiking scenery. Wet leaves on rock are slick and I have planked unintentionally on more than one occasion..
Seriously, it's ridiculously gorgeous.
When socked in by fog, the forests are very quiet and still and you can pretend that Gatlinburg was destroyed in an epic catastrophe** even though you are two miles from it.
Alliteration: fog in the forest in fall.
No trip to the Smokies would be complete without a bear sighting. I love bears. Black bears rock and if you are respectful of them, they will put on a nice show for you.
Acorn snack time for the black bears
** No such luck.
* Note * – I took none of the pics. Troy was the photographer that gets the credit here.
Bloggertobenamedlater 
That looks so beautiful, and not unlike the forests here in the Willamette Valley. Wish I was there instead of inside my sad, gray cubicle. Blecch!
I’m trying to get to Oregon to hike Crater Lake and Mt. Hood, and of course, to visit Portland. If it’s any consolation, I spent the day in high heels and a wool suit arguing to a judge. Grey cubicle v. heels/judge – probably equal on the scale of things that suck.
What beautiful landscapes! I’ve never been to Tennessee, and it looks like I’ve been missing out.
Only if you like scenery. if you’re looking for high culture, you should probably try Chicago. I can say this because I live here.
You know, I get to see some of these views out my kitchen window, when I’m well enough to stand up at it. I also see them driving Jamie to school. You should drive into Carthage on a foggy morning and cross the Cumberland River. Or drive back home through the hollows instead of the interstate. There is a reason I think you should live out here. The 38 acres around the corner from me (which is attached to a beautiful creek called Round Lick Creek) is still available with beautiful view. And Nashville is 50 wonderful miles away. You can make it in 40 minutes. We do it every day.