A Fawn in Cades Cove

There is just not much that is more innocent than a

new born fawn. I caught this one on the side of the

road in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains.

They are very curious critters and are always alert

with eyes, ears and nose. When not alarmed, their

curiosity of things around them is really amazing 

to watch.

"Curiosity is lying in wait for every secret."

Ralph Waldo Emerson(1803-1882): American Essayist, Lecturer,  Poet

Abrams Falls!

Access to Abrams Falls is located at the back end of the Cades Cove Loop Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is on Abrams Creek and you get to it by hiking Abrams Falls Trail which begins at a gravel parking area just off the Cades Cove Loop Road. It is a moderate trail of about 2.5 miles one way and follows the creek to this most beautiful waterfall. It is a perfect place to take the family and have a picnic lunch around the pool that surrounds the lower side of the falls. It is about a 31/2 to 4 hour roundtrip hike and you will want to spend some time just admiring the falls. This shot was taken on Feb 19th, 2011 and the flow was good due to the heavy snow melting in the high country.

              We Must Go

"Streams are the arteries of the earth; 
and waterfalls are the adrenaline 
that turns a slow and placid flow
into that incredible and beautiful rush
that awakens every sense 
God gave to man.

For what man or beast can,
upon hearing the first hint
of rushing water as it roars
over ageless rocks,
resist its temptation.

We must go,
and smell its' freshness,
lay eyes upon its' beauty, 
put hand and feet to its' cool
and warm embrace.

We must go,
and give ear to listen
to its' music made,
to taste its' sweetness,
to admire its' grandeur,
to refresh our soul." 
        Randy J. Schultz  

A Smell of Fresh Air!

 

Nothing quite like the smell of cool, fresh air after a rain. A shot of two turkeys(lower right) in the field after a late summer rain in Cades Cove. Don't you just want to reach up and touch the clouds?

 "Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential and fight for your dreams."
      Ashley Smith (1978-    ): Author and speaker

Church in the Valley

This picture was taken from the Rich Mountain Loop Road that runs from Cades Cove to Townsend. The little white church was the Cades Cove Methodist Church. It was established around 1824 or about 3-4 years after the first settlers moved into Cades Cove. It was located on the same site throughout its history. Faith was a large part of the lives of the first settlers to the cove. Their faith helped them forge a new life in an often wild and unforgiving land. Looking down on the church with the mountains in the background, one can almost hear the sunday morning hymms resonating across the valley.

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them"

Mathew 18:20 King James Version, Holy Bible

Sugar Maple

             Trees
I think that I shall never see
A poem as lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.
Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918) American Journalist, Poet

A sugar maple has to be one of the most beautiful trees in the fall. It often turns multiple colors with parts of the tree showing various shades of green, gold, orange and red all at the same time. This shot was taken at the farmstead in the back of the Cades Cove Loop Road, one of my favorite places in the Smoky Mountain National Park.