Natural Bridge

Located in Winston County Alabama in the town of Natural Bridge, is a feature worthy of an hour or two of your time if you are ever in the neighborhood. While there are several natural bridges located in many different states, this is the longest natural rock bridge span east of the Rockies. The picture below is a view of the 127' long rock bridge as you approach from the short trail leading from the parking area.

Below picture is from under the rock span. As I stood looking how best to capture a presentable view of the bridge, a few rays of sunlight broke through the clouds and came streaming through the opening from above adding a little grandeur to the photo, and thus providing exactly what I was searching for. Isn't it nice when the picture comes to you! Ha Ha! Thank you Father!



Another shot of the two openings or I guess you could say two natural bridges.

                            

This last picture is of Indian Head Rock. It is located just before you get to the Natural Bridge. Look closely and you can see the hair line, eye brow, nose, lips and chin. The features do resemble an Indian head.

"Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does Nature, because in her inventions, nothing is lacking and nothing is superfluous."

    Leonardo da Vinci( 1542-1519): Italian Renaissance painter, sculpture, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer.

Solitude

     

"I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude."

            Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862): Naturalist, American Author, Poet

Sunset on the Mountains



"How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains!"
         John Muir(1838-1914): Scotish born American Naturalist, Author, Preservationists

White Christmas in Dixie!!!!!

A white Christmas in North Mississippi! Wow! How special a Christmas has this turned out to be?

Took a spin on the Natchez Trace just to take it all in and took this shot along the way.

Hope everyone has the best Christmas ever and may we all remember why we celebrate this day! 

"There is nothing in the world more beautiful than the forest clothed to its very hollows in snow. It is the still ecasty of nature, wherein every spray, every blade of grass, every spire of reed, every intricacy of twig, is clad with radiance."

        William Sharp (1856-1905): Scotish Poet and Biographer

Elk of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

What a thrill to see a huge bull Elk in the Cataloochee Valley at the north end of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The last native elk was killed in North Carolina in the late 1700's and in Tennessee elk bulged no more after the mid 1800's. Thanks to the efforts of a lot of people and organizations, the elk are here once again.

"Once again the bugle of the bull elk is heard across the mountains. With every heave of his great lungs, his breath glistening in the early morning light of a crisp fall day. And all is as it should be, as it once was."
            Randy J. Schultz

Contemplation!

Looking across the smokies from Newfound Gap. One of those places you just want to sit and take it all in for a while. 

It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know of wonder and humility.

Rachael Carson (1907-1964): American Nature Writer, Marine Biologist

Highlighted by the Sun

Fall colors highlighted with the soft light of an autumn afternoon.

Most of the time it doesn't work to take a picture into the sun light, but in this case the sun highlighted the colors of the trees and brought the ridges to life by giving them a gentle glow. 

"Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the Earth are never alone or weary of life."

        Rachael Carson (1907-1964): American Nature Writer, Marine Biologist

Black Bear

Black Bear at Grandfather Mountain

"When a pine needle falls in the forest, the eagle sees it, the deer hears it and the bear smells it."

Old Indian Proverb

Which Wolf Do You Feed?

What an amazing carving of an Indian overlooking Spring Creek near downtown
Tuscumbia, AL. Someone took the time to carve an Indian out of a dead tree standing on the bank near Spring Creek. It is amazing the talent and abilities God has given each of us. Do you know and use your talent?

How often do we look at things or someone and only see the outer shell? As in the case of the ole dead, weathered gray body of a tree with no limbs and leaves in the picture above, how many of us would have seen the beauty within as did the person who sculpted out the Indian. Do you look at life and only see the outer shell or do you see  into the heart?

"A Native American Grandfather talking to his young grandson tells the boy he has two wolves inside of him struggling with each other. The first is the wolf of peace, love and kindness. The other wolf is fear, greed and hatred. "Which wolf will win, grandfather?" ask the young boy. "Which ever one I feed," is the reply."
            Native American Proverb

Leipers Fork, Tennessee

Leipers Fork, Tennessee is a place I happened upon by accident on a trip to Nashville up the Natchez Trace. It is one of the oldest towns in Tennessee and has a rich history and a real quaint atmosphere, the kind of place you want to spend a little or maybe a lot of time. The day I came thru town they were having a Chili Cook off (this years cookoff is Oct 16, 2010) and the town was a buzz with people and music and food and stuff. It is a very neat and interesting place to say the least and I will have to visit some of the other events they have there on a regular basis. Check out the events page on the link if you want to do something different one weekend. I snapped this photo of  a full size bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin sitting on a bench in the front yard of a local house.

"Speak ill of no man, but speak all the good you know of everybody"
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790):  American Statesman, Scientist, Philosopher, Inventor, Writer

Mt. LeConte, A Walk In The Woods!

The summit of Mt. LeConte at 6593' is the 3rd tallest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This is a shot of the peak as seen from Cliff Top, a favorite place to hike to and watch the sun set from the top of Mt. LeConte. In the coming weeks I will post a series of pictures taken of a hike my brother and I completed up Mt. LeConte for an overnight stay at the lodge. If you have never been up LeConte, and have any interest in hiking, I strongly suggest you give LeConte a try. It is not easy, but not too difficult either. There are several trails leading up different sides of LeConte, each with their own good and bad points. This particular trip, we will go up the Appalachian Trail to the Boulevard trail to the LeConte Lodge and back down the Alum Cave Trail. Hope you enjoy the shots.

"Be master of your petty annoyances and conserve your energies for the big, worthwhile things. It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out-it's the grain of sand in your shoe."
Robert Service (1874-1958): Scottish Writer and Poet

A Simpler Time?

We often like to think of the older days as a better and simpler time. Try to remove yourself from your present everyday lifestyle and picture this meager cabin as your home and the surrounding fields as your grocery store. The only luxuries were what you made from the creativity of your mind. Made by using a few basic tools, your hands and the sweat of your brow! I venture to say while it is nice to think of a time without all the crazy things we all deal with today, it was no picnic back in the day either. Life may not have been as hectic as today but it was hard. Most things were done out of necessity instead of choice. This cabin and farmstead is located on the Cherokee Orchard Motor Nature Trail in Gatlinburg, TN. It begins in Gatlinburg and meanders around the western base of Mt. LeConte. After a while it is only a one way road and it is a great drive that forces you to slow down and take in the mountains from a much closer perspective.

"I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him."
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865):  American President

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

Coon Dog Cemetary

Just a few miles outside of Red Bay, Alabama in Franklin County in the northwest corner of the state lies a little know cemetary. It's not your run of the mill cemetary for the only patrons buried there are Coon Dogs.
It dates back to September 4th, 1937 when a coon dog named "Troop" was put to rest in the hallowed ground. Since that time many faithful partners of the hound dog variety have made this their last resting place on this earth. A fitting memorial of two hounds clawing to get up a tree that they have just run a coon up, stands to commerate all the coon dogs buried here. It is still active today as the last service held was for a dog named "Flop" buried on August 8th, 2009. Now at first thought, one might think this is just a little strange, but I would beg you to hold all notions of wierd, looney, insane or any other adjective that might come to mind until you think about it for a while. Better yet, visit there and spend a little quite time just pondering all the tales and stories and memories that go along with the lives of these animals we call man's best friend. I have to say it is a little emotional to walk through the cemetary and just imagine if they could all tell their story. I couldn't help feel a part of their lives as I strolled from grave to grave and saw the names and dates of these faithful ole hunting partners. This poem came to mind as I began to leave the cemetary.

The Ballad Of "Ole Number Seven "

I'm just an ole hound dog

I ain't good for much

Laying around all day

Eating and sleeping and such

Resting my ole bones

And healing up my paws

Waiting til the sun goes down

For to exercise my jaws

Cause when the sun does drop

Down behind the hills

And the moon slowly rises

And gives the air a chill

My ole nose goes to twitching

And sniffing out the air

My heart begins to quicken

Sending ripples through my hair

Ears that drooped all day

Now turn and face the breeze

Trying to catch the sound

Of coon talk in the trees

From across the way it comes

Old Red lets out a sound

A verse of hound dog music

"Boys the coons have hit the ground"

The time it is upon us

A hunting we must go

We'll gather at the river

Where the mountain waters flow

Who'll cross the trail

Where ole Cooney has left a scent

And be the first to tell'm all

I'm the best there's ever bent

But on this night I fear that I

Must stay here on this porch

Mine eye does hold a flicker

Where once they held a torch

And as the race heats up

They make their music loud

Old Red and Bear and Preacher

They lead this coon dog crowd

And Sam and Doc and Troop

What quite a six they make

To lay here just a listening

Is more than I can take

For when I was a younger dog

I was a cooning all the time

No better nose for trailing

Had any dog than mine

Ole Cooney would often lead us

Far and wide we'd go

Through valley and over mountain

Through rain and wind and snow

But before the night was over

We'd put ole Coon to tree

There was none any better than

The other six and me

But tonight would be the last time

I would hear them sweet and loud

To run but one more race with them

Would make me oh so proud

But I must race alone tonight

For I was "Ole Number Seven"

My final race will lead me

Straight up to Coon Dog Heaven

And as the flicker in my eye

Turned to embers in the dark

I knew they had treed ole Cooney

I could tell the way they barked

Don't worry none ole partner

Was the last thing they said

Ole Cooney done his best

But we've sent him on ahead

We didn't want you lonely

When you get to Coon Dog Heaven

So strike his trail and keep it hot

Our friend "Ole Number Seven"

          

         Randy J. Schultz   October 6th, 2009

The Blowing Rock

The "Blowing Rock" is a 4000 foot cliff overlooking the John's River Gorge 3000 feet below. It gets is name because of the strong winds that are funneled up the gorge by the rock walls. It is said that this is the only place in the world that snow falls upside down. This is caused by the snow falling into the valley and being picked up by the wind and blown back up the gorge. When it gets to the "Blowing Rock" it has the appearance of falling upward. There is also an Indian tale of how the rock got it's name but you will have to visit the area to read this interesting story. This unique and beautiful area is located in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Looking southwest from the rock you can see Hawkbill Mountain and Table Rock. Located to the west are Grandfather Mountain (highest peak in the Blue Ridge) and Mount Mitchell (the highest peak east of the Mississippi).

Listen to the Rock

A lowly rock are you

Upon this mountain lay

What purpose do you serve
But sit here every day

What story could you tell

If any would lend an ear

Of things that you've witnessed

From only sitting here

The sunrise every morning
Sparkling off the dew
Each drop a pearl from heaven
A gift to me and you

Rain like a bridal vail

Hanging from the cloud
Lightening bolt and thunder clap
Across the mountain loud

Changes in the seasons

Spring, summer and fall

Poetry set in motion

By the Greatest One of all

Frost upon the mountain top
Wind across it's face
Snow lain down on valley wide
White as Angel's Lace

Sunsets in the evening

God's gift to end the day

A reminder of "His" majesty

The blessings "He" sends our way

Plenty are the things you've seen

While only sitting here

Many are the stories

If any would lend an ear

            Randy J. Schultz October 3rd, 2009

                           

Mast General Store

Mast General Store is located in Valle Crucis, North Carolina. It is off the beaten path but well worth the drive to get there. It has a mix of the things you would find in an old timey country store along with plenty of modern things you won't find at Walmart. They have just about everthing to meet everyday needs living in a quaint mountain community. Even if you don't buy anything, it is worth the drive thru the mountains to get here, plus, you will see some beautiful scenery along the way.

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.