Thursday, October 22, 2009

Smoky Mountains


Yesterday, we headed to Smoky Mountain National Park, which is just about forty miles south of Knoxville. It was a very nice drive until we got to the touristy Pigeon Forge, filled with family vacation entertainment that made my stomach roll. (Seriously, it was like entering the Twilight Zone!) But, above is our caravan into the Smoky Mountains. How I love it when trees form a canopy over roads!


This was a lookout point where you could see Gatlinburg below and Mt. Le Conte above at 6600 feet. A great contrast!


The drive was, to say the least, stunning. You could spend days, weeks, trying to see it all!


There was some fall foliage but, unfortunately, the camera cannot adequately capture the vibrant, amazing colors.


There were streams and waterfalls, though we didn't get to any of those, and the temperature dropped by fifteen degrees as we ascended into the mountains. Everything was just gorgeous!

All in all, it was a great drive and the perfect prelude to my birthday.