November

RAIN!

Rain, rain

Go away.

Come again

Another day.

 

Round The Corner…

“Still round the corner there may wait,  A new road or a secret gate.”
J. R. R. Tolkien

Laurel Falls

Laurel Falls (information used from Great Smoky Mountains National Park resources)
“Laurel Falls is one of the most popular destinations in the park and parking at the trailhead is limited. The area is especially busy on weekends year-round and on weekdays during summer. Laurel Branch and the 80-foot high Laurel Falls are named for mountain laurel, an evergreen shrub which blooms along the trail and near the falls in May.

The trail is 2.6 miles roundtrip and considered moderate in difficulty. The trail is paved and is suitable for strollers.

Access trail: Laurel Falls Trail
Trailhead: From Sugarlands Visitor Center, turn toward Cades Cove on Little River Road and drive 3.5 miles to the trailhead where there are parking areas on both sides of the road.”

.

The literature said “2.6 miles roundtrip and the trail is paved.”

Sounded good to us!  We could do it!

We didn’t realize, however, the “paved trail” was a STEEP UP HILL climb.  OH. MY. GOODNESS.

Along the way, we stopped VERY BRIEFLY to photograph the bear that was enjoying lunch at a near by tree.

Sorry about the quality on the bear photo.  I simply didn’t hang around long enough to properly composed or expose the shot.    (Taken with a 105 mm lens; cropped only enough to get rid of lens vignetting.)

This particular outing was one of those that we’re glad we did it, but probably won’t do again.  I’ll bet you know the feeling.

 

Fog

“The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on.” ~Carl Sandburg

Climb; Seek The Mountain View

“When we tire of well-worn ways, we seek for new. This restless craving in the souls of men spurs them to climb, and to seek the mountain view.” ~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Autumn Mosaic

 

“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.” ~Stanley Horowitz

Fluttering Leaf

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, Fluttering from the autumn tree.”  ~Emily Bronte

“Ahhhhh”

“There are moments when all anxiety and stated toil are becalmed in the infinite leisure and repose of nature.”  ~ Henry David Thoreau

Roots

“Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots.”
~Victor Hugo