The winner with 30 points is the brightly colored flower titled Red and Yellow on Green.
To order prints click here: http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p161572686/h231b6419#h231b6419
Meet the Residents of Parrot Mountain
Do you want to know a secret?
I loved Parrot Mountain.
The birds are beautiful.
As usual when I find something I like I went overboard on pictures.
I’d never be a good editor.
Pick just one or two pictures??? Not a chance.
I could never decide so here’s a few more from that lush and colorful venue.
Flowers
More birds
They look so curious
More Flowers
Remember the bird from Barretta?
But just like the show, it’s time to sign off. If you like birds I can whole heartily recommend Parrot Mountain!
Parrot Mountain
It’s my last full day in Tennessee. Tomorrow afternoon I’ll be flying the friendly skies back to Providence RI. So what to do? Dollywood was still on my list and I was still dragging my feet. Admission is $60.00 for the day and I’m only luke-warm about it.
I’d heard about a place called Parrot Mountain but no one seemed to have much information. I couldn’t find any brochures but the web site looked interesting. Yes I think I’ll explore that. If I hate it or it’s a rip-off I’ll be right down the street from Dollywood.
Since I was headed to Parrot Mountain I decided to drive instead of taking the trolley. I’m glad I did. I spotted the big billboard sign on the side of a mountain so I headed for the sign. I passed Dollywood and the signs kept pointing ahead. Finally I started up a very steep driveway. At the top was a big sign telling me I had arrived at Parrot Mountain.
If first appearances count for anything I was already happy. The entrance was so pretty and quaint. Birds sat perched along the retaining wall.
The entrance was like a little cottage. A large stairway replicated Thomas Kincade’s Stairway to Paradise.
The entrance fee was only $16.95. The very first pace I entered was the Bird garden. There were perches everywhere and each had a bird or two. Each perch was labeled so you knew which birds were safe to feed or touch ad which should just be admired. There were seed dispensers located through out. I could spend all day right here.
Even the squirrels agree!
A bit more expensive is the opportunity to have a picture taken with the birds. Handlers bring over the most docile birds and pile them on for your photo op.
There’s also a meditation garden with caged birds and religious stations of the cross. Religious or not is peaceful and beautiful along that path.
I entered the lory aviary with a cup of nectar and before I could say come and get it I was loaded with those colorful little birds. They landed on my arms, my hands ,even my head. There wasn’t anyone to take a picture which was too bad. It was such fun.
No matter which path you followed there were birds, butterflies, flowers and colors.
A truly wonderful experience!
Cades Cove, Worth a Return trip?
After my disappointing experience on the train I wanted to cheer myself back up. The rain had finally passed and the sun had come out. The lovely clouds that form in the valleys had dissipated by the time I retrieved my car and started back to Gatlinburg so I made the return trip through Newfound Gap without lingering. As a result I was nearing the fork to Cades Cove while the sun was just dipping down toward the horizon. Do I take a drive through or not??? I decided that yes, I wanted one more visit.
It was later than my last trip so the shadows were longer in the fields and down right dark in the wooded areas. No bear this time but the deer were very active,
At first I thought this one was a fawn with spots but it was really just the way its winter coat was shedding.
This one is more like I’m used to seeing deer…in the woods, not the open meadows. I think it’s one of my favorite pictures.
This one was taken in the woods right next to the car! It was so dark the picture almost didn’t come out. As it is there’s not much color to be seen.
The males don’t seem as skittish as our local bucks. They are right out by the road.
Glad I stopped.
The View from the Train
Once I moved to the open air car I had a chance of getting a few pictures. Good thing because I get very grumpy when I can’t take pictures!
I got the train going around a curve
Another of the train going around the curve.
Lake Fontana
The Trestle Bridge
Train going around a curve.
Back of the train coming around the curve. See the little red caboose.
Lots of foliage.
