Cades Cove Is #1 on my list

Posted on March 13, 2014March 13, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains , part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain.

There are loads of hiking trails from short and easy to long and difficult but they also have loop roads that allow automotive sight seeing. One of the most popular and certainly on my list is Cades Cove, a broad, verdant valley surrounded by mountains and is one of the most popular destinations in the Great Smokies. It offers some of the best opportunities for wildlife viewing in the park. Large numbers of white-tailed deer are frequently seen, and sightings of black bear, coyote, ground hog, turkey, raccoon, skunk, and other animals are also possible.

For hundreds of years Cherokee Indians hunted in Cades Cove but archeologists have found no evidence of major settlements. The first Europeans settled in the cove sometime between 1818 and 1821. By 1830 the population of the area had already swelled to 271. Cades Cove offers the widest variety of historic buildings of any area in the national park. Scattered along the loop road are three churches, a working grist mill, barns, log houses, and many other faithfully restored eighteenth and nineteenth century structures.

An 11-mile, one-way loop road circles the cove, offering motorists the opportunity to sightsee at a leisurely pace. Allow at least two to four hours to tour Cades Cove, longer if you walk some of the area’s trails.

A visitor center (open daily), restrooms, and the Cable Mill historic area are located half-way around the loop road.

Numerous trails originate in the cove, including the five-mile roundtrip trail to Abrams Falls and the short Cades Cove Nature Trail. Longer hikes to Thunderhead Mountain and Rocky Top (made famous by the popular song) also begin in the cove.

I think it’s obvious why this is number one on my list when it comes to the sights to see in the Great Smokey Mountains! ( warning earworm alert)

Rocky Top you’ll always be

Home sweet home to me

Good Ole Rocky Top

Rocky Top Tennessee

(Excerpted from Trip Advisor)

Photo of the Week ~ 10

Posted on March 12, 2014March 12, 2014 by Dusty Roads

The week 10 tallies are in. The Photo of the Week with the most hits, likes, shares and/or comments is Do You Like It in a Box? with a total of 30 points.

To Order Prints click here: http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p161572686/h1c618bf0#h1c618bf0

Visit Dustyroadsphotos.com daily to record your vote!

Gatlinburg Planning

Posted on March 11, 2014March 11, 2014 by Dusty Roads

That was a short break from planning but I must say a lot of it’s done now. I don’t play golf anymore which is too bad because I’ll be staying at Bent Creek Golf Village.

Winding through the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, discover the Gary Player par 72 golf course at Bent Creek Golf Village. This three-time Masters and British Open winner designed what one magazine rated as one of the “Top Fifty Golf Courses in the South.” Discover the breathtaking blue mist of the surrounding mountains while relaxing in your own well-appointed accommodations. At Bent Creek Golf Village you can enjoy the splendor of every season and the adventure that awaits you in nearby Gatlinburg.

I have a 1 bedroom DELUXE. Didn’t realize that I booked a DELUXE accommodation. I just took the one that met my schedule. I’ll have a washer and dryer in the suite so I can pack light and wash often. 🙂 Queen bed, queen sleeper sofa, full kitchen, living/dining area, whirlpool jet tub, fireplace, washer/dryer, two TVs, DVD/VCP, iPod clock radio, hairdryer and screened-in porch.

According to the events calendar I’ll be visiting during the Smokey Mountain Spring Fest; A countywide celebration of the season featuring special events, local craft shows, and much more.

Just in case I get bored on Fridays and Saturdays in May, visitors can meet characters, hear mountain music and learn about life long ago in the Smokies on the streets of Gatlinburg. Storytellers, musicians and cloggers perform along the strip of downtown Gatlinburg.

But the main reason for the visit is the Natural beauty.

Majestic waterfalls and hemlock-covered forests glisten beneath the breathtaking sunrises and legendary blue mist of the Great Smoky Mountains.

I plan to take lots of pictures.

Ready to Roll

Posted on March 10, 2014March 10, 2014 by Dusty Roads

For almost 6 years the pet carriage has been the sole property of Rocky. After Smokey tried it out once or twice he never went back but for Rocky it’s a daily visit. Rocky hates going outside for a walk but he likes to ride around the house or out on the deck.

Because I have 2 escape artists cats I react to quiet like the mother of a 2 year old. I get nervous. What are they into to be so quiet? It can’t be good! So periodically I find myself doing Kitty Head Counts to make sure I haven’t lost one.

Imagine my surprise when Buddy turned up in the pet carriage! Looks like Rocky is going to have some competition for carriage time. I wonder if Buddy would be more willing to go for rides outside? The weather is starting to hint at spring. Maybe I’ll give it a try.

Spring is such a tease

Posted on March 9, 2014March 9, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Or maybe I should say Old Man Winter is a tease. Tuesday was a beautiful day. We had blue skies and no wind. I went out dressed in layers expecting to be cold but it wasn’t too bad. According to the weather folks we never broke freezing but the lack of wind and the bright sun made it seem almost like a “day at the beach”.

I made sure to grab my camera as I headed out. I had a long list of errands and then had to go to our Foxboro Office for my annual review. Yes, it was my day off but the alternative was a drive to Somerville on Friday. After that I had to head to Stoughton (20+ miles away) to meet with my Tax Guy and get my taxes filed. Even so I was optimistic that I could squeeze in some quality time with the camera. My goal, some quality shots for the 365 challenge. So far the challenge has been to get any shots, forget about quality!

I hopped in the car and put it in reverse to back out of my parking space and it felt, well, weird. It felt like the emergency brake was on but it wasn’t. I finished backing out and tentatively tried going forward…same thing. Now I thought I knew the problem..must be a flat tire.

I pulled into the next slot over and got out to look. Sure enough, flat as a pancake! I grabbed my cell and called AAA then I called my auto repair shop and made arrangements to bring the tire in. Finally I texted my boss to let him know what happened. It was only 10:30 and my review wasn’t until 1 pm but who knows how long I’d have to wait for AAA and then at the shop for the tire repair. I felt like the Geico commercial.

Sometimes things just fall into place. AAA arrived pretty quickly and changed the tire for me. We couldn’t see any reason for the flat. Valve stem looked fine, no nails or visible punctures, guess it will be up to the repair shop to get to the bottom of it.

The shop I use is about 5 miles down the road from me so even with traffic I was there before noon. Since I’m a regular they know me and took my tire right in. The tires are fairly new so I expected a repair. But noooooo. Randy, the manager, called me in and showed me where the side wall was starting to leak. He said it looked like I may have scraped it on a pot hole or curb. Well I knew I hadn’t hit a curb but there are certainly enough pot holes this year. I hadn’t hit any straight on but maybe in trying to avoid one I might have clipped it just right on the side. There was no saving the tire. 🙁

I told him to put on a new one and get me on the road. He did it right away. Turned out I was only 10 minutes late for my review but after the review it was still back to Stoughton and then all the errands I didn’t get to do in the morning. Needless to say there was no quality photography time.