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
Tag Archives: nature
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.
Photo of the Week ~ 22
This week was very close. I have to admit I was torn too. The winner is Majestic Elk with 31 points but Thumbelina was right behind with 26 points. I’m glad it wasn’t a tie. The Elk photo represents a lot of work searching 3 states for the elusive animals but how many times do you see a 6 inch 4 lb goat. A miniature bundle of cuteness.
Cades Cove Wildlife
With high hopes, camera on the seat beside me I pulled off the pavement and onto the loop road.
There’s no chance of getting lost. The 11 mile loop road is all one way.
Right away I spotted animals. Just not wild animals. Horseback riding is very popular in the park. A thinner and uninjured me would have taken advantage of the chance to ride but I wasn’t going to make myself uncomfortable or squash a poor horse to do so.
Just beyond the open field with the horses the trees came down to the road on the right and a few straggled into the field on the left . That’s where the first deer were spotted. Cars ahead of me were pulled over and people were pointing. The deer paid no attention. They seemed to know they were safe.
The traffic didn’t start to move again until the deer made their way across the road in front of the first car and up the hill back into the woods.
Not even into the loop a mile and already there was action!
The road twisted and turned weaving in and out of forest and field. No one was in a hurry and everyone was watching for the next deer or bear. Those in front passed the word back to the cars following when something was spotted.
The turkeys were everywhere and almost as numerous as the deer. Who knew that wild turkeys were so colorful!
I spotted a hawk of some kind but he was moving too fast and was too far away for a good shot. The line of cars continued to snake slowly forward. Then I spotted a black spot off in the shadows. I wasn’t sure if it was a bear or just a rock. I pulled over and the other cars left me in their dust. With the road clear I pulled out my BIG camera lens. Oh how I wish I had my binoculars. But with the 500mm lens I could definitely make out a back bear. Some more cars came along and those people confirmed my sighting. That bear was just so far away… I hope I’ll see another.
Around another corner I spotted my first buck. Antlers are only just starting to grow and are still in velvet but they were definitely there. He never took his eyes off me as I clicked away.
As the car climbed a steep hill I could see a number of cars pulled into a parking area. People were looking out over the field and pointing. I pulled in just in time to see a photographer intent on getting the perfect picture set out across the field. I searched for what had his attention and there it was. Another bear.
The bear didn’t maul the photographer and I left before he returned because judging by the mood of the crowd, he was more at risk from them than the bear. His actions (which were a Big No No) drove the bear away so the rest of us who followed the rules, didn’t get a chance to watch it for long.
The rest of the drive was uneventful. At one point the cars ahead stopped and 3 bears, a mother and 2 cubs, were allegedly spotted in the woods but they were gone by the time I got there. At another point I sat in the car wondering what they were looking at only to turn my head and see a deer just steps away in the woods at the edge of the road.
Cades Cove certainly lived up to the hype about the wildlife. I’m loving this!
Looking for Cades Cove
Using the Sugarlands Visitor Center as my base I started out to locate Cades Cove. For some unknown reason I thought Cades Cove was right near the visitor center like an entrance to the valley. Was I ever in for a surprise. I hadn’t gone very far when I saw a sign…Cades Cove – 24 miles! It was an over the river and through the woods kind of trip. I began to wonder if I’d taken a wrong turn.
Now don’t misunderstand me. It’s a beautiful drive. The road is paved and shaded and meanders through forests and over brooks and streams.
You even pass through a tunnel. This was the first of many tunnels I would run across in my Tennessee travels. I love these tunnels.
Unlike the tunnels I drive through when I work in Somerville, which only enhance the term concrete jungle, these tunnels blend with the natural landscape. The trees, grass and moss cover the tops and sides of the tunnels. They make me think of little hobbit houses.
There were numerous pull offs and wide shoulders for parking. Almost every stream had a fisherman or two standing in waders.
About 13 miles into the drive near sign post #6 is a large pull off with a stone wall. As I approached I could see a lot of cars and people. There were quite a few photographers with tripods set up. I couldn’t see what they were looking at until I was almost by. Tucked way back in the woods was a waterfall. Since Cades Cove closes at sunset I decided to wait for the return trip to stop. Maybe it would be less crowded then.
By now I was beginning to understand why everyone at the resort told me not to go later than 3:30. It takes that long to get there!
Finally I saw the gates and a parking area with a covered education center. Rangers had a table set up with maps and flyers and story boards surrounded the enclosure. It was about 5:30 by now and although still 2 hours to sunset the shadows were beginning to lengthen.
The ranger was explaining to some other folks that it would get dark in the woods much sooner than in the open. He assured us that we’d see wildlife. He told us to keep our eyes open because we were sure to see deer and quite possibly a bear or two. He said the females were all out and about and most had 2 or 3 cubs.
So with high hopes I pointed my nice shiny rental toward the 2nd gate which would put me on the 11 mile, one way, loop road, which is all dirt. Somehow I doubt the car will be quite as shiny when this adventure is over.