Well this weeks walk was actually several walks separated by car rides and covering a couple of days. My work took me to Gatlinburg, TN in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. I had been here several times in my life and looked forward to getting back there and taking a few photos. As luck would have it, rain was in the forecast and rain it did.
I've been thinking about this taking photo for a while. I have a picture of my girls from the same location with Gatlinburg in the background. However, I wanted to photograph it at night. I was in a hurry and didn't get to experiment much or try different locations on the overlook. Oh well, that leaves opportunities for the future.
Most of my pictures from the Smoky's are less than spectacular. I'm not sure why that is since I love the mountains so much. Maybe it's just the fact they've been photographed so much. I can't remember being in them with the mountains covered in snow and it melting. There is something so alluring to seeing the Smoky's with snow. The snow melt also meant the streams had plenty of water in them. The streams and rivers are my favorite thing about the mountains. I could wander and linger around and 'in' them for hours at a time.
The picture of water seen here are the stream you would cross if you were to hike from the Chimney Tops Trail Head. We walked a little ways down the trail crossing two bridges over the stream. The streams are quiet as picturesque as they seem to be in the spring or summer, but water was plentiful which proved to allow for some nice smooth pics of water movement.
On the way up the mountain huge icicle's were everywhere. This particular one was interesting in that it jutted out away from the mountain. I'm not sure if it was melting from the inside out or maybe slid down the hill and reattached itself to the mountain here. This isn't the most technically correct or aesthetically pleasing picture, and is only included for it's interests.
Just before reaching the top is Morton's Overlook. It's a beautiful overlook and a popular site for folks to have their picture taken with the beautiful mountains in the background. It was tough getting a decent shot here as while we were stopped it was drizzling rain and it was very windy. I managed to get off a couple of shots and the one shown here was the best.
The top is Newfound Gap. If I remember correctly, the elevation is 5048 ft. Threatening rain and extreme wind (calling for 30 - 40 mph, with gusts up to 70 mph) were present. These shots were two of the best. The second one shows the road continuing on to Cherokee, NC, our ultimate destination.
There were beautiful views of the mountains as we made our way down towards Cherokee. An unexpected find was Mingus Mill. The mill was built in 1886 and is powered by a small steel turbine instead of a wooden wheel normally seen powering mills of this era. Mingus Creek is the source of the water and was flowing toward the mill even though the mill wasn't currently in operation. It is normally in operation for about 5 months a year as a historical exhibit.
Our next stop was Mingo Falls. I had tried to go here several years ago, but had some unwilling participants and never made it. No doubt due to the snow melt and rain, the water flow was much greater on this visit than it would have been in the late spring when the last visit was attempted. I owe getting to this to Ginger as it was she who wanted to go this time. And I'm so glad she did.
Mingo Falls is one of the largest in the Smoky's and is approximately 180 feet from top to bottom. A small viewing platform has been built at the bottom of the falls. It was from here the picture shown was taken. I still believe it would have been a more beautiful setting in the spring, summer, or fall.
The remaining pictures were taken in Gatlinburg after the rain had ceased. These would most likely qualify as a more typical photo walk. The first one of the bench isn't particularly sharply focused, but I just loved the composition. The one of the puddles in the ally way is oddly alluring and is Kamlin's favorite out of the group. I have to admit that it is one of mine as well. The final shot is a lighted sign reflecting in a puddle. I'm very pleased with the clarity of the reflection.
Anyway, that's a very long blog about the most recent photo walk. As always I try to learn something about photography and my camera while shooting.
Remember, clicking on any image reveals the full sized version. And thanks for looking!
Later,
MG
Next came the neighbors cows. Now I've tried unsuccessfully to photograph them before. Frankly, I normally find it a rather boring subject. I'm not saying the photos here are exciting, but the results are better than I've achieved before and I'm fairly pleased with them. It basically started with pretty much the same disappointing results. But while I was scouting my next photo location, they walked right up to the fence. Right up until my dog Ellie rushed at them and scared them back. But, I calmed her down and the cows returned. Ellie even made a friend, I think. Either that or she was scouting a future meal. She does love steak!
