you gotta add this
to your bucket list!
Around the next bend is another "Panic Vistorama!"
It's just some more of that "regular ol' grandeur!"
"Pose the camera, Theresa. Over the next rise will be a spectacular scenic shot!"
It's just some more of that "regular ol' grandeur!"
"Pose the camera, Theresa. Over the next rise will be a spectacular scenic shot!"
[Ken 10/29/2016] As a child, these home-grown platitudes are some that my dad would boast on family vacations as he would motor the family station wagon across the blue highways of America's most scenic wonderment. On this day, however, it was ME offering colorful praises. Deb and I did a day-trip on a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway in northwestern North Carolina and with every turn in the road there blared a great fanfare of Awesome Fall scenery. The gorgeous palette of reds and oranges seemed endless; "...regular ol' grandeur...," is just is not descriptive enough, dad!
The Blue Ridge Parkway actually connects Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. It is the longest unit of the US National Park System. Read what you want about touring this all-American road, I'm telling you that the prettiest time to visit is during the Fall. Even though we were a little past the peak season for tree-watching, there are not enough adjectives to describe the Creation of bright and multi-colored leaf shapes set against the rows of ridge-lined contours which horizon the beautiful Appalachian Mountains.
The Blue Ridge Parkway actually connects Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. It is the longest unit of the US National Park System. Read what you want about touring this all-American road, I'm telling you that the prettiest time to visit is during the Fall. Even though we were a little past the peak season for tree-watching, there are not enough adjectives to describe the Creation of bright and multi-colored leaf shapes set against the rows of ridge-lined contours which horizon the beautiful Appalachian Mountains.
CLICK ON INDIVIDUAL IMAGES TO ENLARGE
Though the whole Parkway extends 469 miles, we drove only from mile-post 339 to mile-post 397. We stopped at just about every overlook and hiked most [all?] of the trails along this most popular section of the roadway. Even the hand-crafted stone bridges and symmetrical tunnel faces were impressive. We spent the whole day, but after an hour or two we just stopped taking pictures -- there is not enough film to capture the entirety of this dramatic scenery, we agreed. To see it for yourself, you gotta put this road-trip on YOUR Bucket List!
another
woodbooger
sighting
[Ken 10/15/2016] Call him what you want, (big foot, skunk ape, yeti, etc.) but, last night, a sasquatch was spotted in the hills above Norton, Virginia, just south of where we are camped. A search party of townspeople armed with beer bottles and lawn chairs has been assembled. I have not heard how the search is going, but grieving, moanful cries from the hills, that at times almost sound rhythmically musical, are reported to be growing louder and more frequent.
It's dark now. Do you know where your children are?
It's dark now. Do you know where your children are?
daniel |  |
[Ken 10/14/2016] As our young country was expanding westward to flee the threat of anticipated invasion by King George, travel from the populated east into the vast, new frontier of the west was blocked by a series of ridges and valleys known as the Appalachian Mountains. On the other side, the lands of Kaintuck were alleged to be lands “…like milk and honey…” with enough bluegrass grazing pasture and lush farming land for everyone who wanted. The Cumberland Gap was one of only four natural passes through the Appalachians, but the way was much too rough for cattle and for oxen-pulled wagons. And then there was the threat of Indian attack.
In 1775, a trailblazer named Daniel Boone, along with a hearty team of woodsmen and a small herd of buffalo, cleared a trail through the Cumberland Gap area. Making peace with the Indians as they went, the men would cut a footpath, and then they would run the buffalo up-and-down to widen it. A muddy and mountainous passage, it eventually extended about 200 miles and stretched from North Carolina through Virginia, south into Tennessee, and then back north into the Kaintuck region (later, “Kentucke” and even later, named “Kentucky”). The aggressive route became known as the Wilderness Road
| | Near the turn of the century, the Wilderness Road had become the primary route from the east into the fertile regions of Kentucky. The Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is established to acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments of Daniel Boone and his men, as well as the thousands and thousands of settlers who pulled and pushed wagons, rode horseback, and drove cattle through the Cumberland Gap on this section of the Wilderness Road. |
We were privileged on this Autumn day to find Cumberland Gap and the Wilderness Road virtually empty of cattle and wagons. We stood in the saddle of the very Gap that Daniel Boone cleared for westward expansion, and then hiked to the top of the mountain on either side. On the north is rocky Cumberland Mountain. The southern mount is named Tri-State Peak and its summit is marked, interestingly, as the geographic meeting of the states of Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky. During the Civil War, both Union and Confederate forts were erected on the ridges surrounding the Gap, as the Wilderness Road served as a major personnel artery and supply route between the north and the south.
[Deb 10/10/2016] Each day, as Fall progresses and the nights get colder, crimson and amber overtake the unsuspecting foliage. The appointed colors of autumn are beginning to adorn the towering trees. We had become accustomed to Colorado's yellow aspens which are beautiful in their own way, but this season in Virginia is a delightful surprise. As the leaves linger on the branches we witness the rose-colored ones turn to cherry and the amber ones turn to gold.
Every morning as we adventure out, we look with expectation and are rewarded with God’s palate of carefully selected bursts of warm hues. Salmon and apricot kissed leaves mixed with the pines whisper to beckon us on treks to view the spectacular scene. Photographs can’t capture the chill in the air, the sounds of acorns falling, and the crunch of sticks and acorn caps under our feet. We are so lucky this year to have the entire experience of Fall. Even the green apples with caramel dip taste better.
One of our best sightings of color was while kayaking on Bark Camp Lake, not too far from Camp Bethel, as the trees were just beginning their color transformation. A light rainy mist developed and the trees began to glisten. The view from the wide-open space in the water afforded us a peek at the trees that we couldn’t see as we had hike around the lake earlier in the day. The contrast of the blue and yellow kayaks made for great photographs. We were the only ones on the lake that day and, as a matter of fact, the only ones in the park except for a ranger who was doing some maintenance. What a fun gift from God to show us the peaceful, colorful, rustling trees!
We have not been disappointed as some predicted. The lack of rain over the summer threatened to harm the unfolding colors surrounding our Virginia home base this month. However, one cold snap did the trick and we have been enthralled by the beauty of Fall. “Fall” really is our favorite color this year.
the Knoxville and holston river railroad |  |
THE "THREE RIVERS RAMBLER"
| | [Ken 10/02/2016] Sometimes things just work out! It was certainly a "God Thing" that provided for our daughter, Mallory, and her husband, Devin, AND Ellie(!) to be in Knoxville, TN, at the same time that Deb and I were just across the state line in Wise, VA, on a SOWER project. We were all VERY EXCITED to take advantage of the special opportunity to see each other, and more so for Deb and I because we got a chance to see (and hold) our only grandchild (now 10 months old). |
In our spontaneous adventures through the area, one of our activities became to share a ride with Ellie on her very first steam train. Woot! Woot! It is hard to say if she was more excited about the moment than we were, or not, but the loping 90-minute ride through south Knoxville and into the rolling countryside dotted with Tennessee farmsteads was certainly enjoyed by the adults!
The train chugged cautiously following (and then crossing) the Tennessee River twice. The whistle cut through the tranquil setting at every crossing. But the leisurely train ride allowed for a great visit with Ellie and her mom and dad. Our time together was too brief, of course, but we are already planning our next get-together in Denver! In my mind, it would be hard to beat a cool October afternoon spent with family while rambling on a steam train through such beautiful Fall countryside as eastern Tennessee.
Let's do it again someday!
Let's do it again someday!
