Smokies Fall 2018 Trip Part 5

Smokies Fall 2018 Trip Part 5 is our last full day in the Smokies.  You can read the previous posts Smokies Fall 2018 Trip Part 1, Smokies Fall 2018 Trip Part 2, Smokies Fall 2018 Trip Part 3 and Smokies Fall 2018 Trip Part 4.  We started the day shooting the sunrise on the Foothills Parkway.   It was another brisk morning but it was a gorgeous sunrise.  The clouds in the valley made for some great shots. 

We then headed to the new part of the Foothills Parkway that was opened just a few weeks before our trip.  Great view of Wears Valley.

Our next stop was breakfast at Hillbilly’s Restaurant in Wear Valley.  There is an antique truck in the middle of the restaurant.   We also stopped at Great Smoky Mountain Outfitters where I picked up a couple more t shirts.  

Middle Prong Trail

Our last excursion in the park is hiking the Middle Prong trail which at the end has Indian Creek Falls.  Since the hike to the falls is 8 miles round trip, we decided not to do the entire thing but there are two great waterfalls along the way: Lower and Middle Lynn Camp Prong.  Lower Lynn Camp Prong is a big waterfall but it was directly in sunlight which are not good for photos.  

The smaller cascade Middle Lynn Camp Prong was a whole other story. Luckily it was in the shade.  I went first taking photos and then it was Tim’s turn, I went exploring.  At least after taking a few photos and videos with the GoPro. After climbing over rocks, branches and going through some branches, I found the spot right next to lower part of the falls that had a great view of the upper part of the falls.  I took MANY photos. Once Tim finished, he came looking for me and saw what I saw so he took a few photos as well.

After we were finished we headed back to the car.  Our original plan was to have leftovers for dinner but I was craving BBQ since we were denied it on Wednesday night so we stopped at Smokin Joe’s BBQ joint in Townsend.  

This ends Smokes Fall 2018 Series.  Hope you enjoyed reading it.  

 Smokies Fall 2018 Trip Part 4

Smokies Fall 2018 Trip Part 4 was Thanksgiving day so it was not very eventful.  I had picked up a turkey in Myrtle Beach and brought it with me.  Surprisingly it did not totally thaw even after being in a car for 10 hours on Monday.  

After having breakfast at the cabin, we headed to Cades Cove to do some early morning shooting. It was a brisk morning with frost on the ground. Unfortunately we did not see any bears but did see plenty of deer and ironically turkeys.  Since it was Thanksgiving Day, it was to be our only excursion into the park. 

After going through the loop, we headed back to the cabin for make dinner.  Since Tim had never made a turkey before, it was up to me. While the turkey was cooking, Tim watched the Bears game while I played on my computer. I probably edited some photos and surfed the web.  Nothing real exciting.  The Bears beat the Lions. Unfortunately the Patriots were not playing.  My brother Rick briefly talked to Tim who he had met when we had lunch with him during my trip to Chicago.  

Dinner was finally ready and it turned out great of course.  I have had a lot of practice cooking turkey the last few years since I have been by myself and Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  It is the only major holiday in the United States that everyone celebrates.  And its a holiday that stuffing your self with food is encouraged.  What is not to like.  

We decided to watch the movie Lincoln with Daniel Day Lewis.  It is a great film.  It should have won the Academy Award for Best Picture.  Lewis did win Best Actor for his amazing portrayal. Not a bad way to end the day.  Another great day in the Smokies.  

 Smokies Fall 2018 Trip Part 2

Smokies Fall 2018 Trip Part 2 did not start out well at all.  I slipped on the stairs and had beautiful dark purple bruises on my forearm and on my butt.  What made it even worse is that it was my birthday.  My klutziness strikes again.

This would not be a typical day in the Smokies for me as I did not take one photo with my camera. That is practically unheard of when I am in the Smokies. 

Tim took me to breakfast at Apple Barn Cider Mill.  After breakfast we wandered around the store where I spent entirely too much money but purchased some cute bear paraphenalia and some drink mixes. The next stop was the winery where Tim purchased a few bottles of wine.

Our next destination was the Old Mill Restaurant where Tim wanted to get some photos of the Mill.  It was pretty cool cloud cover.  I decided against taking photos of the mill since I had taken some last year. The photo of the mill was taken in October of last year.  After seeing his photo, I wish I had taken some.   I wandered across the street to the winery to see if they had any Pinot Grigio I could pick up for my boss but like the Apple Barn winery, they didn’t stock it.  Tim soon joined me and picked up a few more bottles of wine along with some hard cider and the cutest corkscrew holder. It was a bear.  

We also stopped in at Old Mill Forge where Robby Bowman was showing people how to forge.  He was a fan favorite on History Channel’s Forged in Fire. We also stopped in Old Mill Pottery House.

We then headed to Apple Valley Mountain Store. Before going into the store, we hit the Cades Cove Cellars Winery.  The third winery of the day and quite ironic since I don’t drink. I bought a bottle of wine called Abrams Falls for my boss. Named after the Cades Cove Waterfall. Abram Falls photo was taken during my first trip. Tim bought a few more bottles of wine.

Tim took me to Melting Pot for my birthday.  It was his first time having fondue.  We then spent sometime walking around downtown and had wooden signs made to commemorate the hike from hell: Ramsey Cascades. All in all it was an another great day in the Smokies.

Thus ends Smokies Fall 2018 Trip Part 2

Smokies Spring 2018 Trip Part 6

Smokies Spring 2018 Trip Part 6 was unfortunately our last full day in the Smokies.  We made breakfast at the cabin using up as much of the groceries as we could. The original plan was Newfound Gap road and hiking to the top of Clingman’s Dome.  As we were still sore from the Ramsey’s Cascades hike, we decided to forgo the short but strenuous hike to the top.

Before heading to Newfound Gap, we stopped by Publix and picked up sandwiches and chips for lunch.  Our first stop was Clingman’s Dome. I totally forgot that Clingman’s Dome was between 10-20 degrees cooler than the lower elevations.  I was a little chilly in my tee shirt and capris.  We got some great shots from the parking lot.  Not surprising, we also went into the store.  

We stopped at an overlook and eat our lunches. I had to make a quick pit stop first. I couldn’t believe when I joined them, the guys had already started eating their lunchs. Thanks for waiting for me. Our next stop was Mingus Mil which is the image on the leftl. We finished at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center where we picked up more souvenirs.  I did ask the Park Rangers if there was a "I survived Ramsey’s Cascades" pin but unfortunately there isn’t one. They totally need to create one.  They have one for Clingman’s Dome.

After stopping by the UPS Store to ship the tripod and tripod head that I had rented back to Borrowlenses.com, we headed to Tremont to do some more shooting.  I used my tripod.  Why you may ask did I rent a tripod if I had one.  The answer is simple, mine is not in great shape and I have the hard time keeping the legs locked which is quite problematic when trying to shoot long exposure photography.  I will be buying a new tripod within the next year.

Because of the Dolly Parton Homecoming parade scheduled in Pigeon Forge, we decided to head into Gatlinburg for dinner.  The odd thing is Dolly Parton wasn’t coming home but they still had the parade.  Cal Ripken Junior was the grand marshall. We had dinner at Bone’s BBQ joint in Gatlinburg and because the parking was validated for two hours, we decided to walk around downtown.  At least that was the plan until the guys saw Old Smoky Moonshine.  While they went to try some different moonshines, I wandered around looking at the different shops.  I fell in love with a little bear photo frame which TIm was nice enough to buy for me.  The guys bought some moonshine and then we headed back to the cabin.  

And this ends my latest adventure.

Smokies Spring 2018 Trip Part 5

Smokies Spring 2018 Trip Part 5 is the day after the Ramsey’s Cascades hike.  Given that we were all quite sore for the previous day, we decided to let our bodies decide when we would wake up.

I had only managed to get 2 hours of sleep.  Around midnight I was almost asleep when I heard a crash downstairs. Apparently the guys are heavy sleepers and didn’t hear a thing.  Not sure if a bear had broken in or what was going on, I stayed in my room but had trouble getting back to sleep.  I pretty sure the crash had been the porch screen door had not been closed all the way and the wind was crashing it against the frame.  I finally fell asleep around 5am.  Even with two hours of sleep, I still work up at 7am.  I thought for sure I would crash later. 

Apple Barn Cider Mill and Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant

Last time I was here I had wanted to go to the Apple Barn Cider Mill & General Store but I didn’t get a chance.  Along with the store, there is the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant which is where we decided to have breakfast. They bring out complimentary Apple Cinnamon Muffins and Apple Fritters along with their apple butter. They are so good. They also bring you a small glass of their Applewood Julep which is a combination of apple, orange, pineapple and lemon juices.  It quite good.  Tim ordered a large glass.  I ordered the hearty farmhouse breakfast with cinnamon roll pancakes. 

After breakfast we headed to the store where I picked up apple butter and the fritter mix.   Our next stop were the Cades Cove stores.  Both the one near the campground and the one near the Cable Mill. Not surprising, I picked up a few more souvenirs. The keychain that is in the photo on the left is one of the things I picked up.  It is 3 parts and has Cades Cove written on the butt.  I also picked up a tee shirt, lapel pin and another sticker for my laptop.  The original plan was to have lunch at the Cades Cove store but after the big breakfast, none of us were hungry.

We played another round of miniature golf.  Yet another round that I played badly.

For the last stop of the day, we head back to Greenbrier Road to do some roadside river shooting. Ramsey’s Cascades is off of Greenbrier. All of us were still sore from the previous day but I still managed to hike down to the water’s edge to take some photos.  

Ramseys Cascades

We FINALLY made it to Ramseys Cascades.  This blog post will take care of the rest of Wednesday.   I placed my camera bag on a large boulder (threw it up there was probably a better description) and then climbed up myself.  I just sat there for ten minutes to get my breathing back down to normal and to take in the falls. There was a nice breeze coming off the falls which helped cool us down. If I remember correctly the temperature was around 82 degrees.  Tim, after taking off his pack, laid down on his stomach and practically kissed the rock.  Ramsey’s Cascades is beautiful and worth the hike.  Unfortunately you cannot tell from photographs just how tall this waterfall is and it went almost straight up.   Most literature says the waterfall is 90-100 feet but in actuality it is about 65.  Regardless, it is quite impressive.  

I set up my camera on the tripod right in front of me and started taking photos. At one point, I set up my platypod with my iphone and took some videos: regular, slow mo and time lapse.  I did end up changing positions with my camera to get different angles.  I also took some close ups on different areas on the falls. I wanted to make sure I used all three lenses I brought with me. 

Luckily we had cell phone service so I took a photo of the falls with my phone and texted to my friend Mary.

The Hike Down

Unfortunately soon it was time head down.  The good news was that it was almost all downhill but we still had over 4 miles to hike carrying our backpacks with very tired and sore legs.  I can’t tell you how many branches and rocks I kicked on the way day.  At one point Tim and I made a suicide pact. I finished the one bottle of water I brought while we were at the falls so I was parched on the way down.   I have never been as relieved as I was when we reached the car.  I immediately changed from my hiking boots to my sneakers and drank half a bottle of water. 

Since none of us were up to cooking we ended up going to Big Daddy’s Pizzeria in Sevierville.  Tim and I had gone there on our trip last year and enjoyed the pizza. The three of us looked like we were 95 years old when we were walking into the restaurant.  I’m glad Tim had driven because driving my manual transmission car would not have been fun.  

I uploaded the images into my computer but did not edit one of them.  Needless to say, we were all exhausted so it was a very early night.  

Smokies Spring 2018 Trip Part 4

Smokies Spring 2018 Trip Part 4 is the Ramsey’s Cascade hike.  Believe it or not, it is the only hike that we did on our vacation but what a hike. The hike is an over 8 mile round trip at almost 2200 elevation change to the tallest waterfall in the park.  It is definitely worth it but the hike itself is BRUTAL. Adding to the length and elevation change, both Tim and I were carrying between 30lb-40lbs of camera equipment on our backs.  This is the hike that I have wanted to take ever since I first started researching the park.  I joined a gym 6 weeks before my vacation and went at least 4 times a week but I still wasn’t totally prepared for it. Of course it is hard to train for elevation when you literally live at sea level.  This is part of the description of the trail on hikingthesmokys.com: "Hikers should note that the trail travels over some extremely rugged terrain over the last third of a mile or so, make this a fairly difficult hike". They are not kidding.

Wildlife Sighting

The first 1.5 of the trail follows an old gravel road and isn’t hard at all. It pulls you in thinking even though its long, its not going to be a difficult hike.  We stopped a few places along the way on the rivers edge to get shots of mini waterfalls.  The 2.5 miles to go marker was one of those places. I had just put my camera backpack back on and was about to start hiking again when I saw a bobcat dart across the trail and run into the woods.  Both Joe and Tim were facing the wrong direction so I was the only one that saw it. I didn’t even know that the park had bobcats.  It was quite a treat for me as it was the first one I had ever seen in the wild. I just wish it had stopped long enough for me to get a photo.  At least I saw it.

The Last Mile to the Falls

We continued on our way with frequent stops.  The trail was getting steeper and very rocky.  Each time I would get to the bottom of a hill and see the rocky hill, I would hope that it would be the last one before the falls.  This happened continually.  This was one of the two hardest hikes I have ever done and the first one was Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls trails in Yosemite National Park when I was 25.  I’m not 25 anymore.

The photo on the left is Joe and Tim crossing on of the two bridges and the photo on the right is one of the MANY rocky inclines that you have to deal with when hiking this trail.  My mother thought it was a beautiful photo until she found out that it was part of the trail to Ramsey’s Cascades. 

The last 8th of a mile to the falls is brutal and even rockier than that.  

The next blog post will arrival at the falls and the rest of the day.