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Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Smokies vs. Rockies

It's no secret that we love the Smoky Mountains.

Smoky Mountains October, 2007

Some, however, might point to the majestic, snow-covered heights of the Rocky Mountains and question whether the Smokies even deserve the designation of "mountains."

Spray Lakes Road, Alberta, Canada, 1988

Moraine Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, 1988

The Smokies, however, have claimed Doug's heart to a much greater extent than the Rockies. He agrees that the Rockies are beautiful to look at, but he explains the difference this way:

According to Doug, the Smokies say, "Come play with me."

The Rockies say, "Play with me, and I'll kill you."


21 comments:

  1. Hmmmmm--interesting comparison... I love them both ---but didn't care for the Rockies this year nearly as much as last year (when there was snow on the tops of the mountains).... Since I live near the Smokies---I guess they have my heart.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  2. I haven't seen either the Smokies or the Rockies so until I do I'll have to reserve judgement.

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  3. Hard to tell just from what I see but as I'm looking at the photos, I see "friendly" mountains, most probably full of birds and animals and life in general in the first picture, and majestic, cold, hardly accessible and perhaps dangerous mountains in the other two. Both of them may be beautiful but they show a strikingly different face of what mountains can look like. That might be what Doug says, am I right?

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  4. Betsy - It's just wrong to try to choose a "winner" between the two. They're different, but that doesn't make one better than the other. Doug just prefers "playing" in the Smokies. And we're only a day's drive from the Smokies as opposed to a two- or three-day drive from the Rockies, so it's obviously easier for us to spend time there.

    Stephen - You need to get out more. :) Seriously, your artistic eye would love both places.

    Petra - You have expressed Doug's feelings beautifully. Are you sure English isn't your first language? :)

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  5. Doug is too funny! I've been to both and could never decide which I prefer. They're all beautiful. I haven't been to the Smokies since I was a young girl and the Rockies more recently. After living in Texas for almost 30 years I've grown to appreciate mountains and hills no matter where they are. Love them all!

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  6. Gail - I'm glad you "got" Doug's humor. His comment cracked me up. You're right...both are beautiful, and each has its own attraction.

    Theresa - Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

    Ruth - You're absolutely right about that!

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  7. Great pictures Linda! Terry and I laughed so hard at Doug's comment! Love it!!!

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    1. Thanks, Diane. I thought you two would get a kick out of it. :)

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  8. I enjoyed visiting and seeing the great smokey mountains through your lens. Thanks as I do not travel that much anymore.

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    1. LV - Thank you for visiting and commenting. I'm glad you enjoyed the virtual visit to the Smokies. :)

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  9. Doug's explanation of the difference is interesting (and funny). I've enjoyed my visits to the Rockies, but I'm not interested in moving away from 'our' Smoky Mountains.

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    1. George - Doug's a funny guy sometimes...a man of few words, but he makes them count. :)



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  10. Doug's description is a hoot. Visually, I'd have to say that he's right.

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    1. Hilary - He IS right about the Smokies being very "user friendly." But there are lots of trails and interesting things to do in the Rockies, too. If we lived closer to the Rockies, I suspect he'd like them best. :)

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  11. Replies
    1. Thank you, Holly. Those photos from the Canadian Rockies were taken in 1988 and recently scanned from slides.

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  12. That gets us homesick to go see the Smokey Mountains that say "Come play with me," as Doug puts it.

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  13. The Rockies has around 50 varieties of trees, like the Aspen, Cottonwood, Spruce and Fir which tend to be most predominate. The Smokeys, on the other-hand, has a significantly wider variety of tree types. It's list of both trees and shrubs is as long as the Rocky's peaks are tall. The Smokey Mountains sport lots of colorful vegetation and rolling verdant hills and mountains, the beauty of which just settles down into the soul and makes you fall in love with them. That other range, however, is much taller, more majestic and does have more dangerous places to consider than does my eastern favorites, so yeah, it could easily kill you. But I think I still have some cousins scattered in the Smokey's valleys that might kill ya if you object to their moonshine stills. If you run into one be sure to sample the product and make noises to indicate how good it is, then smile as you walk away--that assures them you ain't no revenuer. Cheers.

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    Replies
    1. Your comment made me smile, especially the description of the Smokies as sporting "lots of colorful vegetation and rolling verdant hills and mountains, the beauty of which just settles down into the soul and makes you fall in love with them." That expresses our deep love of the Smokies better than any words I've ever come up with. Haven't met your cousins yet, but I'll keep your advice in mind. :)

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