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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Cades Cove, Cataract Falls, Little River Trail, and Foothills Parkway West

After our hike on Middle Prong Trail on May 7th, we drove out to Cades Cove to see what we could see there. The valley of Cades Cove was home to numerous settlers before the formation of the national park. It's a popular destination for visitors to the park because of its well-preserved homesteads, scenic mountain views, and abundant display of wildlife.

Cades Cove

Carter Shields Cabin at Cades Cove

This deer was foraging near the Carter Shields Cabin

On the way back to our hotel that evening, we stopped to see a small waterfall near the Park Headquarters.

Cataract Falls

On Thursday, May 9th, we drove to the Elkmont area of the national park and hiked up the Little River Trail. The following pictures are from that hike.

Stone bridge near one of the now-abandoned home sites

A White Violet

I don't know if these are white violets or something else. They look a little different than the first one.

I'm not good at identifying things, so I just call this one "Yellow Butterfly."

Doug took this river view with the camcorder.

Huskey Branch Falls
This is another of Doug's camcorder shots.

Friday, May 10th, was our last day of this visit to the Smokies, and we spent it relaxing in another favorite place in the park: the Greenbrier area. There is a spot by the river where we just enjoy spending an afternoon of reading.


The river at the beginning of the trail to Ramsey Cascades

A pretty little wildflower, also near the Ramsey Cascades Trailhead

Later that day, we drove out on the western Foothills Parkway, where I took the following panorama shot of the view from the parkway.  






11 comments:

  1. You visited all of our favorite areas of the park... Makes me want to head back up there NOW... Oh how we love the Smokies.

    Great set of photos, Linda.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  2. Oh my Gosh, what a beautiful area!!! You really captured the beauty with your camera! Thanks for sharing!!!

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  3. I love learning about all the history in the National Parks. So interesting! And that's a pretty good picture from a camcorder. :) Smokies are so magnificent.

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  4. the greenery is just gorgeous and thick! i LOVE the white violet. and that's a swallowtail butterfly. :)

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  5. Can I come on vacation with you next time? :) You captured some beautiful scenes, especially the little cabin at the end of the winding trail. The mountain shot is also glorious. So much nature to enjoy and that my soul craves. Beautiful job!

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  6. You got some great pictures of some of our favorite places in the Smokies. We really like the Little River Trail and have hiked it several times. Greenbrier is another favorite.

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  7. Thanks as always for letting me behold the beauty.

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  8. This is a place that holds so much beauty and I think you must have found most of it.

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  9. Betsy - Sometimes I wish we lived as close to the Smokies as you do. :)

    Saimi - Thanks so much for stopping by and for the sweet comment.

    Elizabeth - Since you are married to a Park Ranger, you probably know more of the history of the National Parks than we do. We love that camcorder. We can take still shots right off the video. That comes in handy sometimes.

    Theresa - We were there at a very pretty time. I liked that white violet, too. So delicate looking. Thanks for the butterfly ID.

    Gail - We'd love to have you. Your nature-craving soul would find satisfaction in the Smokies. :)

    George - We hiked all the way to the end of Little River Trail one time. It was in the fall, and the colors were glorious. I think we share a lot of favorite places in the Smokies. :)

    Stephen - Thanks for the privilege of sharing the beauty with you.

    Ruth - You know it's a favorite place for us. Doug says, "Even the rain is pretty in the Smokies."

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  10. Lovely captures, Linda. The cabin at the end of the path, the deer looking at you, the unusual white violet, the contrast of the violet wild flower against the fresh greenery and the panorama shot were the ones that especially caught my attention! :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you kindly, Petra. You named some of my favorites, too. :)

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