rosy sunset

If I can put one touch of rosy sunset into the life of any man or woman, I shall feel that I have worked with God. 
--G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English writer. 

The view of Buffalo Mountain from Horseback Ridge on Unaka Mountain.  For directions on how to get there click here.

south holston fishing

Good things come to those who bait. 
--Author Unknown 

Above: Early-morning Fishermen on the South Holston River, near Bristol, TN


The South Holston and Watauga Rivers of northeast Tennessee are said to offer some of the best trout fishing east of the Mississippi.  For maps of access sites on the South Holston River, click here; and for the Watauga River, click here.

imprinted

Nature herself has imprinted on the minds of all the idea of God.
--Cicero (106 BC-43 BC) Roman Statesman and philosopher. 

Above: The lower portion of Upper Rock Creek Falls.  To see the full, two-tiered waterfall, click here.

dream

Nothing much happens without a dream. For something really great to happen, it takes a really great dream.
--Robert Greenleaf (1904–1990) author.

Anthony hiking the Appalachian Trail in the Roan Highlands.

the easy life

There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything. Both ways save us from thinking.
--Alfred Korzybski (1879-1950) American Scientist and Philosopher.

Lower Rock Creek Falls (really more of a cascade). It's quite a hike (especially on a hot, humid day!) Read about it here.  See all my blog entries for Rock Creek Park here.

joy and glory

Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.
--Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British Prime Minister

A long, steep ("ever-ascending" seems about right!) climb is rewarded with this view of Upper Rock Creek Falls, near Erwin, TN. For directions and detailed description, click here.

charming heights

The heights charm us, but the steps do not; with the mountain in our view we love to walk the plains.
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German author.

roan relaxation

Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen. 
--Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) Italian Painter, Sculptor, Architect and Engineer.

Anthony taking in the Roan Highlands. 

gratitude

I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.
--E. E. Cummings (1894-1962) American poet. 

My friend Adam crossing a Tanawha Trail bridge leading to the Rough Ridge Overlook (located at Mile 302.8 on the Blue Ridge Parkway).

happiness

Happiness is not having what you want, it's wanting what you have.
--Unknown

enjoy the little things

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
--Robert Brault, author

Our area was deluged with rain on Sunday, with some areas getting as much as 4-5 inches -- one of the more severe flash floods we've had in a long time.  So I was surprised that Sill Branch, and the larger Clarks Creek area of Unicoi County, looked like they hardly saw a drop (which is good for those who live in that community!). But even with it's low flow, Sill Branch was beautiful nonetheless. Here's a photo taken yesterday of my friend Sam admiring the scene.

quiet solitude

Now he walks in quiet solitude the forest and the streams
Seeking grace in every step he takes
His sight has turned inside himself to try and understand
The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake

And the Colorado rocky mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply
Rocky mountain high
--John Denver (1943-1997) singer, songwriter. 

One last post from my trip to Colorado Springs...above is the view from the Silver Cascade Falls Trail in North Cheyenne Cañon Park. And to the right and below are photos of the magnificent chapel located on the campus of the US Air Force Academy north of the city.

garden of the gods

No one else holds or has held the place in the heart of the world which Jesus holds. Other gods have been as devoutly worshiped; no other man has been so devoutly loved.
--John Knox (1514?–1572) Scottish clergyman 

I'm taking a break from posting scenes from Appalachia to share some photos from my vacation to Colorado Springs. I liked Garden of the Gods so much, I went there twice. Located in the shadow of Pikes Peak, just west of the city, the 'Garden' was donated by the children of a railroad executive on the condition that admission to the park be always free. It's a unique landscape of spires and strange rock formations. A favorite of rock climbers, bird watchers, mountain bikers, hikers and, of course, photographers -- the Garden of the Gods is an outdoor lovers paradise. Click photos to enlarge.

All told, there are 15 miles of trails throughout the park's 480 acres. But it's the paved 1.5 miles through the center of the rock formations that get all of the attention. It's best to come to the park early before the afternoon clouds and the throngs of visitors roll in. All of the formations have descriptive names: Sleeping Giant, Kissing Camels, Three Graces, Steamboat Rock, Balanced Rock and Cathedral Spires (to name a few). Below is a panoramic overview of the area, followed by the view that welcomes visitors to the park.

purple mountain majesties

 
O beautiful for spacious skies, 
For amber waves of grain, 
For purple mountain majesties 
Above the fruited plain! 

America! America! 
God shed His grace on thee, 
And crown thy good with brotherhood 
From sea to shining sea!

--Katharine Lee Bates (1859-1929) American songwriter.

 Photos from my recent trip to Colorado Springs (pop. 416,427) -- a beautiful city located at the base of Pikes Peak (14,115 feet). The area is still recovering from the devastation caused by an enormous forest fire this past June - which killed two and destroyed 346 homes and more than 18,000 acres. It was a trip to the summit of Pikes Peak in 1893 that inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write "America the Beautiful". There are two ways to reach the summit, the first is to drive there along a very steep, winding 19 mile toll road (which is what we did), the second is to take the cog railroad up the mountain. Click here to see the live view from the summit. As you can imagine, the weather at 14,000+ feet can be pretty severe. They've already had snow! The day we went it was a balmy 58 degrees at the top.  Click here to see the current conditions.

Favorite places we visited in Colorado Springs: (I'll post some more photos this week)
Pikes Peak
Garden of the Gods
Cheyenne Mountain State Park
US Air Force Academy Chapel