Smokies Light

Incredible lightning storm in St. Augustine, FL right now! I'm posting this from under the bed.

Before the interstate system came about Highway 66 across the continent captured the imagination and wanderlust of the automobile-bound adventurer. For me that highway has always been A1A that hugs the ocean along the eastern coast of Florida. It beckons me to the beach and the sea, and all the motels, tourist shops, marinas, and restaurants along the way. In the dreary depths of a rainy, cold, dark Winter there's something about just saying "A1A" that will warm you up just a bit. This image is the highway crossing the Intercoastal Waterway between Vilano Beach and St. Augustine.

Since my last visit to St. Augustine in 2005 they have built a brand new visitor center and a huge parking garage just north of the historic downtown area. The architecture is in keeping with the spirit of the place which is always a good thing. Here's a look inside. The garage is the best idea ever. It was always a real pain to find parking in the historic district and you constantly had to watch the time to feed the meter when you did find a spot.

This time of year the males start their journey south before the females so be sure to keep your feeders full for the little guys. It won't be long before they all will be headed south. I'll miss their company just outside my office window.

A few weeks ago a bear crossed the road in front of my bike giving me the hair-brained idea to take a pic while riding. Yeah I know it's dangerous but I took proper precautions. Well, not really but today was the first and last attempt. Not because of the danger but just because it's too much trouble getting the camera harness and cable release wired up not to mention exposure settings (auto didn't work).

In the pic above the road appears at an odd angle. I'm not sure what all was happening to cause that. I did survive the outing unscathed.

Some pics from the shuttle.

The 90 degree temps look to be history now according to the forecasters. I drove up to Clingman's Dome Sunday to say farewell to Summer. The temp was a warm 67 with no wind which is unusual for the Dome. I'm a summertime kind of guy and dread the winters, but I have to admit this year at least I'm glad to see this one is in the history books.

When I was a kid in the mid-70s I remember the trail to the Clingman's Dome tower was surrounded by a thick forest of balsam firs. Now the trail is pretty much like walking through an open meadow. You can see here the trees are making a come back. I don't know if these trees are balsam firs or not. I hate to be a downer but the loss of the hemlocks has been so disheartening and sickening I don't really care what they are anymore.

Bittersweet Symphony

A couple of scenes from a Mountain Life demonstration at the Oconaluftee Farm Museum last Saturday.

At the very end of Heintooga Ridge Road, which is a nine mile spur off the Blue Ridge Parkway and far far away from anything else, there is a large picnic area of about 50 tables. This place is so remote that very few tourists come out this way, although the road is first-class and it's easy to get to. It's the only place in the park at high enough altitude to drive to and have a picnic in a healthy spruce-fir forest. It's a very beautiful setting, but the tables, even the concrete ones, are returning to the forest due to lack of use. It's really sad. I can't say that it's because people have lost interest in dining "out", because the other more accessible picnic areas in the park are heavily used. It's just this area is so incredibly far "out". The NPS planners for this area must have had big dreams many years ago for this spot to put so many tables here. The grounds have two bathroom buildings, functioning drinking fountains, and the weeds are trimmed backed from the tables on a regular basis, yet nobody comes, and the tables grow old and green.

This bench is on the Flat Creek trail and not far from the graveyard picnic area. It's easy to get to from pavement but nobody comes here very much. If you sit here a while alone, feeling the cool mountain breeze and warm sunshine on your skin, letting your mind become quiet and humble, the Ancient Spirit of the Mountain will come and sit beside you. He never says anything, and although you think you have a million things to say to Him when presented with the opportunity, you know way down deep inside that nothing really needs to be said. A little smile will come to your face, and you both just sit there quietly enjoying the view. It's a fact.

No time for picture taking last weekend so I'll scrounge thru the recent rejects and see what I can find. On my recent trip to St. Augustine I intended to walk thru the historic district taking pics along the way, but rain and high humidity (with lens condensation) cut my walk short. These two pics are at the very north end of the district. The buildings appear to lean due to the wide angle lens, a phenomena I've had trouble with lately and don't know what to do about it. Kinkade galleries and Kilwin's are also in Gatlinburg, actually four Kinkade stores in Gburg last count. You have to give credit to the guy for being an outstanding businessman. I do like his plein air work but his cotton candy fantasy style which I guess sells the best doesn't suit my taste. Oh well, most artists are starving so there's nothing wrong with success, even if it means hawking your work on the Home Shopping Network.

Warning: Entering either of these stores and consuming their products cause adverse side effects on some people. Those side effects can include headaches, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting.

No this is not a Fall color pic. I was actually taking a picture of the surface that the leaves are lying on. In the early 1970s a major section of Newfound Gap Road was rerouted on the North Carolina side. The old roadbed now starts at the end of the large parking lot at Newfound Gap and rejoins the current road several miles below. I'm not sure what the reasoning was behind the reroute, but it must have been a massive project. It might have been because that section of the road was brutally steep. From the bottom part (pictured below) you can look up and see the Newfound Gap overlook and it would be a very steep ascent. The bottom section is now a "Quiet Walkway" where you can still see sections of the old roadbed, which appear to be made of crushed rock and cement. The walkway is open for a short way and then becomes a narrow overgrown rabbit trail. It's interesting to see the forest slowly over decades reclaim a roadway.You would think the NPS would have maintained the road as a trail but they probably have a good reason not to. There has to be many rock retaining walls, culverts and such still up there deep in the woods now, remnants of a bygone era not too long ago.

This huge old oak tree dominates the Big Witch overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. She's been a very good friend of mine over the years and we've had some good long conversations about politics, religion, relationships, etc. She's been struck by a mighty lightning bolt blowing away most of her bark around the trunk. I'm not a treeoligist but it probably means the end is near. This tree is a good people hugger and a good friend. Keep her in your thoughts. Have a great weekend.

I took a stroll thru Coolidge Park today where a festival celebrating the cultural diversity of the Chattanooga area was being held. It was a beautiful day for a festival in the park and still hot enough for kids to enjoy themselves playing in the large water fountains. I created a gallery of a few pics at this link. I seemed to have inadvertently focused on the food tents for some reason. More pics of colorful outfits and people at X-treme Tea Time.

I shot my first wedding pics last weekend, sort of. You can read all about the project at 10000 Monkeys and a Camera. Taking these kind of pics is a new challenge for me and I appreciate Alice and Spike giving me the opportunity to participate in such a special event.