We drove thru the Smoky Mountains today. The day was overcast, and gave the mountains a smoky color. As you look at the pictures, you can see that in the beginning, as we entered the region outside of Knoxville, the trees were lush with Springtime. By the end, they have yet to sprout their leaves. This is a very pretty area, and it reminds me of my home.
From
wikipedia:
The Great Smoky Mountains are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province. The range is sometimes called the Smoky Mountains and the name is commonly shortened to the Smokies.
The Great Smokies are part of an International Biosphere Reserve. The range is home to an estimated 187,000 acres (76,000 ha) of old growth forest, constituting the largest such stand east of the Mississippi River.[2][3] The cove hardwood forests in the range's lower elevations are among the most diverse ecosystems in North America, and the Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest that coats the range's upper elevations is the largest of its kind.[4]
The Great Smokies are also home to the densest black bear population in the Eastern United States and the most diverse salamander population outside of the tropics.[5]
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| Uh oh....a tunnel ahead! |
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| ahhhhh! |
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| This truck, went thru the tunnel ahead of us. Shortly after the 1st tunnel, we approached a 2nd tunnel. A tractor trailer was between us and the tanker truck above. He actually moved over and passed the tanker, just as we entered the 2nd tunnel. The tanker truck above laid on his horn. Can you really be in that much of a hurry? So there we were in the tunnel, with each lane just ahead of us taken up by tractor trailers, and a very loud horn..... We both sprouted a few new gray hairs then. |
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| It was shortly after we came out of the 2nd tunnel, that a slow poke in la la land, wasn't merging quick enough from the ramp onto the highway, and Jim laid on our air horn to alert him. The tanker truck in front of us (same one from the tunnel) probably laughed. We followed him for about 10-15 miles. The roads were very windy, and we (and him/her) were just taking our time. |
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| You can really see how the leaves have not yet sprouted, in these trees. |
We drove thru the Smoky Mountains today. The day was overcast, and gave the mountains a smoky color. As you look at the pictures, you can see that in the beginning, as we entered the region outside of Knoxville, the trees were lush with Springtime. By the end, they have yet to sprout their leaves. This is a very pretty area, and it reminds me of my home.
