My day yesterday
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So it hit 99 degrees here yesterday. The advice being given on all the local weather reports was to stay indoors. So my wife and i climbed into her Caddy and headed for the mountains. Actually, we do that quite often... because the Smoky Mountains are beautiful.
I didn't take any pictures, because there are millions of pictures on the internet that were taken by far better photographer's than me.... for example:
One thing that has always fascinated me... from a distance the mountains are covered in a blue haze. But when you're in the mountains it's as clear as a bell.. right where you are, that is... look out across the view and everywhere you're not is blue. I can see the mountains from my house, so blue it's hard sometimes to tell what is a cloud and what is a mountain, or to know where the sky begins...
I love the Smokies.
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Some of the oldest mountains on earth!
Also, why blue:
But you asked why our mountains-which are made up of many colors-appear blue. The blue-sky principle still holds: when you view a dark, solid object, such as a mountain, from a distance, the scattered light makes it appear blue. Yet the distinct blue haze of the Appalachians can also be attributed to the thick vegetation that blankets the slopes. Tiny hydrocarbon particles, including terpenes from pine trees, are released by plants. The particles react with natural ozone molecules to produce a hazy effect over the mountains. Again, the small size of the particles means that the light scatters blue.
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Always remember, Operation Valkyrie was an act of sedition.
Warning: I post things that interest me. Read and comment at your own discretion. -
The Appalachian Plateau is like that. I remember the first time I noticed the phenomenon you mentioned—I was in daycare and I was looking at the mountains from the top of the slide. I asked why they seemed so blue. Our daycare person (a wonderful lady I grew up knowing for 30 years; I babysat her dogs) explained it was the air and the distance, and from the top of those mountains, our area looked blue to them. That blew my mind. I spent the whole day trying to wrap my head around that.
The Smokies are something special, though. I've never had a bad drive through there. All weather conditions, always beautiful.
(There's the Blueridge Mountains in Virginia, so named because of this phenomenon. When I was in Australia, I visited the other Blueridge Mountains, so named because the euclyptus gives off a bluey haze. My martial arts instructor over there was a huge country and bluegrass fan. For some reason he was blown away by the fact I went to school near the Blueridge Mountains, that I've been there. He even called some guy and had me talk to him because "this guy was actually in the Blueridge Mountains in Virginia." Weird but okay.
)Anyway, something to maybe consider: in the past 8 years or so, I've taken a LOT of photos. Maybe about 20k. One thing I've learned is that photographs get very funny with time. Sure, there are far "better" photos out there, but a funny thing happens to cheesy landscapes—they start to mean something because you stood there at that time and place and you took it. Other people appreciate it, too.
Not saying you should be a shutterbug or anything. But hey, maybe pull out your phone anyway and take one from time to time. Some of them become kinda important.
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@Jolly said in My day yesterday:
They actually have seasons up there.
Can get all 4 in one day in some places.
Please love yourself.
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@Aqua-Letifer said in My day yesterday:
@Jolly said in My day yesterday:
They actually have seasons up there.
Can get all 4 in one day in some places.
Remember camping at Lovers Leap? No jokes, LD or Jon. 80 degrees when we set up camp, 4" of snow when we woke up.
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@Aqua-Letifer said in My day yesterday:
maybe pull out your phone anyway and take one from time to time. Some of them become kinda important.Yes, they really do. Even the ones taken around your own yard can become important as reference points for plants and projects, even if just to remember when the heck you did them or planted them. LOL
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At the start of the Cherohala Parkway is a little town called Tellico Plains. They have 3 places to eat - a Hardees, a non chain pizza place, and a place called Tellicafe.
Tellicafe is small and plain looking... if you don't know it's there you'll miss it. Even once you figure out it's a restaurant you'll think "meh..." but trust me..... you want to eat there.... you see.. the guy who owns this place is a trained Chef, and he hovers over everything making sure its all perfect. The iced tea (I drink unsweetened) has black currants blended into it, and I've never tasted better or fresher tea. I had the Peppercorn Steak with mashed potatoes and broccoli....
Oh... yum.....
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@Larry said in My day yesterday:
@Horace said in My day yesterday:
Maybe I should buy a house in the smokies.
I had one that id have sold you, but unfortunately it burned to the ground a few years back in the big fire.
Ever thought about a getaway cabin? Something a little remote (although I don't know if you can do that in the Smokies anymore) and just big enough for the two of you?
Always remember, Operation Valkyrie was an act of sedition.
Warning: I post things that interest me. Read and comment at your own discretion. -
@Larry said in My day yesterday:
@Horace said in My day yesterday:
Maybe I should buy a house in the smokies.
I had one that id have sold you, but unfortunately it burned to the ground a few years back in the big fire.
Nothing stopping you from rebuilding to my specifications and then selling to me at a TNCR discount. Unless you're lazy.
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@Jolly said in My day yesterday:
@Larry said in My day yesterday:
@Horace said in My day yesterday:
Maybe I should buy a house in the smokies.
I had one that id have sold you, but unfortunately it burned to the ground a few years back in the big fire.
Ever thought about a getaway cabin? Something a little remote (although I don't know if you can do that in the Smokies anymore) and just big enough for the two of you?
Yes, you can still build cabins, in the areas where lots are sold. Mine was just outside of Pigeon Forge, the best I remember around 2 000 square feet, and very remote. Huge view off the back balcony. It burned down in the big fire a few years ago. I sold the lot, took the insurance money, and built one in Coker Creek, near the Cherohala, which is a whole different area from Pigeon Forge. The plus to being near Pigeon Forge is the commercial activity so close. The plus to the one in Cherohala is its near some of the family...
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@Horace said in My day yesterday:
@Larry said in My day yesterday:
@Horace said in My day yesterday:
Maybe I should buy a house in the smokies.
I had one that id have sold you, but unfortunately it burned to the ground a few years back in the big fire.
Nothing stopping you from rebuilding to my specifications and then selling to me at a TNCR discount. Unless you're lazy.
Im lazy...... lol
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@Larry said in My day yesterday:
@Jolly said in My day yesterday:
@Larry said in My day yesterday:
@Horace said in My day yesterday:
Maybe I should buy a house in the smokies.
I had one that id have sold you, but unfortunately it burned to the ground a few years back in the big fire.
Ever thought about a getaway cabin? Something a little remote (although I don't know if you can do that in the Smokies anymore) and just big enough for the two of you?
Yes, you can still build cabins, in the areas where lots are sold. Mine was just outside of Pigeon Forge, the best I remember around 2 000 square feet, and very remote. Huge view off the back balcony. It burned down in the big fire a few years ago. I sold the lot, took the insurance money, and built one in Coker Creek, near the Cherohala, which is a whole different area from Pigeon Forge. The plus to being near Pigeon Forge is the commercial activity so close. The plus to the one in Cherohala is its near some of the family...
My mom and dad knocked around that part of the country a pretty good bit. I remember when Pigeon Forge wasn't much more than a wide spot in the road...
