Clingmans Dome

Sunrise at Clingmans Dome

Driving up into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park well before first light is always a game of craps. Like Forrest Gump’s momma always said, “you never know what you’re gonna get”… So with that in mind, getting up at 3:15 am and making the 2 hour drive up to Clingmans Dome for sunrise is kind of like opening a present from your best friend. You know it’s going to be awesome, you can’t wait to see it, and it makes you all giddy on the inside when it happens. So, here’s my gift to you, I guess you could say I am a “re-gifter”, but I think most would agree, moments like these are just as good when you get them from someone else, as if you’d gotten it yourself.

It’s Been A While

Well, it honestly has been almost a month since my last entry. I need to do more, to get my work out and build my “foot print”. I’ve never been a very good self-promoter. I try to rely too much on my end product and not so much on the pushy part of actually selling ME and my work. I’m trying though. Facebook has been a challenge, I’m sure other blog-tographers would agree. We want to share our work with the world, hoping it gets noticed and that somehow we’ll be that much closer to our goal. What’s my goal? Am I even sure? I know this, I love to take pictures. Always have. Now, I am looking to actually share my love of photography with others.

The Tower – Castle Ladyhawke

The Wolfe Family photo session

Soco Falls, Cherokee NC

Signs of Spring

Dillsboro, NC

My “Lab”

Experimental Fruit

Franklin, NC

My Jeep in the snow

03-06-13

03-11-13

Winter’s First Sights

Here in Western North Carolina, we got a taste of Winter a little over a week ago and I had a great time chasing down some of the white stuff in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. I wanted to share a quick photo from my trip up to Newfound Gap, where I was the first vehicle from the NC side of the park to get to the top. It was beautiful, and totally worth the wait. I was able to get a number of pictures before the parking lot and area filled with people. This photo is of the Rockefeller Memorial at Newfound Gap, Great Smoky Mountain National Park, at the Appalachian Trail and the North Carolina/Tennessee border.

Take A Drive

Now the title of this entry may seem deceiving. Take a drive, well, simply, get out and GO! What does that have to do with this photo? Simply, a lot of places along the highways are being brightened with splashes of color. Just so happens that there is a little stretch of Hwy 64/44123 in Franklin, NC with some of that splash. I’ve passed this section a number of times and finally, this afternoon made for a great time to stop. We love the scenic vistas, the beautiful waterfalls, the wildlife, etc… but often times, we miss the opportunity to see the most beautiful things as we fly by them at 70 MPH. So here is a little taste of that beauty. I hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day and enjoy the last “hoorah” of the Summer. Next stop, Fall!

Mingo Falls – Cherokee, NC

Mingo Falls in just outside Cherokee, NC and is one of the most unique waterfalls in western North Carolina. Height reports vary from 120 feet to 200 feet tall, but all this photographer knows is that it is beautiful. When you arrive at the parking area, you are greeted with stairs, ascending up and bending out of site. It seems, at first, like you could walk for a long time, but within 10 minutes, you hear the loud rushing water. As you round the final corner, you see a foot bridge. To a first time visitor, it isn’t until you step up onto the bridge and look left, that the size and up close view hits you. You’re withing feet of this magnificent site! There is a scramble trail to the left of the fall, up to the top, although I have yet to attempt it. Regardless of your climbing skills, Mingo Falls is a secluded gem that you must get out to see if you’re in the Cherokee, NC area. Take Big Cove Road (right turn off Hwy441 W) as you head toward the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The one road sign that is up is very difficult to see, but it’s a right turn off of Big Cove Rd. Drive straight about 500 feet and park.