Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Monday, October 17, 2011

Fall in the Smokies --2011

This past Friday,  George and I went to the Smokies to check out the Fall colors there.... WOW---is what we found!!!!!!  We left home VERY early ---to see some good sky/sun/fog pictures in addition to the gorgeous Fall colors... AND--we weren't disappointed AT ALL.

The day before had brought rain to our area... But --this day was supposed to clear up and be a gorgeous, clear day.   As you'll be able to see from the photos,  the day started out cloudy--but it didn't take that sun very long to pop through!!!!

Here are just a few of the photos we took on that beautiful day in the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina.   Above was a great picture I captured along the bypass around Gatlinburg.   I think God was smiling down on us ---and that sun was saying "Good Morning, World!"    (That is fog glistening below the rays.)  Click on pictures to enlarge!




We stopped at an overlook as we headed up the mountain on Highway 441 (between Gatlinburg and Cherokee) and captured this photo of the fog below us in the shadows.





About halfway up the mountain (north of the Chimneys hiking area),  the colors got more and more vivid... Here is an example of some of the beauty we saw along the road on that ride up the mountain.




And since George and I love waterfalls/cascades/creeks,  we stopped along the way to check out this great Smoky Mountain creek.



When we got further up the mountain (on either side of Newfound Gap),   the colors just got more and more beautiful... I'm going to show you ONLY three of the many photos I took... Fall is always pretty---but this particular Fall day just seemed to be extra special!!!  I think we got there at the EXACT right time...




Oh the gorgeous Smoky Mountains!!!  We are so lucky to live close enough to enjoy them---all times of year, but especially in Autumn!





Finally,  here is one more for you today..   We are so blessed to live in such a magnificent world that God created for us...  I hope we all learn to take better care of it!!!!!

Hope you enjoyed seeing some of our photos from the Smokies.  I'll share more at another time because we managed to take a big bunch!!!! ha

Hugs,
Betsy