5-3-17  Laurel falls in the smokys:

Shortly after the kids left, Ken and I headed to the mountains.  It was another pretty day for sightseeing!  This time we went by way of Gatlinburg.

Interesting tourist town.  We didn't stop, but I'd been there with Tim and Faith before.

Kilwins! 

one of the lifts in Gatlinburg.

Mellow Mushroom---love their pizza.

And on into the Smoky mountains.

One of the Smoky's residents. 

Was a bit hazy and a lot of red.  I wonder if that's where the wild fires went through last fall?

I wanted to stroll to Laurel Falls, so Ken took a nap in the car while I walked to the falls.
I got a kick out of this sign.

the trail to the falls was suppose to be about a 3 mile rt easy walk.  And it really was---if you're not old and fat and have A-fib!

But I did take my time and checked out all the wild flowers----like these Mountain Laurels.

Mountain Laurel

and all the pretty "weeds"

Veiny Hawkweed

There were posts just about every .10th mile so you could gauge your progress.  The whole first mile was a consistent climb---only about 300' total, but no downhill or level spots to gain your breath.

sharp-lobed hepatica

veiny hawkweed

so I stopped here and there and acted like I was taking pictures of something interesting.

at least the trail was paved.

a lone mini iris?  I couldn't find it in Faith's wild flower books.

colorful leaves.

It was a very sunny day and pretty hot---upper 80's and humid.  If I were smart, I would have taken some water.  After this hike, I bought a drawstring back pack to carry water and other necessities in!

Sometimes I took pictures up---anything to take my time.

????

more pretty mountain laurel.

near the top were some really pretty expansive views.

there were also drop offs in many areas with signs all over the place saying "people have died---keep a close eye on your kids"

Then, of course, once you've climbed the 300', then the trail goes down to the waterfall.

the lower half of the falls.

I was a little disappointed----photography wise.  It was half in the shadows and half out.  This is the shady half.

Laurel Falls

Plus there weren't many places to sit and rest and enjoy the falls.  This is the sunny half. Or should I say 1/4th, since the falls continued under the bridge and to my right.

Laurel Falls

Heading back up.

I actually got overheated.  Fortunately I had a Kleenex in my pocket and was able to dip it in the water of a little waterfall along the way.  That felt great and did the trick to calm my randomly beating heart.

Not many places to sit along the way, but now and then the rocks produced a seat---usually in the sun, though.

lots of pretty laurel.   Wonder if that's how the falls got it's name?!

the downhill mile was a breeze.

but I still stopped for photo ops---like these ferns.

and tiny wild flowers.

Bluets

Lyreleaf sage

Quite a variety of plant life along the trail.

Golden ragwort

I even loved the shadows the leaves made on the ground.

Back in the car, we were on our way again.  Took the route from the falls towards the NW entrance that Tim normally takes us to.  Great views of the river as we rode along.

We pulled into a picnic area to get close to the river and saw a sign about an old school.  So we went to check it out.

Not a whole lot different from the old school I went to for 1st-3rd grade in Dallas, Oregon!  The Dallas one wasn't bare wood (that I remember), but it was a small room with a couple different grades in it and old desks.  Quite a change from the schools I had the rest of my school days----but probably the one I remember the most fondly!

put a little bell tower on it and there's my old school.

This was the kind of AC we had, too---probably even the same kind of tool to hold up the window.  But then, in Oregon, we probably didn't have the windows open very often!

wisteria

the river from the picnic area.  Too bad we didn't go prepared with a picnic.

some weird growth on a tree.

more of the river.

downstream.

upstream

Back on the road, we came across these kayakers.

Tim and Faith told us about The Sinks, so we went to check it out.  Looking way up stream.

This doesn't do the Sinks justice!  It was roaring.

The Sinks

a sign by the Sinks.

I kept waiting and waiting for the kayakers to take the big plunge, but after about 30 minutes, I decided to see what Ken was up to.  He actually found the kayakers a little upstream and called me over.  Apparently the guy with the green kayak was directing the other 2 and they were slowly making their way down stream.

I tried to make it back to the falls before they went over, but that part they took fast. 

At the bottom of the falls they practiced different techniques of righting their kayaks and controlling it.

not sure what this technique was for, but they practiced it quite awhile.

Back on the road.  This waterfall was right by the road.  No hiking necessary!  More playing around for me with slow shutter speeds.  Note to self---find a bean bag for supporting my camera for long exposures to throw in my new back pack.

more of the river.

more of the road.

one last shot before leaving the park.

I thought these columns were clever.

Outside of the park.  I wonder how they decided where the end of the park is?

Not quite the Cascades, or the Rockies, but still just as beautiful!  I can't imagine being someone who doesn't travel!  So many wonderful sights to see!