Beautiful, Beautiful Mountains . . . . .!

A few weeks ago,
Bob and I had the blessing of being able to spend 4 days in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

We stayed at a beautiful campground in Maggie Valley, North Carolina.

We had a gurgling stream right outside our back window, and the mountains on all 4 sides of us!

There were lovely tall trees and we were even treated to a very heavy frost one morning!  :-)
We love the mountains!!!  Some years ago, when Mama and Daddy moved
back to Michigan from Washington state, Mama had called to apologize
to me for the move . . . . . I told her that I was thrilled that they would be back "home"
and asked why on earth she would apologize . . . . .   She said that she knew how much Bob and
I loved the mountains, and she was sorry to be taking that trip away!!!!
What an amazing Mama---she always put our likes and loves above her own . . . .

This was the view directly behind our trailer . . . . . love the smokey mist in the mountains!  (Hence, the Great Smokey Mountains . . . .)

This a a shot of the campground and the mountains to the front of us.

Another shot from the campground ---- every view was so beautiful!

Above:  Home Sweet Home!

We  were in Maggie Valley the first week in November, and the tourist season was ended, so we did not have the traffic and tourist busy-ness to contend with, it was nice being able to enjoy the beauty at a slower pace and not be rushed along.

The photos above and below are taken on the outskirts of Maggie Valley, and are said to be the "most photographed area in the Smokey Mountains."

While in Maggie Valley, we had the Great Smokey Mountains National Park very close by, and also the Blue Ridge Parkway, so we took advantage of our proximity!  

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Both the park and the parkway are amazing to visit . . . .. we had not been to the park since 1973 and the parkway since 1998---the beauty seemed to have multiplied!

The park has a few entrances, we entered from the Cherokee, North Carolina point, and went on over to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, got fuel in Pigeon Forge and then exited back in Cherokee.

This pioneer village is at the visitor center in the park.  On our way back to Maggie Valley that late afternoon, we saw around 6-8 elk in the open meadow area right by this village---unfortunately it appeared as though everyone in the park had all stopped to watch and take photos, so we missed our 

photo . . . . .  Next time!

The drive we took followed this lovely stream much of the way . . . . . it was wonderful to just listen to the gurgling and the rushing!  What a delightful sound!

Usually I am the one behind the camera lens, but Bob changed 

spots with me, he indicated we needed some visual proof that I was there too!  :-)

"The mountains are calling, and I must go."  John Muir

Grizz and Bailey really enjoyed being out in nature, the smells, the sights, the TREES that must have squirrels!!!

They would have preferred to be able to be out of the truck at all times, and to run free with no leash . . . .  Bailey would have had her nose to the ground and off on a hunt   :-)

I could never grow tired of this view!  I imagine that the Lord

smiled when he created this area, knowing how the views, the power of being surrounded by

His workmanship, would render us speechless.

There was no view that was unappealing

Such a lovely contrast of colors. . . . .

Out for a bit of a walk . . . . .

As you can see, the day was amazingly beautiful!  (This is one of my favorite photos)  The temps were cool, I had to stop and 

get a sweatshirt on the way---but it felt so good, so very refreshing!

The road was chiseled into the mountainside!  Look how this rocky overhang looks like 

a face . . . . .  see his eyes looking down to the road, or further on down the 

mountain  . . . . . .

This is in Cade's Cove, a very popular area of the park.  There were beautiful meadows, old, old churches and homes---much history!

One of the old cabins in Cade's Cove.  This one belonged to Carter Shields.

"Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books, for they speak with the voice of God."
George Washington Carver

These peaks are called "Chimney Rocks"

This was taken on our drive back to the trailer.  There was so much I wanted to capture with
my camera, but time moves on, and the veil of evening's darkness falls much more
quickly in the mountains
.
So, we made our way back to Maggie Valley, both exhilarated and exhausted!

The next outting was to the Blue Ridge Parkway!

Till next time dear family and friends . . . . .
Bob and Deb