Gatlinburg, TN Pictures
April 2-6, 2003
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| DAY 1: John goes fishing,
the rest of us go SHOPPING! |
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Here's a couple of lovely
ladies during one of the few times they weren't beating each other senseless...
Elissa (left) and Erin (right). |
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Gatlinburg, TN
... from the tram that goes up to Ober Gatlinburg (an amusement park on
the top of the mountain) |
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A view of the surrounding mountains from
the tram. I believe this is Mt. Leconte, the third highest peak in the
Smoky Mountain Range (about 6,900 ft?) |
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The Little Pigeon River (ok, remember we
were in the South - they don't name things down there like we do up here...I
don't even think Pigeons can swim). This river runs through Gatlinburg. |
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Erin & Elissa pose in front of the river.
Our hotel, the River Terrace Resort,
is in the background. |
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This was the view from our hotel balcony.
It was simply gorgeous at sunset. |
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This is the view looking down from our balcony
to the rest of the buildings in the resort. These purple trees were everywhere
and really pretty! |
| DAY 2: John goes fishing,
we go Horseback Riding |
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We got our own guide since we opted to ride
for two hours. Erin is on Blackjack, Elissa is on Possum (stubborn, ill-behaved
horse), and I am on Big Red. |
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Big Red's head. |
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This is our guide. He was from Czechoslovakia
and had only been in Tennessee for a week. I would love to hear his Czech/Southern
accent in about a year... |
| DAY 3: Whitewater Rafting
& Hiking in Smoky Mountain National Park |
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We actually bought this picture from the
outfitters that took us whitewater rafting. Who knew they had Hawaiian
tube waves on a river? Yeah, we got a little wet...
Stupid me - I signed us up for an Intermediate trip, believing the woman
on the phone that we'd be "just fah-n" (fine) without any prior
rafting experience. HA! At least nobody fell out.
Click the picture for a bigger image. |
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Later and much dryer... This picture is only
to prove that I did go on the trip. |
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Upper Laurel Falls via the Laurel Falls Trail
(1.2 miles) |
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Another shot of the falls. |
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This is to prove that JOHN went on the trip. |
Lower Laurel Falls (note the trail near the top).
The upper falls is above the trail. |
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This is to prove that John and I are not
the same person. |
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More falls. |
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Erin forced me to take a picture of this
"cave" along the trail. Actually, it's only about 1 foot deep.
Maybe a cave for bunnies or something? |
DAY 4: Some Miscellaneous
Stuff & Car Tour of Cades Cove
A.K.A. "Nature Appreciation Day" |
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A Ski Lift designed to part tourists from their money. It promises "Great
Views" |
I wouldn't know because only Erin & Elissa decided to part themselves
from their money to find out. |
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The entrance to Cades Cove within Smoky
Mountain National Park.
Simply wonderful! Had I been alive in the early 1800's, I would have
settled here too. |
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This would have been my front yard... |
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Some deer and antelope playing. |
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This would have been my backyard... |
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...and my garage (and my "car") |
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A small mountain stream. These were everywhere! |
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This was an old grinding mill in the Cades
Cove settlement. |
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Here's a somewhat bigger "mountain stream".
Hmm, this looks like one of the rapids we went over in the raft... |
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I wish I could bring the sound of this home
with me. |
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There is nothing like a rushing mountain
river to calm one's frayed nerves. |
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My favorite purple trees again. |
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Please don't ask my why I am photographing
rocks. This was just so colorful and the texture is fascinating. I think
it is slate. The geology of this area was really interesting. |
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Erin is inventing a new sobriety test. Yes,
the vehicle belongs to us. |
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Sheer rock wall. |
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There were some gorgeous flowers in the area.
These are just some violets. |
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Not sure what this is, but it was on a tree,
and there were some pink ones too. |
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Some unidentified yellow flowers. |
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