Amicalola Falls

Amicalola Falls

Dawsonville, GA

As I said in a previous post, our family spent Christmas in Georgia this year. It's easy to see why this is one of Georgia's most popular state parks. According to the Web site, "Amicalola, a Cherokee Indian word meaning 'tumbling waters,' is an appropriate name for these 729-foot falls—the tallest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi River."

Smokies at Sunset

This photo was taken several years ago now, when we were vacationing in the Smokies. I can't even remember where I was standing, but I remember seeing the layers of mountains and being fascinated. I loved the subtle hues of the sunset, and the way the mountains took on different shadowy shades. What a beautiful place!

Wildflowers in the Smokies

These Black-eyed Susans (I think) were on the trail up to "Ol' Smoky" (a.k.a. Clingman's Dome) in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Some of them were as tall as we were! Whenever I see wildflowers like this, I always think of these verses from the Bible . . .

Matthew 6:25-30

For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?

And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!

Smokies

"How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains! "

—John Muir

This picture was actually taken at sunset, not sunrise. But, I love the way this stream is in the shadow of the Smokies, and you can see the sun on another mountain in the background. These woods and mountains are so diverse, they fascinate me. What a wonderful piece of Creation! The Smokies always remind me a bit of Hinds' Feet on High Places, and the journey of "Much Afraid." I can't help thinking about that story whenever I'm there.

"From the heights we leap and go

To the valleys down below,

Always answering to the call,

To the lowest place of all."

Alum Cave Bluff Trail bridge

A couple of years ago, my husband and I spent some time in Great Smoky Mountains National Park for our vacation. One of the trails we did was the Alum Cave Bluff Trail. There are two bridges you cross early on in the hike, and this is one of them. I loved the light . . . not too bright. It made for a very serene location to snap pictures. I love bridges, for some reason, and this one captured my fancy.

The trail is 2.2 miles to the bluff, and well worth the trip. It's a beautiful trail, and goes through a number of interesting rock formations, and through some incredibly beautiful forest. At one point on the trail, you might be able to spot a Peregrine falcon nest, if you know what you're looking for.