Yesterday was a good day. I spent the day in the Smoky Mountains and had time to reflect on many things. I got to write in my small journal and figure the best way to express what was in my mind at the time is to transfer those analog thoughts to digital expression:
5/20/03 - Townsend "Wye", Great Smoky Mountains National Park
I'm back. Back in Tennessee. As I wait to begin work, going out for a drive seemed to me to be a good adventure. Sitting here at the Y in the Smokies, I remember why I love this area. Though I may not much care for Knoxville, I really do love this place.
The only thing that could make this experience better is to share it with Laura. I miss her so much right now. It just doesn't feel quite right not having her with me. I take solace in the sound of these two rivers as they come together. The white noise of a Smoky Mountain stream is so much more than the sound of waves on a beach. I never realized this before, but the more I think about it the more I realize it's true. There is something about the sound of a mountain stream that is eternally soothing.
Soon I rejoin the minions at work, but until then I'm going to enjoy my time here. I plan on spending a lot of my time up here. You don't realize how much you have missed, ignored or just plain dismissed until you get out here after being gone for far too long.
Later - The Sinks
I'm sitting at The Sinks right now. This part of the river was created when loggers blasted out a log jam. I've seen kids jumping from the rocks and I've seen divers in scuba gear. Entire families just staring at the falls. It's an awesome sight to see. Huge boulders jut up at angles. You can tell in this portion of the park that there were some major geological forces at work. Grays, reds, greens, black. All the earth colors are here in a jumble. Vines crawl down the side of the cliff, hanging on to any tenuous hold that they can find.
It's obvious, sitting up here above the water, (at least 20' or so) that at one time it flowed through this high up. Pockets are worn in the rock. When you think about how long it takes for a hole to be worn in this rock, it really is awe-inspiring. Water, such a soft, life-giving thing, can wear holes in rock, something we see as hard, cold and unforgiving. Incredible.
In a month this area will be overrun with tourists, but for now I think it's all mine. Few people around, and the water itself just speaks to me. Cheesy? Yeah. But that's the way I feel. I'm eternally grateful for whatever power gave us each other, our pets, our friends and the most beautiful country ever. I can only hope it stays this beautiful forever, so that everybody else may enjoy it too.
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I'm down by the side of the Sinks now, where the water pinches down from 20' wide to no more than 8' wide. It's amazing, and mesmerizing, to watch the waters at work here. The force at which it flows and the amount of water that pours down from the mountain gives you some scope of the dynamics at work on the earth. This doesn't stop. This water flows day in and day out. It doesn't take Memorial Day off. It doesn't go to sleep. And eventually this water slows down, meanders along and joins the Gulf of Mexico. Laura is seeing the same water I see here eventually. I wish she could see the water here right now instead.
Maloney Point - You can see how much money has been cut by the Federal Government. Weeds are growing out of the cracks in the pavement. The grass is tall. REALLY tall, and the parking lot here just feels plain decrepit. But the view is as spectacular as I remember. Clouds hang low over the moutnains. I can't see more than 3 ridges ahead. Wisps of thin cloud hang down from the main body of cloud, looking almost like smoke rising up from the forest. It's easy to see why so many decided to settle here, and why this is the most visitied national park. I hear birds. I can hear the sound of the breeze moaning through the trees (although it is really very quiet here). You can't hear the creek from here. It's somewhere over the next ridge, I believe. (Note to self. Pick up a map.)
What amazes me most is that people pull in here, stop, look and leave. The don't even get out of their cars. Windows up, a/c on, probably the stereo on, Venti Half-Caf Soy Latte in the cupholder. They're not really seeing the park. They're looking at it. I know, because I've done it. I want to see it now, with all my senses. That's what I'm here for today. To see it with both my eyes. I'm glad I didn't bring a camera. It would have ruined the view.
And I can hear the creek now, along with the drops of water falling from tree leaves as the wind shakes them loose.
Just spoke to Laura. The wonders of cellphones. She should be here, enjoying this with me. I miss her more now that I'm in such a beautiful place. You would think such beauty would take her off of my mind to some small degree, but it doesn't. It only increases the longing.
Sugarlands Visitor Center - Sign posted at the center reads: "First Amendment Expression Area" designated for the sale and distribution of printed matter in accordance with the provisions of 36 CFR 2.52 (a permit is required).
This area has been set aside for individuals or groups expressing their constitutional first amendment rights. The National Park Service neither encourages nor discourages, or otherwise endorses, these activities. - end sign.
OK. I can get into that. But what about the rest of the Constitution (namely the Bill of Rights?)
My gun is at home because it has to be, by Federal law, since I'm in a National Park.
5/20/03 - Townsend "Wye", Great Smoky Mountains National Park
I'm back. Back in Tennessee. As I wait to begin work, going out for a drive seemed to me to be a good adventure. Sitting here at the Y in the Smokies, I remember why I love this area. Though I may not much care for Knoxville, I really do love this place.
The only thing that could make this experience better is to share it with Laura. I miss her so much right now. It just doesn't feel quite right not having her with me. I take solace in the sound of these two rivers as they come together. The white noise of a Smoky Mountain stream is so much more than the sound of waves on a beach. I never realized this before, but the more I think about it the more I realize it's true. There is something about the sound of a mountain stream that is eternally soothing.
Soon I rejoin the minions at work, but until then I'm going to enjoy my time here. I plan on spending a lot of my time up here. You don't realize how much you have missed, ignored or just plain dismissed until you get out here after being gone for far too long.
Later - The Sinks
I'm sitting at The Sinks right now. This part of the river was created when loggers blasted out a log jam. I've seen kids jumping from the rocks and I've seen divers in scuba gear. Entire families just staring at the falls. It's an awesome sight to see. Huge boulders jut up at angles. You can tell in this portion of the park that there were some major geological forces at work. Grays, reds, greens, black. All the earth colors are here in a jumble. Vines crawl down the side of the cliff, hanging on to any tenuous hold that they can find.
It's obvious, sitting up here above the water, (at least 20' or so) that at one time it flowed through this high up. Pockets are worn in the rock. When you think about how long it takes for a hole to be worn in this rock, it really is awe-inspiring. Water, such a soft, life-giving thing, can wear holes in rock, something we see as hard, cold and unforgiving. Incredible.
In a month this area will be overrun with tourists, but for now I think it's all mine. Few people around, and the water itself just speaks to me. Cheesy? Yeah. But that's the way I feel. I'm eternally grateful for whatever power gave us each other, our pets, our friends and the most beautiful country ever. I can only hope it stays this beautiful forever, so that everybody else may enjoy it too.
------------------------
I'm down by the side of the Sinks now, where the water pinches down from 20' wide to no more than 8' wide. It's amazing, and mesmerizing, to watch the waters at work here. The force at which it flows and the amount of water that pours down from the mountain gives you some scope of the dynamics at work on the earth. This doesn't stop. This water flows day in and day out. It doesn't take Memorial Day off. It doesn't go to sleep. And eventually this water slows down, meanders along and joins the Gulf of Mexico. Laura is seeing the same water I see here eventually. I wish she could see the water here right now instead.
Maloney Point - You can see how much money has been cut by the Federal Government. Weeds are growing out of the cracks in the pavement. The grass is tall. REALLY tall, and the parking lot here just feels plain decrepit. But the view is as spectacular as I remember. Clouds hang low over the moutnains. I can't see more than 3 ridges ahead. Wisps of thin cloud hang down from the main body of cloud, looking almost like smoke rising up from the forest. It's easy to see why so many decided to settle here, and why this is the most visitied national park. I hear birds. I can hear the sound of the breeze moaning through the trees (although it is really very quiet here). You can't hear the creek from here. It's somewhere over the next ridge, I believe. (Note to self. Pick up a map.)
What amazes me most is that people pull in here, stop, look and leave. The don't even get out of their cars. Windows up, a/c on, probably the stereo on, Venti Half-Caf Soy Latte in the cupholder. They're not really seeing the park. They're looking at it. I know, because I've done it. I want to see it now, with all my senses. That's what I'm here for today. To see it with both my eyes. I'm glad I didn't bring a camera. It would have ruined the view.
And I can hear the creek now, along with the drops of water falling from tree leaves as the wind shakes them loose.
Just spoke to Laura. The wonders of cellphones. She should be here, enjoying this with me. I miss her more now that I'm in such a beautiful place. You would think such beauty would take her off of my mind to some small degree, but it doesn't. It only increases the longing.
Sugarlands Visitor Center - Sign posted at the center reads: "First Amendment Expression Area" designated for the sale and distribution of printed matter in accordance with the provisions of 36 CFR 2.52 (a permit is required).
This area has been set aside for individuals or groups expressing their constitutional first amendment rights. The National Park Service neither encourages nor discourages, or otherwise endorses, these activities. - end sign.
OK. I can get into that. But what about the rest of the Constitution (namely the Bill of Rights?)
My gun is at home because it has to be, by Federal law, since I'm in a National Park.
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