Gatlinburg: A gem within the Smokey Mountains
Mountains. River. Fallen leaves. Pure air. Mother nature has something with her which never ceases to attract people to go play in her lap. Human vocabulary will never be able to serve justice if someone tries to narrate the exquisiteness of nature with words. It has to be realized, felt, enjoyed, relished, valued, cherished, adored, loved.
I have always felt the nature in many deeds. Sometimes nature behaves like the last cry of summer, sometimes it’s the first of autumn. Sometimes it acts as the family yet sometimes it rages you with a severe storm. Sometimes it looks like a lush green vista and sometimes it’s a mossy wasteland. Sometimes it looks like the Shire yet sometimes it realizes the Morder. Among all these comparisons, one thing remains constant is eternal beauty.
After spending a few years in Texas I have moved to North Carolina in October 2018. After researching many options to visit for fall foliage, Gatlinburg and Smoky mountains were finalized for the weekend trip. In fact, it was a straight-up decision to visit the Smokeys.
Camera — Check (perks of having only one body, no confusion !!!)
Lenses — Check (eternal confusion !!!)
Tripod — Check (again, did I clean the legs after the last trip to sea beach?)
Memory Cards — Check (back-up, format, pack)
Filters — Check
Dresses — Check
Winter clothes — Check
And we are off to the Smoky mountains early in the morning. I always felt early morning drive has its own appeal. You don’t have many thoughts in your mind. The air feels so fresh. You can drive with a calm and composed mind.
The mountains are calling, and I must go.
- John Muir
After a few hours of drive, we were welcomed by the mesmerizing beauty of Great Smokey Mountain National Park. The mountains were covered with leaves colored in all shades of yellow, red, green, orange which was a treat to the eyes to watch. Throughout the drive, apart from all the fun we had, I had one thought ringing in my mind, The mountains are calling, and I must go. John Muir’s powerful quote was bringing the best out of me to go into the mountains, chase the heights, drive through the corners and reach the star of Smokey Mountains, Gatlinburg.
My wife took the accountability to find and book a hotel with good reviews and close proximity to downtown. After some exploration, we zeroed on Brookside Resort by Fairbridge. I saw some of the pictures of that hotel online and found a small river flowing by its side. Though I had a vague image of what it’ll look like in actual, I’ve never expected it to be this beautiful.
After an effortless check-in, we headed to the downtown to spend see some local attractions. Among all, I found the Space Needle to be one of the best attractions.
According to the website:
The iconic Gatlinburg Space Needle is a 407′ observation tower that overlooks downtown Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains. Ride our glass elevators to our observation deck for a 360° view of the Great Smoky Mountains and Gatlinburg.
The Space Needle tour was windy, shivery, scary, ecstatic.
A trip to Gatlinburg is never complete if you didn’t dine at Bubba Gump Shrimp. Although it was windy, though the temperature was freezing, despite a one hour wait time, we decided not to miss the dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp. Needless to say, dinner was nothing less than amazing.
We decided to retire early as we had a whole day drive scheduled on the next day.
I woke up early in the morning to take some long exposure shots of the river. As soon I walked out of the room, I was greeted with the freezing temperature of Gatlinburg. It was 23 degrees that morning. Though I was shivering pretty bad, the excitement to capture the landscape pushed me to stay calm and keep shooting the colorful leaves across the shore. Early in the morning burbling sound of the river was pretty welcoming to spend some lone time and take some pictures.
You need to see it to believe it
The bright yellow leaves were creating a scintillating effect with the mute mossy greens spread on the rocks. The flowing water has created a silky smooth effect with the 30" exposure. It’s completely needless to say that the landscape was breathtaking.
With these beautiful snaps and a decent breakfast, we headed towards the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Pit Stop: Mingus Mill !!!
Mingus Mill is a historic Mill, located just a short distance from the Oconaluftee Visitors Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Both the mill itself and the land surrounding the mill are beautiful. The mill is a popular stop for people traveling through the park, and especially for photographers. The mill is located just off of Highway 441 (Newfound Gap Road). There is a large parking area and restrooms, and Mingus Mill is just a short walk down a trail from the parking lot.
More information on Mingus Mill: https://blueridgemountainlife.com/mingus-mill/
Pit Stop: Oconaluftee Visitor Center
When you come from Gatlinburg, the Oconaluftee Visitor Center can be reached at the exit to U.S. Highway 441 / Newfoundland Gap Road near Cherokee, NC from Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Plenty of maps, guides, exhibits, and many helpful park rangers are available to guide you through your next leg of the journey.
We were glad that we made a stop here and visited the Mountain Farm Museum. This has farm buildings which date back to 1900. The barn, log farmhouse, springhouse, and the working blacksmith shop displays how people used to live before 100 years. This is a decent thing to experience.
And if you are really lucky, you can see Elks grazing in the large meadow at dusk and dawn beside the visitor center. If you have a telephoto lens, you can capture the Elks real close. Mind it, the roads get real clogged by visitors trying to take pictures of Elks. The Rangers did a great job by keeping the tourists away from entering fields.
During fall rutting season it’s a memorable experience to listen to the male Elk’s bugling. However, that comes with a caution. Though the wild animals are habituated seeing humans near their habitat, they may get aggressive during mating season. So caution must be maintained while around them.
We were pretty pleased with the Elk sightings. My daughter cheered up. Though she wanted to touch one of the majestic animals, we had to refrain her from doing so.
We also offered our prayers at Sri Somesvara Temple. This temple is primarily of Lord Shiva. This is built on top of Mount Soma, NC. No one would know that a temple exists in such a location, but thankfully it does. The place is gorgeous. It’s well maintained and the premises are kept really clean. Mount Soma itself is a beautiful location amidst mountains. I was glad to know that many visitors come here for meditation and for spiritual happiness.
It was almost evening and we needed to head back to Greensboro. With a promise to meet next year Summer/Fall, we bid adieu to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park, Mount Soma and drove away with some beautiful memories with us.
