Swimming At Whites Creek

In late August, Bill and I took a trip out to East Tennessee with some of the ladies of Tennessee Parks and Greenways. We went to the home of Steve Scarborough, which sits on a 1500 acre property at the base of the Cumberland Plateau.
Steve's land is protected by a conservation easement put in place via Tennessee Parks and Greenways.

Here is Bill at the base of the Cumberland Plateau. That's the edge of the Plateau on the left of the photo.

Whites Creek runs right through Steve's land, so we took the day to hike and snorkel.
The distance of the hike was only about 1/4 mile, but the drop was about 200 feet, so it was decently steep. The path we walked is a mining road built in the 1940s.
It rained a bit and the water was murky, but it didn't stop us from swimming, hiking, and enjoying the flora and fauna of the surrounding natural beauty.

One of the gorgeous green views.

This little lizard greeted us first thing.

As we were hiking down to the creek, Steve pointed out a bald eagle through the trees and across the creek. I whipped out my handy 70-300mm zoom and was able to get this shot.

My first bald eagle sighting. Pretty amazing.

The first swimming hole was a pool at the edge of some low falls. We swam across and sat on the rocks with the water running around us. It was beautiful and refreshing. We swam back to shore through a straight-down rain.

The second swimming hole was just a little way down the path. People waded on the shelf and swam in the surrounding pools. We saw fish and fossils and frogs.

When the creek is higher, it's perfect for kayaking and canoeing.

These frogs are little, most under an inch long. They have great camoflauge. 

A little slice of heaven.

Everything was so green, colorful details like this fallen leaf became high profile.

On the hike back to the house, I noticed this large boulder in the trees that I hadn't seen on the way down. I love the placement of this large, unyielding stone among the lacy green of the understory plants and small trees.

When we got back to Steve's house, he had hot dogs and beverages for us all, along with stunning views. It was the perfect end to a beautiful day away from the city.

Want to learn more about opportunities like this? Follow Tennessee Parks and Greenways on Facebook and subscribe to their events. 

Fall Creek Falls

This past weekend, we headed to Fall Creek Falls with some friends from Wisconsin and attended a night of the taping of Bluegrass Underground. Bluegrass Underground is always amazing, and I highly recommend checking it out whenever you can, but the park is where I focused my lens.
We took a hike around the park, and it was gorgeous. We honeymooned here in early Spring of 2012, and always manage to come back in late winter - before the season begins, but just as the weather is breaking.
We stayed in a Fisherman's Cabin on the lake; it was absolutely perfect: days in the 60s, nights in the 40s.
Here are a few photos of the wonderful surroundings:

Okay, this was on the way to the cabin, but the fire was so bright and amazing.

The falls: the highest falls East of The Rockies.

A gorgeous view on our hike.

Moving water is fascinating to me.

Looking across the gorge of the falls.

View from the cabin's deck.

I like the dichotomy of night time city shots and daylight nature shots I've started to amass. It keeps me intrigued, and I hope it does you, too!