Great Smoky Mountains

In my final tribute to the National Parks, we go to my favorite place to spend time east of the Mississippi. The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, I officially discovered this park when I was 4 years old. The only reason I know this is because we were traveling to Florida to see my Dad's grandparents & we had rented a pop-up trailer. My Dad got really sick, so we had to figure out how to set up trailer as we camped in the Smokies. So my mother two older sisters & me finally got the trailer set-up & we ended up enjoying our stay in Florida. Do I truly remember the Smokies,no not really but they do have film of us going up the Sky Lift in Gatlinburg, TN.

I returned to the Smokies on my own trip to Florida when I was 25. I traveled there several times between then & when I met Heidi. Once I met Heidi the Smokies became the place we always loved to go together. It was the first place Heidi & I "ran away" to when we first started going out & we have traveled back there at least a couple times a year since. It was 1997 when we first drove down to the beauty of the Smokies.

So why do I love the Smokies so much? It's a place to escape & reconnect with nature that's within a reasonable drive. We can get down to Gatlinburg from Indianapolis within 5.5 - 6 hours so it's ideal for a long weekend. Secondly, we've discovered a wonderful place to rent Mountain Chalet's from Chalet Village these Chalet's are amazing & keep us close enough to do things in Gatlinburg & the National Park but a world away from all the busyness of Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge. Most of these Chalets are on a mountain above Gatlinburg, the views can be incredible up there & it's very quiet instead of all the noise of the city.

Finally, it's the beauty of the Park; the mountains are lush & green in contrast to the peaks in the Grand Tetons. The park is easy to hike, there are many "quiet walkways" that allow you to get out of your car & enjoy the park & there are many wonderful hiking trails. We have enjoyed hiking & seeing all the beauty of this park as well as enjoying all the wildlife, including Black Bear, Deer & many kinds of birds.

To explore this park I suggest starting your visit at the Sugarlands Visitors Center (It's the closest to Gatlinburg) then head off to Clingmans Dome for a short hike to a wonderful ranger tower where the views are incredible. On your way to Clingmans Dome stop at Mortons overlook a beautiful vista on the side of the road. After traveling to these places I would suggest heading back towards Sugarlands & taking Little River Road towards Cades Cove. On the way to Cades Cove stop at Laurel Falls. Laurel Falls is a short hike to a beautiful waterfall. I would encourage everyone to see these falls as the trails are all improved & not hard to walk the 1.3 miles to the falls & enjoy his view (especially in the spring as the falls are full of water). Continue to Cades Cove a beautiful area that includes a motor route to drive through the countryside. Cades Cove is the best place in the park to see wildlife on a regular basis. The loop can get very busy so go early & be prepared for a couple of hours to complete the loop.

For me the Smokies is like a second home. I can be stressed in my life & drive 6 hours to place of quiet that reaches into my soul. I would go more often if I could, I feel the true connection to the earth whenever go there. The beauty of the mountains the glory of the waterfalls & the wonder of the wildlife call me back often & I am forever grateful to have this wondrous place so close to my home. I believe in the ads for Gatlinburg they point out that they are within a days drive of 60% or 70% of the population of our great country.

Take time to explore the beauty of the National Parks rediscover who you are through this great tribute to the natural world. As John Muir said "I'm going out to go within."

Thanks for letting me share my inspiration with you. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Go Colts!!!

Till Monday,

Bill

Quote of the day: "Amongst the fog & the clouds lives a special place in my heart. No matter where I go in my life, I know I can always return to the Smokies, even if it's just in my mind!"

P.S. The picture is one of the many I've taken in the Smokies & the picture on my blog is also a picture I took from the Smokies

Chalet Village on Dwellable

Grand Tetons National Park

I debated greatly on which park to include in today's blog. I knew right away the park I wanted to finish with tomorrow. But I've had the pleasure of seeing many national parks, so deciding on the top 4 that I've actually spent time in. Wasn't hard, overall because 3 of them came to me right away.The problem came in with choosing the final entry I've probably been to 10 National Parks & as I mention yesterday each of these park are a jewel & have something wonderful to offer any visitor. After much debate (with myself) I decided on Grand Tetons National Park. The majesty of the mountains always draws me to this park.

Grand Tetons National Park is located an easy hour to hour & half drive south of Yellowstone National Park via state highway 89. State highway 89 South from Yellowstone is not open during the winter (Nov.-Mid May) so the only way to access the park in the winter is driving North from Jackson Wyoming.

The most vivid memory I have of this park is the beauty of the mountains as I walked on the trail around Jenny Lake. The crystal clear water of Jenny Lake was the perfect forefront for the amazing peaks of the Teton Mountain range. The wonderful thing about this hike is you can walk all the way around the southern half of the lake & when you get to the other side you're able to take a boat back to where you begin. I hiked this trail to Inspiration Point & the view was simply breathtaking.

The wildlife viewing in this park is also very good (being in the same general area of Yellowstone) & as I returned down the trail from Inspiration Point I ran into a large male Elk. I've mentioned before in this blog that I've always had a connection with animals. I've never understood exactly why or what it is that I have but this event was a great example of that connection. As I returned from Inspiration Point, as I mentioned, I ran into a male Elk. I was within 3-5 feet of this beautiful animal, he looked at me & I told him how beautiful he was & that was just going to sit here & watch him until he wanted to leave. That is what I did, I sat down where I was standing (3-5 feet) from this beautiful animal. I sat there for at least 10 minutes he looked at me & I looked at him. He would occasionally eat some of the grass between us but overall we just stayed there looking at one another. The situation only changed when more people came down from Inspiration Point, as the crowd began to gather (probably in the 10-15 minute time frame, the crowd became approximately 10 people) he looked me then looked at the others & turned & left. It was an amazing encounter for me, something I will forget in my life.

That's how close you can get to the wildlife in some of the National Parks, it's an amazing experience to see wildlife in their own natural setting. There is no place in this country to experience wildlife more vividly then our National park system. Reconnect with the land take a walk in nature & if you're lucky enough to live near a National Park take time to enjoy the beauty of the park near you.

Till Tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day:"In core of every human is a connection to the land that goes back to our beginning, rediscover this connection & find the deep & lasting joy inside yourself."

Grand Canyon

The awe & wonderment that fills you when you walk out to the edge of the Grand Canyon is indescribable. The beauty of the canyon walls with their variety of colors & the sheer magnitude of the size of the canyon is unbelievable. Pictures & video no matter good they are can never do justice to this amazing site. It truly is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life. The time that I spent at this magnificent park is the closest I've ever felt to being truly connected to God/universe. A visit to Grand Canyon National Park will change your life forever if you allow it to.

So you're probably asking yourself, "If you love the Grand Canyon so much why wasn't it #1?" The answer to that is easy for me, Yellowstone offers so much diversity that it will always be my first choice. The difference between these parks is that simple to me. You can go to the Grand Canyon & be blown away or go to Yellowstone & experience everything from it's own Grand Canyon to geysers & paint pots, etc. One of the joys of my life is that I've been able to discover many different National Parks, they are all beautiful in their own way & they are also very different, so my choices may not be yours but the important thing to remember is to get out to the parks & reconnect with nature & that ancient connection to the land.

When visiting the Grand Canyon I strongly suggest staying at the Grand Canyon Village. There are several options available for accommodations there but it's the closest place to enjoy all the park has to offer. Several other cities that surround the Park are actually a long drive to get into the park & to the south rim. Most of the activities that take place are on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. The south rim is where you can take the mule ride down the canyon or check out many different vistas. I enjoyed walking the rim trail where every turn is another amazing site.

The most amazing thing about the Grand Canyon is the change in light, either by the sun or the clouds, each of these changes in light reveals new colors & definition & sometimes these changes are very dramatic. Take time to discover this park & in turn take time to discover yourself.

I love to sit on the edge of the canyon & just take in the beauty around me. This beauty will touch your soul deeper then anything I've ever known & no matter how long you stay there, it will never feel like enough. When you feel you need to rediscover who you truly are, journey to the Grand Canyon & experience the joy of this beautiful place.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day:"The beauty of the Grand Canyon has to be experienced. Take in the beauty & rediscover yourself in the process."

Yellowstone

Over the weekend Heidi & I began to watch the "National Park" series by Ken Burns. I'm a big advocate of the national park system & I've spent time in several of the national parks. I'm hoping to feature one of my favorites everyday & also tie in some thoughts about why nature is so important & can lead us to a more joyful life. I've become inspired again after watching this series (we've only watched the first two) & feel the need to share my inspiration. I hope you'll all enjoy this journey & I urge each of you to discover a national park near you.

To begin this week I start with my favorite national park: Yellowstone!! The picture above is one that I took from the lower falls looking out through the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. This picture is hanging in our living room & I was fortunate to finish in the top 10 of a photo contest with this picture. Have you ever been inspired by a picture? This picture inspires me for a couple of reasons; First, I am able to transport myself back to the moment I took this picture & remember the beauty all around me. Second, this picture is a journey through life for me. I made sure to include the rainbow (I had to hang over a railing to get it in the picture) because to me a rainbow always signifies hope. We all need a little hope to get us through life. The Yellowstone river is the journey of our life, a winding path that disappears into the distance. There are times in our life that if we would just let go & with the flow we would be carried onto a better life. Unfortunately many of us try to swim up river & battle our way through life. Then finally, we have the blue sky, something always to be able to look up to with comfort.

Yellowstone is my favorite national park because of it's diversity. You have the beauty of many water falls, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, the geysers & paint pots, the beautiful mountains & a huge lake. Along with all this diversity it's one of the best parks to see wildlife. The last time I was there we picked up a laminated wildlife & bird card & tracked all the varieties of animals we saw within the week. We were able to see most of the animals & birds that we on this card including: Buffalo, Elk, Moose, Grizzly Bear, Osprey & hawks. The beauty of the park comes alive to you much more if you take the time to get out of your car & hike some of the many trials the park has to offer. A park ranger once told me that 98% of the visitors to Yellowstone never go beyond their cars & the "tourist" spots. To me being able to get off the beaten path & hike with my two younger girls was amazing.

We began the week with the longest & toughest hike, hiking nearly 6 miles (round trip) to the top of Mount Washburn the hike takes you through many different types of scenery & eventually through several switchbacks to the top of Mount Washburn which is more then 10,200 feet above sea level. On this hike you go up a total of 1,500 feet from the beginning to the end. The beauty of the Yellowstone valley from this peak is amazing & I would encourage all of you to check it out if you go.

Yellowstone is huge, there is a loop road that covers most of the park. On this loop road there's a road that splits it approximately through the center. With stopping to enjoy the views & the animals you'll be lucky to drive one half of this loop in a day. My suggestion is to take as much time as you can. I enjoy staying in the "canyon" area because it gives you easy access to the other parts of the park. There are both camping & lodging options in the "canyon" section of the park.

The beauty of nature is something we all need to reconnect with. It is only through this true connection that we can rediscover who we really are. There is a part of us that remembers our connection to the land & it's in rediscovering this connection that we can begin our journey to a more joyful life.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

Quote of the day: "The beauty of Yellowstone is in it's diversity. Take time to discover this jewel of the national parks!"