Friday, December 21, 2018

Snow in the Smokies

The snow last week happened in the mountains and east of us. We did not see any snow so we decided to take a drive to look for it. The Park Service closes the road through the mountains when it snows. They do use snow plows but no salt.  The snow started at 3000 feet and increased at higher elevations. The road opened on Monday. 

Tree cutting crew and snow at 3000 feet elevation.

Going up, roads were clear.


Clingmans Dome is closed for the winter.

Newfound Gap.

Heading back to Sevierville.



Our Tuesday drive took us on to Cherokee, North Carolina.

View from the North Carolina side near Newfound Pass.

Elk gather in the fields by the Visitor Center on the Cherokee side of the mountains.


Harrah's Casino at Cherokee. It's not really leaning but I guess my camera was.
This casino is on the Cherokee Reservation.
  
On Wednesday, we drove to the Pisgah National Forest and the small town called Hot Springs. We followed US 25 along the French Broad River. 

Pisgah National Forest at an overlook. This road 290 was about 5000 feet elevation, very narrow and had many curves.

Most of the houses along the road were abandoned but some were still occupied.

There was no flat land, hardly room to grow a garden.


We drove south and came back through Cherokee and the mountains again.
The sun was down but a slow shutter worked for this photo.

It was dark by the time we reached Gatlinburg.
A night view from an overlook on the bypass road.

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Smoky Mountain Opry

One of our benefits from working at Two Rivers Landing are free tickets to most of the shows in Pigeon Forge. We went to the Smoky Mountain Opry Christmas Show with our friends from Mississippi, Billy Joe and Fran. 
This was a first class show. Here are a few photos.

Chris Blue from Knoxville won Season 12 of NBC's reality singing competition The Voice.
He is currently working here at the Opry in Pigeon Forge.






Everyone must change costumes many times during the 2 1/2 hour show.
The final was the Manger Scene complete with live animals and flying angles.