Your Bio

Just a hillbilly who likes to be outside alot. Always ambling around in the woods and snooping around to check things out.

I'm putting out Botanical Bliss--The Bloom Report 2008 now.
Check it:http://tinyurl.com/2nbztc

Galleries

Bob Stratton Bald : Located in Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness, NC

Bob Stratton Bald

Located in Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness, NC

Updated: Jul 23, 2008 9:17am CDT

Native Orchids : Collection of various wildflower species I've encountered in my days out on the trail. I have also included shots of some of the unique and beautiful places these flowers can be found.

Native Orchids

Collection of various wildflower species I've encountered in my days o ...

Updated: Jul 22, 2008 2:24pm CDT

Digital Vasculum : Collection of various wildflower species I've encountered in my days out on the trail. I have also included shots of some of the unique and beautiful places these flowers can be found.

Digital Vasculum

Collection of various wildflower species I've encountered in my days o ...

Updated: Jul 22, 2008 2:06pm CDT

Around Home :

Around Home

Updated: Jul 21, 2008 9:16am CDT

Cherohala Skyway : The Cherohala Skyway is 52 miles of scenic drive and hiking opportunities running from Tellico Plains on the TN side to Robbinsville, NC on the other side. The name is derived from Cherokee National Forest on the Tennessee half and Nantahala National Forest on the North Carolina half. The area sees much less traffic and lighter use than the Smokies, but has lots of beautiful scenery and recreation opportunities. The gallery of photos was created to include area hikes and/or drives over time. Here is a link with some info: http://www.cherohala.org/

Cherohala Skyway

The Cherohala Skyway is 52 miles of scenic drive and hiking opportunit ...

Updated: Jul 18, 2008 9:13am CDT

Honey Creek Loop : One of the most fun hikes in the Big South Fork and the hardest!

Honey Creek Loop

One of the most fun hikes in the Big South Fork and the hardest!

Updated: Jul 16, 2008 8:42am CDT

Museum of Appalachia : We camped at Norris Dam State Park and visited the Museum of Appalachia one day. It was great fun! I'd like to go back in the Fall when they have Homecoming! Here is a link to their website: http://www.museumofappalachia.org/

Museum of Appalachia

We camped at Norris Dam State Park and visited the Museum of Appalachi ...

Updated: Jul 15, 2008 10:20pm CDT

The Lily Barn : The Lily barn in Townsend sells lilies, native wildflowers, and hosts weddings. The grounds are open for taking walks!

The Lily Barn

The Lily barn in Townsend sells lilies, native wildflowers, and hosts ...

Updated: Jun 24, 2008 1:51pm CDT

Gregory Bald : One of my favorite places of all time is atop Gregory Bald. A wide open meadow with beautiful scenery and azaleas in June!

Gregory Bald

One of my favorite places of all time is atop Gregory Bald. A wide ope ...

Updated: Jun 20, 2008 10:08am CDT

Pix to Order :

Pix to Order

Updated: Jun 04, 2008 7:17am CDT

Carolinas : Trips in North and South Carolina over the years

Carolinas

Trips in North and South Carolina over the years

Updated: Jun 03, 2008 12:21pm CDT

Botanical Bliss 2008 : I was hoping for a bloom report of our area and found there was none last year. I decided to do it myself. Welcome to Botanical Bliss--The Bloom Report 2008. This is the 7th one, but the 1st edition for 2008 bloom season. I will keep the zine updated in a timely fashion. Get out there and enjoy the great outdoors and see what's blooming! This zine focuses on the Great Smoky Mountains, Blount Co, TN, and the surrounding area.

Botanical Bliss 2008

I was hoping for a bloom report of our area and found there was none l ...

Updated: May 28, 2008 10:01am CDT

Max Patch : Saturday Sept.2, 2007 Kenny and I visited Max Patch for the very first time! We truly enjoyed it and agreed it will be a place we make return visits through various seasons. It is a wonderous place that far exceeded our expectations for beauty, ease and fun. I will add photos to this gallery in the future.UPDATE: May 10, 2008 Went to Max Patch for a Spring Picnic, waterfall visit, and Spring wildflowers. Lovely day. Still thought the Summer visit was prettier.

Max Patch

Saturday Sept.2, 2007 Kenny and I visited Max Patch for the very first ...

Updated: May 27, 2008 3:29pm CDT

Great Smoky Mountains : Assorted photos of all the different things I've seen in the Smokies.

Great Smoky Mountains

Assorted photos of all the different things I've seen in the Smokies.

Updated: May 27, 2008 12:37pm CDT

Royal Blue : Four Wheelin Fun and Exploration as we learn our way around the tens of thousands of acres that make up the Royal Blue WMA.

Royal Blue

Four Wheelin Fun and Exploration as we learn our way around the tens o ...

Updated: Apr 28, 2008 12:33pm CDT

Roundtop Trail :

Roundtop Trail

Updated: Apr 28, 2008 12:31pm CDT

Four Wheelin' Fun :

Four Wheelin' Fun

Updated: Apr 26, 2008 5:49pm CDT

Hedgewood Gardens :

Hedgewood Gardens

Updated: Apr 16, 2008 1:48pm CDT

Tennessee Trips : Trips to waterfalls and other lovely locations around Tennessee

Tennessee Trips

Trips to waterfalls and other lovely locations around Tennessee

Updated: Mar 18, 2008 10:35am CDT

Smokemont Area Hikes : I began this photo gallery to hold photos from the hike Friday March 30, 2007 Bradley Fork Trail to Cabin Flats Trail. This is during a period of time I am trying to complete all 900 Miles of Trails in the Smoky Mountain National Park. I will have numerous other hikes with trip reports and photos to add to this collection. I'm trying something new. I am trying the idea of having a Hub to work out from and add photos from hikes in that area to the hub gallery.

Smokemont Area Hikes

I began this photo gallery to hold photos from the hike Friday March 3 ...

Updated: Mar 14, 2008 2:31pm CDT

Carry Me Back to Ole Virginny :

Carry Me Back to Ole Virginny

Updated: Feb 29, 2008 8:12am CDT

Wrasslin' Match :

Wrasslin' Match

Updated: Dec 08, 2007 8:05am CDT

Sams Creek and Green Camp Gap : Off-trailing it and bushwhacking up Sam's Creek Manway, up the mountain to Green Camp Gap, and down the other side to Lynn Prong. We hit the Middle Prong Trail and then crossed the river to hike the Mark's Creek Manway to the falls. There are many unmaintained trails or manways and old road beds in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This hike involved manways which were not that bad and some bushwhacking that was also not near as bad as some I've done.

Sams Creek and Green Camp Gap

Off-trailing it and bushwhacking up Sam's Creek Manway, up the mountai ...

Updated: Oct 24, 2007 8:40am CDT

Cataloochee Area Trips :

Cataloochee Area Trips

Updated: Oct 14, 2007 7:26pm CDT

Deep Creek Area Hikes : Monday 9/24/07 I completed the entire Deep Creek Trail with Tom Dunigan. We did it as a shuttle hike. 14.2 miles in 7 hours with plenty of goofing off on my part. It was a fun day and a long one. My dogs are barking today behind it! This gallery of photos will be for adding photos of this areas trails.

Deep Creek Area Hikes

Monday 9/24/07 I completed the entire Deep Creek Trail with Tom Duniga ...

Updated: Sep 25, 2007 8:35pm CDT

Botanical Bliss 2007 : The Bloom Report for the current season in the Great Smoky Mountains, Blount County, TN and surrounding areas!

Botanical Bliss 2007

The Bloom Report for the current season in the Great Smoky Mountains, ...

Updated: Sep 13, 2007 11:11am CDT

Balsam Mountain : Wildflowers and what is to see in the Balsam Mountain and Blue Ridge Parkway Area through the seasons. Includes photos from Blue Ridge Parkway segment from Oconaluftee to Waterrock Knob, Balsam Mountain spur, and Heintooga.

Balsam Mountain

Wildflowers and what is to see in the Balsam Mountain and Blue Ridge P ...

Updated: Aug 29, 2007 9:59pm CDT

Alarka Laurel Red Spruce Bog, NC : Alarka Laurel Natural Area is a high elevation, flat-bottomed, "hanging" valley. It is the southernmost occurence of red spruce forest and an unusual Southern Appalachian bog community. It is a small piece of Canadian forest in the mountains of Western NC. There are three forest types represented here: Acidic Cove, Montane Oak-Hickory, and Red Spruce. Many plant species more common to northern hemispheres can be found here.

Alarka Laurel Red Spruce Bog, NC

Alarka Laurel Natural Area is a high elevation, flat-bottomed, "hangin ...

Updated: Aug 29, 2007 9:51pm CDT

Myrtle Beach : July 2007 Family Vacation. Myrtle Beach, Brookgreene Gardens, Huntington Beach State Park

Myrtle Beach

July 2007 Family Vacation. Myrtle Beach, Brookgreene Gardens, Huntingt ...

Updated: Jul 29, 2007 9:59pm CDT

Slippin and Slidin on Greasy Prong :

Slippin and Slidin on Greasy Prong

Updated: Jul 11, 2007 9:54am CDT

Standing Indian, NC : Camping trip to Standing Indian, NC. Seeing the surrounding sights such as waterfalls, and great views.

Standing Indian, NC

Camping trip to Standing Indian, NC. Seeing the surrounding sights su ...

Updated: Jun 25, 2007 10:37pm CDT

Erin's Meadow : Erin's Meadow is at the outskirts of Clinton, TN and is a beautiful herb farm. I have been into cooking with herbs and herb gardening for many years. I am only just finding the best places to shop and enjoy the herb farm culture here in Tennessee. The gardens are wonderful and it is in an area of abundant natural beauty. The gift shop is amazing! Local area artisans work is sold here. They sell organic gardening supplies and their herbs and native wildflowers! It is my kind of place!

Erin's Meadow

Erin's Meadow is at the outskirts of Clinton, TN and is a beautiful he ...

Updated: Jun 21, 2007 9:21am CDT

Little Greenbrier Trail :

Little Greenbrier Trail

Updated: May 09, 2007 1:35pm CDT

Whiteoak Sink : The area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park known as Whiteoak Sinks is interesting from a geological standpoint. It is a "fenster" or geologic window looking down into younger rock. The limestone forms here are younger than the metcalf phyllite found higher above this area along Scott Mountain Trail. The metcalf phyllite is an older, softer, more easily eroding and fracturing rock. The limestone forms in Whiteoak Sinks give way to cliffs, monadnocks, and sinkholes. The sweet, rich soil and low lying elevation of this area makes it a paradise for wildflowers! There are at least four caves here. There are four or five limestone sinks. The waters of Short Creek drop into one cave and disappear into the ground emerging again as Silver Falls which you can see by visiting Tuckaleechee Caverns!

Whiteoak Sink

The area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park known as Whiteoak ...

Updated: Apr 26, 2007 1:19pm CDT

Defeat Ridge Manway :

Defeat Ridge Manway

Updated: Apr 24, 2007 12:24pm CDT

Chestnut Top Trail : I hiked 1/2 mile up the Chestnut Top Trail in the Smokies today. What an abundance of Spring wildflowers I saw! The "Doctrine of Signatures" is the idea that God has marked everything He created with a sign (signature). The sign was an indication of the purpose for the creation of the item. The Doctrine states that, by observation, one can determine from the color of the flowers or roots, the shape of the leaves, the place of growing, or other signatures, what the plant's purpose was in God's plan. This idea gained popularity during the 1600's and continued to be used for medicinal cures in Europe and Appalachia into the 1930's and beyond. Though the idea has largely fallen out of favor in the face of modern medicine and science there are still people who practice this although finding a D.S. healer is harder these days. When you see plant and flower names which contain "wort" as part of the name it is a holdover from the past and the Doctrine of Signatures. Wort is an Anglo-Saxon word which means "plant" or "flower".

Chestnut Top Trail

I hiked 1/2 mile up the Chestnut Top Trail in the Smokies today. What ...

Updated: Mar 31, 2007 12:11pm CDT

Albright Grove :

Albright Grove

Updated: Mar 21, 2007 11:01am CDT

Scott Mountain Trail :

Scott Mountain Trail

Updated: Mar 20, 2007 6:29pm CDT

The Catstairs :

The Catstairs

Updated: Mar 12, 2007 10:56pm CDT

Spruce Flats Falls and Honey Cove :

Spruce Flats Falls and Honey Cove

Updated: Mar 11, 2007 4:01pm CDT

White Trash Waterfall Trip :

White Trash Waterfall Trip

Updated: Feb 10, 2007 8:44pm CDT

Slickrock Creek Area :

Slickrock Creek Area

Updated: Jan 22, 2007 9:19pm CDT

Grandfather Mountain :

Grandfather Mountain

Updated: Jan 22, 2007 8:25pm CDT

Afton Mountain :

Afton Mountain

Updated: Jan 22, 2007 2:34pm CDT

Rock Island State Park Vacation :

Rock Island State Park Vacation

Updated: Jan 20, 2007 6:25pm CDT

Sugarland Mountain Trail :

Sugarland Mountain Trail

Updated: Jan 19, 2007 2:45pm CDT

Fern Branch Falls in the Snow :

Fern Branch Falls in the Snow

Updated: Jan 18, 2007 10:30pm CDT

Forney Creek Backpack Trip :

Forney Creek Backpack Trip

Updated: Jan 18, 2007 1:48pm CDT

Rocky Top TN :

Rocky Top TN

Updated: Jan 18, 2007 1:19pm CDT

Savage Gulf :

Savage Gulf

Updated: Jan 18, 2007 11:24am CDT

Mill Creek :

Mill Creek

Updated: Jan 17, 2007 11:34am CDT

Bumpus Cove, TN :

Bumpus Cove, TN

Updated: Jan 16, 2007 10:19pm CDT

Roan Mountain :

Roan Mountain

Updated: Jan 16, 2007 10:24am CDT

Buffalo Spring Herb Farm :

Buffalo Spring Herb Farm

Updated: Jan 15, 2007 4:37pm CDT

Summer Fun :

Summer Fun

Updated: Jan 15, 2007 8:52am CDT

The Cumberland Trail :

The Cumberland Trail

Updated: Jan 14, 2007 11:31pm CDT

DeSoto Falls State Park Trip :

DeSoto Falls State Park Trip

Updated: Jan 14, 2007 7:21pm CDT

Elkmont to Tremont Hike : Jakes Creek >Blanket Mtn> Panther Creek> Middle Prong route

Elkmont to Tremont Hike

Jakes Creek >Blanket Mtn> Panther Creek> Middle Prong route

Updated: Jan 13, 2007 2:31pm CDT

Ramseys Cascade and Beyond :

Ramseys Cascade and Beyond

Updated: Jan 09, 2007 4:37pm CDT

See Rock City :

See Rock City

Updated: Jan 09, 2007 4:03pm CDT

Goshen Prong Backpack Trip :

Goshen Prong Backpack Trip

Updated: Jan 09, 2007 12:16pm CDT

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