In the Midst of the Clouds

Here we are on the way back home today, and as you can see, we got a special gift from above because the Great Smoky Mountains were in fact "great" and "smoky," and of course "mountains."  The weather was so clear the last few days, but today we woke up to rain.  The room service delivered our breakfast as usual, and we packed to go home.  At one point, I had entertained the idea of swinging by Dollywood one more time, but the rain settled that matter, and there was just something that said it was time to go home.

So we left Pigeon Forge and hit the road over the Great Smoky Mountains, and as you can see, it can be quite beautiful when you are in the midst of the clouds.  We stopped frequently on our journey this morning, looking over all sorts of pullovers to see spectacular views of where the clouds meet the mountains.  Even on the way upwards, the views were beautiful.  The Tennessee side has a lush forest to drive through, and we had the road all to ourselves for quite a long time.  We saw several turkeys, including one mother turkey and her two children following across the road - we had to stop to let them cross.  It was nice.

But once we started going through the two tunnels there, and the looping bit of road, we knew we were getting higher in elevation, and the views suddenly opened up, and we were entering the clouds.

Again, it was quiet along the road, and it was certainly quiet up there in the mountains, that glorious silence that fills your ears when you're away from so much hustle and bustle.  The view was spectacular, and often times you see something with your eyes that just feels like it should have a lot of explosive noise, or at least a soundtrack. 

The three of us used nearly all of the pullovers to stop and walk out to look around at the view, all except for the two that we usually stop at.  The Newfoundland Gap stop had no view whatsoever because the cloud bank was up against it in such a way that all you saw was white.  Similarly, the other location we typically stop on, the one on the North Carolina side with the extended walkway that follows the road, was also pointless to stop at.  At that particular location, you couldn't even see ten feet in front of you, as you were in the middle of the cloud at that point.

But there were plenty of other places that we stopped, and of course these had remarkable views.  The temperature was in the sixties, so it was really cool up there, proving after all that Madison had worn her sweatshirt wisely when she put it on earlier.  

These shots above are largely from one area, passing by Chimney Tops, and just after the second tunnel.  The road starts really winding back and forth there.  This next shot was from Newfoundland Gap.

As said earlier, looking over the viewpoint, you couldn't see anything at all.  This is actually backwards, looking back towards Tennessee.  The following shot was on the North Carolina side, just before the long ridge.

 

This was one of those places where a photo just doesn't capture things fully.  It was this huge panorama before us, the wisps of smoke rising over the mountains for miles and miles.  It was an amazing view.  This below is the photo that Madison took with her phone.

And here are a few other photos she took:

And here's a selfie!

Madison enjoyed the views as well.  Oh, and you can see the new necklace she got at Dollywood that she's wearing in this particular photo. 

She snapped a few pictures with us, and then soon after, we started downward to Cherokee, and then the drive home.  It was a pretty quiet drive.  We were listening to podcasts with bluegrass music, and of course of the mountains we had to listen to the hammered dulcimer.  We had rain off and on, but when we got to Hall County, the weather was much more stormy, with thunder and lightning.

We got home, and there was a lot of rain when we arrived, so the plants have certainly gotten enough water.  And upon getting home, of course, we unpacked and we rested.  And believe it or not, there was enough time to go to taekwondo, and leadership classes.  Today Madison started to use the staff for the first times and she really enjoyed it, more so than even the kamas she was using last season.  It was a fuller class, as the new season is starting, the fall season.  The start times are later, to accommodate the school schedule - yes, there are those who have already started school, believe it or not.  Madison starts on Thursday.  Today, she went to a "virtual open house," where students merely watched all the school-related greetings and run-throughs online.  Newsflash:  she has Spanish this year.  Also, she has a few other high school classes as well, so I'm assuming she'll be ahead in a few areas.  That should be challenging, of course, but I know she's up for the challenge.

As for taekwondo, she handled the staff well, and will have her own staff soon.  Yes, we have weapons in our house now.  She's getting a staff of a particular color, and it is the right length for her height as well.  She practiced with one tonight, and was doing well with it.  Already, it's her favorite weapon.  I suppose those of you who have practiced with a staff might understand why.  She did say she might get some bruises from this one, but she was definitely having a good time.

Getting home, we did some work, and then after that finished up season four of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."  Madison is officially caught up at this point, having seen every episode leading up to the big finale on Wednesday.  We're trying to stay away from spoilers - it's a two-hour finale seven years in the making, and pretty much the last connection to the MCU.  Moving on, Ghost Rider shows up again tonight, and of course there's all kinds of implications there.  

It's always an interesting day coming back from a vacation.  I sort of say to myself, "Wow, this morning we woke up in __________, and here we are now."  It was a long day, and a full one, but a nice finish for our vacation.  It was a quick time away, just a weekend really.  But it was nice, and everyone had a good time.  Tonight we said our prayers, thanking God for a nice trip, for safety and a very nice time together.  We continued to pray for health, for the health of our nation, for Ba-Ba, and for me as well.  And after all the routines of reading devotional and our latest book, we went to bed rather quickly, pretty tired from the big day.