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Borrego Springs, CA

Thursday, June 28, 2012

A hot day for a black dog

The forecast for today was temps at 100+*, so early on I packed up Emma and my lunch and headed for the mountains.  It turned out to be an excellent decision.  I wanted to visit some areas I hadn’t been to on my trip to the Great Smoky Mountains last week. 

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My destination was the Balsam Mountain Road in the North Carolina portion of the National Park.  Little did I know that it would involve 225 miles of driving, getting lost (once again), and a real adventure on some roads less traveled. IMG_9072Of course, I couldn’t resist stopping for some more stunning views of the Smokies along the way.  Photos just can’t really capture the magnitude and peacefulness of these old mountains that just roll on and on and on.

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In order to get to the road I wanted to investigate, I had to slip out of the National Park for a bit and traverse a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Yahoo!  One more thing checked off of my bucket list.

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What a great name for this parkway!  This photo is not enhanced at all.  It truly does have a blue hue as the mountains spread out as far as the eye can see.  The Blue Ridge…different than the Rockies, but breathtaking in a different way.

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As I came to the border of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park once again, I visited the Mason Marker.

_MG_9098I don’t know much about the Masons, but after reading this sign I could surely appreciate the significance of this marker.  I found it amazing how the different stones came from so many different places.

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Emma and I stopped for lunch at a picnic area along the Heintooga Ridge Road.  Unlike our experience on Father’s Day, we had no problem finding a rustic table to enjoy a peaceful repast.  I don’t think I’ve mentioned it, but this National Park does not charge an entrance fee.  There are no gates to go through where you have to pay or produce your senior pass.  First time I’ve run into that.  It seems when the park was formed, it was decided there would be no charge since families had to be removed from their homesteads.  It was felt that there shouldn’t be a charge for these folks to return to visit the graves of their ancestors, so we now all benefit from that decision.  I’m sure many of the people that had lived in these mountains when Great Smoky Mountain National Park and The Blue Ridge Parkway were formed resented having to abandon their homes.  I’m happy to visit here, but sad for the families that were uprooted to provide these treasured places.

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Now to the highlight of the morning on this glorious day.  As Emma and I were coming down the trail from the picnic area, a bird flushed in front of us.  I recognized it as a dark-eyed junco, and had a feeling that I might find a nest nearby.  Sure enough, I found three eggs in a little nest on the ground tucked into the side of the trail.  I took a quick shot and we continued on our way to the car.  Later, I returned, without Emma, to find mama junco back incubating the eggs.  How cool is that?

_MG_9138Unless you know what you’re looking for, you’d never see this well camouflaged nest.  Mama junco is sitting on the nest just to the right and a little bit down of center.  Can you find her?

This afternoon held more adventures, but I’ll save that for tomorrow since this post is long enough.  It was 101* when we got back to the rig at 6:30 tonight.  Thank goodness the pool was open tonight so I could cool off!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

19 comments:

  1. The descendants of the folks displaced by the Smoky Mtn National Park, and the Shenandoah National Park still feel a lot of resentment. Who can blame them, but I do love visiting those places. I feel even sorrier for the Cherokee who were ripped out of the Smoky Mtns and mostly died on the march to Oklahoma.

    There is a feeling I get from these mountains that is absent when I visit the Rockies or the Sierra, although both those ranges are gorgeous.

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  2. I can find her and how lucky were you...what an exciting sighting!!

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  3. Mountains are one of my favorite views. we went thru the Blue Ridge one winter on theway to Florida.

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  4. Lovely area! I cannot see her.
    Hope you are drinking tons of water. Please be careful with that heat.

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  5. They definitely are different than the Rockies but I am always amazed at the beauty that each part of the country has that is so very different. Isn't it wonderful that we have the opportunity to see and enjoy so much of it. It's hot for any color dog or any human.

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  6. On the weather last night on TV they showed a map with all the temperatures all over the US, EVERYONE is getting this heat wave, including alot of us up here in the 'great white north'. Take care, keep hydrated and keep that a/c running.

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  7. We used to go to the go up there every fall for the fall foliage. We haven't been there in quite a while and you're making me miss the area. Too bad it's so hot.

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  8. Beautiful photos of the Smokey Mountains. Interesting stuff about the Mason's Marker too - I guess the big iron gates around the monument are to protect it from vandals? Good idea about heading to the mountains to try and beat the heat.

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  9. The Blue Ridge Highway is delightful. Your photos are just beautiful and capture the magnificence so well.

    Cool photo of the junco nest too. What a nice find along the trail.

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  10. You are the ultimate birder and I am the ultimate idiot. I can't find the nest and you even told me where to look. :c(

    You took some wonderful pictures, such a beautiful area. We spent lots of time in the area when we lived in VA. It was a favorite place for us to go in our RV during our working life, close enough to get to for a short trip, but when there we felt a million miles away from all the working stress.

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  11. This area is definitely on my bucket list. Thank you for bringing us along on your journeys - your photos are wonderful!

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  12. I found the little birdie sitting on a hot day! I've seen so many sitting on nests just panting...

    Our son learned quite a bit about the Masons while he lived in NC. They are quite a secret society of fellows, and women too with the Eastern Star.

    Try to stay cool like most everyone else in the country!

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  13. I lived for many years at the North end of the Blue Ridge Parkway where it joins the Skyline drive. Just in the foothills there and have seen these gorgeous gentle mountains all my life. Your pictures are as good as any I have ever seen. You've done a great job and had a great day to see them with just enough and not too much haze! Loved seeing these pictures.

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  14. Fabulous photos of the indescribable!! We drove the Blue Ridge many years ago..our son-in-law's parents live in Asheville, NC...right behind the Biltmore Mansion in Senior housing...North Carolina is one very lovely state, and sort of overlooked sometimes...I could live there...Great job on the nest hunting...I would have NEVER found it, and ended up walking into Kentucky just looking.

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  15. Can't find the bird or nest! But I can find the mountains in your pictures.

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  16. Just beautiful. I did find mom

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  17. You are right, your photos are really good but do not capture the beauty of the Smokes or the Blue Ridge

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  18. I did see the mom sitting on her nest. Lucky you. Loved the pictures of the mountains. I'll likely never get that far east so always enjoy seeing the photos. BTW, there is NO heatwave here in Oregon, at least in the Eugene area. Cool wet weather continues to dominate. The temperature reached high 70s today under a cloud cover and that was PLENTY hot for me. Hope it stays cool.

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  19. Great photos. Glad to hear that Emma gets to go along on some of the jaunts.

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