Spending time in the mountains can be a dream come true for those of us that live in the flat-lands.  (I’ve only ever lived in Illinois and Texas)  I can vividly remember seeing the mountains for the very first time.  I was an adult, and it was a ski trip to  Colorado Springs, CO.  I actually cried it was so breathtaking.  It was so awe-inspiring  I immediately felt God’s majesty, and was overwhelmed at the sight.  Pictures never do justice to nature, but I still thought I’d share a few from our recent trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, taken with my iPhone.  I rarely use the original camera that comes on the iPhone–except for video.  I use the Camera + App because you can edit or delete photos before you even save them to your camera.  There are a lot more editing choices, too, so it’s a great little tool for quick edits.

We stayed in Gatlinburg, TN, which is surrounded by the Smokys.  I have to admit, the roads are a little nerve-racking, and I would never want to be on them at night or in inclement weather, but this last week was spectacular and we enjoyed the beauty of God’s creation to the fullest.

Gatlinburg itself is rather tourist-y, but you can take off in any direction and find trails, waterfalls and beautiful rushing creeks.

A day trip to Cade’s Cove rewarded us with deer, turkey, birds, and TWO bear sightings! Oh, to have a good camera! The first was a mama bear with her two cubs, and the other was a mama with a single cub, not more than 50 feet away! If you look closely, you can see the mama on top of this natural shelter–the cub was playing inside.

This photo was taken with the original iPhone camera using the panoramic setting:

On our last day, we hiked up to another falls and on the way down we spotted another bear!  He even stopped and looked straight at us, then meandered on his way and was no threat.

This waterfall is the only one in the Smokys you can actually walk behind–well worth the hike!

I didn’t realize the Appalachian Trail wove right through these mountains, but now that we’ve hiked the Trail (the width of it! ), I can cross that one off my bucket list! :0)

I am a Midwest, cornfield-loving-girl.   I like being able to see for miles and watch a field full of fireflies at night.  I prefer a 70 mile an hour interstate that actually goes North, South, East and West.

Don’t get in a hurry here because you are more likely to be on a 25 mph, winding–don’t miss the turn or you meet your maker–kind of road.

Can you imagine those early settlers that braved these mountains and carried all of their supplies necessary for building their homes and churches?!

I’ll be the first to admit that it’s worth the drive to see the spectacular sights, but I’ve already decided I don’t want to live here–just visit. :0)

I am thankful to be home, but it really was a blessing to experience the mountains in the summertime.  This was the river that ran right in front of our hotel:

I do admit, that when it comes to raw beauty, there is nothing like the majesty of the mountains.

I always think of the verse,

I lift my eyes toward the mountains.
Where will my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:1-2

In the old classic, The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy is ready to go home and she repeats,

“There’s no place like home.  There’s no place like home.”  

I couldn’t agree more, young lady.

Time sure is relative.  We always think we can’t wait to get away.  We get away and we can’t wait to get home.

Do ‘ya think that knowin’ what was waitin’ for us when we got home made us long for it even more…  :0)

Yep, getting away is a good thing, but coming home is even sweeter!