Slave Falls TN Summer Afternoon Adventure

My last post described the two Twin Arches in the Great South Fork Region in Picket County Tennessee. I stated that Slave falls would be posted next.

Slave Falls is a few miles away from the Twin North and South Arches in the same park. This is located in a heavily wooded, rocky terrain with good paths.
Take hwy 154 east from hwy 127 near Jamestown,TN.


Turn right onto Divide Road and then travel about 4 miles on Ridge Fork Rd.  Follow the signs on  the way to Charit Creek Lodge . The Sawmill Trail parking will come up first so park on the grassy lot in front of the trail head.

 There is a map of the trails as you enter the trailhead so we took a photo of this to help navigate through the area.

This preserve has a history of logging so the sawmill trail name made sense but any remnants of the old sawmill are gone.

The woods is very thick in the summer and the shade from the trees was welcome on this humid day but I will return in the falls and maybe winter when more can be seen.
On the way ,we passed cliffs, creeks, and overhangs. There was a sign for the rockhouse too, but we decided to do this another day.

We made our way to the side of Slave Falls but I was disappointed by the size of it. I guess they didn't get as much rain and so it was difficult to capture a good shot. My boyfriend scaled over the fence in an attempt to get that good shot.

Since the water falls over a huge overhang ,one could consider this to be a rockhouse, but it was impractical to walk through with the large boulders.

After climbing out of the bottom, we ventured on a trail that we thought would take to another great site and saved our disappointing trip. Needle Arch is a wonderful intact natural rock formation that is on the same path down from the falls.

The wide angle lens makes an interesting perspective.

After leaving the arch we continued on the trail that we thought would take us back to the car but it didn't!
We somehow got turned around and ended up on the other side of the falls!
The two hour hike wound up taking almost four hours and my feet were swollen.

Hiking on hot, humid days does take its toll. I was so happy to see the car and turn on the air conditioning. Yes I am just a day tripper. We came upon hearty campers and hikers that stayed overnight but I don't know how they deal with the creepy crawlies in the night!

A Lesiurely Afternoon Boat Ride on Pickett Lake

Last June of 2013, we made another visit to one of my favorite parks to hike and photograph nature. Pickett State Park is located on hwy 154 ,east of hwy 127. It is next to the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in the north central region of Tennessee.

This trip turned out to be different than most. We saw the people rowing in the lake. The boathouse  was open and the canoes were available to rent so we decided to try it.
I haven't rowed in a small boat for many years but my boyfriend assured me it would be fine.





I was worried about my camera getting wet if the boat can capsized.
We ventured into the calm water and I immediately felt very tranquil.

The scenery was spectacular!
I'm glad I took the camera and here are some of the wonderful shots we captured.






All along the banks and cliffs of the island are caves and shelters. The shrubbery, flowers and blue green water made it all worth the trip.
The best part was rowing under the arch that we could only admire from the opposite side.

Rhododendrons, ferns, vines, small trees, and mountain laurels along the banks












We found a cave and shot some
 photos looking out into the lake.

another small lakeside cave long the water.
The reflection on the lake was beautiful.









We passed a beaver den on the way back to the boat dock. I didn't see the animals . It would have been a good shot.

I only regret that it wasn't very sunny. The photos may have been more colorful.

Dreaming of Summer

In the mist of the worst winter in recent memory,  I am dreaming of summer. Last June, we visited a beautiful, lush green park in Indiana called Ferdinand State Forest. It is about an hours drive west of Louisville, KY.

I was amazed at the lush dark green trees and grass along with the beautiful twin lakes.

They looked like giant mirrors, reflecting the tall trees in the background.













This one is my favorite shot from this trip. it looked like a perfect mirror reflection. The weather was a little overcast and water was still.
Not many people were in the park on a Sunday afternoon. Sometimes you can capture the perfect shots or mood when no one is around. I've had others step in front of my shots many times. It's a bit frustrating but I have to expect that in a popular location.

I had always thought of Indiana as farm country and didn't know it had a beautiful forest like this one. The southern section is very much like Kentucky, but it's not as hilly.












I can see by the impatient look  that it's time to finish up the last shots before we go.

We will be back this summer to bask in the beauty and tranquility of this lush forest in Indiana.
These were taken with a Nikon D3200.