As October 2000 approached, I was reminded of something I'd heard about for years and had never gotten around to -- going to the Smoky Mountains when the leaves are turning color. Since I'd recently made contact with some long-lost cousins and friends, three of which are in the Carolinas, I decided to make a combined color-quest and friend/cuz-visit trip. This is a quick-shot of that trip, with some "colored" pictures for your perusal.
As I came up through Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee, gas got cheaper and leaves got a little more colorful -- but neither changed much. I went as far as Pigeon Forge, where I saw a few trees turning, but it was only the last week in September and I was a couple of weeks too early. Then I dropped down to spend a few weeks taking care of some business in Huntsville, Alabama -- about mid-October, trees there really started getting pretty. Below left, some nicely-colored trees in front of the Space Camp at the Space and Rocket Center. Below right, trees around the space shuttle at the center. (I also added some neat pictures to my sunset chapter, CLICK HERE if you'd like to side-step over and look at them)
And here's the Cullasaga River Gorge in Nantahala.
If you want to see more of the beautiful North Carolina scenery, click on "Next Chapter" below.
If you're not sure where you want to go next, click on "Back to Index".
I finally got out of Huntsville on October 23rd and headed northward. On the advice of a friend, I decided to follow U.S. Highway 64 across Tennessee and North Carolina. He said it was really a beautiful drive and probably a very good place to look for colorful trees. I first caught the highway in Fayetteville, Tennessee and turned eastward. I stopped at a little cafe just East of Fayetteville and had a delicious lunch buffet of home-cooked delights for only $3.95. A great start for the trip. I've forgotten the name, but it was some initials like E&M or E&N, just East of town, and had a large enough parking area across the street to accommodate an RV. The drive across Highway 64 was as beautiful as promised, complete with plenty of country scenery. I followed 64 until I hit I-24 West of Chattanooga, then zipped down I-24 and up I-75 to rejoin 64 at Ooltewah, Tennessee.
When you get East of Cleveland, Tennessee, you start into the mountains and it really gets scenic. One piece of advice -- as you approach Cleveland from the South, you're offered the option of taking the by-pass or going through town. If you're in/pulling an RV, TAKE THE BY-PASS!! I followed 64 through Cleveland, making a series of turns and squeezing through some really tight streets. Then came the icing on the cake -- an overpass with a 10' clearance -- and they don't warn you until you're a half-block or so away. I plan to write the Chamber of Commerce and ask why in the world they don't put a sign way outside of town at the by-pass -- or at least a few blocks before the overpass where the truck route branches off. As it turns out, I was able to turn off just before the overpass, but then managed to take the tail-light off a car in one of the subsequent tight squeezes and got to meet one of the local police officers. He laughed about the overpass and commented at the number of RV air-conditioners that he's had to pick up there. He noted that most RVs make it through until they come to the air-conditioner.
Anyway, I drove on to Franklin, North Carolina, where I camped overnight. The next day, I went out in the area and tried to capture some of the fantastic scenery in the area with my camera. To finish off my quest for colors, I've included some leaf pictures below -- then a whole lot more of some of the local attractions in the next chapter. First below are two views in the Nantahala National Forest -- judging by the number of leaves on the ground, it looks like a week or so earlier would've been the best time for leaf-viewing -- maybe next year I'll make it by mid-October ... lol.
2004 Update!
Just found a neat website where they tell the current status of fall colors around the country, normal peak times, etc. Click the color map to go to the Weather Channel website.
31. Quest For Colors : FL, GA, TN, AL, NC
My Travel Log
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