The Smokeys

As much as I love my life in Houston, there are times that I sit and think about the pure beauty of the Appalachian Mountains. This mountain chain is also called the Smokey Mountains. So where does the name Smokey Mountains, Smoky Mountains, or Smokies come from anyway? If you have ever seen the Smokies, you’d know how it got its name. The higher elevation, humidity, and hydrocarbons produced by trees and plants often put off a hovering, almost eerie haze throughout the mountain range giving it the name “Smokies” as it looks like there is smoke all up and down it. When I lived in Charlotte, the mountains were only two hours away. Kevin and I would go often and enjoy the pure beauty of our surroundings. My favorite trip was the one we would make to see the fall leaves. It was as if someone dumped a box of crayolas over the trees. There were so many different shades of red, orange, yellow and purple you couldn't help but praise GOD for the pure beauty. Once again, I got to go visit my favorite mountains. My brother is only 35 minutes away from the mountains. We packed the car with a simple picnic and headed out for a drive in the mountains. We headed toward Cade's Cove where there is a 15 mile one way loop. Along the drive, you can see deer, turkeys, and even an occasional black bear. My brother and his family have been many times and have never seen a bear. We saw three!!! Here is a picture:
We truly believe the only reason we saw so many bears is because none of us had a camera. We had our phones, but that is not the same. I found this picture on the internet and thought it looked exactly like the three we saw. It was truly an amazing sight. We found ourselves looking at the the bear thinking wow this is amazing and then reality set in and our thoughts changed to...holy cow I am looking at a bear! I tried my best to commit to memory what I was seeing. As I so often do, I quickly became intrigued by what I was seeing and just knew I would come home and do a little research. Here is what I found:

All black bears in the park are black in color, but in other parts of the country they may be brown or cinnamon. Black bears may be six feet in length and up to three feet high at the shoulder. Females are generally smaller and weigh less than males. Bears weigh eight ounces at birth and can weigh 400 pounds or more as an adult.
The life span of a black bear is generally 8-12 years, though "nuisance" bears have a life expectancy of about half that time. Some park bears have lived to be over 20.
Interesting Facts About Black Bears:
• eat mostly berries, nuts, animal carrion, and insect larvae
• have color vision and keen sense of smell
• are good tree climbers
• swim very well
• can run up to 30 miles per hour

I was amazed to read that they weigh only 8 ounces when born. That is so little. I also did not see that they mostly eat humans. Thank God. I did not know they were good swimmers and tree climbers. Nor did I know that they could run so fast. So, what the heck are you supposed to do when you encounter one? Catapult yourself to another planet? I guess this is why it is good to respect the bears and stay away!

We had a picnic in a beautiful area that was surrounded by a small creek. Kevin and Kiera gobbled their lunch and set out to dip their footsies in the water. I joined them a little later only to find Kiera stripped out of her clothes, wading around in her Crocs and a diaper. So I stepped in the water..OMG it was ICE COLD!!! Must be snow run off. I could not believe she was in there half naked! WOW!!! We also spotted many butterflies gracefully flying around the creek. It was truly a beautiful sight.

We finished our day with some ice cream which is also the perfect end to any adventure. I couldn't help but think how to incorporate the pure beauty of the Smokeys in a book. By the way, I got the writing job and not only has this excited me in obvious ways, it has also fueled my desire to write a short story or maybe even a book!