Natural Tunnel State Park

The natural tunnel sits at the bottom of the gorge. It provides a way through the mountain for the freight trains in the area.


This little engine sits just off the parking lot of the park. You can climb aboard.


More on the little engine.


Man-made tunnel known as "Little Tunnel" just opposite the natural tunnel.


We saw several trains the day we were there. Here's one coming through Little Tunnel.


View from one of the overlooks. The natural tunnel is in the mid-lower right of the pix. You can see another overlook on the other side of the gorge in the upper left corner of the pix.


We hiked across a bridge and into the woods to find this cabin.


One view from Lover's Leap. Notice the train in the lower right corner going through the gorge. Another overlook is above it.


Another view from Lover's Leap.

Still On The Planet; Among The Living

I didn't fall off the planet, and yes, I am still among the living. I have just been...busy...weary...uninspired...and scatterbrained...in no particular order. I had no idea I would ever be so disorganized. I thought that the older I got, the wiser I would get, and life would be so much easier, being that I was so smart and all. I wish. I have found out that the older you get, the more things you have to worry about. To make it worse, your brain doesn't work like it used to and sometimes...it quits on you all together. I have started misplacing things. Right now, I have a book missing, along with my one-fourth measuring cup. I have looked the house over and cannot find either one of them. I hadn't even read the book and I have no idea how long it's been missing. I am in the process of organizing and moving books and I realized it was gone. I've also started talking to myself. It seems to help.

I've decided to title my posts again. I grew tired of giving them all a name, but it is so much easier to locate a post if it has a title. Also, I am not finished with the Free Things in the Smokies posts. I stopped to look for a pix and never started back again. I will try to do that soon.

Dear husband pulled 18 frames of honey off our one little beehive. We bottled 18 quarts of honey this year. That is the most we have ever gotten. Most of the honeybees in this area have died. We have had this one little hive since 2001 and it is thriving.

The humming birds are all gone now. They left about a week ago. I miss them. Many of our other birds are gone, too. I love fall, but it always makes me a little sad. I know that winter is coming.

This is one of my favorite poems. I usually post it on the blog this time of year.



Something Told The Wild Geese

Something told the wild geese
It was time to go.

Though the fields lay golden
Something whispered,--"Snow."

Leaves were green and stirring,
Berries, luster-glossed,

But beneath warm feathers
Something cautioned,--"Frost."

All the sagging orchards
Steamed with amber spice,

But each wild breast stiffened
At remembered ice.

Something told the wild geese
It was time to fly,--

Summer sun was on their wings,
Winter in their cry.

by Rachel Field

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