June 7, 2012 Great Smokey Mountains

We decided to do a waterfall day. We started with Deep Creek  loop Trail.

Tom Branch Falls. Deep Creek is very popular with inner tubers. We passed about 20 places with a couple hundred tubes each, all with people standing in the road trying to interest us in renting tubes for $# at day. You have to carry them up the creek, no vehicles are allowed and then float down.

Indian Creek falls, John for some perspective how tall the trees are

Another perspective shot. The second shot is John standing at the top of the ridge, which anywhere else there would be a view, but you can’t see a thing thru the trees.

John walking under a rhododendron tree.  Curvy trunks in the understory

bridge over Deep Creek Trail,  Juney Whank falls.

More of Juney Whank falls

A bathing beauty at Juney Whank falls. We had to drive to the next falls. Mingo falls. It said a short 100 yard, very steep trail to the falls. I think it was 100 yards elevation gain. . . Very big falls though.

Lots of flowers again. I don’t know them all, but starting top left, Rhododendrons, yellow star grass, Rhododendron bud,triple mushrooms, yellow flower, tiny white flower, mushroom and skull caps

Double mushroom, tiny pink flower, phlox, butterfly that landed on me, maidenhair ferns, yellow mushroom, pyolia, geranium.

seeds, wild orange  day lily,  orange jewelweed, Asiatic day flower, double red mushrooms,  horse nettle ,spiderwort and another two orange jewelweed-little older and more the color they are supposed to be.

Allyium with a couple beetles on it, snail, yellow fungus and white butterfly. Which way is south 19?? more importantly which way is 19 north-that is where we wanted to go!