On the first day that the National Parks were reopened to the citizens who own them, I drove to the Smoky Mountains to have a few hours in Cades Cove – a truly remarkable location, and a visit I highly recommend.

All images are Copyright © Andrew McInnes/2AM Photography. All rights reserved.
If you wish to purchase prints please visit my website http://andrew-mcinnes.artistwebsites.com/ or send an Email to me.

 

I feel so very fortunate to see a family of American Black Bears up close and personal – sort of.

Peek-a-boo 🙂

 

Mama bear ascends. Such amazing claws/claw strength!

 

Unlike the assorted yahoo’s who observed the scene with me, I did not approach and stand under the tree!

 

The fog was very thick when I first arrived. This scene/habitat is very similar to that where I observed the bears.

 

Morning light flashes the prairie through the fog.

 

This is not a monochrome/black-and-white treatment. Rather, the fog and rain and mist altered the light to what you see here.

 

The lovely winding road that leads to Cades Cove follows a stream for a good portion, and this lone tunnel is always intriguing to me. I stopped to take this image on my way out – the fall leaves are beginning to turn on  a show right now!

 

 

These images are a mere sampling of the wondrous place that is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. For more of my images of the park, swing over to some of my earlier/archived posts:

https://2amphotography.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/a-bloody-cold-shoot-in-the-mountains/
https://2amphotography.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/serenity-in-the-great-smoky-mountains-national-park/

 

Cheers,

Andrew