Family reunion and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

We just returned from a family reunion in Pigeon Forge, TN. It was our 2nd official reunion for the Marrs family with the first being held in 2009 in Florida. This time, our cabins in Pigeon Forge overlooked the Great Smoky Mountains. With the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in our backyard, the views from our multi level cabin decks were amazing! My photography mission for this trip was to explore waterfalls with long exposures to get that beautiful wispy bridal veil effect. I used my new canon 16-35 mm f/4 lens for these shots and also some ND filters for one in particular. We had a wonderful time with the family. On the way home, we drove on the southern route of the Blue Ridge Parkway for a days drive. We went 80 miles in one day and were exhausted from all the stops with awesome overlooks, but it was beautiful! We ventured off the Parkway to take Hwy 276 through Pisgah National Forest toward Ashville. Our destination was Looking Glass Falls, but I ended up hiking to Moore Cove Falls as well. We only saw a small fraction of the sites in the forest around Ashville, but totally enjoyed it!

Sunrise over the Smokies

Pigeon Forge, TN July 2019

Sunrise over the Great Smoky Mountains

View from deck of Kenny’s cabin, Pigeon Forge, TN July 2019. I think this is my favorite photograph from the trip, because it captures the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains within our family reunion setting.

View from the summit of the Newfound Gap Road

road crosses boundary between North Carolina and Tennesse, July 2019

A bubbling creek near a picnic area

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN July 2019

In the creek

I’m sitting on a rock in the creek. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN July 2019

View from the trail to Laurel Falls

Laurel Falls upper

Laurel Falls

Laurel Falls lower

Cades Cove Primitive Baptist Church 1827

Fog over the Smokies

Mingus Mill

Grist Mill with turbine

Mingus Mill

1886 Grist Mill for grinding corn and wheat, off Mingus Creek Trail, Cherokee, NC July 2019

Wildflower meadow in the mountains

Moore Cove Falls

There’s a couple of people in this photo for scale. I took this handheld because I forgot my tripod. It was a beautiful waterfall, but pretty dark. Pisgah National Forest, NC July 2019

Looking Glass Falls

10 miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway, off Hwy 276, Pisgah National Forest, NC July 2019. A little bit out of focus but without a tripod and with ND filter.