View allAll Photos Tagged Newfound
This is a similar shot to a previous picture I posted, taken from the same spot, except here I intentionally tried to capture the motion of the cars as they traveled up and down the road. Maybe such a shot with cars is appropriate, since I leave in a few hours to make the long drive from Atlanta to Chicago...then fly from Chicago to Dallas, back to Chicago, and only to drive back to Atlanta - all in the next two weeks!
This is a spot in Great Smoky Mountains National Park that I'll be sure to return to at the same time next year. The sheer magnitude of colors in the trees in this short stretch of US441 near the Chimney Tops picnic area is astounding; I've never seen anything quite like it! The newly paved road wasn't as attractive from road-level, so I climbed up the sloping side to get a better view of the road traversing its way through the scene. Even though it was cloudy and I was using a polarizer, I still had to stop the lens down to f22 to get enough exposure to capture several cars. Once the settings are right, it's just a game of waiting for the longest string of cars to come your way - usually precipitated by some slow (obnoxiously so, I'm sure, to the cars behind) truck or van to come rolling down the mountain. They closed the road shortly after this shot was taken, as a snow storm began dumping double-digit inches of snow on the mountain tops.
Newfound Gap Road Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Sevier county, Tennessee Mountains
Accessed via US-441 (Newfound Gap Road) in Gatlinburg
Date taken: April 26, 2016
While I rush around from destination to destination, planning and hoping for favorable light and atmospheric conditions at various destinations across the southeast and mid-atlantic, the roads and trails themselves pass largely unnoticed and underappreciated in my photography. When I sit at home during the off moments building excitement for my next adventure, however, it's more often than not these very trails and roads that are top of mind for me (not the destinations). So, this one is for the journey!
Newfound Gap Road is a thirty plus mile highway straight through Great Smoky Mountains National Park, connecting Gatlinburg, Tennessee with Cherokee, North Carolina. Gaining some three-thousand plus feet in elevation from either approach up to Newfound Gap (intersection of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail), the road transports visitors into and through obvious environmental changes--both visual and temperate. The original over-mountain highway passed through Indian Gap (assumed lowest point) until Andrew Guyot mapped the elevation of the many peaks in the Smokies, determining a "newly found" gap that was actually the lowest over-mountain pass, hence Newfound Gap. As America's most popular National Park, it stands that many folks have likely journeyed up and down this very highway as well.
© 2016 Mark VanDyke. All Rights Reserved. This image may not be used for anything without my explicit permission.
Jessie's new passion is ballet and tap dancing. I'm proud to see her really get into something. And of course I'm happy because this lends itself to all sorts of photograph opportunities.
Her class is going to be putting on a performance at the local theather in a few months. We might have her participate. We have to custom order a special dress for that. Not sure how much that will cost, but if she's really into, I say what the heck. I'd be thrilled to see her perform on stage. :)
This short stretch along Newfound Gap Road in Great Smoky Mountains NP is without a doubt the best fall color I've seen anywhere. The deep blacks of the freshly-paved road really add some depth to the shot, in my opinion. This area near the Chimney Tops Picnic Area usually peaks much after other similar elevations (~3000 ft) - usually during the last week of October or first week of November. Last year I drove by here and noticed the color, but wasn't able to spend much time to get the shot I wanted. This year, I specifically planned a visit back here, and it paid off for me when I found the same golden canopy hanging over the road. The richness of color in the GSMNP is only unbelievable to the people who haven't visited during peak leaf season! I really hoped to get back to this spot after the snowstorm, but I couldn't really get back to Gatlinburg because of closed roads (my plan was to hike the several miles up the road to get here - should have stayed in Gatlinburg that night!).
Anyway, good news on the broken lens. Even though I declined the repair, it was returned from Canon with the warped/dented front edge of the barrel and filter threads replaced with one that is merely chipped. Some of the glass from the broken filter that made it's way into the lens when the plastic front element pushed upwards has been removed. The lens holds a filter again (with some manipulation), and appears to still take sharp pictures (there was no damage to the lens elements, as far as I could tell). This is good news for me, but bad news for Canon repair - how on earth did they want to charge me $535 to 'fix' the lens, when the product appears to be functional, just needing a new piece of the barrel and a good cleaning? Very confusing, and doesn't speak well for their repair department!
Sunlight shines through the fog at Newfound Gap, at the crest of the Newfound Gap Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Conditions at such high elevation can be incredibly dynamic. I arrived here maybe 30 minutes before sunrise, around 7:00 AM, to stake out a location before the inevitable late rising crowds crept in. As is typical for this time of day, Newfound Gap was entirely shrouded in fog. First the sun rose, giving the fog a strange orange glow behind the tree. As the sun rose further, the fog began to break into shrouds hugging the mountain, though still with no view of the distant mountains. Eventually, the fog dissipated enough to provide for this neat phenomena of beams shining through the mist. The fog then cleared, only to be replaced a short time later by more fog rolling in from the TN side of the park. If you’re not happy with the conditions at one of these high elevation Appalachian views, just stick around – it’s liable to change, quickly!
I've had a great October filled with many weekends of camping! Unfortunately, I've had to rent lenses most weekends after the unfortunate 17 - 40mm incident on Black Balsam Knob. (I thankfully found a place in Atlanta that rents lenses for a weekend, $25 for a 17 - 40mm). Now I need to take the next few months to save up for some new equipment. I'm having trouble deciding between just sticking with another 17 - 40mm, or going with the new 16 - 35mm f.4. Tough choices!
Another shot from the great fall colors along Newfound Gap Road. I had an amazingly productive 30 - 60 minutes in this spot, getting several shots of the road that I really like. It definitely doesn't hurt to have the best fall colors I've ever seen lurking above the road! I just drove this section a few days ago; without leaves, it's hardly recognizable. It's amazing how different the seasons are in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Now I've switched to trying to wait for good snow fall on the high peaks. Whenever I see the right forecast, I'm getting a backcountry permit for Gregory's Bald, Spence Field, or Mt. Leconte, and then hoping for the best! That's the advantage of being a graduate student right now- the flexibility to just bail on school for a few days when the forecast looks right (even easier now that I'm not taking any more classes!).
Webb Overlook, Newfound Gap Road
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Swain County, North Carolina
Webb overlook is just a few miles SE of Newfound Gap; at 5,046 feet, Newfound Gap is the lowest drivable pass in the Smokies; the elevation at Webb overlook is 4,775 feet. This was a stop on our return to Cherokee from Cades Cove and Gatlinburg. A clear patch broke through the cloud cover, and for a few minutes I thought I might get a nice sunset, but it didn't happen -- this was the best it got. I like the light and the many colors in this scene, though. The overlook is named for Charles Webb, a North Carolina state senator who was a strong backer of the creation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
This is another photo from our Smoky Mountains trip three years ago, part of my backlog of photos. Our North Carolina trip two weeks ago took us close to the Smokies, but we didn't venture quite that far -- and we didn't get a sunset or sunrise as pretty as this one. Besides the sky, I really like the colors of spring in the soft, low light of this overcast sunset.
Press "L" for larger image, on black.
Newfound Gap is a mountain pass located near the center of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of the southern Appalachian Mountains in the United States of America. At an elevation of 5,046 feet, Newfound Gap is the lowest drivable pass through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Another shot of the great color enveloping the Newfound Gap Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN. Like I said in a previous post, this section of the road has some of the best color I've seen anywhere. Combine that with the dark colors of the newly re-paved road, and you've got a location where almost any shot looks awesome! This was taken the afternoon before the recent snow storm. I was really hoping to get back here after the snow, but no such luck. In retrospect, I should have slept near Gatlinburg and hiked up the closed road the next morning.
Standing in the road seems like it would be precarious, but it's pretty easy to hear cars coming from a long way away in the otherwise-silent mountains. So long as no one is driving a sneaky, silent electric car, I guess! I usually get all the settings right before I enter the road, then quickly take one shot before moving on, always looking over both shoulders!
We drove into Cherokee during our recent road trip and I found lots of cool signs to photograph. This is one of my favorites.
HSS!
3rd full day of our Smoky Mountains photo adventure.
Newfound Gap
Tennessee / North Carolina Border
Wednesday, Sugst 21st, 2019
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Newfound Gap, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC
Here's a shot taken from Newfound Gap using my telephoto lens. it shows a small part of Newfound Gap Road as it winds and turn down the mountain-side.
Have a great Monday everyone!
3rd full day of our Smoky Mountains photo adventure.
Newfound Gap
Tennessee / North Carolina Border
Wednesday, Sugst 21st, 2019
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Instagram | 500px | FineArtAmerica | LinkedIn | ViewBug