Misty mountains

I recently went to the Great Smoky Mountains and one of the things I loved about it was the layers of mountains you could see as you looked out over the distance. Last week when I was taking some overview pictures from the Embassy Suites in Downey, I noticed these beautiful layers of foothills off in the distance. It made me think just a little bit about the Smoky Mountains.

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. ... There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature � the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter."
~ Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

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Cityscape view

When it is clear out, we have a great view of downtown LA from Downey. This view is taken from the Embassy Suites, which we haven't done in a while. It was a nice day and it was late in the afternoon. The city seems so appealing from my view...

"Towered cities please us then, and the busy hum of men." 
~ John Milton

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The Great Smoky Mountains

I'm in North Carolina this week, visiting the Great Smoky Mountains. They're called "smoky" because of the natural fog that often hangs over them. The mountains fade into the distance, with each ridge becoming a little more faint.

On this day, we're driving across a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. There are lookouts every mile or so, and we're checking out pretty much each and every one. Since we're driving along the ridge of this particular ountains, some of the views are to the right and some to the left. The weather adds to the beauty, as the conditions constantly change, from sun to fog and back again, and then some rain, with thunder and lightning thrown in to boot.

"If you drive to, say, Shenandoah National Park, or the Great Smoky Mountains, you'll get some appreciation for the scale and beauty of the outdoors. When you walk into it, then you see it in a completely different way. You discover it in a much slower, more majestic sort of way."
~ Bill Bryson

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