Light from the Heavens

Sunlight on Mountain Ridges, Cades Cove,
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok



After a passing storm, a shaft of sunlight dappled
 the mountain peaks that surround Cades Cove.

The Long Journey

Mountain Stream, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Rushing over a small waterfall is part of the long journey
 rain water makes as it flows down a mountain cove
 toward the distant sea. 

Stormy Weather

Rainstorm in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



The Great Smoky Mountains receive some of the highest amounts
 of rainfall in the U.S.  Whether it's a passing thunderstorm or a steady drizzle,
the Smokies get soaked. So when the rain moves through,
  I have a camera ready to record the misty mood of these amazing mountains.

Nature's Smoking Mountains

Sunrise, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Dawn light illuminates mists
 rising from the ridges and valleys
 of the Great Smoky Mountains.

The Rising Mist

Loop Road, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Mist begins to rise from a road
 following an afternoon rain storm
in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Puddling

Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly,
Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Finding a patch of moisture beside a Cades Cove road,
this butterfly stayed still long enough for me to grab
 a clear image of it at ground level.
Butterflies gather at muddy spots to obtain minerals in the soil.

Old Appalachian Forest

Mountain Stream, Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, North Carolina
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Lush green surrounds a mountain stream
 in Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, which protects
 one of the last old-growth woodlands in the eastern U.S.

Refreshed

Longitude Lane, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



An old alleyway in Charleston is enlivened
 by the hues of fresh spring blooms.

10,000 Years of History

Roman Forum, Rome, Italy
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



And we think Charleston is an old city...

Hidden Letters

Lantern Shadow, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



This lantern shadow stealthily contains an abbreviation
 for the state of South Carolina.

Rough Texture

Fence Detail, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Selective focus brings out some of the details
 on an old ornamental fence at the College of Charleston.

Stepping Out

Eagle on the Duomo, Orvieto, Italy  © Doug Hickok All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



A bronze eagle tries out a precarious dance step
 at the edge of the medieval Duomo di Orvieto in Italia.

An Avian Haven

Gift Shop, near Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



This shop is for the birds.

Dark Forest

Coastal Forest, Acadia National Park, Maine
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



A dense coastal woodland grows to the edge
 of a foggy shoreline at Acadia National Park.

A Lesser Known Gem

Canyonlands, Colorado National Monument, Colorado
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



Everyone knows of the Grand Canyon in Arizona,
 or the Canyonlands of Utah, but a lesser known western gem
 is Colorado National Monument where a winding rim road
 offers stunning vistas over red rock canyons.



 

Eye of the Needle?

Gate Scroll, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Click on image for larger view.)



This gate scroll has an opening suitable
 for only the smallest of objects to pass through.

Battery Adornment

Wisteria Vines, Charleston, SC  © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Wisteria vines drape over a wrought iron fence
 at a home along Charleston's East Battery.

Give Me Shelter

Sculpture in an Alcove, Vatican City, Italy
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved
(Film Photography)



Enduring the trials and tribulations of time,
an ancient statue finally finds a sheltered spot
 in an alcove at the Vatican Museum.

Cool Off

Fountain at Dawn, Waterfront Park, Charleston, SC
 © Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Lights are aglow early in the morning
 at waterfront park where temperatures
 are sure to be cooler, even in summertime.

The Hue of Feldspar

Granite Shoreline, Acadia National Park, Maine
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved



Granite composed of the reddish mineral feldspar
 is a predominant rock along the misty coast of Maine.