I set the alarm for 6:00 to be able to hit the park about sunrise. The alarm goes off, I get up, get ready to go and look out the window. Man is it dark. How did I mess up the time for sunrise. Get to wondering and then check my watch. My watch says it's 5:30, not 6:30. I check the alarm clock. It says it is 6:30. Guess which one is right. I got up an hour early.
About 6:15 I head to Tremont Road, planning to shoot for about 2 hours. I'm there by 6:30 and have chosen my first location for shooting. It's a good place to shoot. A river runs down the by the road and there is adequate plant life (small widlflowers) to keep my interest. After shooting for a while, I check my watch. 7:35. Plenty of time. I continue to drive and shoot a couple of locations. Again I check my watch. 7:35. OOPS! My watch stopped. I check the clock in the car. It's almost 9:00. So much for my 2 hour plan...and I still have to finish here.
It's about 9:15 when I head out. Destination Sugarlands Visitor Center to find Kyle some gift to take back home. I'm stopped by the fly fisherman 'begging' to have a picture taken, but the flies are chewing on me and I don't stay here long at all. My schedule is shot, so when I leave Sugarlands I go in to the edge of Gatlinburg for breakfast. I'm back on the road near 11:00.
It begins to rain as I leave Cherokee and I'm getting a bit sleepy so I stop in Dillsboro for a brief respite of sleep and doze for about 1/2 an hour in a parking lot on the river. When I wake, the rain has eased so I head on down the mountain toward Waynesville.
Just before getting back on I-40 below Waynesville, I pull out into the left lane to pass some cars and just as I pull into line, the car dies. Fortunately I am able to pull to right and make the shoulder without incident...except for ticking off one or tow drivers. Scary. Lots of wondering about what to do, but after about 1/2 of waiting, the car restarts and I'm on the way home without further incident. The day finishes at home about 6:30.
What a day. What a week. What an experience.
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