Views, Views, and More Views

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As I've said a few gazillion times, I'm a sucker for waterfalls. I'm also a sucker for majestic views. That's what I found when I stopped at Newfound Gap in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The parking lot for Newfound Gap is on the Tennessee/North Carolina border. Also at the parking lot is the large stone area from which President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the national park in 1940. You will also find the Appalachian Trail cutting a path across the parking lot on its way to Maine (the mileage sign lets hikers know they're only 1,972 miles from Katahdin, Maine). And a view. Wowza. This was hardly one of those "Griswold moments" from National Lampoon's Vacation (where they "admire" the Grand Canyon for about five seconds). People were happy to sit, or stand, or walk along the sidewalk to take in the stunning view of Newfound Gap. During my visit a few ravens entertained some individuals in the parking lot by "posing" for pictures. I thought that might be my wildlife highlight (until I saw the previously-mentioned bear on the way to Clingmans Dome). More significantly, though, the view held the audience captive.