A Whole Lotta Nothing (Part 1)

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So...what did I do today? A whole lotta nothing. I was originally scheduled to check out today, but I added a day and made this a “boring” day. It was quite fun for “boring,” let me tell you! Let’s start with what I didn’t do: the Roaring Fork Motor Trail is closed right now. Based on the way so many things look in the area, I’m guessing they’re cleaning up tree debris. This area had several high wind warnings last month, and coupling that with the snow and ice on already damaged trees thanks to the fire, and...let’s just say that a lot of the area looks like the Jolly Green Giant dropped his box of toothpicks. Yes, it’s sad, but it’s part of nature: trees get beaten up by the elements and eventually lose the war. And, in a national park with millions of visitors, that can be dangerous. A lot of the trees were “helped,” as is obvious by the smooth chainsaw cuts at the stumps. Many, many others, however, were snapped by the wind or the ice. I also tried to go to the Gatlinburg Space Needle to watch the sunset. It was closed. To paraphrase Airplane!, it looks like I picked the wrong week to give up sniffing vacation photos. (Many spring breaks start next week, so the area is “getting ready” for that. I’m pretty sure this nice room won’t be $63 a night next week!) Oh, and my favorite spot, the Chimneys picnic area, was closed off. Same reason, no doubt: picking up fallen trees to make it safe for the visitors who’ll start arriving in droves soon. Does that mean it wasn’t worth it? Bah! It’s always worth it. The photo is some of the tree damage in the area. The deep wounds from the wildfire are still quite visible in places, and the injuries sustained to the trees then just made it easier for a pretty hefty winter to finish many of them off. Stay tuned.....