What do you imagine when you hear "Great Smoky Mountains"? Crags from Lord of the Rings with ominous fog creeping through them? A theme park for the mascot of the Forest Service? Mountains of actual smoke?

I pictured a normal mountain range where there was so much distance or haze between the mountains that their image would be blanched by the intervening particles in the air. A typical mountain range viewed by a cheap disposable camera. My expectations were low.

The drive there was of course pretty. It was much like the rest of the East Coast through which I had already driven.

I drove to an observation deck near Newfound Gap, where I was blasted by a spectacle of color, size, and drama.

It was even better for how my expectations were just blown right by.

A man proposed to his girlfriend there, to the great enthusiasm of the crowded observation deck.

Afterwards I did a quick hike to Mingo Falls.

Then I drove to the outskirts of Atlanta where I sleep tonight.

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