By Jan Stadtherr
The suitcases have been unpacked and stored away after our recent five-day vacation to the Great Smoky Mountains in western North Carolina. It was a perfect blend of natural beauty and family bonding.
The main reason was to visit our three granddaughters and their parents near Robbinsville, a quaint town nestled in this scenic region. This trip provided an opportunity to create memories and explore the lush landscapes of the Smokies.
We flew into Asheville, N.C., where we were greeted with big smiles and hugs from our granddaughters, Ava, age nine; the twins, Paige and Kaylee, who are seven; and their parents, Rej and Kristi. It’s a 90-minute drive to Robbinsdale and the car was filled with chatter and laughter. The family lives in Tampa, Fla., and their “cabin” is an escape from the palm trees and sandy beaches, to the midst of the Smokies which overlooks just a small portion of the mountainous area. It was a first-time visit for us to this region.
This area is known for its majestic scenery and variety of wildlife that expands over 522,000 acres. My first question was how the name was derived. According to the North Carolina Extension service, the Great Smoky Mountains arose from the natural atmospheric phenomena that occur in the region. The mountains are often enclosed in a smoky haze that gives them their distinctive appearance. The haze is a natural fog that is created by the dense forests of the area. The forests are home to a variety of trees and plants that release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the atmosphere. These VOCs interact with the moisture in the air, creating the bluish-gray mist that hovers over the mountains and valleys, giving the illusion of smoke. The Native American tribes, particularly the Cherokee, who originally lived in the region, referred to the area as “Shaconage,” which translates to “place of blue smoke.”
A visit to the nearby Fontana Dam, one of the tallest hydro-powered dams east of the Rockies, was interesting, offering stunning views and a learning experience for the granddaughters and the grandparents. Fontana Dam is 2,365 feet long and 480 feet high.
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) began construction in 1942 and completed the dam two years later with crews working shifts 24 hours per day. The dam has a flood storage capacity of 513,965 acre-feet. Fontana Lake, created by the dam, has 238 miles of shoreline and 10,230 acres of water surface, and its surface elevation varies by 57 feet annually.
Besides seeing the sites, it was enjoyable to just stay at the cabin one day to enjoy Mother Nature’s canvas and be with family. Ava, the oldest of the three girls, is very interested in nature. She found two snails. Using a small bowl, she created a terrarium with leaves, dirt, rocks and water for her two new pets, George and Robert. She held them and examined the gastropods very closely. Wondering what the four antennas were for, I googled info to learn the two upper tentacles have an eye on each tip. The two lower tentacles are sensors. After the lesson on snails, Ava told me, “Nanna, could you watch the snails? I’m going to go play with Kaylee and Paige.”
For the next hour, I relaxed on the deck within the lush green beauty of the Smokies and, with my phone in hand, watched George and Robert repeatedly try to escape from their new home. Although snails are known to be slow, I was amazed to see them perched on the edge of the bowl about every five minutes and I would place them back into the confines. Ava’s interest in George and Robert diminished when I told her my snail-sitting time was done. As I walked away, Ava asked Kaylee if she would watch them and she declined.
The next morning, the snails could not be found, but Ava found a katydid, which was named, of course, Katie. Again, nanna researched this insect that resembled a large grasshopper. I have never seen a katydid up close and was surprised by its large green wings that resembled leaves in order to be camouflaged from predators.
Each evening a choir of katydids entertained us with the mating call that sounded like “Katy did, Katy didn’t.” It was a relaxing way to end our days in the Great Smokies.
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