The old bridge was 18 feet wide and it was difficult to pass another car, impossible with a motorhome.  The new bridge is 26 feet wide, so it is officially two lanes!  It has been a long and arduous process, but we are thankful for the new, wider bridge.

For now, our sign is still down, but we are still easy to locate…just look for the orange and white construction barrels after the temporary traffic light:)  If you pass the sign for the entrance to the National Park you have gone a little too far!

Here are some shots of the new bridge….

The road is open!

Closer view of the new bridge.

car crossing the new bridge

They already have the deck taken off the temporary bridge!

The staff knew better than to try and judge these displays, so they enlisted the help of other campers each week, trying to choose people who were first time visitors to Tremont and didn’t know any of the other campers.  It was a good thing too, because I can personally attest that it was difficult from a non-partial viewpoint, but if you knew any of the families and their histories with Tremont, it was right next to impossible!  Plus, I heard rumors of some folks trying to bribe the judges with baked goods (or at least who they thought were the judges…but rest assured, this did not take place, it was all good -natured fun):)

So, how can you help one of these four families win a gift certificate for two nights stay at Tremont Outdoor Resort?  Easy, go to our Facebook page, “like” Tremont’s Facebook page if you haven’t already (it won’t let you “like” any of the photos if you don’t “like” the page), click on the photo album “Autumn Decoration Contest” and “like” your favorite decoration photo.  Recruit your friends and family to “like” your photos!  This is a popular vote contest, so the most “likes” will win.  Time to do a little campaigning:)  We will tally the “likes” on November 30th and announce our Grand Prize Winner, so be sure to rock the vote before the end of the month!

Thanks so much to everyone who participated.  We so enjoy having each and every one of you at Tremont and hope to see you again soon!

Here is a look at all of the winners…

Don’t forget to visit Tremont’s Facebook page to vote!  Go straight to the album by clicking here.

We are excited to announce the winner of the first week of our Autumn Decoration Contest.  The prize goes to the Guarino’s from Metairie, Louisiana! 

You might recognize the roadkill witch on the front of their RV as it was used in our promotional poster for the contest.  We promise, the picture used for the promotional poster was taken several years ago, we are just fortunate to have this family as regular guests at Tremont!

The contest is judged weekly by other guests at Tremont, not the staff.   The staff attempts to ask mostly first time guests since they are less likely to know any of the other campers and be the most impartial.

We hope you are enjoying this beautiful season wherever you are!  Tune in next week to get a peak at the creation of our second winner…

This contest will be taking place for the next four weeks.  You don’t have to stay the entire week to participate, but you do have to be with us on Saturday of the week you are there, because that is when the judging will take place.

Each weekly winner will be entered into the Grand Prize contest which will be decided by popular vote on our Facebook page.  So, if you are a weekly winner, be sure to get all of your friends, family, and neighbors to “like” Tremont’s Facebook page so they can vote for you to win the grand prize!

Here are the details of the contest:

Happy Decorating!

We know generally when the leaves are going to turn, but it’s next to impossible for us to know dead on, so we make our most educated guess and go from there.  There is always something to shoot in the Smokies, so it’s not a problem, we just have to be flexible!  Usually, I post all kinds of details about scheduling and where we plan to go and what we plan to photograph.  However, Mother Nature always seems to rearrange our plans and laugh at my schedules, so I’m just going with a general outline this year:).

Friday, October 28th – 7pm-9pm

We will meet in the Rec Hall at Tremont Outdoor Resort for a meet and greet to get to know everyone and talk about equipment and the game plan for the rest of the weekend.  This seems to have become a reunion for several folks who return year after year, so it’s always a lot of fun.  Also, snacks are provided of course!  If you can’t make it Friday night, not to worry, you are welcome to meet up with us on Saturday morning.  But you will not want to miss Friday night unless you have to!

Saturday, October 29th – 8am – 10pm

Yes, Saturday is a LONG day, but so much fun.  For anyone interested, we will meet at a local restaurant for breakfast at 8am (probably Riverstone Family Restaurant) and then meet back up with everyone at Tremont outside the office at 9:30am to head out into the Park.  We will make carpooling arrangements that morning for everyone so we have as few cars caravanning as possible.  At some point in the day, we will break for lunch.  We will be close to some part of civilization, so you can opt to eat out for lunch or pack your own.  Either way, we do recommend bringing snacks along for the day since it is such a long one.  After lunch, we will head out again and aim to make it back to Tremont by 6pm so we can meet in the Rec Hall to eat dinner (BBQ) and go over our images from the day.  This usually goes on until 9 or 10pm.

Sunday, October 30th – 8am-5pm

We will again meet for breakfast for anyone who is interested and then meet up with everyone at Tremont at 9:30am.  The schedule for the rest of the day will be similar to Saturday, except that we will return to Tremont a little earlier and have a shorter gathering concluding the weekend.  If anyone needs to leave earlier on Sunday, that is not a problem, just let us know so that we can plan accordingly for transportation.

Workshop Investment – If you are staying at Tremont Outdoor Resort on Friday, October 28th, and Saturday, October 29th, the cost for the workshop will be $150 per person.  If you are staying somewhere other than Tremont Outdoor Resort, the cost for the workshop is $300 per person.  Snacks for evaluations and the meet and greet are provided as well as dinner on Saturday evening.  All other meals are on your own.  Transportation into the National Park for the workshop sessions is also on your own, but we do recommend carpooling which can be arranged at the meet and greet.  It not only saves gas, but it’s much more fun!

Accommodations at Tremont Outdoor Resort

If you choose to stay at Tremont Outdoor Resort while attending the workshop, we have several different types of accommodations.  You may choose from an RV site, a tent site, or one of our 4 different types of cabins.  For descriptions of cabins, please visit our website atwww.tremontcamp.com.  For this particular workshop, we are discounting our Standard and Premier cabins for participants.  Premier cabins will be $190 for two nights with an extra night at $95 if you would like to stay.  Standard cabins will be $160 for two nights with an extra night at $80.  Discounted rates for other types of accommodations will also be given to workshop participants, just ask for these when you call for reservations. For anyone participating in the workshop and staying Friday and Saturday nights checking out on Sunday, checkout time will be extended to 7pm (or until we finish!) on Sunday with our compliments due to the finishing time of the workshop.  To make your reservation, please call 865-448-6363 and be sure to tell them if you are participating in the workshop.

Equipment to Bring

Digital SLR cameras are recommended, but not required.  If you have any of the following equipment, please bring it with you – a tripod, a macro lens, a 24-70mm lens, a 70-200mm lens, a cable release,  a circular polarizer, a neutral density filter, and a monopod.  If you have waders and want to be a little adventurous, bring them with you as well  Again, this equipment is not required, but is recommended if you have it.  We will have some camera equipment and tripods available for loan as well, so you can try out some new things if you want.   Also bring your laptop along if you have one.  Be sure to wear comfortable, yet sturdy shoes (preferably hiking boots) as we have a tendency to wander off the beaten path from time to time .  Since the weather is always unpredictable, please bring an umbrella (or other rain gear) as well!

How to Register

Simply email April at april@f32photo.com or call Tremont Outdoor Resort at 865-448-6363 with your Name, address, phone number, and email.  Let them know that you are calling to sign up for the Fall Foliage Workshop with Wilson.  This would also be the time to make your reservation if you are staying at Tremont.  Once you have registered for the workshop, you will receive an invoice for your registration fee.  This will be separate from your registration for accommodations at Tremont.

Don’t forget that the workshop is limited to 12 participants, so please don’t wait to register!  Can’t wait to see you all at the end of next month!

Someone must have been surprised when they went to throw away their trash in one of Tremont’s dumpsters which are located right in sight of our office.  Two baby bear cubs were found in one of the dumpsters yesterday!  Rest assured that no one was harmed and the authorities were called to take care of the bears.  Momma bear was no where to be found when the cubs were found.  The authorities transported the cubs to the Appalacian Bear Rescue where they will be cared for by professionals.

You just never know what might happen next when you are right outside of the nation’s most visited National Park!

So, if you don’t have them already, make plans to bring your family to Tremont.  RV, tent, or cabin, there are accommodations for everyone…and in one of the most beautiful spots in the country:).

If you are planning to go see the fireflies, there are a few things you need to know for a successful trip.  Although the trolleys do not start to run from the Sugarlands Visitor Center until 7pm, you probably need to get to the parking lot at least an hour earlier, if not two.  This has become a popular attraction and only so many people can go on a given night.  Once the parking lot is full, they close it off.  Also, they do not allow coolers or pets.  Remember that you are traveling on a trolley, so you can’t haul a lot of gear with you.  Listed below are some more recommendations from the Pigeon Forge site:

Light Show Etiquette

Flashlights disrupt the fireflies and impair people’s night vision. The light show is best when you:

1. Cover your flashlight with red or blue cellophane.

2. Use your flashlight only when walking to your viewing spot.

3. Point your flashlight at the ground.

4. Turn off your flashlight when you find your viewing spot.

Parking and Trolley Information

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials have announced that the Elkmont entrance road will be closed to motor vehicles and pedestrian use every night starting at 5:00 p.m. until midnight, June 4th-12th except to registered campers staying at the Elkmont Campground. The closure is to accommodate transportation service for visitors planning to spend the evening viewing the natural-occurring, synchronous firefly beetles at Elkmont.

The City of Gatlinburg, in partnership with the Park, will provide the trolleys for this activity. The trolley service, coinciding with the expected peak flashing period, will be the sole transportation mode for visitor access during this period; no private vehicles will be allowed to enter Elkmont. This year also new restrictions will be in place to prohibit motor vehicles from parking along roadsides, pullouts, or any other areas besides at the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking area for the purposes of viewing fireflies at Elkmont. Only those visitors parking at the visitor center will be allowed to ride the trolleys.

The trolleys will begin picking up visitors from the Sugarlands Visitor Center RV/bus parking area at 7:00 p.m. The trolleys will continually run until the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking area is full or until 9:00 p.m., whichever comes first. The last trolley to return visitors from Elkmont to the Sugarlands Visitor Center is scheduled at 11 p.m. The cost will be $1 round trip per person as in previous years. 

Recommendations and Rules
For those riding the trolleys, it is recommended that visitors bring flashlights with red cellophane covers to reduce white light. Visitors can bring lawn chairs, and carry food and water in backpacks which can fit on their laps in the trolleys; there are no services available at the site. In order to help prevent any disruption to the firefly show, or destruction to the National Park, visitors are prohibited from bringing coolers, alcoholic beverages, or their pets.

]]> http://tremontoutdoorresort.wordpress.com/2011/05/26/synchronous-fireflies-at-elkmont-june-4th-12th/feed/ 0 tremontoutdoorresort http://tremontoutdoorresort.wordpress.com/2011/05/05/white-oak-sinks/ http://tremontoutdoorresort.wordpress.com/2011/05/05/white-oak-sinks/#comments Thu, 05 May 2011 12:00:12 +0000 tremontoutdoorresort http://tremontoutdoorresort.wordpress.com/?p=611 ]]> One of my favorite things about helping Wilson with his photography workshops is the friends that we get to make.  Last year at our Spring Wildflower Workshop, I got to meet Gail and Harold.  They come to Tremont several times a year and spend quite a bit of time exploring the Smokies.  Oh, did I mention that they hike to LeConte once a year?  Gail is learning more about photography and  Harold is our best flower scouter.   They are amazing people and I love getting to spend time with them.

The fact that they hike all the time has inspired me to get out and explore more of my own backyard, since I’m fortunate enough for that to be the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  So, this year, after our Wildflower Workshop, Gail and Harold invited me to hike to White Oak Sinks with them.  They knew that I had never been and that it was in peak bloom.  What a wonderful day!  The weather was beautiful and the company was as well.  I learned quite a bit about wildflowers along the way as they showed me quite a few I had never seen.  For people who just started taking an interest in wildflowers four years ago, they know quite a bit.

I have to say, White Oak Sinks is my new favorite destination in the Smokies.  When I first learned that the Smokies were known for wildflowers, this was what I had envisioned.  Words can’t describe it adequately, so here are a few images…

The phlox stays in bloom for about two weeks in White Oak Sinks.  So, next April, if you are in our neck of the woods, this is definitely a trek worth making.

Thanks so much to Gail and Harold for showing me the way and spending part of their day with me.  I look forward to more hiking with you both!

We started out on Friday night by getting to know everyone and making our plans for Saturday.  Saturday morning started with breakfast at Riverstone Family Restaurant and then we were off to our first stop at one of our favorite cascades on Little River Road.  Due to the abundant rains we had in the previous days, the water was roaring and there were abundant wildflowers growing on the rock walls hugging the road.  This was kind of our warm up spot, then on to one of our favorite pull offs on the way to Cades Cove where we found several varieties of blooms.  Take a peek..

Mike gets up close and personal with some confederate violets using a macro lens

Ron, Craig, and Brett work patiently to capture the wild bleeding hearts in between the bursts of wind

Stonecrop found growing on the rock wall of a bridge

Rob goes off the beaten path and found a wildflower we had to do a little research to name.

It turned out to be Mountain Phlox.

Next, on to Cades Cove to capture some Dogwoods whose blooms were extraordinarily large and beautiful this year.  They are gorgeous on their own, but framing the historic cabins in the Cove they are breathtaking.

The first cabin on the Cades Cove loop

Craig scales the muddy bank to get the shot of a beautiful Vasey Trillium

After lunch, we hit one of our favorite spots near the Sugarlands Visitors Center.  We found all kinds of treasures here!  The hard to find Vasey Trillium were in peak bloom.  There were some right next to the trail, but the most beautiful flower required scaling a mud bank to get to .  That didn’t seem to phase our class:)

The Vasey Trillium

Bonus! Someone found a salamander while we were looking for the Vasey trillium. He was kind enough to pose on a log for everyone.

Charles composing his salamander shot.

Not rare or hard to find, but my favorite wildflower, the dwarf crested iris

We met someone on the trail who told us the whereabouts of this lovely Morrel.

Gail and Don focus on the irises

Leaving the Sugarlands area and on our way to the top of the mountain to check on an earlier find, we got a tip on where we could find a rare flower.  Unfortunately, I can’t tell you where we found this because there are so many people who dig up these plants.  So, it’s a secret.  However, we were excited to find the yellow ladyslippers for our class!  Actually, it was a member of our class who actually spotted them!  Harold is our super scouter:)

Steve zooms in on the yellow ladyslipper.

Yep, that's Wilson taking pictures with his Iphone:) Don't worry, he shot some with the D3x as well:)

Don is reflecting and Eric is diffusing so Joy can get her shot of the pink ladyslippers that have just started to bloom.

And finally, we headed to the top of the mountain where we found a patch of Dutchman’s breeches.  Gail had never seen these particular flowers, so we were on a mission to find them just for her and we were so excited when we found them up high!

Dutchman's breeches

Rex, Ron, and Roy work on capturing the tiny blooms of the Dutchman's breeches while fighting the wind.

We packed as much as we possibly could into the weekend and were grateful for the cooperative weather.  Thanks to everyone who came for the workshop.  We had so much fun spending the weekend with you in the woods.  We are looking forward to our fall workshop!  Check out our facebook page for more  pictures:)