Summer Morning in the Great SmokiesA summer morning in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina.

In July, I visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee for the first time. The park is gorgeous, with lots of things to do and see. Above is an early morning photos of the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina.

Possibly the biggest attraction in the park is Cades Cove, an isolated valley in the Tennessee portion of the park.

Cades CoveMeadow in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Cades Cove VistaA view of Cades Cove in the summertime from up high. In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Gravel Road in Cades CoveHyat Ln, a gravel road, in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

If Cades Cove is not the largest draw to the park, then perhaps the bears are. I was only in the park for a short time and still encountered bears several times. The black bears aren't aggressive, as long as you keep your distance. Fortunately, I have a very long lens for my camera.

Black bear mother and cub 1A mother black bear and her cub snuggle in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Black bear mother and cub 2A mother black bear and her cub in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Black bear cubA black bear cub in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Young bear in tree 1A juvenile black bear in a tree in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. Young bear in tree 2A juvenile black bear in a tree in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. Young bear in tree 3A juvenile black bear in a tree sticking out its tongue in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Besides Cades Cove and all the bears, I really enjoyed going up to the top of Kuwohi (formerly known as "Clingmans Dome"). Kuwohi is the tallest peak in the Park and it features a large observation platform. There's a long ramp (photo below) that leads up to the platform.

Kuwohi rampGreat Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina, USA – July 3, 2025: People climb the ramp up to the observation tower on Kuwohi (also known as "Clingmans Dome"), the highest peak in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

From atop Kuwohi, you can get a 360-degree, unobstructed view of the entire park. It's a great place to shoot a sunrise:

Sunrise in the Great Smoky MountainsSummer sunrise in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina.

It's also a great place to shoot at dusk:

Dusk in the Great Smoky MountainsDusk in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina.

You can see why they call them the Smoky Mountains.

Watching the fog dissipateA small bird sits atop a tree overlooking early morning fog in the Smoky Mountains in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina.

The park also features some great waterfalls. I particularly liked hiking the Trillium Trail along the Roaring Fork stream to Grotto Falls.

Grotto FallsGrotto Falls waterfall in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Roaring ForkGrotto Falls waterfall and the Roaring Fork stream in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

Tree filtered sun on Roaring ForkMorning sunlight filters through the forest canopy over Grotto Falls waterfall and the Roaring Fork streat in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

I had a great time in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and got some really good photos. I hope you enjoyed them!

Sunset on Chincoteague Wetlands 2Sunset on wetlands in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia, featuring ponies in the background.

Another summer, another trip to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia. It's a lovey place to visit.

Ponies in wetlandsPonies grazing in wetlands on Assateague Island in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia.

I spent some time photographing the ponies that reside on the island. I got some mares with their foals and some birds.

Foal, Bird, and MareTwo Chincoteague ponies, a foal and a mare, encounter a bird in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia.

The Pony and the Bird 1A Chincoteague pony grazing with a bird in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia.

The Pony and the Bird 2A Chincoteague pony grazing with a bird in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia.

There are quite a few snowy egrets that spend time on the island as well. I took a few photos of them. They're distinguished by their white plumage and they have yellow feet that match their bills.

Snowy Egret ProfileProfile of a snowy egret in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia.

Snowy Egret BalancingA snowy egret balancing on one leg in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia.

Snowy Egret Wings SpreadA snowy egret with wings spread in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia.

Snowy Egret in FlightA snowy egret in flight in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia.

Some lovely sunsets can also be found in the refuge. I like the colors of the sky reflected in the water.

Sunset on Chincoteague Wetlands 1Sunset on wetlands in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia.

Bird over golden watersA bird flies over golden waters at sunset in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia.

Great egrets can also be found in the refuge. Great egrets are generally larger than snowy egrets and they have black feet.

Great Egret ProfileProfile of a great egret in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia.

Some of the birds seem to be very comfortable around the ponies. The birds will even ride on the backs of the ponies.

Bird Riding a Pony 1A bird rides on the back of a pony in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia.

Bird Riding a Pony 2A bird rides on the back of a pony in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia.

A Flock of Snowy EgretsA flock of snowy egrets in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia.

Egret in the WetlandsAn egret in the wetlands in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia.

This American white ibis looks like a goofy bird to me. It's almost as if it were wearing a mask.

American White IbisAn American white ibis in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia.

Chasing AwayTwo snowy egrets in motion in Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia.

I hope you enjoyed my photos. I enjoyed taking them.

Cherry Blossoms at Sunrise on the National MallCherry Blossoms at sunrise on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., featuring the United States Capitol.

Spring is here in Washington. And it has been here for a while. I took these photos back at the end of March and hoped to publish them quickly, but sometimes work and life just get very busy. So here we are in June.

The photo above features cherry blossoms on the National Mall, with the Capitol in the background. The photo below features the magnolia trees that were in bloom at the Capitol. I really like both photos and hope you like them too.

Magnolias at the CapitolSaucer Magnolia trees in bloom at the United States Capitol on a beautiful spring day.