Pickett State Park, Tennessee. Easy trails, breautiful features, day trip from Knoxville

Pickett State Park above Jamestown, Tennessee is a relatively easy day trip from the Knoxville area.  From the southeast, take the road up to Jamestown to avoid  a section of very steep and curvy cutbacks at the base of Big South Fork National Park.  Big South Fork is a wonder in itself and should be given added time in the woods and rough and tumble mountains. 

Just west of Big South Fork and north of Jamestown, the smaller Pickett State Park is a worthwhile day trip from the Knoxville area or places of similar distances. We skirted Big South Fork, managed the steep curves and did not smoke the brakes.  This way from I75 is about 1 1/2 hour drive time. Coming back through Jamestown was definitely a longer but easier drive.

Once in Pickett Park, the trails are relatively easy and go to pleasing small wonders such as the natural bridge in the photos below. The sandstone of the area has given nature a sculptor's paradise and rock formations are both beautiful and enticing. 

We cannot assure you the tree with the tiny base is still standing! The photo was shot in mid-fall of 2013, showing apparent woodpecker work on the tree base down to hardwood core.  This tree was spotted aside the Natural Bridge trail. 

  Is this tree still standing since mid fall 2013? 

 High dynamic range photograph of stream and woodland, mid fall, 2013

 Trail to natural bridge is an easy walk.

 Furrows in sandstone, natures carvings

 Colors in sandstone under natural bridge

The natural bridge: Take secondary trail to cross bridge or go up rocky steps at   base of the formation

Mountain laurel along a stream: This view is easily accessed on foot or vehicle

We hope you enjoyed these few photos of a beautiful state park in Tennessee.

IS THIS YOUR DOG? FREE QUALITY PRINT MAY BE YOURS! See Below...

Go to our Thomas Haynes Photoshoot Blog for details...if your dog, you get a free quality print!

IS THIS YOUR DOG? LET US KNOW FOR A FREE PRINT! Here is a blue eyed sheep dog we saw at a special place in Kentucky on November 2, 2013.  A mile or two and we would be in Virgina. Once in a while a non-posed pet strikes us as special and it is not always looks. Disposition has a lot to do with us picking an "unknown to us" pet and offering a free print.  You just need to contact us and confirm where this photo was taken and what was around you at the time.

Professional photography is our business but this dog was such a sweetie it had to go on this blog, too.   Your dog? Use link above to our other blog to let us know and get a free high quality print.

Race and Walk Event to Raise Money for Cancer Research and more...Buddys Race

These dogs were friendly walkers at the Buddy's Race Against Cancer in 2012. 

 Two nice dogs walking with their caretakers.

 A few of the lead runners who have just finished the 5k race in 2012

The bridge near the Sunsphere tower from the 1982 Worlds Fair was the staging area for walkers in the 2012 Buddy's Race Against Cancer.  Speedy runners were placed at the front of the pack, to the left and out of view of this photograph. We will be participants again this year.

Ladies in the restroom line at the on-site Holiday Inn of Worlds Fair Park and location of Buddy's Race Against Cancer in 2023. In comparison, men had little if any wait.

 --------------------------------------------------

Why Do We Do Buddy's Race Every Year..The story below shows why we started.  Now the event is an expected part of our lives every fall.  



We have been part of the fall event since a brother went through treatment and was finally healed by God of metastasized melanoma several years ago.  He was treated at one of the best facilities in the USA, M.D Anderson in Houston.  In the end, after the final surgery,the doctors came to the waiting room and essentially said, "We are sorry he had to go through this surgery. We  were in there and there absolutely was no cancer there, regardless of what the testing a few days before had shown". We consider it a miracle from God, prayers and anointing a few days prior combined with the brother feeling that he was going to pass on and what he really wanted was a clean soul when he met his Creator.  A miracle it was in the final event.  Melanoma internalized is a definite killer but was not the winner in this case.  After that, we have been part of the Buddy's Race Against Cancer every year.

-------------------------------------------

If my feet cooperate, I will be in the race with my wife.  If not, I will be an independent event photographer for my point of view of the happenings and the people.

------------------------------------------------------- 

With so many similar events including the emphasis on 

breast cancer research,  events like Buddy's Race should not be neglected. The turnout is in the thousands and just being there raises the spirits of the hurting and touches the warm hearts of the others present. The link at the top sentence in this blog provides a link to official race information.

See us in Craigslist here: Knoxville Craigslist

Tell Us..Do You Want Pet and Animal Photography? Please Comment or Email

DO YOU WANT PET AND ANIMAL PHOTOGRAPHY

 to be a larger part of Thomas Haynes Photography?

We are thinking seriously of going more into the pet and animal direction but in this economy, change is risky even if seen as needed...and advertising is costly. PLEASE EMAIL OR COMMENT TO THIS POST AND LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. If you comment and want it private, say so and it will stay private, guaranteed from our end.  Sure, if you want to talk over doing some really nice photos of your animals with you or your family, get with us by email and we will get right back. We work out of Clinton in the greater Knoxville, Tennessee area.

As with that and other business photography work, we will move the business content of our work to the commercial sister site of Thomas Haynes Photography:  Thomas Haynes Photoshoot

The following images are from personal shots, not purchased or sold.These are not portfilio images and are here to get you attention..and we think they do deserve a look. Photos for clients are discussed beforehand so we get  photos closest to everyday life in the relationships with your animals or pets.

 Dogs ready for a 5k at Buddy's Race Against Cancer, fall 2012,Thomas Haynes Photography

 Two high class mules at blue grass festival,thomas haynes photo. They won at mule showings.

 Bernnie, local male cat, Thoms Haynes photo

Molly, wonderful  girl kittie, passed at age 4, too, too young. Thoms Haynes photo

We have done family and pet photography in natural settings of animals with the people, life for them as it is and not staged.  This has been well received but do we need to advertise this part of the business?  Not everyone is willing to have professional photos done of their animals...and the animals interacting with them as a family activity, which it is.   This is photography for the person who truly wants more than they can photograph with the cell phone or point and shoot camera. And, these clients love their animals, whether cats, dogs, horses or more exotic creations.

More often than these sample photos show, the critters are in action doing what they love to do.  It is not easy photography but is a part of this work we love doing.

We need feedback on this one.  Please EMAIL OR COMMENT!    We will move this as with other business interest to the sister blog, ThomasHaynesPhotoshoot but published these thoughts here first for you to consider and let us know.  

Thanks so much for what you might have to say.

Gettysburg...reenactment of an horrendous Civil War Battle:Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863 Introduction..more to come.

Reenactment of the final event called Pickett's Charge

____________________________________

 To see even in reeactment the horrendous slaughter in the infamous Pickett's Charge

was heart rending. Overall, the reenactment can bring the spirit closer to 

those events of July, 1863.  It was for us an educational and emotional, heart

tugging event...because 150 years ago it all was real and men were

 becoming calualties in huge numbers. Actually, perhaps
 not so ill planned as some believe, many factors
 contributed to the defeat of
 Lee's army in the battle.

It is estimated between 46,000 and 53,000 were casualties at the Battle of Gettysburg.  Played out on the farmland and low hills surrounding Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the actual battle could not possibly be replayed for the sake of history on those hallowed grounds.  The actual battlefield areas provide a memorable driving tour with many markers in memory of soldiers from several states.  During the reenactment dates is not a good time to tour the battlefield simply because it is too, too crowded and parking at the visitors center is best skipped and a shuttle taken from town.  A few days after the reenactment, parking is easy.

The large fields provided better scale to the Gettysburg 150th reenactment.

If not on the battlefield, where is the reenactment done?  Local farms have provided the land, room enough for several thousand reenactors, somewhere betweeen 12,000 and 16,000 are numbers posted here and there.  A definite number will be found and this blog post revised as need be for accuracy. We stayed from Tuesday through Monday morning, July 2-8.   The reenactment played out July 4-7, one day added so an additional battle could be played out with the climatic conclusion of the long and devestating Confederate charge now known as Pickett's Charge.  

 We counted over 100 cannon at the  Gettysburg battle event

As more time is given to writing and editing of a multitude of photographs, this post will expand and will eventually become a page so all will be kept in order, not the last to first pattern of blog posts. (A blog page is an article with a permanent link just below the header of the blog site. You will see tabs for pages at the top.)

The days were quite hot and all ended as it did in 1863...the rains came down right after the last shot.

More to come...check back.  Comments appreciated. Guest blogger will be considered.