In November, we drove to Tennessee to visit my 91-year-old Aunt Evelyn, and 95-year-old Uncle Bert for their 70th wedding anniversary. During that trip, we made a trek into a portion of the Smoky Mountains south of Knoxville, and that is a spectacular part of God's creation!
"The Smokies," as they are often called, are a portion of the Appalachian Mountains which runs from Canada to Alabama. In the area of Lenoir, Sevier, Townsend, and Pigeon Forge, we saw beautiful scenery that far surpasses any televised armchair travelogue. (Pigeon Forge has been built up to be a lot like Branson, Mo.)
Near Townsend, we took an excursion up the Foothills Parkway. Stopping at a turnoff to gawk at the beauty, we saw a red Toyota with a man inside watching us. As I approached him, he rolled down his window and asked, "How you folks doin?" And we formed a friendship.
His name is DH Tipton. Pointing southeast, he said, "I come up here every week to look at the beauty of God's nature. See that hill right over there 'bout a mile off? I was born there 81 years ago. I'm the last from a large family, and by the time I was born my momma ran out of names. So she just called me 'DH,' and that's my name: DH Tipton. DH don't stand for anything. You should've seen the looks on the faces of my friends in the Army Corps of Engineers when I told them 'DH IS my name.' And yep, I'm a native who was born over there, right near what is now called the Foothills Parkway."
Quoting from the Blue Ridge Highlander, "The Foothills Parkway West is a 17-mile long section of the Parkway that travels along the backbone of Chilhowee Mountain between Chilhowee Lake and the town of Townsend in Blount County. From this vantage point you can view not only the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park to the southeast, visitors can also enjoy views of the huge and grand valley lands of the Tennessee River Valley bordered by the long plateau of the Cumberland Mountains to the northwest."
This mountain range is famous for its haze that is actually a perpetual fog. DH said, "Anyone from California, New York, or any densely populated area thinks this haze is air pollution. But it's not. It's been here before man arrived. But now that I mentioned it, air pollution has been invading these parts. Visibility has been reduced by smog blowing in from both the Southeast and the Midwest."
More than 9 million people visit Smoky Mountains National Park each year, which makes it the most visited park in the country. Clingmans Dome at 6,643 feet, is the highest peak in the Smokies. It's the highest peak in Tennessee and the third highest in the Appalachian range. However, Mount Le Conte is an impressive sight: although it reaches an altitude of only 6,593 feet, it towers more than a mile over the town of Gatlinburg located at its base.
As we drove through the mountains, we would often catch a glimpse of a valley, waterfall, or steep mountainside in its pristine beauty. Schedules are a necessary part of life, but as we drove through this part of God's creation we decided to modify the schedule. We wanted to see more.
But time eventually ran out and we continued our trek. We drove to Sevierville and ate at the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant. This restaurant has a far-reaching reputation, and we found out why: the service and the food are GOOD!
We were continually amazed at the magnificence of God during that trip through the Smokies. I know many folk who think that amoebas, salamanders, fish, dinosaurs, man, the earth, and the entire cosmos just happened to materialize out of some mythical and mysterious "big bang," but when we stop and think about it, we know it's impossible for stuff (atoms, molecules, stars) to appear out of nothing. And it's also impossible for rocks to morph into life. The fish dinner I ate at the Applewood Restaurant didn't just happen to become a cooked meal and plop onto my plate. It took planning and work. Also, life didn't just happen to exist: it took planning and work. God did both the planning and work.
Visit the Smokies if you can, and check out the Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant. You'll enjoy it.
-- Gene Linzey is a speaker, author, and former pastor. Send comments and questions to [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Religion on 02/18/2015