We took a 5 day, 4 night long weekend get-a-way to the Great Smoky National Park for Sharon’s birthday. The main purpose was to spend some time with my sister and brother-in-law. Sharon wanted to shop and knock out some Christmas shopping. I only got to go around Roaring Motor Fork twice and up to Cades Cove twice.
After stopping for the mandatory ice cream at the camp store we started around the loop road drive. Sharon stayed in town, while Deb, Dave, and I made the trip to the cove. My sister is always on the lookout for the big FIVE. Bear, Deer, Turkey, Coyote, and Bobcat. I would add another one on my list of River Otter.
First loop we found turkey and some really small deer. The whitetail numbers seemed to be WAY down from previous years.
Second loop we ran up on 3 different bear jams, but the rangers and park volunteers had broken them up and the bears were gone before we got anywhere close. The park was really packed with everybody trying to get outside during COVID. People are rude and were not using the pull-offs like they were supposed to. FINALLY on the way out, I found a bear, was able to park and got my big lens out which of course caused another bear jam. A 2 year old 250 ish pounder\ He was close to the exit between Sparks Lane near where the horse trail crosses loop road. It was laying down in a ditch behind some brush but I could hear it crushing acorns.
Sorry that was as good as I could do with the light I had t o work with, but at least a documented bear.
Our last full day we were trying to decide between going to Cataloochee to see the elk and chasing black bear again. Sharon wasn’t really feeling the trip up and over to Cherokee and Maggie Valley. So we grabbed Subway and headed to one of my HAPPY Places. Kent’s cove, I mean Cades Cove.
Before we even got to the “Entering Cades Cove” sign I saw some black movement on the side of Little River Road. There was a pull off close by and by the time I got my gear out there was only 3 people watching the bear. Miss Sharon must be the bear whisper. She went bearing with me 2 years ago and had an up close and personal with a 2 year old. Once Sharon caught up to me with her binoculars, the bear had started to move straight towards her.
We were on the side of the road about 10-12 feet higher than the bear. He just kept coming straight at us. Once he got close enough my lens would no longer focus, I knew it was time to go. I thought he was going to come up the slope and onto the road, but instead he just disappeared, There was culvert that ran under the road. The bear went into it like it uses that as it’s own highway. This was a large bear and I would put it at 300-350 pounds. I felt a little sorry for it as the flies would not leave it alone. Watched it for a good 7 minutes and 40 or 50 photos. Never got a butt shot to see if it was a female or a male.
OK, trip was a success and pressure was off as I was pretty sure I had at least one full-frame black bear photo for my blog.
Stopped at the camp store for restrooms and to get Sharon her Ice Cream and we started around the loop. It was early,, maybe 2:30 and usually don’t really find anything good until close to dark. Bear whisperer Sharon strikes again. Brakes light lit up everywhere and knew it wasn’t a deer jam. I got out grabbed my gear and starting walking passing car after car. Sharon drove the car and moved up when she could. It was a HUGE male well over 500 pounds just hanging out on the edge of a field. Once I got there, at least a mile hike up to where the bear was he just started walking straight up the tree line towards where I had setup.
He then got inside my minimum focal length of 33 feet and I put a couple cars between me and the bear, he crossed the road heading up the hill and then starting eating acorns. I would not want to end up on the wrong end of those teeth!
After about 20-25 minutes Sharon finally rolled up to where the bear was, but he was long gone. I’m on cloud nine and jump back into the car and decided we would head back to town when we rolled up on yet another big bear eating acorns. Shot about 6 frames and moved on. He wasn’t doing much, just sitting on his haunches and munching away on acorns.
Man, what a special day in Kent’s Cove!
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Life is good and I am blessed.
Kent
They start lining people up 30 minutes before they let you board the boats. They check your ticket three different times before you finally get to board. One of the other guys I was traveling with did the tour on Sunday and he was telling me all about the plant life and the succulents that grow on Alcatraz. I always thought San Fran is cold and rainy but there were cactus and succulents everywhere. 
Finally time to board and the tours were running three boats that day. I would guess each boat took 300 people at $38.50 a head every 30 minutes. That is a lot of money. Alcatraz is part of the Golden Gate Bridge National Park.
It was a little foggy but could still see the Golden Gate Bridge on the ride out.
One of the guard towers
One of the park rangers giving the do’s and don’ts and where to get your audio tour headsets.
One of the original cannons from the military fort.
Part of the old mission style fort.
The buildings are showing their age from the weather and salt air. It looks like they had started to repaint the cell block and stopped.
The walk up the hill was not bad, but is comprised of a set of switch back ramps. There is a tram for the handicapped and people who could not make the trek. The tour starts in the cell block building.
The tour starts where the new prisoners would begin, in the showers and then to processing to get their clothes and bedding.
The tour is narrated by four previous correctional officers and inmates.
The incoming inmates were then paraded nude down “Broadway.”
The cells were super small. 7 foot by 9 foot by 7foot.
If inmates were on good behavior they got time in the yard. 
Some of the more famous inmates, include Al Capone and the Bird Man.
Cell block D was for the worst of the worse and also contained the six cells where all light could be shutout. “The Hole”
The prison library,
Guns and Keys were never allowed in the cell block. They were kept on either end of the block called the Gun Gallery. In 1946 inmates distracted a guard and over powered him, and one inmate climbed the gun gallery to the top and used a homemade bar spreader made in the local machine shop to spread the bars, and over took the guard with keys and a gun. They held the prison for 3 days. The photo below in from the explosion of hand grenades that were dropped by the army. Several inmates and 3 guards died during these 3 days.
C/D street
There were only 4 visitation booths.
Guard uniform, the inmates called them red ties.
Great view of San Francisco from the warden house end of the island.
The Golden Gate Bridge from the other end of the island.
The lighthouse
The Administration Building
What is left of the Warden’s house. Only 4 different men served as warden at Alcatraz.
I didn’t take any DSLR equipment on this trip . Everything was shot and documented with my new iPhone XS Max. I am impressed with the portrait settings as used in this selfie.
The escape. Two adjoining cells used spoons from the kitchen to tunnel through the concrete.
They have opened up a panel in the wall to show the space in between the cells where the inmates climbed the pipes to get out.
Not all tours every day do the “Sounds of the Slammer”. I was lucky enough to get to be there during this demo.
So my last post before this was almost 1 year ago. I came close to not renewing my blog this year. I made a promise to myself I would try to get back to doing more photography and posting more. So time will tell.
Headed up to Page Arizona for the night.
At first I thought Sharon was just being a good sport. But about 10 minutes into the tour she was getting incredible shots with her iPhone. The first 30 minutes in the canyon was super nice as we had the canyon to just us 5 photographers and Sharon. Then the madness came and 250 to 300 people flooded in. I messed up a couple camera settings about half way through and got frustrated. 
All in all, I am super happy with my results, but a little bummed. The light beams only happen during the summer. All the more reason to be going back in June to capture the light beams and also do the night tour while the Milkyway is over the canyon. 
So I over came my fear to get the money shot. I hope after that build up my humble offering isn’t a let down.
I felt amazing to be back in the field with a camera in my hand, We both truly enjoyed this trip!
Day 1 Activities was Urban Air: Both girls learned to do back flips!
My trusty 5D3 handled the tough lighting conditions, but the iPhone videos did a nice job of capturing the series of flips.
