Help a lady out? | Gatlinburg, TN Sunset

Hey Hey to all of my faithful blog readers!  Today I’m asking for a teeeeeeenie weenie, itsy bitsy, favor! :0)

I am in a Photo contest!  Normally I don’t enter contests that require “likes” as I don’t want to bother folks, it’s not really about the skill or artistic-ness of the image just more of a popularity contest, BUT I REAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLY want to win this one!  It is, afterall, for one of my favorite places in the whole wide world….GATLINBURG!!!!  I have numerous images of that gorgeous place, and the mountains that have stolen my heart (See some of them HERE and HERE), but for this contest I could only choose ONE!  Such a hard decision but I opted for the most recent sunset that took my breath away and literally brought tears to my eyes as it was just.that.magical!!! You can click the image below this or CLICK HERE to be taken to the Cabins for You 2012 Facebook Photo Contest Album where my image is housed.  I need at least 500 “likes” by Feb. 20th…this is my goal and the # to beat right now!

IT’S SO EASY!  Just click the “LIKE” option under the photo!  I cannot thank you enough for your support in helping hopefully win this contest!!!  It’d be the BEST birthday present EVER!!!  So….without further adieu I give you ” Glorious Gatlinburg Snowy Sunset”

NOW!  That you’ve “liked” the contest image above here are some more images I captured that day, and the story behind these astounding images!!!

It was a rather depressing feeling that lead me to my favorite spot in all of Tennessee. A solo drive, just me and my camera “Connie” ridin’ shotgun. I pulled in to the park up route 441 to New Found Gap overlook at the TN/NC State line. It’s cool to me because for a few moments I am in two places at once! Ha!

I got up to the line, parked, and because there’s signal there checked my Twitter feed to find that apparently they’d just closed the park a few minutes after I entered it! LUCKY! There were clouds looming that were dropping snow on us who were still there, many of which were having snowball fights or making snow angels in the few inches that hadn’t melted yet.

I stood there, freezing, as I was vastly unprepared for the temp drop on this last minute venture, and snapped a few images in the freshly falling snow. Nothing too remarkable. The ranger came through and was urging everyone down, from what I gathered as he never spoke to me, but the families quit playing and loaded up.

I started to head down the mountain, very refreshed and prayed up, which is usually what I go up there to do, and noticed to my left at one of the first overlooks after heading back down to Gatlinburg that the clouds were starting part…I saw PINK and BLUE! I pulled over and what unfolded before me was one of the, actually I’ll go so far as to say THE most, GLORIOUSLY beautiful sunsets I’ve EVER witnessed.

I grabbed my trusty partner in crime and started shooting. The changing sky seemed like the sun was melting away the clouds and replaced the gloomy cold with a bright warm “cotton candy” sunset! A message just for me as I was the only one around…a message I desperately needed reminding! I won’t disclose how many images I took over the brief moments I was stopped but needless to say I don’t have time to edit them ALL!

The few that I’ve gotten sorted to so far however take me back! And after these past few days of satan just attacking me I needed reminding again…reminding that through the bitter cold, the dreary, gloomy, ugly darkness….there is ALWAYS a beautiful, bright, warm sunset coming if we can just wait it out! So, here I am…waiting it out…because with a sunset like this that took my breath away and brought tears to my eyes I know AMAZING things are on the horizon!