It was a beautiful, bright autumn day, with air like cider and a sky so blue you could drown in it.
Diana Gabaldon
The last week of October 2021 offered us a day that we should have spent years ago and then again and again each recurring year: a day at Bald River Falls off the Cherohala Skyway about an hour from our home in Knoxville, Tennessee. When Amy posted the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge this week — A Day in My Week — we knew we had to share the beauty that was almost all ours for a day.
The Cherohala Skyway is similar to other major parkways in this area (Blue Ridge Parkway, Foothills Parkway, etc.) but with one exception: a turn-off road about six miles from the start will take you down a road following a river bed, going past boulders and mature trees onto a breathtaking discovery — Bald River Falls.
On this day last week, threatening, dark clouds hung overhead and drizzly rain had us turning on the windshield wipers. But it was actually a great day for travel: most people don’t want to picnic on a gray, dreary day, so we had the drive to ourselves. And a great day for scenery: brilliant yellow leaves contrasting nicely against the dark sky with each turn yielding new beauty.

Just as we became accustomed to colored leaves, we we’d find new marvels . . . like boulders covered in moss, firmly planted in rushing streams . . .

or tall black tree trunks contrasting nicely with brilliant yellows, oranges, reds, and greens.
At one stop, a small pile of balance rocks caught our attention.

Autumn leaves shower like gold, like rainbows, as the winds of change begin to blow.
Dan Millman
Sections of the drive offered new picture-perfect revelations. From multi-colored leaves . . .

to rock-filled streams rushing beneath colored glory.

But even though we knew what was around one of the bends — the waterfall itself — it still took our breath away. Bald River Falls just appeared on the landscape, without fanfare or signage. Impressive in its simplicity and majesty.

Autumn color, natural formations, and the sound of rushing waters — day like no other.
Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.
Lauren Destefano
If you’d like to see more entries in this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, head to Amy’s post. Although we all may label our days as ordinary — or not — one thing’s for sure: There’s something special about each 24-hour period, something we never need to take for granted.
Travel colorfully,
Rusha & Bert
Rebecca Cuningham
So picturesque. A postcard every one!
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks so much. And here’s hoping your Thanksgiving is a memorable one.
Rebecca Cuningham
Thanks, y’all as well!
Prior...
What wonderful
Autumn colors you captured in this rich post
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks so much. We had a great day that was completely unplanned. I guess that’s what we need to do every now and then!
Prior...
Yes – the unplanned can be so nice 🤍🙏
Teresa
Wow, amazing photos! And that waterfalls is simply gorgeous!
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks! It was quite a surprise. Really gushing the water and making those great waterfall sounds!
I. J. Khanewala
This is so beautiful!
Oh, the Places We See
Thank you so much! It was quite the find for us — so close to home and right under our noses! We’ll be back.
Anne Sandler
What a wonderful day Rusha. Thank you for sharing it with us through your great descriptions and photos.
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks, Anne. It was a day for stopping and taking pictures . . .a lot!!!
Anne Sandler
Then it was a great day!
SoyBend
Love the leaves of fall! Thanks for taking us along.
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks for joining us on this spectacular drive. I may not hit it right the next time, but I have photos to remind me of this color so near to us.
JohnRH
Wow. Beautiful! Positively autumnal.
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks for taking a look and meandering around our part of the world with us. It was a beautiful day!
Tina Schell
An amazing day Rusha – the parkway is such an incredible place and its beauty changes with each season. Spring is gorgeous with newly blossoming flowers, the winter snows are gorgeous when they settle in, but autumn is IMHO simply stunning as you’ve so beautifully shown. It must have been quite a rainy summer/early fall for the water to be so plentiful in the falls!
WanderingCanadians
Love all the fall colours. That’s too bad about the weather, but as you said, the rain tends to keep the crowds away.
Oh, the Places We See
It was a blessing, really. We’ve been in leaf-peeping traffic before. Not fun.
justbluedutch
I love all the colors here, all showing that nature is amazing in every season. The waterfalls is so pretty, thank you for sharing this.
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks so much for joining us on this one-day journey. Appreciate the kind words.
The Wandering RVer
Literally a picture perfect day!
Oh, the Places We See
It was a special day, for sure. Thanks for commenting.
Pit
Gorgeous autumn colours
Oh, the Places We See
It was fun just being on the ground with those trees hovering overhead. Thanks for taking a look.
cindy knoke
Gorgeousness!
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks, Cindy. It’s as pretty a fall as I can remember.
kzmcb
That is really spectacular and the colours you’ve captured are delightful.
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks so much. I love fall! Maybe best of all the seasons!
Pat
How beautiful. I’m going to mark you post so we can maybe do this drive on our way home – or next fall on our way down.
Oh, the Places We See
I hope you can! We can’t believe we’d never been there. Now, I can’t wait for a return trip.
Curt Mekemson
Quite beautiful, Rusha, right up to and including the falls. You are right to rave about the drive with its gorgeous fall colors. –Curt
Oh, the Places We See
You’d love it, but the road is a bit narrow. However, we saw several campers! It can be done!!!
Amy
I see autumn leaves shower like gold, like rainbows,… through your beautiful photo captures. I especially love the images of the waterfalls surrounding by these fall trees. What a lovely day, Rusha. Thank you for sharing with us. 🙂
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks for a good topic. And since we just spent this day outside, it seemed perfect!!!
Amy
Fall is a wonderful time to be outside. Your photos are breathtaking.
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks so much, Any. I tried shooting from inside the car — but the outcome was lousy. So we stopped a bunch!!!
Sue
Wonderful autumn colours, Rusha!
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks so much. This is as vivid an autumn as I remember seeing in these here parts!!
Sue
Whereas this year we are having a less dramatic one here in the UK
Oh, the Places We See
We don’t have this much color in Knoxville. I think that’s why we were aghast as we drove through this section. It won’t be our last tour of the area. Well, at least I hope it won’t. Thanks for commenting.
Sue
Let’s hope you have more toursu
Sue
Hope you get back!
whippetwisdom
Glorious autumn colours Rusha, thank you so much for sharing! 🧡
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks for taking a look. Your dogs would have loved a romp through here, but I hate to think of how dirty they would get!
Grammy Writes
Beautiful Fall photos!
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks so much. I’m beginning to think Fall is my favorite season, but spring around here is pretty special as well.
Toonsarah
Wow, that waterfall is gorgeous! But actually, so are all the other scenes, with those beautiful colours 🙂 What a great day out this must have been, and proof that we don’t need good weather to have a good time or to find good photo opportunities!
Oh, the Places We See
Glad you took a look. And wish we had made this trip many times before now. But never too late. And any day may be a good day to travel!!! Thanks so much for your comments!
maristravels
What stunning pictures. I’ve spent a long time looking at them and wishing I cold visit your area. Thank you for such an inspiring post.
Oh, the Places We See
Our area is gorgeous, but the length of time we have pretty leaves doesn’t seem to be very long. They might last longer in cooler climes like in New England. We just happened to hit it right this time. The day was glorious!