Kelli Thompson Photography

06/19/2026

Yesterday I got to return to my happy place - Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. I could have spent all day scurrying on rocks and wading down the stream capturing scenes like this. The Rosebay Rhodedendrons were beautiful too, but I have yet to find that perfect spot where the blooms are hanging above the water. Maybe I can go back before the blooms start to fade.

06/18/2026

06/17/2026

I love ferns, and I love them even more when they are coated in rain water. There were so many beautiful ferns up on Roan Mountain at Carver's Gap. The Catawba Rhododendron and the Flame Azaleas - plus the Gray Lilies - get all the love. But the ferns standout on their own too.

06/14/2026

Flame Azaleas will always hold a special place in my heart. My first thought is always Ginni the Beagle. That may seem weird, but after Ginni's adverture and accident in 2018, she was treated at UT Vet Hospital. I'd spend time in the gardens while she was being treated and captured the Flame Azaleas there as she was finishing her physical therapy.

They also remind me of Norris Lake as we had them on our property along with Rosebay Rhodedendron. But the expansive Flame Azaleas on top of the balds and ridges at Carver's Gap which are interspersed among the Catawba Rhodedendron is an amazing site to see. Plus these are more accessible than say the azaleas at Andrew's Bald or Gregory Bald in the Smokies. The color variations are very striking, and to stand on top of the balds and look out into the clouds and down the ridges of the mountains and see this makes me appreciate the incredible beauty of God's creation. Enjoy.

06/13/2026

Feelin' Alright - at Carver's Gap on the Tennessee North Carolina line

06/12/2026

A Winter Wren may only weigh about a third of an ounce, but it produces one of the loudest and interesting songs of any North American bird relative to its size. Their song is a stream of warbles and musical notes that can seem unlikely to come from such a small bird.

Roan Mountain has spruce-fir forests that closely resemble the boreal forests of Canada and the northeastern United States. Winter Wrens are northern birds, but these cool, moist "sky island" forests provide the same habitat hundreds of miles farther south. Carver's Gap and the summit area of Roan Mountain are among the few places in Tennessee where Winter Wrens regularly breed.

In fact, Winter Wrens have been documented nesting on Roan Mountain for well over a century. Ornithologists recorded them carrying nest material and food for young in the spruce-fir forests near the summit in the 1880s, and fledged young have been observed repeatedly around Carver's Gap.

I was impressed with his voice.

06/12/2026

I like to think that we would all be happier if we changed our perspective. If you focus on appreciation instead of expectations, you can find good things in less than ideal circumstances.

On our trip to Roan Mountain, we were pounded with rain on top of Round Bald Tuesday afternoon, but the result was on the trip back down, the Catawba blooms that were blown away littered the pathway. It was beautiful.

06/11/2026

It's been a minute since I've been to the Roan Mountain area - 1988 to be exact. I've been wanting to make this trip for quite some time, but there isn't ever enough time to adventure every where I want to go. In addition, these highlands suffered devastating losses with wind and rain damage in Hurricane Helene, but they are recovering nicely. These Catawba Rhodedendron blooms are from the Rhodedendron Gardens on Carver's Gap.

The Roan Highlands are home to one of the largest natural Catawba Rhododendron gardens in the world. They thrive in the cool, moist climate of the high-elevation balds and mountain slopes. Unlike the Rosebay Rhododendron that dominate lower Appalachian forests in the Southern Appalachians, Catawba Rhododendron have adapted to harsher conditions, including colder temperatures, frequent fog, and strong winds found above 5,000 feet. In June each year, the blooms can cover entire mountainsides in purple and magenta. Add in the shades of orange from the Flaming Azaleas, and it is quite something to see. Now I have to take Joe Thompson back and leave him at the Gray Fossil site while I go back to the mountain top.