Living in the Great Smoky Mountains provides you with so much beauty no matter what the season. Our mountains take up an estimated 187,000 acres. According to Wikipedia, the name "Smoky" comes from the natural fog that often hangs over the range and presents as large smoke plumes from a distance. This fog is caused by the vegetation exhaling volatile organic compoaunds, chemicals that have a high vapor pressure and easily form vapors at normal temperature and pressure.
That's the technical description of the mountains and why the name Smokies. However, I love the more mystical description of the Cherokee Indians who gave it the name of Shakonohey which translated means land of the blue smoke. It has also been referred to as the Land of 1000 Smokes. Some days when I am driving to work, it is easy to see why it has been given so many names relating to smoke. But no matter what you call it, they are absolutely the favorite part of my drive to work every morning. This was my view when I was about a 1/2 mile from work yesterday.
Have a great Monday!
