美國有50州，每個州都有名勝景點，如果一年安排幾天只旅遊一個州，50年才能遊完。
哇，不要說遊完全世界，好像遊完全美國都不容易，不知還能活多少年，還是萝想就好，實不實現就看命。
7月7日我們駕車來到Tennessee 州旅遊幾天。
We stopped at Kentucky Dam, a lock & dam on the way to Tennessee.
The Woodlands Nature Station was closed when we drove through Land Between the Lakes. This is a side route in the park.
We followed this jeep until the water had completely covered the road. Neither of us attempted to drive across. The people were from the area and said the water is normally about 10 feet below the road level at this spot, but they had major storms the night before.
Fort Donelson - a Confederate fort during the U.S. Civil War.
The Parthenon in Nashville, built for the Tennessee's 1897 Centennial Exhibition. This is a full-size reproduction of the original Parthenon at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.
We were fortunate enough see the original Parthenon on a visit to Greece in 2009.
The original temple was dedicated to Athena, the patron goddess of Athens.
Close-up of one of the pediments, this one showing the birth of the goddess Athena.
Athena, goddess of wisdom, strategic war, and skilled crafts.
Athena Parthenos!
The statue of Athena is over 41 feet tall, and Nike, the goddess of victory in Athena's hand is 6 feet 4 inches tall. Even taller than Steve!
The tour guide provided some great info about the artistic construction of the temple.
A few notes: the extra tall steps going up to the temple cause the head to naturally bow as you go up to the temple doors. As you enter, the door frames the statue. Unfortunately, the large bronze doors at the entrance aren't open to see this.
The pillars in the main hall could have gone to the ceiling but were split about waist-level on the statue by the horizontal beams. This immediately draws the eyes to the statue.
Due to its size, from the waist up the statue is oversized, which makes it look "correct" when viewed from below.
In the original temple, lighting would have been much dimmer, so the gilded statue in the dim temple would have been a much more impressive sight.
One of the figures on the 7.5 ton giant bronze doors. Many people, including Steve, feel the need to pet the lion's nose.
A reproduction of one of the griffins adorning the roof of the Nashville Parthenon. The Greek version of a "maneki neko" (beckoning cat) statue?
The opposite end of the building. The pediment on this end shows the competition between Athena and her uncle, Poseidon, to become the patron god/goddess of Athens. Athena won.
The visitor's center at Stone's River National Battlefield. We stopped just long enough to get a stamp in our National Parks passport.
We stopped in Chattanooga, TN, and visited the Ruby Falls cave on Lookout Mountain.
"At 1,120 feet underground, Ruby Falls is one of the deepest commercial caves in the world. "
"At 145 feet tall, Ruby Falls is one of the largest underground waterfalls accessible to the public."
"Ruby Falls" - the tall waterfall inside the cave. Named for Ruby, the wife of the cave's discoverer.
This was one of the more beautiful caves we've visited.
The top of the inclined train on Lookout Mountain.
A panoramic view of Moccasin Bend from Point Park on Lookout Mountain, part of the Chicamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park.
Time for a little quiet meditation at Point Park, part of a Confederate fort on Lookout Mountain.
我坐在石岩上，想起一個故事，有一僧人懊腦自己禅坐常昏沉，所以決定坐在石岩上以警戒自己精進專注，但還是失敗，結果跌下山崖。當僧人跌下時，即心生懺愧，就這一心生起，却被菩薩救度了。
你相信這故事嗎？
我呢，連這樣的決心試法，都不敢。
After leaving Chattanooga, we took a southern route, sneaking up on the Great Smoky Mountains from the North Carolina side. We stopped briefly in Bryson City for information and some great ice cream from The Chocolate Shoppe, before heading up to Cherokee and into the mountains.
At an elevation of 6,643 feet, Clingman's Dome is the highest point in the park.
The trail from the visitor's center to the observation deck is only 0.5 miles, but the altitude makes it a tough, uphill walk.
The 360 degree view from Clingman's Dome was spectacular. This is the view to the east.
360度的視野。
眼界有多遠？
How far is the view?
看世界是需要眼，更需要腿，才能帶着眼去看。
To see the world, we need eyes. Legs are important too, to take the eyes with us.
但眼不能看得遠，眼還得帶着心，才看得遠。
However, the eyes couldn't see very far. The eyes need bring the heart, then we can see the far view.
The North Caroline-Tennessee border passes through the mountains.
Standing in two states at once!
Gatlinburg. A tourist town - a cross between Niagara Falls in Canada and Branson in Missouri.
The next morning, we went back into the Smoky Mountains to explore more. This is the old homestead house at Cade's Cove beside the visitor's center.
At the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge, Steve found the Tiny Titan - a small computer cluster used to teach high performance computing concepts. Now, he wants to build one at home.
On the way home, we stopped to hike a little at Lilly Bluff overlook on the Obed Wild & Scenic River.
This trip we drove about 1,450 miles through 6 states: Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina.
至今，10年遊13州。
