Tram ride offers good view of fire damage

A recent aerial tram ride revealed a lot of the damage inflicted on the Gatlinburg, TN area from fires in the Great Smoky Mountains last year.

My wife and I took the conveyance from downtown Gatlinburg, TN up to Ober Gatlinburg, a popular tourist destination in all seasons of the year.

The view as we moved over the area helped one to easily see the vacant spots where houses once stood. It was also a good way to see how the fire moved through the mountains, causing heavy damage in some areas and skipping others.

Numerous trees stood tall, even though one could see they had been ravaged by the blaze. There was little, if any, life in them.

In an earlier trip, we drove through the area, but weren’t able to experience the damage like we could see from the air. 

A couple years ago, we dined at a local Italian restaurant. The owner came over and talked to us prior to the meal, mentioning and pointing to his house high on the hill opposite the town.

 We didn't see him on our last trip, but where he had pointed to was a place that had suffered a lot of damage.

Next post: October 31