Rocks in Tennessee

This is going to be about rocks, not just any rocks, but the rocks in Tennessee.  There is so much subject matter all around me - I could write for years about the rocks just in my garden.

This is a map of Tennessee to show where I live.  A short geography lesson follows so stay awake.  The state is sharply divided into three regions.  To the east is the Great Smoky Mountains high up on the Cumberland Plateau.  The west is fertile Mississippi river-bottom farmland.  Middle Tennessee is gentle, rolling land in a basin surrounded by highland rims.  I am in southern middle Tennessee, fifty miles south of Nashville, (not rich fertile farmland) and in the bottom of the basin.

We sit right on top of limestone bedrock which can be seen when driving down roads.

It is so solid that when roads are built, it is necessary to blast through the rock leaving vertical drill patterns in the stone where the dynamite was inserted.

On top of the rock lives horrible, worthless thorn and cedar trees.  Some of these trees are looking stressed. Don't worry.  They won't die.  They can live anywhere hostile and withstand anything, except water and good soil.

This tree is surviving on the edge of a cliff with no dirt which shows their toughness.

When I take a walk down my street, this is my neighborhood.  The land is wooded and uncleared.  Trees grow down into the crevices between the rocks.

Further down the street is an area where the trees have been cleared for pastures.  Rocks are everywhere.

The official State Song of Tennessee is Rocky Top. It was the perfect choice.

Rocky Top with lyrics performed by the Osborne Brothers on Youtube
Rocks in My Neighborhood
Scooter's Abyss