In celebration of Earth Day 2009 I am posting this photo from my upcoming book on Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This image was taken last November at Newfound Gap. This was an unusual day, in that it was crystal clear. The mountains in the background showed sharp edges – not just the fuzzy outline as most often seen. On this day the air was particularly clean because of the weather patterns. Most of the time there is a haze and visibility is limited. Often the mountains at the far side are not visible. Smog from the cities of Knoxville, Chattanooga and Atlanta to name a few tend to drift eastward and affect the air quality in the Smokies. So this earth day as we celebrate our earth we can be a bit more optimistic – maybe – because more and more cars are alternative fuels, natural gas and electric vehicles seem to be on the horizon (ever wonder why most cars in Argentina are LP Gas yet not here? Me too). We, as a country, are finally focusing our attention back on our natural environment as part of our national goals. And for this we can be thankful. But now comes the time we must all take part in that effort, by using our resources wisely, conserving energy, recycling better and all of the other things we can do as individuals which will collectively make a difference.