The leaves are changing on top of Brasstown Bald in Hiawassee, GA.

This is the time to take advantage of the fall colors, especially in the mountains of North Georgia.  The peak is normally in the next couple of weeks.  The closer you get to Atlanta the closer the peak will be to the first of November.

Take some time and plan for a day trip.  Their are wonderful scenic routes that you can take.  Here is a link for planning your trip.

I like using telephoto lens to capture the mountains.

Shoot a variety of photos at different zoom positions on your point and shoot or DSLR.  You will be surprised at how often a telephoto captures more of the vista than a wide-angle lens.  One of the reasons for this is the wide-angle makes things look further away.  You want to bring the impact up close and personal.

Normally I like to shoot the wide-angle with a flower or something close-up as the main subject with the mountains in the background.  I didn’t see any flowers that I could do this with on this trip.  The drought has affected some of those plants.

You can see the leaves changing here closer to the top of the mountain.

You might want to bring a polarizing filter to help cut the glare on the plants and increase the color.  Here is a link to explain what it can do for you.

This is the visitor center at the top of Brasstown Bald. There are great exhibits inside, but we just stayed outside with the great weather this weekend.

The best part of just taking off to the mountains this weekend was the surprises you find. We stumbled across Jim’s Smokin Que in Blairsville, GA.  We asked the park rangers where they recommended to eat and they told us about them.

I liked the food so much I wanted to be sure I put them in my blog here.  I hope you try them out.  I shot a few photos to show you how on the spur of the moment with a Point and Shoot camera you can tell a story.  I shot all of these photos here with my Nikon P7000.  They make a newer version called the Nikon P7100 that I highly recommend if you are in the market for a camera. 

(Option #1) This is how many folks might want to start their photo story on Jim’s Smokin Que. does this really get your attention?  I don’t think so.

The first four photos here were me working until I could find the photo that I would use to start the story.  I was torn between #3 and #4.  Which one do you like the best to tell the story?  Notice I asked which one to tell the story and not which one do you like the most.

Why would I ask the question this way?  Tell me why in the comments below.

(Option #2) I like this better than the first photo, but I still think this looks too generic as far as unique and making you take a second look.

(Option #3) I went between this photo and Option #4 as to which one I would use the lead the story.  I think both work.

(Option #4) This is most likely the photo I would choose to lead the story.  You know what to look for driving into Blairsville on the side of the road.

Had I known I would want to tell this story for some magazine I would want to go back and show them Smoking the meat out back of the restaurant.  I would want to show more photos in the kitchen to show how fresh everything is they prepare.

When you Google Jim’s Smokin Que you will find write ups that not only mention the food, but how clean the place is for a BBQ joint. It was clean and made me want to come again.

I love Jim’s tag line of “You can smell our BUTTS for miles!”  If I were assigned to shoot the story and not just on a trip to the mountains for the afternoon, I would try and be here when the counter was full. I think then the sign with everyone in the stools would have a little more humor.

Their famous “Butt Sauce.”  They also have a “Kickin Butt Sauce.”

It is important to show the things that help make the story different from other places.  All BBQ places have a sauce, but how they name that sauce can make it more appealing or humorous.  I think we see the humor of Jim Guess and his wife Donna.

I ordered the Beef Brisket sandwich with Cole Slaw & Baked Beans

Review by Mike E.

The Real Deal. Just delicious. I stumbled on to this place during a day trip up to the North Georgia mountains, and I am glad I did. Everything I had here was fantastic. This is  BBQ how’s it’s meant to be. But unlike authentic BBQ joints, this place is clean and the staff is very friendly.

I had the Pulled Pork Sandwich and it was great. It came on a great soft bun with a ton of pork. They have this sweet BBQ sauce they make called “Butt Sauce” that is just ridiculously good. I couldn’t drench enough of it my sandwich.  The baked beans were really tasty too. They had some sort of pepper (I think) mixed in which gave them a really unique and delicious flavor.

They are also friendly to the motorcyclist, which come from far away to ride these scenic highways of North Georgia.

Review by Mike S

I’m a BBQ snob, and Jim’s is in my top 5.  Great pulled pork, lean but not dry with a deep smoke flavor.  Good sauce (i went with the hot) and seved on a nice soft roll.  Beans and slaw were good, not great.  Very nice people, you could do surgery in their open kitchen.  A nice surprise on the way to Blairsville.

This is Jim Guess the owner of Jim’s Smokin Que.  He is a friendly guy making you feel at home at his BBQ stand in Blairsville, GA.

Why would I put into this blog those reviews I found on the web? Quotes are the greatest tool for the writer. The only think better than a quote is the recorded voice of the customer.  I would really like to go back and interview some of the customers and put together a multimedia package on the place.  It would just be fun to do and give me another excuse to go and eat some more of Jim’s Smokin Que.

It’s October and the time for pumpkins and scarecrows.  This is in the overflow parking area, which we had to use when we first arrived.  They are a great place to eat while you visit North Georgia.