We had a cool, drizzly day last week and decided to take a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's a really lovely drive, even on a wet day when you're driving through the clouds that cling to the peaks of the nearby mountains. The mountains are about 5,000-6,000 feet and the overlooks give a birds-eye view of verdant valleys with farms and small villages.
We passed this tiny cabin with a few outbuildings. The sign says that it was a Sunday gathering spot for many local families for years. They'd have a religious service and then some good food and good music and good friends. As good a way to spend a day as any, in my opinion!
There's a whole new batch of wildflowers in bloom. This Jack-in-the-Pulpit is quite showy. They're not plentiful, but well worth looking for.
A short hike off the parkway is Cascades Falls. It goes all the way down the side of the mountain at about a 45 degree angle. The rocks are worn smooth, and it looks almost like something you'd see at a water park. I have a feeling more than a few adventurous kids have tried to slide down part or all of it!
On another of our days off we went to nearby Elizabethton, TN, where we spent a couple of happy hours looking at this covered bridge over the Doe River and admiring some of the old houses in town. Elizabethton sits between Lynn Mountain on the East and the Watauga River to the North and the Doe River to the South. The bridge was built in 1882, and survived several floods that destroyed all the other bridges in the area!
We had a great (cheap!) lunch in the local cafe and drove home via a different scenic route. We stopped at a couple of country stores along the way and at a feed store where Wiley bought some seeds for his garden (which keeps getting bigger and bigger). I kept hearing this peeping sound, and I thought they must have a bird feeder. It turned out to be these baby chicks for sale! (Come on now--let's hear a collective "aw-w-w-w-w"!)
My cousin, Donna, and her hubby, Dave, visited for a couple of days last week. We really enjoyed catching up with them. They're full-time RVrs, too, and have traveled all over the place. We had a couple of great hikes (this one to a waterfall behind an old Episcopal mission). We stumbled on it almost by accident. We were driving through Valle Crucis and went to turn around in the mission's parking lot. We saw a sign for waterfall parking, hiked a little trail, and found this lovely spot.
The day we all decided to go to Grandfather Mountain was sunny and breezy in Boone. But when we got to the top of Grandfather, the winds were nearly 40 mph! The first picture above is a view from the top of the mountain. The other one is the rocky top with stunted growth and puddles on top of the mountain.
We kept those jackets on all day! This picture of the four hearty adventurers was taken by a kindly stranger in front of split rock.
Wiley, Dave and I all walked across the mile-high bridge (it crosses a canyon that's a mile deep.
Donna said she had to stay back to take this picture. Yeah. I believe that, Donna!
Wiley and Dave went off fishing a couple of mornings. Wiley has taken up fly fishing. We ate fish for dinner two nights while they were here!
A good time was had by all. We were sorry to see Donna and Dave head back to Delaware, but we're looking forward to visiting with them again next summer. I have lots more adventures to chronicle, but no more time right now. Happy trails!
8 comments:
Those are some nice looking trout. I'll bet you're in good fly-fishing country.
Wow great pictures. We went to Grandfather mountain a few years ago but the bridge wasn't open because the winds were too high. I think they said it was like 5 degrees at the top.
The streams up here are just gorgeous. I enjoy sitting next to them and just vegging. Grandfather Mountain is really spectacular. It's an international bio preserve--the only one in the world that's privately owned.
Enjoyed your photos and trip commentary. FYI, beginning with the photo of the second waterfall, you must have somehow changed the size of your pictures and when I click on them, they are huge and only about a fourth of the photo shows at one time.
Joyce, aren't you learning to eat fish? Those fish of Wiley's look so scrumptious. In that picture of Wiley with the fish, is that a mirror behind him on that camper? There is a scenic view ON the camper and it looks like one is looking right through the camper at the mountains. Explain, please.
It sounds like you had a marvelous time with the hikes, excursions and traipsing all over the place. How I wish I were there with you but your photos say a lot. The covered bridge was lovely. Have you ever seen the covered bridges around Lancaster County in Pennsylvania? Most of those were unpainted and weather worn but very lovely. Good necking places! Ha Ha
Thanks for the heads-up about the picture size, Julie. I must have accidentally re-set the camera. I'll have to see if I can figure out what I've done!
I like some kinds of fish, but it's still not my favorite food. That's okay--more for the folks who really enjoy them.
That's a window in the door of Donna and Dave's motor home, and it's reflecting the campground. Beautiful, isn't it? So even when we're not traipsing around, we have plenty of beautiful things to look at. We're enjoying the combination of busy weekends with lots of great folks to socialize with and quiet weekdays when we enjoy the peaceful beauty of this area.
I've seen some covered bridges in Indiana and West Virginia, but I don't think I've seen any in PA. (What's necking? Is it anything like making out?) :)
Oh my goodness! That's exactly what necking is but I had no idea it was local jargon. By the way, just what is an international bio reserve? How is it international?
I was just joking--I know what necking is. I think young folks call it making out now.
An international bio reserve is a natural area of international significance, like the Serenghetti Plains or the Everglades.
Oops! I totally fell for that one. I guess I wasn't "with it" that day because I kept thinking "she doesn't know what necking is?" The covered bridge did bring back memories though, especially the clip clopping of the horses' hoofs as they crossed beneath the covered bridges. All the bridges I saw were entirely wooden -- including the road across the creek. Large planks were laid across the trestles and the creek below could be seen from between the planks. We used to sit, wait and watch the Amish buggies cross the bridges. Sometimes the younger, friskier horses didn't want to cross as they could also see the creek below, and then they had to be led by the reins to get them across. That's one of the things we kids used to do during our playtimes.
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