West

This is another giant chunk of North Carolina, including a lot of wonderful destinations from the Appalachian mountains to the edge of the Piedmont plateau at Chapel Hill.  The cities of Asheville, Hickory, Statesville, Salisbury, Winston-Salem, High Point, Greensboro, Waynesville are all found in this octant.  We are finally visiting many of those locations and collecting the memories of our adventures.  Keep checking back for new additions.

Brevard, September 16th-18th, 2009:

Earlier in the year, Linda saw a show on PBS's North Carolina Weekend, her favorite Thursday night entertainment.  It featured a young guide, Craig Miller, taking people on a mountain tour of waterfalls off the beaten path.  She saved the contact information and a few weeks ago she arranged for us to visit Brevard with the waterfall tour on Thursday.  Brevard is a good launch point for this tour since it has a selection of restaurants and accommodations which suited us perfectly.  The great part of the tour is these waterfalls are on private property, not in National Parks or State Forests.  Craig is a personable guide who really enjoys his local terrain and is making it available to all who sign up for the tour.  You've gotta try it.

Brevard	Sept. 17th, 2009	Borem Mill Shoals	Eastatoe Falls	Eastatoee	Twin Falls		Johnny Mill Shoals
		Miller's Land of Waterfalls Tour	Craig Miller	Linda	In Balsam Grove Christian Retreat Camp	Lemon Falls	Looking Glass Falls

River House, August 11-14th, 2008:

Linda has fond memories of a quiet spot in the far northwest corner of North Carolina, the River House.  It overlooks the Grassy Creek near Jefferson and provides first class amenities, entertainment and fine dining.  This was a perfect place to celebrate Linda's birthday.

River House, Grassy Creek	Aug. 11th	This unassuming Holy Trinity Church	is a local attraction	that holds marvelous frescoes of Ben Long.		The Weigh Station is now a serviceable lodging.
	Aug. 12th		Landmark in W. Jefferson	We find mist on the mountain above our lodge.	Queen Anne's lace	The original barn
Blowing Rock				Blue Ridge Parkway, Aug. 13th	After spooking a flock of wild turkeys	Mist blankets the mountains.
Blue Ridge Parkway	Aug. 13th		Brinegar's cabin	Shelton Winery	Harvest Grill	our tour guide
Shelton Winery				Grassy Creek

Asheville, September 7-9th, 2007:

We visit Asheville again to see Sam's favorite rockabilly guitar wizard Bill Kirchen on Friday night.  But since the hour is late and it's past bedtime for a number of us we leave the pub and enter the street.  We were greeted with the beat of the drums from blocks away.  The Pritchard Park Drum Circle was jumping with hundreds of people.  The throbbing went on and on...like Asheville's own Carnival...a great experience.

The next day we're off to explore the NC Arboretum a few miles away.  This is a perfect hiking destination with trails of different lengths.  We hiked the Carolina Mountain Trail and the Bent Creek Trail about 1.7 miles.  The falling water was always within earshot and it was cool under the heavy shade of trees.  In the heat, that was enough of a hike for us.

That night we dine at the Magnolia Raw Bar and Grill for a selection of exquisite dishes.  I had the filet mignon and Linda had the skewered shrimp and Divers scallops.  The chocolate dessert (filled with genache) and topped with whipped cream was everyone's choice.  Yummy.

Asheville	Sept. 7th				Interior of Mast General Store	Landmark Bascilica of St. Lawrence
			Lily and Beth ordering	Drum Circle	Hippy mecca today	Drum circle on Youtube.com
The North Carolina Arboretum	Sept. 8th	Earl, Mary and Beth	Joan and Jane	MATA		Black snake
			Marvelous Bonsai House	The Quilt Garden		Linda's pic of Dave
Asheville		Magnolia's Raw Bar & Grille			Linda's pic of Joan and Dave	Asheville any way you like it

Waynesville, March 24-26th, 2006:

On returning from our previous trip to Brasstown, Linda and I passed through the town of Waynesville and stopped to admire this little gem nestled in the mountains.  Now we've finally returned to Waynesville.  The weather was much the same as it was on our trip to Abingdon, Virginia in March of 2005.  Snow was falling then and snow was falling this trip.  Linda's first chore was to purchase a pair of rain pants from the Mast General Store.  Very nice ones they were.

Our stay at the Prospect Hill B&B was made quite pleasant by the Framptons, Dennis and Judith.  We stayed in their Paris suite which had a private bath and a sitting room.  The comfy four-poster bed was fitted with a lace cover made by Judith.  Linda found much needed sleep between the down coverlets.  The Prospect Hill is a short walk from Main Street where all of the action is.  Judith made breakfast of poached eggs and toast the first day and Dennis made a Briosche the next day: wonderful fare accompanied by orange juice, cranberry muffins, cakes, yogurt sprinkled with fresh fruit, excellent bacon, coffee, tea; the works!  And some fine conversation made it all the more pleasant.  Dennis spent a number of years in Belgium and is quite a linguist and literati.  Observe his website at http://prospecthillnc.com for it promotes their business and features his book reviews and daily blogs as well.

This certainly is a place we would like to return to again.  We certainly would like to bring the MATA hiking group as there are marvelous hiking trails close by in the higher altitudes of the Blue Ridge (>5700 ft).

Waynesville	March 24th	Lunch at Whitman's Bakery			Old timey toys in the Mast General Store	Old time candies that'll really make your teeth hurt.
Check in at the Prospect Hill B&B	Precisely at 2:00 pm	Prospect Hill	Mountains all around shrouded in mist		Dinner at Wildfire
Judith prepared a wonderful breakfast at 8:00 am	Followed by a photo tour of route 215 - a private access route to the Blue Ridge				Along Pigeon Creek	We found the trailhead just south of the Blue Ridge but 6 inches of snow kept us from hiking it.
					Lake Logan
Lunch at Nick & Nate's	12:30 pm		Dinner at the Wildfire again - superb each time	Rock and roll band at the Pheasant		Judith's lace cover on 4-poster in the Paris suite

Brasstown, October 17-22nd, 2005:

This is my second trip to Brasstown.  This time for a class in The Gentle Art of Bonsai.  My classmates spanned the age groups from Krysta who was just out of college to June representing the elders.  I'm just building the chart of pictures and need input from my classmates.  Give me your insights and feelings as to what you experienced at the Folk School.  Send me any pictures that show things I may have missed.  I'd appreciate your input at this formative stage.

Brasstown	Oct. 17th	Our early morning hike at 7:00 am		Followed by some music and story telling at 8:00 am		...and we are off to classes
The Gentle Art of Bonsai	9:00 am	Our teacher, the gentle giant, Tim Ryan		John is curious at the early stages of making a Mugho pine bonsai.		June watches as Tim cuts away 2/3 of the roots.
Packing some soil around the roots	11:13 am		...and by 2:20 pm Tim has finished clipping a Ilex Crenata 'Soft Touch'		Detail of library
Our next early morning hike	Oct. 18th		Each morning our hikes were led by Jenn from Manitoba.		A little mandolin, guitar and story telling before breakfast	Krysta studies her juniper
Back in class	9:09 am		Coreographing a juniper (Juniperus Procumbens 'nana')		Dea captures the mid-stage
It gives Tim great pleasure.	9:58 am		Onlookers wishing they had taken the course		Linda at her loom, making a Scandinavian rag rug.	Weaving Room
Totem just at dawn on our hike	Oct. 19th, 7:28 am		Posing at the "Monet" bridge		Fiddler, J.D. Robinson, doing his early morning stint.	Looking for Bonsai at the campgrounds.
Lewis Nursery (North Georgia Master Gardeners)	12:58 pm		Young squirrel under the benches		Inspecting a water wheel for possible installation at the Folk School
The Aesthetics of Solitude:  Wabi Sabi	Oct. 20th	Krysta likes this one.	Tim's masterpiece in Chinese porcelain (Rhododendron 'Gumpo')	We visit Dea's house, just a mile away from the Folk School.		Even I get to smile for the camera.
Little Brasstown hike	Oct. 21st, 7:23 am		Followed by this very accomplished young musician		Brilliant sunrise at the mess hall
We seem to be on our own now.	9:58 am			John seems content for this portrait.		Krysta and all of her creations for the week.
Sonia	2:06 pm	Karen	June	Becky	Dea	Jane
We all pose for our pictures with bonsai.
	2:24 pm		And now the men...	Honored Sensei	John	Dave
Before graduation ceremony	4:17 pm		Linda and weaving friends		Teacher, Linda and her rag rug for the week	Fiddler's entertain

Asheville, North Carolina, July 8-10th, 2005:

The time of year and the circumstances of your visit often will govern the things that happen on a vacation trip.  I was pleased to have Deb and Jay accept my invitation to visit Asheville.  It is a place that we enjoyed on our last visit and it certainly would be on the top of the list of places to retire to.  However, we were unprepared for the excitement that we experienced this trip.  The restaurants were numerous and provided a wide variety of styles.  Entertainment seemed to be on every street corner.  The drummers could be heard all over town.

Blue Ridge Parkway	July 8th	Folk Art Center Visitor Center		Asheville		Limones is just across the street from the drummers seen below.
Asheville	Afternoon	Cathedral		Grove Arcade - America's first indoor shopping mall		Linda approaches from the left.
Grove Arcade	Architectural detail				Flatiron Building
On our way to dinner	North Ridge B&B - Victoria		Drummers perform Friday evening
Walking around town		Arcade again for Deb and Jay to see
Touring Biltmore Estate	July 9th		Those black spots on the picture are intolerable gnats.			Followed by a tour of the house.  No AC just fans.
Hike down to the Boat House		Saw some big fish in there.
Shindig on the Green	Evening of the 9th		Gathering in front of City Hall			Lots of dancing and behind the scenes mountain music.

Brasstown, April 10-15th, 2005:

Linda was enthralled by the atmosphere at the John C. Campbell Folk School when she took a rag rug weaving course there a few years ago.  The down home feeling with country music morning and evening; hearty meals and comrades in crafting, your cares can soon melt away.  The absence of radio or television was not missed since you are busy with other things.

Linda was always trying to find courses that would satisfy both of us.  But we never found a photography course being offered at the same time as her weaving.  However, having tested herself on our trip to Scotland last year with Northwest Frontiers, she talked me into another active adventure: Naturalist Rambles in the Southern Appalachians.  Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains it is a perfect launching place for exploring the surrounding mountain trails.

 

Brasstown	April 10th		White Trilium near Orchard Cottage	Intro to Campbell routine	Sun sets on our first day.	The John C. Campbell Folk School of Brasstown, NC offers Arts and Crafts Classes, Courses, and Instruction
More Folk School in the morning	April 11th		The Morning Walk is about as much exercise as the crafters get.	David Brose	Three of our hikers: Jane, Pam and Kathy	We leave the school to pursue nature in the Nantahala Wild Areas
Chunky Gal Trail	9:00 am	Our First wild thang!  Trout Lily	Liz Domingue leads our hikes			I've seen Bloodroot before but not Bear Corn.
More Chunky Gal	11:39 am				Bill examines the Wooly Adelgid with a magnifying glass.	Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Website - USDA Forest Service
Yet mo'	2:14 pm					Oh, the obstacles to knowledge - 5 miles!
Morning Song	April 12th		Breakfast and we are off to the Zell Miller Trek in Georgia.			Booby Bush
Travel Golf: Brasstown Valley Resort	9:43 am	Alder cones		Southern Wood Violet	Pennywort	Another fallen tree to crawl under
Zell Miller was a lifelong resident of the Resort.	Lunch		Liz advised us to have raingear handy at all times.  We needed it today.
Southern Appalachian Wildflowers Photo Gallery by Rich Stevenson at pbase.com	1:12 pm	Red Trilium		We ascend into the fog.	The waitress took this photo of the merry group.	We deserved a beer and nachos after a 6 miler.
Tray Mountain (AT)	April 13th 5:54 am		Started out nice enough.
North Georgia Internet Magazine - Tray Mountain	10:44 am	Smiles before the rain		High Shoals Trail		Halberd-leaf Violet
Blue Hole and High Shoals waterfalls	1:51 pm
Wagon Train Trail	April 14th		We have to climb up there?			Brasstown Bald
Highest point in Georgia - 4784 feet	10:53 am		!Bill walking above a fantastic view and Liz adjusts the Nikon."		That tower is mighty far away now.
Barry finds an Earth Star fungus...	12:21 pm	and explains the Fusiform Rust of pine trees.	Jane finds us a morel.  Discoveries abound!
Fusiform Rust	3:12 pm	Bird's Foot Violet bicolor	Liz recites the list of species	Pam toasts...er.. burns a marshmallow	White Pine Cabin Murphy Vacation Rentals Wonderful Mountain Privacy on 52 Acres	Thank you Barry for hosting the bonfire.
	April 15th	Sherpa Guides | Georgia | Mountains | Blood Mountain				A more liesurely hike with nice overlooks.
The view from the top of Blood Mountain	10:45 am		Liz and Pam absorb the scene.	The Group	Liz followed by Pam and Linda	Mountain Crossings @ Walasi-Yi

By the end of the week I was actually getting into a groove, feeling better than I have felt since our hikes in the Highlands and Hebrides in Scotland.  This experience gave us many moments in which we could imagine how it was to be a child seeing things for the first time.  For a photographer that is a treat.

Asheville, May 19-24th, 2003: 

Linda had us scheduled to attend the NCANPHA (NC Association of Non-Profit Homes for the Aged) meeting during the week before Memorial Day.  On May 19th of 2003 we set out for the town of Asheville, as far away as you can get from Durham.  As we drove into town we found a parking spot on Battery Park Ave. and went into have brunch at a friendly looking sidewalk restaurant on Page St.  Great omelet.  We then had time to circumnavigate the Grove Arcade and take a look at St. Lawrence Basilica and Linda zeroed in on her goal for the day, Earth Guild.  She was hankering for some weaving supplies but I found a trove of soap-making stuff; a great craft supply store.  We headed back to where we parked in front of the Old Europe Cafe. Setting up camp at the Grove Park Inn and didn't have much time to rest before having to man the registration table for the Association at 3:00 pm. 

Asheville	May 19th, 2003
Grove Park Inn	May 20th, 2003
Biltmore Estate	May 20th after noon					Visit Biltmore Estate's website
Biltmore Estate	Later					Virtual tour of downtown Asheville
Asheville	May 21st, 2003

Our hike in the Joyce Kilmer forest was made quite enjoyable by John and Nancy Rennie.  Their years of wandering and studying these forest have made them amazingly informative.  Thanks, John and Nancy Rennie for being there at the right time for us.

Valdese, NC, July 19-21st, 2002: 

An invitation to visit Valdese from Earl's cousin was accepted by a dozen of our members.  Valdese, for those of you who are not familiar with the small towns in North Carolina, is just down route 40 from Morganton near the Catawba River.  It has a history which revolves around the Waldensian movement which began in the 13th century when these earliest Protestants were persecuted by Louis XIV of France.

In the 19th century the real estate developers of Morganton invited these industrious people to make the leap to the new world.  Many of the Waldensians, with few prospects in their crowded homeland in northern Italy, accepted.  They became a vibrant force in that part of North Carolina and you can learn of their fascinating history in a play which is re-enacted during July and August.  The play, "From This Day Forward", is in its 35th consecutive season and is presented by the Old Colony Players.  You'll be shocked, beguiled and fascinated by this exciting play complete with live firearms, swordplay and even a battle scene.  The visit to Valdese also brought us some enjoyable hikes and noshes including a great blueberry pie.  We started with a stop in Blowing Rock on Friday morning.

Blowing Rock, NC	July 19th, 2002
Valdese	July 20th, 2002
Waldensian Heritage Vineyard & Winery	July 20th	Hiked past the Sarah Lee Bakery in Valdese		We cooled our heels while tasting and buying.		"From This Day Forward" by the Old Colony Players
Morganton	July 21st				Where to stay in the Valdese Morganton area	Thanks to Judy and Tom for planning this fine weekend.

We wish we had more people like Earl's cousin and his wife to plan and execute a weekend like this.  Can't thank Tom and Judy enough for hosting and guiding us through our enjoyment of Valdese.  What a place it was!

GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN, NC, July 16th to 18th, 1999:  We drove up to Bear Den Campground on Friday afternoon and arrived around 7 PM.  After we set up our tent, we decided we would prepare meals in camp rather than going into town.  So, I divided the ingredients for our sauté into two parts, one for that night and one for the next night.  This time I brought our wok and started the charcoal fire with a small wax log.  This was a more than adequate campground with a fishing lake, hot showers, hiking trails and creekside cabins.

Next morning, fairly early, we set out for Grandfather Mountain.  Paying the $10 for the fee supported trails.  In the parking lot, more than half of our number decided that their boots were inadequate for the Ladder Trail.  They were correct.  I got out my poncho in case the drizzle continued.  Three of us, myself, Linda and Margie, agreed that the trail was irresistible.  The pile of rock slabs that led steeply up the hill across from the swinging bridge gave some idea of what the trail would be like.  Bidding goodbye to the wimpier group, we scrambled up behind some boy scouts.

I had never visited the Grandfather Mountain complex and was glad that I could visit.  I had only heard of the swinging bridge, which many had led me to believe was treacherous and terrifying.  What was across the parking lot turned out to be far more fearsome.  We had decided to do the Ladders Loop which promised to be 2 miles.  Moving east along the crest of the Blue Ridge chain we kept our eyes down for the trail was deeply eroded presenting nothing but boulders, slabs and roots.   Passing to the left of the Patio, we headed through Grandfather Gap at 0.5 miles.  We were to find sturdy ladders built of 4X4" lumber, maybe 10 of them, to help us on our way from 5200 ft to MacRae Peak at 5939 ft.

  Where the trail was over smooth faces, we learned to use the steel cables which were anchored in the rock.  These cables became our friends.  Occasionally, the slabs were on edge and you were walking on the points of slabs with a five foot drop awaiting you if you didn't keep your balance.

After climbing the ladder to get the view from the large boulder that is MacRae Peak, I could see that the fog to our west was building and engulfing the mountains from our view.  Thank god for the fog since it kept the summer sun from making it unbearable for us.  Of course, Margie had a goal in mind.  That was the Attic Window that she had heard of.  Going up the Chute, she went all the way to the top before discovering that the Window was only half way up the trail on the left. She conned me into trying to go through the Window, a 2 foot wide by 9 foot high corridor through the mountain. Following her over the sill of the window, a rounded boulder with few hand holds, we entered and walked to the other side. Margie had read that at the other end of the Window, you drop down to a slab where you can crawl through a small hole into a corridor which you could walk through back to the trail.  But the drop down when we were surveying it seemed too dangerous without help of a rope.  There was a chance that your foot could lodge in a gap between the slabs or you could miss the slab and fall, etc.  We turned back only to find that going back was more difficult than we thought.  Two passing women were recruited to tell me whether I had the little foothold on the other side of the boulder.  Once there, with Margie's hand to help, I was able to swing my weight around the boulder and step down.  Margie however did not have a hand to help her.  So, when she got her toe hold, I grabbed her fanny pack strap and the women pushed her around the boulder, safely.  I clasped my hands and thanked God that we got down from there.  Margie tells that I found religion there on the mountain.

The return found me fatigued and having some pain in my knees since there was a lot of jumping from rock to root.  Even returning along the relatively flat Underwood Trail along the 5400 ft contour line, I had to take it slow so that I didn't make any missteps.  Linda was feeling tired also.  This hike took us 4 hours to complete but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.  An afterthought was pushing our tired feet across the swinging bridge with cadres of ice cream eating tourists.

We left early Sunday morning after a substantial breakfast at Louise's Rock Restaurant where three counties come together in Linville.  This enabled us to beat the traffic which was considerable later in the day.

 Want to learn more about Grandfather Mountain?  Click here.

NORTH CAROLINA ZOO, October 29, 1996: Earl Smith and Deb Eveland hosted our visit to Holly Bluff family campground, 5 mph speed limit strictly adhered to.

Linda and I arrived around 9:30 AM or so on Saturday, in time to set up our tent. Having had our oat squares with blueberries that morning, we almost refused to have the bagels and cream cheese that Margie offered, but not to be considered unfriendly, we partook. Kay arrived a little later and we helped her set up her new WalMart tent. We set off to the Uwharrie wilderness a little after 11. This is about a 7 miler which is not too strenuous, weaving through groves of Eastern Redbud trees at first. It seemed truly a wilderness since we saw very few hikers on the first leg. We looked forward to our first break but waited until we found a fine set of boulder benches to sit on. We anticipated a few stream crossings but the water level was very low and the streams were narrow.

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