On the dramatic Blue Ridge Parkway . . . hope it's literally not the last day or week for this year. But I know snow and ice will suddenly appear and the gates will close! This was taken on my first day in Waynesville, NC, over a week ago. I rushed to drop my bags [...]
This really was a nice hike and one that we can say we did! While the photos are not sunny and bright, they are a record for me that we were there and found this truly one-of-a-kind lookout tower. The trail to Green Knob Lookout Tower is listed on the National Register of Historic Places [...]
Well, yes, I was in North Carolina for a long weekend and on Sunday I had to decide whether to head back to northeast Georgia or drive the last few miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway and drop down to the entrance of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park (where the Elk roam) at [...]
Click on photos to enlarge them. Hiking Black Balsam Bald was a little different this year. Pat and I were determined to do it and we did, but Anne and Beth were not with us. Too much going on in our lives. Plus, this has been a rough four months for us and [...]
Click on photo to enlarge If you are familiar with the Blue Ridge Parkway, you are usually familiar with Waterrock Knob. It is an easy day visit from Toccoa and you can even hike the trail to the top, which gets you up at way over 6,000 feet! That's the goal, right. From [...]
I found the Boyd Mountain cabins outside of Maggie Valley (near Waynesville, NC) several years ago, but I only stayed here once. As I recall at the time, I was feeling very burned out and wanted to get away for a few days. I talked the owners into letting me bring Cocoa! They have a [...]
If you go to Oconaluftee, you have to see the Elk. I keep seeing them but don't "see" the herds as much as the people, who live in the area. By that I mean, there's a whole group of people that follow the Elk (and now the eagles) around and report where they are at [...]
We were pretty much "earth-bound" on this last trip to Western North Carolina. Rain and then snow fell but our spirits were bright. The Blue Ridge Parkway was closed. Big Sigh from me. I wanted to hike to the upper falls at Graveyard Fields but that did not happen. We did find a couple of [...]
