Together with Nan and George, we left Zionville, NC, about 10 AM on Saturday, each going opposite directions. We drove the Blue Ridge Parkway south and west to Asheville, then the interstate to Waynesville, and local state highways to Maggie Valley. A short drive, just over 120 miles taking about 3-1/2 hours, wore us out, and we lollygagged the remainder of the day.

After coffee and a smorgasbord of breakfast foods, we set forth to Blowing Rock. Blowing Rock sits at 4,000 feet, dangling over Johns River Gorge located at 3,000 feet. Typically, a peculiar current of air flows upward from the rock caused by rocky walls of the gorge creating a flume which forcefully sweeps northwest wind. If one were to stand on the rock and throw a light object (say a handkerchief), the object would not fall but simply float or return to you.

There were a number of short nature trails among the boulders at this private tourist attraction. While we masked up anytime anyone was within about 10 feet, most of the crowd there did not wear masks.

Wanting a more substantial hike, we drove to Annie Cannon Park in the heart of Blowing Rock. Here, the Glen Burney Trail offers three majestic waterfalls along the trail adjacent to New Year’s Creek. Just as we began the hike, it started raining to the extent that we opted to turn back. It proceeded to rain all day, driving us to play bridge back at the cabin. Laughing and thinking at the same time proved to be a challenge, as we had a blast. It’s so much fun to enjoy time and laugh with family!

Kay was the primary dinner preparer, and the fish tacos and all the fixin’s were fabulous.

Up bright (actually, it was raining) and early Thursday morning, we packed the newly repaired car and secured the motorhome (awning in, water turned off, hot water heater turned off, shades pulled, etc.). And then we drove north on state and federal highways and I40 to join the Blue Ridge Parkway north of Asheville, NC; our destination was Zionville, NC, near the NC and TN state lines. There, we met Nan and George, Kay’s sister and brother-in-law, for a two-night getaway. It rained most of the three-hour drive, with low clouds enveloping the mountains. As we arrived at the quaint cabin, Nan and George were at the porch to greet us.

After unpacking food, clothes, and other paraphernalia, the four of us loaded back into the car for a drive to the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park.Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock. The park preserves the country estate of Moses Cone, a prosperous textile entrepreneur (he and his brother cornered the market on denim), conservationist, and philanthropist of the Gilded Age. In 1901, he built Flat Top Manor, then a  gleaming white 20-room mansion in the grand Colonial Revival style.

Twenty-five miles of carriage trails wind through the fields and forests of the 3,500-acre estate. Moses Cone’s interest in nature and conservation led him to plant extensive white pine forests and hemlock hedges (at the advice of friend and noted conservationist Gifford Pinchot), build several lakes stocked with bass and trout, and planted a 10,000-tree apple orchard.

Our 3.5 mile carriage road hike took us on a loop descending to an unnamed lake.

Rhododendrons lined the carriage road, and covered the forest floor—one can only imagine what it would look like in mid-June when the Rhododendrons are in full bloom. Scattered along the roadside among the Rhododendrons were beautiful wildflowers; Master Gardeners Nan and George identified them and provided some information about each species. It was like a guided tour! Even a few butterflies were observed nectaring on the blooms. Light rain accompanied us on the ascending half of the loop trail.

We returned to the cabin to enjoy happy hour after which Nan (and Kay) prepared a sumptuous dinner of salmon, broccoli, and Caesar salad (my favorite). Bedtime was early, after watching an episode of MI5 via Amazon video and a BritBox subscription.

Traveling mandates a degree of flexibility, particularly if one is in an RV. I am spending ALL of today at the Honda dealership in Asheville, NC, for right front wheel bearings, new brake pads and adjustments, tire alignment necessitated by new front wheel bearings, draining, flushing, and adding new fluids to the rear end (not mine, fortunately, but it probably needs it, too), other new fluids, etc. to the tune of about 3 car payments. This was unplanned and unexpected, but the car has almost 160,000 miles. Meanwhile, Kay washed clothes, packed for an upcoming road trip, and tidied up the motorhome. We would rather be hiking. However, we are truly blessed that we can afford the time and cost for the repairs, especially now with such high unemployment among the population.

Trying to forget about the disappointment yesterday (Tuesday) of not hiking to the top of North Carolina’s Chimney Rock, we traveled the Blue Ridge Parkway north to return to Mount Mitchell (via NC Hwy 128 at MP 350) to walk to the summit (it was raining during our trip here last week). At Milepost 361.2, we stopped to view Glassmine Falls. While the sign at the overlook claims it is 800 feet tall, it is likely only about a 200-foot drop. This is the only view of Glassmine Falls, and you cannot hike to its base.

Just after beginning the short hike, the mountain became shrouded in light mist. Further up the trail, the mist became heavier, turning into a light rain. Though we brought raincoats, neither of us had thought to take them out of the car! By the time we returned in a full blown rain, we were soaked; thankfully, the camera and lens were water resistant. 

From Mount Mitchell, we continued north on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Crabtree Falls, MP 339.5. The Falls is accessible via a 3-mile woodland hiking trail, with a steady and sometimes difficult descent and return climb on craggy rocks and stone staircases. The 70-ft. waterfall was worth the trek! Once again, few people on the trail wore masks.

On a roll, we continued north to Linville Falls, MP 316.3. Linville Falls is the most visited and photographed waterfalls in North Carolina. The Falls drops 90 feet into the 12-mile long Linville Gorge with cliffs towering above the river. We took the Erwin View Trail, an easy 1.0 mile roundtrip hike to the Upper Falls overlook. At the Upper Falls overlook, one can observe the cascades and watch the water rush into a narrow canyon before it plunges 45 feet over the lower falls. A quarter mile further, the Chimney View overlook offers an excellent chance to photograph both the upper and lower falls, along with the impressive cliffs. Because of the crowds and lack of “masking”, we did not do this segment. This falls reminded us of the Athabaska Falls between Banff and Jasper in Alberta, Canada.

On the two-hour return trip to the motorhome, we stopped at Walgreens in Waynesville to pick up an early birthday present for yours truly, a 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 Di III RXD from Tamron to use on the Sony a7riii mirrorless camera. (Another thing 8 learned from a Getaway Couple (https://www.getawaycouple.com) was that each Walgreens has a delivery station for FedEx (a great asset for travelers). Back at the motorhome, we collapsed and thoroughly enjoyed an adult beverage before showers and bed. 

The older and “more retired” I get, the longer it takes to get started, particularly when I forget little tasks I plan to do! Consequently, it was just before lunch when we began driving towards Chimney Rock State Park, south and east of Asheville, NC. Our first stop was Camping World—it was the cleanest and most fully stocked Camping World we’ve seen. After purchasing an aluminum step and awning tie downs, we continued towards the state park. Regrettably to add to our delays, the Garmin GPS routed us to a dead end. The silver lining in this dark cloud was the numerous apple orchards along the hilly and curvy rural roads.

Some 45 minutes later, after rerouting using Apple Maps (I highly recommend this app), we arrived at Chimney Rock State Park, paid our $17 each, drove to the parking lot, and write for the buss to the trailhead. The bus was packed, and most riders did not have masks. With this and the already late hour, we turned away and returned to the motorhome. It is frustrating that “Practice social distancing” signs are posted all over, but this state park does not fully practice it. And, we are seeing so few people wearing masks.

Having watched a VLOG entry on Getaway Couple (https://www.getawaycouple.com) where they had “pizza night”, the thought of having our own pizza night was quite appealing. However, we had to find an alternative to the calorie-rich entree. Using low carb tortillas, turkey sausage crumbles, green pepper, jalapeño pepper, onion, mushrooms, pizza sauce, and mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, we gave it a try. With no pizza stone (we’ll remedy this next time we travel), we used an inverted cookie sheet, and cooled the pizzas 10 minutes on a HOT grill. OMG (oh my goodness), they were fantastic; this will become a regular on our trips.

“If it’s rockin’, no knockin” is a humorous phrase used in the RV world intended to mean … well, you get my drift. This morning, as I was in the front of the motorhome working on the blog, Kay was in the back catching up on email and news. I felt the RV rockin’ as it does when someone jumps or otherwise makes a big move, and just assumed Kay was moving about on the bed to find the remote control or something. She thought I was moving about in the front of the coach. Except this time, the rockin’ went for several seconds longer than what we normally feel. About an hour later, Kay noted that there was a 5.1 earthquake in Sparta, NC, some 150 miles from us, as the crow flies. This is the third earthquake I’ve personally witnessed, all over 5 on the Richter scale, and it’s a weird feeling! After this jolt, we got an earlier start than usual preparing, eating, and cleaning up after breakfast.

A second cup of coffee later, we drove to Junaluska. The wildflowers, butterflies, and two-mile walking path around the lake were too appealing to do only once (see blog post, Saturday, July 25). It was crowded, but about half the people were masked and most “socially distanced”. The area near where we parked had the best wildflowers and butterflies, but we walked the whole 2.1 miles, with the camera-mounted tripod (shy of 10 pounds) gouging holes in each shoulder—gotta remember to bring the padded tripod sleeve.

After the walk, we strolled through a natural garden filled with native plants, but it was too dark to attract pollinators, thus, few photos were made.

After a late start Saturday morning, we drove to Bryson City via Cherokee. Bryson City is a neat town, but was a bit too crowded for us. Consequently, we did not stop and walk around, but drove the main city streets. Except for it being larger, population wise, it reminded me of the town where I grew up, which is now only a shadow of what it used to be. Bradford, AR, was a vibrant country town in the 1950s when folks would come from their farms and rural places for all day shopping, mainly for groceries and visiting. The sidewalks were full and the main street was busy. Update to 2020, and you have Bryson City—except there was no pandemic and no need for masks in 1950s Bradford; only the fear of polio. 

From Bryson City we drove to Sylva. With 2,500 people, Sylva was larger than Bryson City, and though considered an historic town, appears to be modern and thriving with small businesses and fast food restaurants.

Again, we drove the main city streets, and then departed for Maggie Valley. As is now the custom, it began raining in the late afternoon and rained hard for two or three hours, preventing sitting outside for adult beverages.

Thursday was uneventful as I stayed in the motorhome most of the day while Kay shopped (looked).

Most mornings, I am so slow to get going; quite a difference from back in the working days when I hit the ground running. It seems that we’ve developed a routine of going out every other day, and today (Friday) was the day! After homemade breakfast burritos, we drove I-40 to Asheville, and then the Blue Ridge Parkway north up, up, and up to mile-high Craggy Gardens. As we approached the area, a sign appeared for the Craggy Picnic Area to the left. It was only a short drive to the parking area. From there, we hiked upward almost a mile to the 5,680 ft high Craggy Flats, eating a blueberry or two along the way.

Even though expecting it, the “bald” surprised us as it resembled a palette of colors—generated by the numerous wildflowers in bloom. One can only imagine what it would be like in mid-June when the pink and purple blooms of Catawba rhododendrons blanket the area. It was pleasantly surprising to observe almost everyone hiking the trails wore masks, including children; says a lot about those who enjoy nature!

Twisted, jagged, rocky “crags” give Craggy Gardens its name, but these high elevation summits are home to the most spectacular floral display along the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway corridor. Craggy Gardens has been recognized by the state of North Carolina as a Natural Heritage Area.

Just as we were finishing the hike, it began sprinkling and then turning into a full blown rain. From Craggy Gardens, we drove in the deluge of rain to Mount Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi River at an elevation of 6,684 feet.

The state highway took us almost all the way to the top. With continuing rain, we did not hike the few feet to the summit, but grabbed a quick photo our the wind. It continued raining most of the afternoon, but quit as we returned to the motorhome about 6 PM.

Today was another laid back day. With the pandemic surging and the lack of personal safeguards among the public, we try to stay away from people. However, Kay made an exception and met a friend with whom she taught many years ago and who is staying in the area for a few weeks. They had lunch, and reminisced about old times, catching up of news related to common acquaintances, all the time social distancing.

In the late afternoon, despite the threat of rain, we drove northwestward in an attempt to find Cataloochee Valley, a tiny piece of GSMNP. The road had many switchbacks as the car slowly climbed on the asphalt pavement, and even more slowly as the pavement transitioned into gravel. Kudos to the National Park Service for their great maintenance on a tight budget. Some segments of the road were so narrow that there was room for only one vehicle to pass, but there were many pullovers to accommodate the traffic. And then, it was back to pavement and just when we thought we were lost after a few more miles, a dead end and parking area awaited us—Cataloochee Valley.

Cataloochee Valley is nestled among some of the most rugged mountains in the southeastern United States. Surrounded by 6000-foot peaks, this isolated valley was one of the largest and most prosperous settlements in what is now the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Some 1,200 people lived in this lovely mountain valley in 1910. Most made their living by farming, including commercial apple growing, but an early tourism industry developed in Cataloochee with some families boarding fishermen and other tourists who wished to vacation in the mountains. A variety of historic buildings have been preserved in the valley, including two churches, a school, and several homes and outbuildings. This is considered the Cades Cove of North Carolina.

In 2001, elk were released in Cataloochee Valley as part of an experimental program to reintroduce elk to the park. The herd can be seen regularly in the fields of the valley, especially in the early morning and evening hours. This was our major objective, and we were not to be disappointed. Just as we were leaving the car at the Cataloochee Valley parking area, it began to sprinkle, and then turned into a light rain. We managed to see one building before elk began pouring out of the woods in a far corner of the field; of course, I had the wrong lens, so it was back to the car for alternate camera/lens, tripod, and raincoat. We managed to make several photographs before the elk became close, causing us to retreat back to the parking area. And then, the elk crossed the road, and moved through the woods into a large field. There, we were able to set up the tripod and camera/lens, and make photos from a distance. Buffalo gnats were swarming and left a bunch of whelps on Kay’s legs.

After such an excellent adventure, we returned to the motorhome via the same road that took us the Valley, stopping to make photos of the beautiful, post rain mountain landscape.