Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. November 22, 2010.
In late November Betsy and I went to Asheville, North Carolina, for a couple of days. While there we took a drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway towards Mount Mitchell. Most of the leaves were gone from the trees by that time, but that simply meant we could see more of those beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. This was the view from near Craggy Gardens.
The red dot on the map above shows where we were when the picture was taken.
When Betsy and I visited Niagara Falls in 2002, we also enjoyed exploring the Niagara River below the falls. We traveled, on the Canadian side, from Niagara Falls to Lake Ontario along the river and enjoyed these sights. The falls may be the main attraction, but we’re glad we took the time to explore the river as well.
To see larger versions of these pictures and others, click HERE.
The flag at Barefoot Landing, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. December 21, 2010.
While Betsy and I were at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, we saw this large flag flying at the dock. It looked so pretty in that night sky, that I couldn’t resist trying to capture it. I wasn’t sure how the picture would come out since it was so dark, but I rather like the result.
Barefoot Landing, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. December 21, 2010.
One evening at the beach, Betsy and I, after a delicious seafood dinner, stopped by Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Barefoot Landing in a shopping and entertainment complex built around a small lake along the Intracoastal Waterway.
Although the restaurants and theater were busy, most of the shops were closed. That was fine with us, since we were interested in seeing the lights reflected in the lake. The crosswalks across the lake were decorated with garlands of lights and presented a pretty view. This picture was taken from the boardwalk around the lake near one of the crosswalks.
In May of last year our friends Judy and Charlie invited us to spend a couple of days with them at their cabin near Otto, North Carolina. We’ve known Judy and Charlie for several years and enjoy their company.
Their cabin is a vacation hideaway in the mountains of western North Carolina. The deck of the cabin is a perfect place for sitting and talking or just sitting and enjoying the mountain views.
One advantage of a May visit was that the mountain laurel was in bloom. The cabin is one of only a few on the side of the mountain, so there are many mountain laurels along the road. Walking along the road was a visual delight for more than the mountain views.
To see these pictures and others, click HERE.
I went to China for the second time in 1990. Our hosts took us to some of the places I had seen in 1987, including the Great Wall at Badaling near Beijing.
I don’t think it is possible to visit the Great Wall too many times and I found it to be as inspiring the second time as it was the first. But this time, instead of following the tour groups, I headed in the opposite direction and climbed a part of the wall that I had not been been on before.
I did notice some differences in the three years since I had been there before. There were more Chinese families visiting the Wall, and they were younger than the visitors I had seen before. They were also more colorfully dressed than previously.
After getting over the ridge I came to a portion of the Wall that was out of sight for most tourists. This part of the Wall had not been reconstructed; watchtowers were in ruins and parts of the wall had disappeared. In many ways, this part of the Great Wall was even more impressive than the restored parts. The great age of the wall was obvious among the ruins, as was all the effort and suffering that went into its building.
I would definitely go back to visit the Great Wall again!
To see these pictures and others, click HERE.
A bull elk in Cataloochee Valley, North Carolina. October 20, 2010.
One of the high points of our visit to North Carolina was getting to see the elk in the Cataloochee Valley. We got up early on a foggy Wednesday morning and drove to Cataloochee.
Elk once roamed the southern Appalachian Mountains, but they were eliminated from the region by over-hunting and loss of habitat. The last elk in North Carolina was believed to have been killed in the late 1700s.
In February, 2001, there was an experimental release of 25 elk into the Cataloochee Valley of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In 2002, another 27 elk were introduced.
We first saw elk in a field along Ranger Station Road, the main road leading into the valley. There were twenty of so elk in a field bordering the road. The bull elk in the picture above was apparently the dominate male, and his bugling call could be clearly heard.
The herd we saw consisted mostly of females and young elk, although there were one or two other males in the herd as well.
A bull elk relaxing in a field in Cataloochee Valley, North Carolina. October 20, 2010.
We then drove over to see the Palmer House on National Park Road. As we pulled into the parking area, we saw two more bull elk in a field across the road. The bull in the picture above was one of those bulls.
Patti and Neal at Cataloochee Valley, North Carolina. October 20, 2010.
Both Betsy and I have been following Neal’s blog (and he’s been following ours) for nearly two years. Neal is a retired systems analyst living in Indiana, although he was born in eastern Tennessee. Neal is a wonderful photographer and features his photos on his blog. Neal is also my hero — he’s not afraid to tell Betsy exactly what he thinks!
When Neal found out that Betsy and I were going to Maggie Valley to see the autumn colors, he decided that he and Patti would like to do that as well. The four of us met up Tuesday evening and had a delightful dinner. It was as if we had known each other for years.
On Wednesday the four of us visited the Cataloochee Valley to see the elk which had been reintroduced there. We then drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway to Mount Pisgah, stopping at just about every overlook to take in the colors. I won’t frighten you by telling you how many pictures Betsy and I took over the three days.
Betsy, Patti and Neal at the highest point of the Blue Ridge Parkway. October 20, 2010.
Thursday we drove across the Cherohala Skyway from North Carolina to Tennessee, again enjoying the autumn color. After visiting Bald River Falls near Tellico Plains, Tennessee, Betsy and I headed home while Neal and Patti headed toward a visit with Neal’s brother.
Patti and Neal taking pictures at Santeelah Overlook, Cherohala Skyway, North Carolina. October 21, 2010.
We enjoyed our time with Patti and Neal, even if this is the view of them we often saw!
One of our favorite places to visit is Tallulah Gorge State Park in Georgia. It’s a spectacular river gorge with five major waterfalls. A dam just above the gorge controls the flow of water throughout much of the year, but the river and waterfalls are still beautiful.
There are trails along both the north and south rim of the gorge. The Interpretive Center is on the north side of the gorge, but in our opinion the best views of the falls are on the south side.
Most of the waterfalls can only be viewed from the rim trails, but one, Hurricane Falls, can be seen from near the base, if you’re brave enough to tackle 600 steps down into the gorge (and 600 back up).
These pictures were taken during our first visit to Tallulah Gorge in June, 2009. At that time we weren’t aware of the South Rim Trail, but we did hike the North Rim and take those steps down into the gorge and back up.
To see these pictures and others, click HERE.
On our way home from Williamsburg, Virginia, in 2007 we traveled part of the way along the Blue Ridge Parkway. We chose that route so that we could visit some waterfalls along the way.
Summer is not a great time for waterfalls, especially if they are small and there hasn’t been much rain. But the drive along the Blue Ridge is beautiful any time of the year and the hikes to the falls were through beautiful woods and along pretty streams.
It may have taken us longer to get home by taking this route, but it certainly made the trip more enjoyable.
To see these pictures and others, click HERE.
