Posts Tagged ‘North Carolina’

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An Almost-Super Moon

May 16, 2012

Moon off Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 6, 2012.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

Betsy and I were in Simpsonville, South Carolina, on the Saturday night of the super moon.  Unfortunately there were heavy clouds and storms in Simpsonville that night, so we missed the super moon.

Fortunately Sunday night, at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, was beautiful and clear.  The not-quite-so-super moon put in an appearance over the ocean almost opposite our room.  I was able to get this picture from the balcony of our room.

Moonlight on the ocean off Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 6, 2012.

We watched the moon rise in the sky and lay a silver stream of light on the surface of the water.

Moon rise at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 6, 2012.

The sight was so incredibly beautiful that we both felt it made up for missing the super moon the night before.

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Posted in Travels | 14 Comments »

Our World: Ocean Isle Beach

May 14, 2012

Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 7, 2012.

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This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Betsy and I returned home on Saturday from a week at the beach.  We went to one of our favorite places, Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina.

One advantage of going in early May is that we often have the beach almost to ourselves, so we can lose ourselves in the beauty  of this wonderful spot.

The pier at Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 8, 2012.

The weather was just about perfect.  We had some rain early one evening, but other than that we had blue skies and sunshine.  But even so, the ocean was never the same on any two days.  It seems to constantly change, but be constantly beautiful at the same time.

Dunes along the shore of Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. May 10, 2012.

Even glimpses of the water and beach through the dune grass was fascinating.

Satellite image of Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. Image taken from Google Maps.

We stayed at the Islander Inn, which is right on the beach as can be seen from this satellite image from Google Maps.  All in all it was a wonderful vacation.

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Posted in Our World | 25 Comments »

Waterfall on Little Fall Branch

May 2, 2012

Waterfall on Little Fall Branch, Harmon Den, North Carolina. April 3, 2012.

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Betsy and I like to break up trips, whenever possible, by working in a hike, preferably to a waterfall.  We went to Asheville, North Carolina, in early April and decided to visit Waterfall on Little Branch along the way.

We had planned to visit that waterfall on our way home from Asheville back in January, but a rockslide in the mountains blocked our access to that area.  The interstate has since been reopened, so we decided to try again.  We took the interstate to an exit just over the North Carolina line, where we accessed a Forest Service road into the Harmon Den Wilderness Area.  The gravel road followed a creek for about three miles before turning off.

We found the trailhead and hiked for about half a mile until we came to the beautiful waterfall above.  We stayed for some time to enjoy the waterfall, but then we had to hike back to the car to continue our journey.

But what a great way to break up a trip.

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Posted in Waterfalls | 14 Comments »

SkyWatch Friday: Storm Front Coming

April 27, 2012

Sky and clouds seen from a rest area in western North Carolina. April 3, 2012.

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This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

On our way to Asheville, North Carolina, in early April, Betsy and I stopped at a rest area along I-40 in the  mountains of western North Carolina.  The day up to that point had been sunny and bright, but the weather forecast was calling for rain.  While at the rest area I noticed the clouds over the ridge line.  The sky was still blue, and there were still white clouds in the sky, but the gray clouds were moving in.  We did, in fact, get rain later in the day.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 16 Comments »

Our World: Biltmore’s Walled Garden

April 9, 2012

The Walled Garden at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. April 3, 2012.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them.)
This is my post for the Our World meme.  This meme is a second generation of My World Tuesday created by Klaus Peter and is hosted by five wonderful ladies.  To learn more about our world or to join and share your part of the world, click HERE.

Betsy and I paid another visit to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, last week.  We went specifically to see the tulips in the Walled Garden.  George Vanderbilt wanted the Walled Garden to be a ‘garden of ornament’, so the garden consists of symmetrical flower beds arranged in patterns.  The picture above shows one side of the Walled Garden as seen from a hill overlooking the garden.

Tulips in the Walled Garden at Biltmore. April 3, 2012.

There were tulips of many different colors planted in the flower beds.

Tulips in Biltmore's Walled Garden. April 3, 2012.

Even the border flower beds along the road contained beautiful tulips.

Betsy and me in the Walled Garden at Biltmore, Asheville, North Carolina. April 3, 2012.

But the prettiest flower in the entire garden was my beautiful bride.

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Posted in Our World | 23 Comments »

Watery Wednesday: Collins Creek Falls

March 14, 2012

Collins Creek Falls, Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina. January 31, 2012.

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This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

There are many small waterfalls in the Smoky Mountains.  Many are in the back country and can only be reached by hiking.  But others can be seen from the road, if you know where to look.

Collins Creek Falls is right alongside the Newfound Gap Road between Cherokee, North Carolina, and Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  It’s small, but pretty, especially in the Winter and Spring.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 14 Comments »

Watery Wednesday: Mingo Falls

February 29, 2012

Mingo Falls, Cherokee, North Carolina. January 31, 2012.

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This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

Mingo Falls is a 150-foot beauty near Cherokee, North Carolina.  It is easy to get to Fa, and the hike from the trailhead is steep, but short.  There are stairs for much of the way.  We visited Mingo Falls on January 31 of this year when a rock slide on the interstate caused us to take a detour through the Smoky Mountains.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 16 Comments »

Watery Wednesday: Soco Falls

February 22, 2012

Soco Falls, Cherokee, North Carolina. January 31, 2012.

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This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

Thanks to the rock slide that closed the interstate and our detour through the Smoky Mountains, Betsy and I were able to revisit Soco Falls.  Soco Falls is on the Qualla Indian Reservation between Maggie Valley and Cherokee in North Carolina.  The pull off is on a hairpin turn and is easy to miss, but I’m glad we didn’t miss it.  We had this beautiful waterfall all to ourselves.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 19 Comments »

Watery Wednesday: Falls on Reems Creek

February 15, 2012

Falls on Reems Creek, Lake Louise Park, Weaverville, North Carolina. January 31, 2012.

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This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

When we travel, Betsy and I usually check to see if there are any waterfalls in the area to which we are travelling.  We went to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville at the end of January, and searching the internet told us a waterfall in nearby Weaverville, North Carolina.  So the morning after visiting Biltmore we travelled to Weaverville before heading home.

The Falls on Reems Creek are actually caused by a dam at the site of an old mill.  But it is still a pretty sight, and we were very happy to add this to our collection.

We were planning on seeing another new waterfall on the way home, but a rockslide on Interstate 40 closed the highway, so we had to go home by a different route.  That second waterfall will have to wait until we make another trip to Asheville.

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Posted in Watery Wednesday | 21 Comments »

SkyWatch Friday: Smoky Mountains Sky

February 10, 2012

Afternoon sky in the Smoky Mountains, North Carolina. January 31, 2012.

(Note:  All pictures may be enlarged by clicking on them once or twice.)

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

A rock slide closed the interstate on the morning Betsy and I were coming home from Asheville, North Carolina.  Our choices for alternate routes were a very long detour on the interstates or a drive through the Smoky Mountains.  We considered our choices for about two seconds and headed for the Smokies.

The day started out with clear blue skies, but clouds developed in the afternoon.  I snapped this picture of the sky and mountains at an overlook on Newfound Gap road in North Carolina.  You have to look closely, but you can see the sunbeams that attracted my attention.  It took us longer to get home than it would have if we had taken the interstate, but the scenery certainly couldn’t be beat.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 18 Comments »

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