Linville Falls Hike, North Carolina

From Nov. 7-9,  George and I took a short trip to Asheville,  North Carolina.  First we traveled through the Smokies  (and saw fog and snow).  On the next day,  we made a wonderful trip to Grandfather Mountain (and about FROZE to death--even though we had fun)...  In order to see those three blog posts --if you missed them,  click HERE.

Today I will share the last post from that short trip.   We next took a hike to Linville Falls.  It was a nice hike --and not nearly as cold as it was on Grandfather Mountain.  We first hiked to Upper Linville Falls.  The picture above was one of us that a nice person volunteered to take.  We were at the overlook to Upper Linville Falls.

Here is a collage showing more from the Upper Linville Falls area.

This gal was certainly happy to be in this beautiful place!

Here's a good picture I took of George at Upper Linville Falls.

Here's a picture I took of the beautiful blue sky --while we hiked that day... (After all of the dreary, gloomy, cloudy, rainy, foggy skies we have had recently,  I yearn for some beautiful skies like that NOW... ha ha)

After another hike to Lower Linville Falls,  we got to an overlook where we stopped and took pictures of the waterfall and of the gorge.

The sun was beginning to go down --but it was still with us on the overlook to Lower Linville Falls.  We had to use our long lenses here since Lower Linville Falls was not very close.  (We did find that you can get closer --by going on another hike,  but since it was getting late, we decided to come back another time. )

Here are our pictures of Lower Linville Falls.  The picture on the left shows how far away this waterfall was from our overlook.  The other two were taken with the long lens.

Here's a picture George took of me at the last overlook.  I was happy to be there --and as you can tell,  much warmer than I was when we were at Grandfather Mtn... ha ha

Hope you enjoyed our pictures from Linville Falls, and from that November trip.

Have a wonderful day.  Please pray for the people who have been flooded in Tennessee and other states these past several days.  We have all had TONS and TONS of rain.  We are fine here on the mountain --but we did have freezing rain part of the time.  Luckily, we didn't have to get out in it.  This has been a crazy past few days!!!!  

Hugs,

Emoticons

Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina

This is my second post from our trip to Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina on November 8, 2012.  Be sure to check out Part I by clicking HERE.   Several people commented about it being cold there that day... To tell you the truth,  I cannot remember a time when I was any colder than I was that day on top of that mountain.... It was unbelievably cold.

Today I will show you more from that trip.  Above is a picture of the top of the mountain (where we went)---from below, as we were driving up there.

Be sure to click on the photos to see enlargements.

We stopped here to check out these interesting rocks.  This one is called a SPHINX.  Do you see the head?????  A Sphinx is an ancient Egyptian stone figure having a lion's body and a human or animal head....   See it???

This rock is called SPLIT ROCKS.... Appropriate name, wouldn't you say? Wanna stand under that cracked rock?????

I had to work hard to hold this rock up!!!! ha ha

No reason for this photo ---other than the fact that I think it was an interesting tree,  and of course,  I just HAD to snap a picture!!!   Nice view though!

We checked out the Animal Habitat at Grandfather Mountain ---but since it was SO cold that day,  most of the animals were HIDING ---probably trying to stay warm.  The picture above is one of two bears which we saw.   George took this one ---showing the long tongue on that bear.

Have you ever seen a CINNAMON BLACK BEAR before?  Here is one for you.   His name is Kodiak.  He is rare--born in 1999.  Less than 3% of the black bears on the east coast have this coloring.  Pretty,  isn't he?

We saw a couple of COUGARS ---but they were far away and wouldn't pay any attention to us... This is the best picture I could get --even with my long lens..

After walking around to see the animals,  we went inside the Visitor Center (Nature Museum) to WARM UP.... Did I mention how cold it was that day---especially the wind?????? Woooooooo.

I had to take this picture of George with "MILDRED" the Bear.  Mildred  came to the Grandfather Mountain area about 1968.   She loved it there --and raised her 'family' while there.  The bears there now are all descendents of Mildred....

There was also a Mildred Grill  and a FUDGE Shop..... We had our lunch in the car --so we didn't visit the grill,  AND I just couldn't get anywhere near that Fudge Shop.... TOO tempting!!!!! ha

After leaving the Visitor Center (Nature Museum),  we then continued up the mountain to see the Mile High Swinging Bridge (shown in Part I).

If you ever get to the mountains of North Carolina,  be sure and check out Grandfather Mountain.  We hope to go back sometime and do some hiking.  (All of the hiking trails were closed when we were there due to snow on the trails.)

Have a fabulous day.

Hugs,
Betsy

Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina

Mile High Swinging Bridge --as seen from the Blue Ridge Parkway

Have your heard of the MILE HIGH SWINGING BRIDGE at Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina?   It is called a "Mile High" Bridge since it is 5280 feet above sea level.  Both George and I had been here in past years, but never together.  SO--this was our first trip here since meeting one another...

We picked a beautiful, clear day ---but I must admit that it was an extremely cold and WINDY day when we were there.  The temperature was in the low 30's ---but the wind made it feel much much colder.  In fact,  that is the coldest that I think I've been in a long, long time.  We only had on our rain jackets ---and even with my hands in my pocket,  they actually BURNED when I was out there...  We loved it--but want to go back in better conditions!!!!!

There's so much to do there (Nature Museum, Gift Shop and Restaurant,  FUDGE Shop (which I didn't even attempt to go into ),  Animal Hibitats,  Overlooks, and lots of Hiking Trails).... If you ever get a chance, visit Grandfather Mountain!!!!

Today,  I'll only share photos of the BRIDGE ---and will share more from other areas in another blog post.  Hope you enjoy the photos.  Be sure to click on them for enlargements.  Above is a picture we took of the Swinging Bridge from down on the Blue Ridge Parkway. 

Here is a picture of the swinging bridge from the parking lot.  This bridge spans an 80 foot chasm at more than one mile in elevation.  The bridge was originally built in 1952--but renovated in 1999.  The first time I went across that bridge,  it was more like an old-fashioned swinging bridge...  Now--it's much more stable --and doesn't really 'swing'....  But--the neat thing is that the bridge should be called a SINGING Bridge since, when the wind blows,  the bridge 'sings' in the same way as a harmonica.  We loved hearing it SING when we were there.

Here's one of the marvelous views from up there on that bridge.  There are fabulous views from EVERY direction!!!!

Here  it is.... We are THERE....  To walk across or not to walk across?????  That is the question!!!!!!  Will the wind blow me off??????  SCARY!!!!  BUT---you know us!!!!  We HAD to walk across it --even if the wind was blowing at 50+ mph......  Dang---it was some kind of cold though!!!!!

Another view from up there!!! You can see some left-over snow on the sides, and one of the lakes below.

Does this girl look cold???????  I'm here to tell you that I WAS!!!!!  Rain jackets are nice ---but not for this weather.... But---we will go back sometime!!!!

Just to prove to you that I DID walk across that bridge,  George took my photo...  You can't tell in the pictures that the wind was whirling all around --and it truly was COLD....

OH---did I mention that it was COLD that day????? ha ha ha

Here's one final picture of some of the views from that bridge... Aren't they marvelous????  For more information on Grandfather Mountain and the MILE HIGH SWINGING BRIDGE,  click HERE.

Have a fabulous weekend ---and welcome to DECEMBER tomorrow!!!!  (Can you believe it?????)  You had better not be naughty this month!!!!  Santa is watching!!!!  I will see you on Monday.

Hugs,
Betsy

Balsam Mountain Inn, Balsam, North Carolina

George and I took a wonderful trip to the mountains of North Carolina from April 3-5, 2012.  We stayed in a fabulous mountain inn,  named the Balsam Mountain Inn,  in Balsam, North Carolina (which is not far from Waynesville).

The inn is among the oldest in the North Carolina mountains...  Construction began in 1905 and was completed in 1908.   It was modeled after the Saratoga Inn in New York.  It features neo-classical architecture.   The three-story building has 46,000+ square feet and 225 windows.    A hallmark is the 100-foot,  two-tier porch offering splendid views of the Balsams.  The inn was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in July, 1982.  The inn was renovated beginning in October of 1990. 

The 10-foot wide hallways,  designed to accommodate huge steamer trunks of guests arriving by rail (nearby), are now filled with art and crafts of more than 75 local artists.  Victorian trim accents the interior of the inn.

The 23 acres on which the inn is situated is marked by seven springs.  The elevation exceeds 3500 feet.  And there are several hiking trails around the area ---where you can see lots of wildflowers this time of year.

And for us,  besides a great place to stay and a great restaurant there,  this inn was only 1/2 mile from the Blue Ridge Parkway (milepost 443).

Today I will show you some pictures we took of the outside of the inn.  In another blog,  I'll share some inside pictures...   Above is a picture of the inn (and sign) from the bottom of the hill looking up there.  Be sure to enlarge the photos for larger pictures.

Here's another cute sign posted on a bench --on the road up to the inn.

Here's a closer view of the front of the inn.  The porches (complete with rocking chairs) run the length of the building --on both the 1st and 2nd floors... There is a huge Balsam Fir on the left in this picture.

While walking up on the porch,  we saw this sign.  

Who is that lady relaxing on the porch?????  They have a huge library inside ---so if you forget to bring a good book,  I'm sure you can find one.  You can rock in the rocking chairs --and just read all day long (unless you are US ---who would rather be out hiking)..... ha

Here's the view from the porch.   I would have a hard time concentrating on that book --with this view all around me....

This is a view from the 2nd floor porch looking back at another wing of the inn.  The inn restaurant is on first floor (where all of the windows are)...  IF the weather had have cooperated,  we could have had breakfast and/or dinner outside down there.

Finally,  here is one more view from the porch of the beautiful area around Balsam Mountain Inn...  If you ever get to this area,   check this place out... We got our visit through Groupon online ---and the price was definitely right.

Hope you had a marvelous Easter Weekend.  We certainly did!!!!

Balsam on Dwellable

Have a wonderful Monday.
Hugs,
Betsy

Fabulous Valentine's Trip

George and I had a wonderful Valentine's trip to join our good friends,  Judy and Charlie, in their beautiful mountain home in North Carolina.  We went out to dinner a couple of times.  We TALKED and TALKED and just relaxed.  It was a wonderful trip and a great way to  celebrate Valentine's Day --with such good friends.   Above is a picture of me and Judy.  Judy is standing up on some steps --since she is really MUCH shorter than I am!!!!!

We visited Biltmore House and Gardens in Asheville, North Carolina AGAIN (since we have season's tickets now)..  Since it is still winter,  there were no outside flowers blooming yet.. We have to wait until April to go back for that.  BUT--we did visit the Conservatory again --and there were many beautiful green plants and several beautiful flowers in bloom as you can see from the above picture.  As you can imagine,  we took a gazillion pictures ---so you will be seeing them on our upcoming blogs I'm sure.  (My new header was taken at Biltmore on Valentine's Day.)

Here's a view of the beautiful North Carolina mountains above Fontana Lake (which was very low on this side of the dam).  The mountains are very pretty--even in winter, aren't they????

And of course a trip wouldn't be a real vacation for us IF we didn't stop and see some waterfalls.  Isn't this a pretty little waterfall??  I loved seeing all of the Rhododendrons along that little creek.

George and I had a wonderful time with our friends...  I'm sure the four of us solved ALL of the problems in the world this week---with all of the talking we did!!!  ha ha

These are two wonderful people, Charlie and Judy.   We are blessed to have two such wonderful friends...  Thanks for the great time, you two!!

Finally,   no mountain vacation would be complete without a gorgeous sunset.... The weather was fabulous all week----and we enjoyed beautiful blue skies plus sunsets (like the one above) --over the mountains..     Life was beautiful in the North Carolina mountains, and we certainly enjoyed the view from Judy and Charlie's home!!!!

Hope you had a great Valentine's Day and week.

Asheville on Dwellable

Hugs,

Deaths at Waterfalls

Blog friend SANDRA told me about a death she read about at a waterfall in North Carolina. I found out that it was a waterfall which George and I visited in August of 2006. This death was a 28-year old woman from Asheville, NC. She was wading at the top of Rainbow Falls (pictured above) and slipped.... The article said that 13 people have died in that region of NC since 2001, and there have been 4 deaths in 15 years at Rainbow Falls alone.

When I was reading about this death, I heard about another death at another waterfall which we also have visited. On May 29, a man died at Elk River Falls near Banner Elk, NC. People always scare us when we are checking out waterfalls. George and I are VERY careful and never hike or wade around the top of a waterfall --unless we are FAR away from the edge. People are so careless --and we see people taking chances everywhere we go..

Since Sandra mentioned Rainbow Falls (not the Smoky Mountains one in TN--but the one in NC), I decided to go back in the archives and show you some pictures of this area and the waterfalls we saw in 2006. Above is a picture of RAINBOW FALLS (which is 150 feet high). Below are more!

We took an EIGHT mile hike in 2006 to see four beautiful waterfalls on the Horsepasture River, south of Sapphire, NC. Rainbow Falls was one of the four. The one above is DRIFT FALLS. Some people call it "Bustyourbutt" Falls--since people slide down that waterfall!!! That is a very appropriate name, don't you think???

This one was neat and is named TURTLEBACK FALLS. It was one of my favorites I think that day.

Here's another view of TURTLEBACK FALLS from the side... Isn't it pretty?

This was the last one (of the four) --and I would not recommend this one since the hike was long and hard --and we couldn't get a good view of it. Its name is STAIRWAY FALLS.

Here's one more view of RAINBOW FALLS. The trail doesn't even lead to the top of this waterfall, or anywhere near it. I don't understand why anyone would be crawling around the top.... GADS!!!!!

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This waterfall is not near the other four, but since there was a death here in May, I included this one. This is ELK RIVER FALLS (50 feet tall) --and it is near Banner Elk and Boone, NC. We visited this waterfall in February of 2008. Again, why would anyone be climbing around the top of that waterfall???????? Apparently--from what we read and see, people are stupid!!!!! George and I try to be very very careful!!! BUT--we are there to take pictures, not to swim near or play in the water!

Hope you have a fabulous Tuesday!!!! I have started walking this week. So far, it's slow, and only back and forth around my yard --but it's a beginning. My knee still hurts, so I either need to learn to walk with the pain --or continue to sit (which I refuse to do). There may be a knee replacement in my future--but for now, I'm doing much better than I was!!!!!!

Sapphire on Dwellable

Bless you ALL.

Hugs,