A Cashiers, North Carolina Visit

Laurelwood Mountain Inn,  Cashiers,  North Carolina

This week (March 18-20, 2014)  we finally got to take our Valentine's Trip (which had to be postponed in February due to heavy snow in that area).  We visited LAURELWOOD MOUNTAIN INN in Cashiers,  North Carolina ---and loved this inn!!!!  The entire area is fantastic --especially for waterfall lovers like George and me. 

I'll start my blog post showing you a little from Laurelwood Inn.  Above is a photo of the building where our room was at the inn.  We had a nice room which included a king bed, microwave, frig,  full bath,  TV with cable and an internet connection...  This inn offered all of the comforts of home!!!!

Little waterfall/cascade outside of our room

Can you believe that there was a little waterfall/cascade right outside of our room????  How's that for waterfall lovers like us?????  We could sit on the porch and hear the water!!!!  SO NEAT!!!

More of the little waterfall outside of our room

I loved sitting in the swing on the porch --and listening to the waterfall.  Tis the LIFE!!!

George enjoyed the porch also for his reading!!!!

One more photo showing the building we were in at Laurelwood Inn

We highly recommend this little inn.  If you want more information,  click HERE for their webpage.  We went there using a Groupon coupon (which saved us quite a bit of money).  We use Groupons alot --and have only had ONE bad experience.  This one was awesome.

Beautiful CULLASAJA FALLS (along the Scenic Cullasaja Gorge Rd between Franklin and Highlands) 3/18/14

While in North Carolina this week,  we visited TWELVE different waterfalls and got in some great hiking ----so you can imagine how happy we were being there. The weather was good --other than one very foggy day (when we had to change our plans 3 times in order to see waterfalls).  Plan C worked out to be perfect for us that day --so no complaints at all!!!!!   Here are a few more photos taken at some of the various waterfall areas we saw this week...

Us at QUARRY FALLS (along the Cullasaja Gorge Rd) 3/18/14;  Do you like our new purple sweatshirts???  We bought them when we were in Hocking Hills last week.

DRY FALLS was definitely not dry!  I am standing behind the waterfall. (3/18/14)

George got wetter than I did since he walked the entire distance behind DRY FALLS!!!!

This is BRIDLE VEIL FALLS  (along the Cullasaja Gorge Road, near Highland,  NC); 3/18/14;  This is not a big waterfall---and we could not drive behind the falls (like we used to be able to do).  BUT--we loved walking behind them.

GLEN FALLS (2nd drop) near Highlands,  NC 3/18/14

This was our big hike of that day ---and it was very drizzly/cool/foggy when we hiked to Glen Falls.  We  hiked down to see two different drops/levels of that gorgeous waterfall.

TRIPLE FALLS  (Top two drops of the three--noting the name of the falls) at Dupont State Forest,  near Brevard,  NC  3/19/14

Just had to share this funny photo.. I don't know what joke George told me here --but it must have been a good one!!!!! ha.... The two of us have so much fun together whatever we do.  We loved the three waterfalls we hiked to at Dupont Forest (High Falls,  Triple Falls and Hooker Falls)--but this one was definitely my favorite one.

HOOKER FALLS at Dupont State Forest,  Brevard, NC 3/19/14

Here is the smallest waterfall we saw at Dupont --but we enjoyed it just as much as many of the others.  I'll have to share a funny photo sometime that I have when George first sat down for these photos.  He missed the jagged rock---and almost sat on the ground...  Funny photo!

WHITEWATER FALLS,  Lake Toxaway,  NC  3/20/14

As you can tell by the beautiful blue sky,  this was our prettiest day in North Carolina.  We hiked down alot of steps in order to get this great view of a fantastic waterfall.   Beautiful,  isn't it?

I have tons and tons more photos ----and will publish more blog posts from this area I'm sure.  As I said,  we got to do alot of hiking and we DID see many beautiful waterfalls.    It was a great trip ---and probably worked out much better than it would have if we had have gone in snowy and cold February...

Since we have had 3 trips this month (Arkansas, Ohio and North Carolina),  we are WAY BEHIND on our work here.  I'm taking a week off ---and hope to be back with you next Friday,   March 28,  if possible.   IF not,  I'll definitely be back on the 31st.   Can't believe that March is almost over --and that we have been SO busy...

Hugs,

Emoticons

An ICY Visit to Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio

Us at the base of ASH CAVE FALLS,  Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio 3/10/14

This past Friday I published photos from George's Birthday trip to Ohio.  If you missed that post,  click HERE.   Today I'll show you more photos from our wonderful trip to the Hocking Hills State Park,  near Logan,  Ohio  (from 3/9 - 3/12). 

The photo above was us standing in front of the HUGE ice mound at the base of Ash Cave Falls.  Below are more ---so be sure and click on the photos for enlargements.

ASH CAVE FALLS  (90 feet) at Hocking Hills State Park, 3/10/14

We love this waterfall.  Its setting in that huge cave is just AWESOME.  We had seen this waterfall twice before --but this is the most water we have ever seen coming over the falls.  Pretty,  isn't it??? (You can see how huge this area is when looking at the person (in the red shirt) standing there on the right.)

Here's another photo showing ASH CAVE. 

This girl LOVES sitting on a rock (Ash Cave)--while hubby takes more photos with his tripod.

Us at Ash Cave Falls,  Hocking Hills State Park, 3/10/14

Neither George nor I are 'tiny' people---but standing in front of that huge waterfall and cave certainly made us look tiny here...

Me---standing in front of LOWER FALLS,  Old Man's Cave, Hocking HIlls State Park, 3/10/14

On Friday,  I showed a photo of George and me in front of LOWER FALLS,  at Old Man's Cave in Hocking Hills State Park.  At that time,  I mentioned what a hard time we had finding a way to get down to see this beautiful waterfall.

SO---today,  I will show you the way we had to come in order to get down here and back up!!!!!  Fun fun...

Tunnel where we went in order to get down to Lower Falls

Here is the tunnel we went through...  Luckily,  there was no ice inside here --but it was dark in there!!

George at the other end of that dark tunnel

The ICY trail in order to get down to Lower Falls

The cliffs around us---as we worked our way DOWN to the bottom of the gorge

The ICY stairs we had to take

This  was the scariest part of that climb down/up... The steps were icy ---but luckily,  we had some handrails to hang onto!!!!!! 

A neat photo I took showing the bottom of LOWER FALLS

We  did make it down (and back up) without falling!  We were lucky since there weren't many other ways one could take in order to get there.  (We needed cleats in order to manipulate most of the ice at Old Man's Cave.)

George near some huge icicles at Conkles Hallow,  Hocking Hills State Park, 2/11/14

The next day we went to the Conkles Hollow area---where we saw 3 waterfalls... I'll let George share the photos of the waterfalls we saw there.  I did post one of them (Lost Falls) in Friday's blog.

FINALLY,  some snow to stand on!!!!!   We didn't see much snow this trip--but when we did see snow or MUD,  I didn't complain at all.  Anything is better than ICE to walk on!!

More Rock-Sitting   (I can do that well!!!! ha)

While at Conkles Hollow,  I rested my aching knee (which I had hurt the day before)--while George hiked farther in order to get more great photos.

Lunch at a picnic table near the Conkles Hollow area

Give me a banana and some peanut butter --and I have a great lunch anyday!!!!!

Icicles and pretty rock colors at the ROCK HOUSE area,  Hocking Hills State Park, 3/11/14

Next we went to the ROCK HOUSE area of Hocking Hills State Park.  This is where there is another neat cave ---and where the rock colors are TERRIFIC.

Looking into the cave from outside (Rock House area)

Here's a photo showing the area where we could get inside the cave at the Rock House on 3/11/14.

Inside the ROCK HOUSE (cave) at Hocking Hills State Park, 3/11/14

Inside,  we thought we'd be able to get AWAY from the ice ---but there was ice inside also.   See it on the right?????

Me inside of the Rock House

We could hear the Pigeons 'cooing' above us in the cave--but couldn't see them.

Us at the ROCK HOUSE,  Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio, 3/11/14

I'll close with one more photo of the two of us taken at the ROCK HOUSE area.  Hocking Hills is a gorgeous state park and we enjoyed it despite the ICE.  IF you ever get to Ohio,  check out this park.  It is divided into several areas:  Old Man's Cave (the most popular area);  Cedar Falls;  Ash Cave;  Conkles Hollow; Rock House;  and Cantwell Cliffs.  Our favorite areas this trip were: Ash Cave,  Old Man's Cave,  Conkles Hollow and Rock House....

I'll try to post again on Friday,  the 21st IF I have time... Hope you have a great week. We are very busy beavers around here this month.  Happy St. Patrick's Day today!!!!  Wear your GREEN --so you won't get pinched!!!!!!

Hugs,

Emoticons