Oct. 15, 2017

A sign along a morning bike ride on gravel and dirt roads.

Then off to find a waterfall I looked for before, but didn’t get to.

Thunderhole Falls – Hike #42

The trail to the falls is unmarked and requires a little bush whacking.

But worth the effort.

This is only the top, it has a lower fall section too.

Remember the bushwhacking part? This is the climb up, I don’t know if we could have made it without the rope!

after the hike we went driving looking for color and dirt roads. Old NC 105 follows a ridge and includes this overlook of Linville Gorge at Wiseman’s View.

 

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Oct. 8, 2017

Hike #40 – #52hikechallenge – Bass Lake and Carriage Trails Blowing Rock, NC

I woke up to heavy fog, but no rain, so off to the trails.

It started raining as I headed back, so I stayed around the trail head for extra pictures.

Back to the mountain house, help my brother winterize it and then say goodbye.

Rather than head home, I spent some time exploring, revisiting past dirt roads and looking at new one.

 

 

 

A fun day, hiking short trails, driving down dirt roads to find gates or barns, and taking the home way home.

Oct. 7, 2017

An early start on the Blue Ridge Parkway

early there was no traffic, but some fog.

I turned around at the Linn Cove Viaduct since it was covered in fog and took the long way home through Blowing Rock

Then Hike #39 of #52hikechallenge – Crab Orchard Falls

It’s a very long series of cascades.

A lovely walk in the woods!

Oct. 6, 2017

Heading to the mountains!

Since I was traveling solo this weekend, I stopped for dinner and waited for the sunset.

Raven Rocks overlook never disappoints.

 

The crowd.

A picture for Taco Tuesday on Instagram

A HDR photo.

A slightly different composition.

Sept. 19, 2017

I shot something else, but it’s Taco Tuesday.

Sept. 16 and 17, 2017

I wanted to try something new this weekend – instead of Photos of Day, I wanted to create a Vlog or Video Blog post. I didn’t take any pictures, only video. I made a bunch of mistakes, and edited this is less than 2 hours after unpacking, but here it is….  CLICK TO WATCH THE VIDEO

Sam and I backpacked this beautiful loop in the Pisgah National Forest. Starting at NC 215 we joined the Mountain to Sea Trail, past Devils Courthouse, Art Loeb Trail to Black Balsam Knob, Sam Knob Trail to Flat Laurel Creek Trail to NC 215 and back to the truck! Hike #36 and #37 of #52hikechallenge

Aug. 13, 2017

How to start a perfect day? I found this book my grandmother gave my great-grandmother in the mountain cabin published in 1985. Written by Earl Thollander it describes back road routes across North and South Carolina… so we decided to follow his route out of Blowing Rock.

I had driven a part of it a year or so, but didn’t get down to Globe, NC – Sunday morning at the Globe Baptist Church.

on his map there were several waterfalls marked, this photo doesn’t do this one justice, it’s not the waterfall but the swimming hole – I will be back!

Across the road was a pretty waterfall with several sections.

Even the bottom was nice.

Then it was time to work are way back toward an afternoon hike, running Forest Service roads and 221…

We skipped lunch on the road since it started raining hard, but cleared in time to hike the Boone Fork Trail Loop. Hike #29 #52hikechallenge

Hebron Falls on the BFT

and just a pretty spot on the trail. We said goodbye to my brother and sister in law as a heavy rain started and we drove home, stopping in High Point for a Mexican dinner. Just about a perfect day (If only I had the motivation to get out of bed and ride before we left in the morning)

Aug. 12, 2017

It had been 6 days since I was in the mountains, time to head back. My first ever HOA meeting for our little cabin in the mountains and the rain held off for a ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

July 8, 2017

We slept in and decided what to do… we had several miles back to the truck and a side trail for a waterfall – Upper Falls at Graveyard Fields – so we started back.

Hike #23 of #52hikechallenge

We enjoyed a lunch and quick swim in the cold water and finished up… the threat of rain and tired legs, we decided to come back and try the Black Balsam Knob from a different trail head next time.

After dropping the packs at the truck, we did the short hike to Lower Falls – enjoyed a swim and headed home.

through 7 tunnels on the Blue Ridge Parkway. A 10 out of 10 weekend!

A Land Cruiser and clouds….

July 7, 2017

Time for a backpacking trip, we had wanted to do Black Balsam Knob area so I decided to lengthen the loop at start at Graveyard Fields off the Blue Ridge Parkway. I knew we were in trouble right away, I didn’t have a map, or mileage idea of the loop, them the trails were not blazed at all… within 2 miles we ran into a family walking the wrong direction…. I had a general description of what I wanted to do…

After leaving the Graveyard Fields trail, we started climbing on the Mountains to Sea trail, and I knew we had to descend again to cross the Yellow Prang, and we stayed on the “obvious” trail, which only completely disappeared in this mire….

again, with no blaze to follow we backtracked (only got lost once doing that) and made our way back down to find a camp site

a very peaceful night – made even easier since I brought a camp stove and Sam’s favorite freeze dried meal – only to discover I didn’t include matches…. doh!

Hike #22 of #52hikechallenge

PS it was Kodak’s first backpacking trip.