I finally made the time to get to Frying Pan fire tower.
An amazing view
I had planned to stay till dark and photograph the Milky Way behind the tower, but it doesn’t line up well.
When I got back to the trail head, another Tacoma had parked next to me – they are so cute stock ; )
I do like stickers
Bees sleeping
So I found a spot on the blue Ridge Parkway and waited, when it finally was dark enough, clouds rolled in and covered the Milky Way – just visible in middle of the sky.
A quick trip to the mountains, the goal was to stay off the Blue Ridge Parkway, once I got on a dirt road, we only drove about 15 miles of pavement the rest of the day.
Our camp spot for the night off a rough forest service road, not one vehicle went by and we were next to a creek…. perfection!
Good night!
Road trip to mountains for the night (after tennis match)
a beautiful evening for a walk
and pictures
Long ride and half was on a closed Blue Ridge Parkway
In fact it was so cool, after the ride I hiked back up just so I could walk the Linn Cove Viaduct
A quick macro of a poplar tulip
I finally made a start (and finish) in the 2019 North Carolina Cyclocross season.
After a lot of overnight rain, the course in Boone was muddy again!
I had fun, didn’t race well, fell a couple of times, but it was great to be back on the start line this weekend!
After the race, I explored for fall colors
The light wasn’t great, so I went for a hike
Goshen Creek is a pretty little waterway
not much color on the trees
but fun to rock hop
a just enjoy the silence
then I tried another HDR of the sunset
A foggy start to my ride.
The BRP Linn Cove viaduct was even worse. It was an awesome morning on the bike!
Then it was time to explore… a Forest Service Road I heard about….
pictures never do it justice and I quit taking photos as my stress raised and the obstacles became tougher… this was no joke; several washouts, ravens and wheel lifting later we were halfway through. Each time I walked a route, I was looking not to make sure I could get through it, could I get back up it if the road was blocked a or a closed gate.
An awesome camping spot for a lunch break. My truck is the minimum I would have wanted to take, 33 inch tires, 2.5 inch lift, armored with bumpers, sliders and skid plates… anything less would have resulted in damage!
A good day!
A weekend that changes. Instead of elk, we ended up in Boone again, since I hadn’t planned anything, we searched for a waterfall I had not been to, this is Laurel Creek Falls (I think) but we rock hopped up the creek for a long ways looking for more. Either way this is an awesome swimming hole.
A corn dog and loaded fries with a gose beer at The Cardinal in Boone! Yum!!!
No sunset tonight, only fog!
A busy day, up early for a run at Bass Lake, then time to explore, driving foreat service and dirt roads
a couple of short hikes
the view of Grandfather Mountain from Grandmother Mountain.
Ended the day at USAT summer singles league, I won my match 6-1, 6-3
Back on the road, Kodak must see everything.
the threat of rain made a change of plans, so I jumped on the bike as soon as we got to Blowing Rock
All the climbing is worth it with these views, and the screaming descent. (although today the descent had a headwind and I was only able to hit 43mph)
after dinner at the Coyote Kitchen, we headed to our favorite hill top for the sunset. I had figured out how to download Netflix on the iPad for a trip that didn’t happen, so now I can binge watch shows like Sabrina.
Kodak kept an eye on the wildlife
until they got too close.
good cow!
Sunrise from Flat Top Tower. I had wanted to hike to it for lat night’s sunset but was exhausted from my ride for the 5 mile hike. So I got up before the sun and ran to the tower… I missed the very beginning since I didn’t take in the fact the first 2.5 miles was “uphill” and my running pace was slower. Still a gorgeous sunrise and a great run.
