Turtleback Falls, with treacherous Rainbow Falls in the distance.
Rainbow Falls-- our favorite.
Whitewater Falls-- highest in Eastern U.S.
The Woodlands Inn & Bed and Breakfast, Sapphire Valley
Just back from a delicious lunch at Market Square with Charlie and Liz. We'll see them again while they're in town. Now a refreshing rain is beginning to fall. We'll take every drop we can get. The rain barrells are uncovered, waiting open-mouthed. The vegetable garden, which has had a dry week, anticipates a good soaking--which will drive away the heat as well.
Now, to begin to share about our trip. Monday we headed toward Sapphire Valley via Albemarle, Charlotte, Hendersonville, and Brevard. Our bed and breakfast for the first two nights was The Woodlands Inn and B&B. We were quite comfortable and were the only guests for those two nights. We got personal service for delightful breakfasts with the host, John. Blueberry muffins, ham and cheese omelets, waffles, Danishes, and more-- all perfect. The second morning he had Morning Glory muffins, similar to Judy's famous Kitchen Sink muffins which some of you have been blessed to sample (Soon I'll get into making links for some of these items).
Tuesday morning John gave us great directions for getting into Gorges State Park even though their parking area was closed for improvements. We hiked a strenuous twenty-five minutes on a steep downhill grade, which turned from a trail into a rocky gully. At the bottom we had to explore around and make a couple of wrong turns (there were no gas stations to ask for directions), but in the end we found all three waterfalls on the Horsepasture River that we were seeking. Drift Falls, the furthest upstream, is pictured as the tease on the previous post (more pictures of all of these are forthcoming). It is now on private property but that doesn't prevent a wonderful view. A short distance downstream is Turtleback Falls, with a grand swimming hole below it for those who dared to climb a rotten rope Tarzan style up a vertical cliff and then slide off the rock into unknown waters. Needless to say, yours truly did not even consider swimming, and I was able to hold Judy back. We both imagined having Liz along. Her dare-devilry is legendary. The third falls was my favorite of all-time (including Niagara)--Rainbow Falls. Still photos don't accentuate its height as well as videos. I'll see what I can add to this post. At Rainbow, the best view is from a high path beyond the falls, looking back. There's a sheer rock face across the entire river, but the water flow is limited to onc side. We both thought we could glimpse flecks of rainbow colors in the spray, but I'm sure that effect is more pronounced depending on light conditions, flow of water, and other factors. It was thrilling and unforgettable. Most summers there is at least one tragic death here, because unknowing novices can easily hike downstream from Turtleback and be swept over Rainbow before they realize the danger. Judy and I are content to view, marvel, and photograph.
The climb out of the gorge was a great workout, and though we felt it in our legs, we were quite proud of our success and had no lasting soreness. Back in our air-conditioned car, we were ready for one more waterfall, Whitewater Falls, several miles down the same highway we were on. We had been there once before (when Amanda was with us) but now that I've got a digital camera I want to revisit all our favorite spots. We got a great view from two observation points. Then we had a little adventure. Of the many guidebooks I refer to, a couple mention an older path that goes to the left of the Whitewater river and beyond the beginning of the 400 foot falls (highest in the Eastern U.S.). There was a rail fence blocking what appeared to be such a trail, and we would have left, figuring it was in unsafe condition or impassable, but luckily a couple with their dog emerged from the trail just then. We asked all about it and were reassured that it was in fine shape. It was actually an easy walk, but with no easy view of the falls. We did indeed come out on the river above the falls and took more pictures. Nothing spectacular, but we felt like it was worthwhile. Next post I'll share about Tuesday evening in Brevard and our Wednesday pilgrimage to Sylva and Dillsboro. HAPPY TRAILS!
Just back from a delicious lunch at Market Square with Charlie and Liz. We'll see them again while they're in town. Now a refreshing rain is beginning to fall. We'll take every drop we can get. The rain barrells are uncovered, waiting open-mouthed. The vegetable garden, which has had a dry week, anticipates a good soaking--which will drive away the heat as well.
Now, to begin to share about our trip. Monday we headed toward Sapphire Valley via Albemarle, Charlotte, Hendersonville, and Brevard. Our bed and breakfast for the first two nights was The Woodlands Inn and B&B. We were quite comfortable and were the only guests for those two nights. We got personal service for delightful breakfasts with the host, John. Blueberry muffins, ham and cheese omelets, waffles, Danishes, and more-- all perfect. The second morning he had Morning Glory muffins, similar to Judy's famous Kitchen Sink muffins which some of you have been blessed to sample (Soon I'll get into making links for some of these items).
Tuesday morning John gave us great directions for getting into Gorges State Park even though their parking area was closed for improvements. We hiked a strenuous twenty-five minutes on a steep downhill grade, which turned from a trail into a rocky gully. At the bottom we had to explore around and make a couple of wrong turns (there were no gas stations to ask for directions), but in the end we found all three waterfalls on the Horsepasture River that we were seeking. Drift Falls, the furthest upstream, is pictured as the tease on the previous post (more pictures of all of these are forthcoming). It is now on private property but that doesn't prevent a wonderful view. A short distance downstream is Turtleback Falls, with a grand swimming hole below it for those who dared to climb a rotten rope Tarzan style up a vertical cliff and then slide off the rock into unknown waters. Needless to say, yours truly did not even consider swimming, and I was able to hold Judy back. We both imagined having Liz along. Her dare-devilry is legendary. The third falls was my favorite of all-time (including Niagara)--Rainbow Falls. Still photos don't accentuate its height as well as videos. I'll see what I can add to this post. At Rainbow, the best view is from a high path beyond the falls, looking back. There's a sheer rock face across the entire river, but the water flow is limited to onc side. We both thought we could glimpse flecks of rainbow colors in the spray, but I'm sure that effect is more pronounced depending on light conditions, flow of water, and other factors. It was thrilling and unforgettable. Most summers there is at least one tragic death here, because unknowing novices can easily hike downstream from Turtleback and be swept over Rainbow before they realize the danger. Judy and I are content to view, marvel, and photograph.
The climb out of the gorge was a great workout, and though we felt it in our legs, we were quite proud of our success and had no lasting soreness. Back in our air-conditioned car, we were ready for one more waterfall, Whitewater Falls, several miles down the same highway we were on. We had been there once before (when Amanda was with us) but now that I've got a digital camera I want to revisit all our favorite spots. We got a great view from two observation points. Then we had a little adventure. Of the many guidebooks I refer to, a couple mention an older path that goes to the left of the Whitewater river and beyond the beginning of the 400 foot falls (highest in the Eastern U.S.). There was a rail fence blocking what appeared to be such a trail, and we would have left, figuring it was in unsafe condition or impassable, but luckily a couple with their dog emerged from the trail just then. We asked all about it and were reassured that it was in fine shape. It was actually an easy walk, but with no easy view of the falls. We did indeed come out on the river above the falls and took more pictures. Nothing spectacular, but we felt like it was worthwhile. Next post I'll share about Tuesday evening in Brevard and our Wednesday pilgrimage to Sylva and Dillsboro. HAPPY TRAILS!
3 comments:
Welcome back! Glad y'all had fun. Also glad you're blogging again -- I love it!
Love the pictures. Glad you are enjoying yourself. There's nothing like jumping right into retirement!!
What fun!!
I can't wait to see all the pictures the next time I come over!
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