We took a southerly route after that and were ready for a stretch break by the time we reached Franklin. I had read about a nice-sounding greenway there that followed the Little Tennessee River. Here are a couple of photos from our one-mile stroll.
I'm sure we'll explore more of that trail next time we pass through Franklin.
From Franklin, we continued west on Highway 64, knowing we had some steep climbs as well as beautiful scenery in store. There were occasional scenic overlooks like this one.
By 4:30 we had arrived in Murphy, the western-most town of significant size in North Carolina (you've heard the phrase "from Manteo to Murphy"). We stayed at a fairly new Holiday Inn Express. Before supper, we backtracked 4 miles to the little town of Brasstown to visit the John C. Campbell Folk School, where folk skills and crafts are part of the "alternative curriculum."
The campus consisted of acres and acres of beautiful wooded land with impressive, functional buildings for all of the school's needs: housing, dining, museum, craft store, and classrooms. We didn't go inside any of these, but drove through the grounds, stopping 2 or 3 times.
We were highly impressed with this expansive garden, which we assume was all-organic. It had vegetables, herbs, and flowers inter-mingled artfully.
Everything we saw was rustic, authentic, and inviting.
After dining at the Happy Garden Chinese American Buffet (something for everybody), we had enough daylight to tour the old downtown area on foot. That's probably our favorite way to get a feel for the towns we visit. The county courthouse was constructed of gray marble quarried just a few miles up the road. At Marble, N. C. I kid you not. The massive structure was positioned to catch your eye.
When you're a blogger, it's not just tourist stuff that catches the eye. Does this downtown window display strike anyone else as funny?
This Methodist church seemed to be competing with the courthouse for "Most Interesting Architecture." It's location and lighting were effectively planned.
This Episcople church made up in height what it lacked in width. They literally chose "the narrow way" and sought to get a little closer to heaven.
At dusk, we were ready to return to our motel, but had to check out this Rolls Royce parked near the center of town. Never spotted the owner, but our curiosity was aroused.
We would get a good night's sleep and continue our journey to Chattanooga the following morning. Succeeding blog posts will detail some of our tale-- if the photo uploader continues to cooperate.
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