Blue Ridge Parkway (NC), Part 2, August 31- September 7

Restored Dellinger's Mill

Delightful serendipity.  Here, near Spruce Pine, NC, is where I experienced the heart of the Blue Ridge Parkway. 

I'd been going north on the parkway for almost a week and had yet to hear any live music.  I love bluegrass, old timey country music, and folk.  So, when I saw the tourist information center co-located with the Minerals Museum I was visiting, I asked where I could find some local mountain music.

Terry McKinney and band mates
at Dellinger's Mill

The volunteer behind the desk lit up and said I was in luck this Tuesday.  There was a special afternoon concert at the Dellinger's Mill.  But, I had to be a bit adventurous to find it because she didn't have any exact directions.  It was outside of Bakersville, about 16 miles away.  Yup, that was right up my alley!

Local Dellinger Fiddle Maker
accompanying neighbor on guitar

And find it, I did!  It's an old water-powered grist mill that has been lovingly restored.  Jack Dellinger's great-grandfather, grandfather and father ran this mill.  Jack, however, left this small town as a young adult and made his mark as an early computer programmer, having written code for the Apollo 2 mission.  But, in retirement he came back home and decided to bring his family's mill back to working order.  It's truly beautiful in design and engineering.

The Orchard at Alta Pass
as viewed from Blue Ridge Parkway

The concert at Dellinger's Mill was a small band made up of local talent.  They were very good.  The audience, on lawn chairs and blankets, was made up of people passing through, like me, snow birds, and locals.  And, there was even a woman from India visiting her friend, a local artist.   For the first half of the concert, Dunham and I sat next to each other and shared some almonds.  The whole experience was such a wonderful treat.   At the end of the concert I met Beth, a local, who I told of my travels and of my current quest for mountain music.   We made arrangements to meet at The Orchard, the next day where local musicians play every afternoon.

One of the many musicians
performing at The Orchard

How I so quickly changed my plans still surprises me.  Because I had realized that Labor Day weekend was coming up, I'd planned to stake out a site on the Parkway early and stay put to avoid the holiday competition for campsites.  I was planning to lay low, enjoy the campground, do some people watching, and explore some local sights.  Instead, I accepted an invitation to stay at someone's guest house.

The reasons this surprises me are several.  I've been adamant about sleeping in my car every other place I'd visited. I've been exceedingly cautious and these folks were complete strangers.  And, it's just very much unlike me to accept such an offer.  But, accept it, I did.  And I am so glad I did!

A play at The Orchard --
"Two Charlies" about a couple
of local historic characters

To back up a bit, The Orchard at Alta Pass is a 501C3.  Before it was a non-profit, Bill & Judy Carson and Kit Carson-Trubeyin, Bill's sister, bought the place in an effort to keep this old apple orchard from being developed.  Their goal is to keep the mountain arts and stories alive.  They tell visitors these stories at concerts, plays, and weekend wagon rides.  And they have free music every afternoon by the local folks, complete with a dance floor which is sometimes dusted with cornmeal for clogging.  For the holiday weekend, there was even more music, dancing and a covered dish picnic (pot luck).  At the bottom of this blog is a video of a clogging group that performed on Labor Day.

The canon was set off to signal the
start of the Covered Dish Picnic

Beth, the woman I met at the end of the Dellinger's Mill Concert, it turns out is the Executive Director of the Alta Pass Foundation which supports The Orchard.  Bill and Judy Carson are managing The Orchard in their retirement.  Bill was a computer programmer working for NASA who also did some of the early programming for the Global Positioning System (GPS).  I thanked him for that work as I have truly depended on my GPS systems during this trip.  Judy is a graphic artist and conducts monarch butterfly preservation at The Orchard.  Judy's sister, Margaret, is the one who offered her guest house to me.   Margaret is a retired corporate librarian.

Margaret

During my week's stay, I became fast friends with Margaret ... and finding friendship so quickly is quite unusual for me.  I enjoyed visiting with her over lunch and in the evenings.  She introduced me to others in town, too, including her neighbor Jo of the Upper Street Café where I had a delicious piece of buttermilk pie for the first time, Pat who gave me a signed copy of her book Lifted to the Shoulders of a Mountain: A story of the people who climbed a mountain before their home became Little Switzerland, N. C., and Pam who runs the Food Wagon at The Orchard and who makes some of the best mac & cheese I've ever had.

Margaret's Other Place
(guest house)

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Margaret's Other Place (guest house) in Little Switzerland, NC.  It was beautiful inside with knotty pine paneling, a small kitchen, table, bathroom, several beds, couches, and was fully stocked with food, snacks, books, board games, and local information.    I loved loved loved all of the rocking chairs -- 2 inside and 4 on a covered porch.  I didn't realize how much I missed just simply rocking.

Rocking Chairs
at Margaret's

I'm keeping in touch with Margaret through email and hope to see her again ... maybe for a visit in Washington State, or during another trip to North Carolina.

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the music at The Orchard and loved watching folks dance, especially the clogging.

I think I left a piece of my heart at this place.  It was truly a highlight of this trip.

originally posted 10/6/10

Blue Ridge Parkway (NC), Part 1, August 26-30

More than 200 overlooks on the
Blue Ridge Parkway

From the planning stages of this cross-country trip, I was looking forward to driving the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Although not a National Park per se, it is managed by the National Park Service. 

The vistas show layer after layer
of mountains in the distance

This 469-mile manicured road runs through the rugged mountains of North Carolina, then north into Virginia.  It has a total of 26 tunnels, over 200 overlooks, 4 lodges, 6 restaurants, 8 campgrounds, many hiking trails, and too many associated natural and cultural sites to count. 



Morning fog in the valleys



This is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world.  And the Blue Ridge Mountains themselves are among the oldest in the world.  It is truly a magical place.

I spent more than 3 weeks on the parkway because there was so much to see, do and experience.  So, to make the blog post more manageable, I'm breaking it into 3 parts.

The highest elevation on the Parkway
is in North Carolina.

I drove the parkway from The Great Smoky Mountains National Park toward Shenandoah National Park, from south to north.

In this southern-most section, I found my favorite campground on the Parkway, Mt. Pisgah ... quiet, lots of nice sites, clean bathroom and showers. 



Rock outcroppings line the parkway,
ancient sentries of the journey.



I also thoroughly enjoyed the Folk Art Center that is managed by the Parkway.  Unfortunately, I couldn't take any pictures there ... but, the handwork, carvings, musical instruments, and more were wonderful to see.  My favorite piece was a small wooden carving of an older mountain woman with a nail in her mouth, wielding a hammer, working to shape a horseshoe on an anvil.  I loved the implied "can do it" meaning.



Craggy Gardens area is covered with
blooming rhododendrons in the spring.







.

Driving through one of the 26 tunnels.

Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak
east of the Mississippi.

originally posted 10/4/10

The Great Smoky Mountains, August 26-28



Elkmont Campsite,
this year and last

I love The Great Smoky Mountains National Park!  John and I were there in June 2009 to see the synchronous fireflies.  I was glad to return again to explore some of the other nooks and crannies that I didn't get to see last year.  I started at the far east end of the park at Big Creek, took scenic Foot Hills Parkway, then followed Hwy 32 and Hwy 73 along the northeast edge of the park into Gatlinburg.  What gorgeous roads ... my favorite kind of driving. 

Falls on Laurel Creek

Once in Gatlinburg, I headed for the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, one of my favorite experiences of our '09 trip.  Unfortunately, it was closed for repair.  So, for "old times sake" I went on to Elkmont and stayed at the same campsite that John & I occupied last year.  It was as beautiful in August as it was in June ... but this time without the fireflies.

Wild Turkey at Cades Cove

The next day I drove out to Cades Cove, stopping at a roadside trail labeled "Quiet Walk." It was a beautiful walk, but it wasn't quiet at all being just off the main road. I also checked out the falls on Laurel Creek. The Cades Cove Loop road is one-way. It's known as a great place to see wildlife. And, sure enough, I saw some bucks, wild turkeys, and several black bears -- a mature adult and a young adult. I decided to take the Rich Mountain Road north, out of the park. It's a park-maintained dirt road, with lots of twists and turns, and I was told another good place to spot bears. To reach that road, I again needed to go about 1/3 around the Cades Cove Loop.

Bear Cub running to my car

About half way to my turn off I saw a bear cub.  No mama bear was in sight.  I had all my windows rolled down and was enjoying a mid-morning snack of crackers and juice.  Well, I think that little cub thought he'd like some too!  At one point I thought he was going to try to climb into the car with me!  He got so close to me on a bank that I could have easily reached out and touched him.  I rolled my windows up, but he kept following for about 200 yards ... and I think he would have kept tagging along except a couple got out of their car to take pictures and scared him away.   My travel down Rich Mountain Road was beautiful, but I didn't see any more wildlife. 

Bear Cub followed me 200 yrds



The proof from US129photos.com
to show that I conqured The Dragon!



 On the advice of a ranger, I made my way further west, outside of the park, to another scenic drive -- The Cherohala Skyway -- which was spectacular. To get there, I took two more great drives. One was the scenic Foothills Parkway on the west side of the park and Hwy 129, the Tail of the Dragon. I didn't know that Hwy 129 was a famous road. I've since read that the portion I drove between Tabs Cat Bridge and Deals Gap is 11 miles long and contains 318 curves. It's said to be especially enjoyed by sports car drivers and motorcyclists. I drive a Prius, and I found it fun too! I guess to prove that you've actually been on The Dragon, photographers are placed at a few of the curves with big banners advertising the web site where you can purchase your picture. An unexpected treat.



Rain Storm from Cherohala Skyway

After driving back from the Cherohala Skyway, I overnighted just north of the park. The next morning I stopped at the Little Greenbrier School on my way to the main Newfound Gap Road. This drive takes me down the middle of the park from Tennessee to North Carolina. I was on my way to take one more scenic drive, the one-way Balsam Mountain Loop. This park-maintained dirt road provided a reverent, church-like drive. I saw no wildlife, but these deep woods felt so surreal ... misty, wisps of clouds, and a few shafts of sunlight every now and again. How fortunate I am.

Little Briar School House



Inside Little Briar School House



Hiking

Hiking

A view from Balsam Mountain Loop

Rain runoff on Balsam Mountain Loop

originally posted 9/28/10