You all know that I love plants. Well, I happened to see an online advertisement for a close-by (Franklin, NC) plant sale benefitting BVFAS residents. I love plant sales and if I can help out a non-profit organization by buying plants that might be a great thing. But first I wanted to know who were these BVFAS residents. So I went to Bella View Farm’s Facebook Page and discovered they are an animal sanctuary...but not just any sanctuary—- they give forever homes to disabled farm animals. How cool is that? Phil and I jumped in the truck and headed for Bella View Farm Animal Sanctuary. We immediately saw why it was named Bella View... it does have BEAUTIFUL views. Peacocks, ducks, turkeys, horses, and goats announced our arrival to anyone listening. I wandered around and then went in the plant sale area where I met Rhonda, the owner. Rhonda told me that she sells plants to help cover the cost of care for her special needs animals. Presently she has five special needs goats. Two of them are learning to use a special wheelchair so they can be mobile. She also has horses—one of which is blind, and chickens (one uses a special wheelchair). Rhonda’s plants are available throughout the growing season, but she is so busy providing care for her animals that she announces on their Facebook page the dates she will devote to selling plants. I think her animals are trained to cheer on shoppers because every time I took another plant to the counter, the turkey would let loose with a loud gobble and the peacock would answer with his own unique sound. They were definitely cheering me on! I was proud to see the peacock donating towards his upkeep. Beautiful peacock feathers were $1.00 each! I helped out by buying: 3 Blue Moon Woodland Phlox, 7 Golden Tiara Hosta, 3 Mel’s Blue Stokes Aster, 3 Chocolate Foxglove, 3 Columbine, and 1 Fireball Hibiscus. Rhonda also had coral bells, foam flowers, nine bark, several fern varieties, native flame azaleas, trees, and so much more. Her prices were impressively low. Read the literature below and visit her soon.
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Our hiking ladies took a drive down the Gorge Road to Franklin, NC to visit Wayah Bald and then take a hike to Rufus Morgan Falls. Pam and I met Ginie at her house across the road from me. We took our traditional ‘before hike’ selfie... ...and then we were off! First stop— Wayah Bald. My first thought was that this place looked so spooky with all these dead trees. I asked Pam about it and she reminded me that the horrendous wildfires from a couple of years ago burnt much of this land. And to think a person intentionally set these fires. Ugh. Look at the devastation. Our destination was the rangers’ lookout seen off in the distance. When we arrived I noticed a designated spot for carving one’s name. How smart! I wonder if it keeps people from carving and marking up the tower and trees. I didn’t notice any graffiti so maybe it works. Then we climbed up the tower to check out the views. Clouds were rolling in which blocked much of the view, but it was still beautiful. There was a handy map which would be perfect for identifying landmarks seen on a clear day. It even had Whiteside Mountain marked. We lingered a bit longer hoping the clouds would lift but it seemed more clouds were rolling in. We decided to check out the picnic area across the way. What a perfect spot for a future picnic! They even had bear-proof trash cans. We returned to the car and took off for Rufus Morgan Falls. After we drove down a long dirt country road, we came to the trailhead. We parked at the trail head and started on the 1-mile hike. The trail was narrow but relatively easy to hike. There was a noticeable incline but it wasn’t too hard on us. The floor of the path had spots of tangly roots so we had to watch our footing. We came to a wet crossing but there were plenty of rocks to help us cross. We continued on a bit further. We came to another wet area to cross but this time there was a small bridge. We continued on but knew we were getting close. We came across this little gem of a waterfall, but Pam said it wasn’t Rufus Morgan Falls. So we continued following the trail. And there it was! We got a little closer... And we always take a selfie at the waterfall. We stayed a bit and then decided to finish the hiking loop back to the car. We drove on into Franklin to a restaurant I had read about and wanted to try. The food was fresh and delicious so if you’re ever up this way, try it out. Everything is locally sourced. Be sure and order one of their cathead biscuits. Yum! Get busy planning our next hike, Pam! So many waterfalls, so little time!
Our lady hikers were at it again! This time we went waterfalling in DuPont State Forest in search of Hooker Falls, Triple Falls, and High Falls. The parking lot was crowded at this popular spot. We took our traditional selfie... ...and took off on the trail. We came to the first fork in the trail. We opted to take the Triple Falls Trail and immediately crossed a bridge. Of course we stopped on the bridge to take in the water view. And then we continued on the trail. I just love a beautiful trail through a forest. This trail ran alongside the water and the scenery along the trail was lovely. I’m sure this tree growing around a rock demonstrates a profound life lesson for us all! We continued on the trail, stopping often to enjoy a view. We continued on the trail... ...and came to this view of Triple Falls. We walked a little further up the trail... ...until we came to these steps leading to a better view of Triple Falls. Such a lovely series of three waterfalls! After enjoying Triple Falls we continued on the path to High Falls. Isn’t it delightful to see a 3-4’ deep stream with water so clear you can see the bottom? We lingered a bit and then we walked further up the trail again. We came to the base of High Falls and detoured from the main trail to have a look. We climbed over a log or two and crossed a few boulders to get the view below. We took a few pictures. But we wanted a closer view so we climbed through mud, logs, and boulders. We kept moving closer to the base of the falls. Several people crossed through the water to the rock directly at the base of the falls but we opted not to do so. Instead we returned to the main trail, continued on and were rewarded with another view of High Falls. We couldn’t resist a group selfie here with High Falls in the background. Further up the trail we came to Covered Bridge Trail which led us to a covered bridge at the top of High Falls. We hiked back down the trails almost to the parking lot where we took the path to Hooker Falls. Just a little ways down this trail and we were there. I turned around and saw Pam who was apparently giving us the ‘This hike is over’ signal. And since Pam plans all our hikes we decided we had better keep her happy so we returned to the car and drove on into Brevard to eat at Hawg Wild BBQ. Yummy! Are you ready to plan our next hike, Pam?
For three years, I’ve wanted a carved bear to lounge on our bedroom deck railing. I was super excited when I came across a chainsaw artist out of Maggie Valley named Mike Ayers. I lurked on his Facebook page for a time checking him out. I quickly learned that this ex-marine is extremely talented and even competes internationally. So I texted Mike with a picture for inspiration of what I wanted. He didn’t hesitate to reply that he could create it with no problem. I sent a flurry of pictures of our deck and sent the measurement of the railing. And Mike was off to create. When he secured the log that would become Big Mama he sent me these pictures... And then he cranked that chainsaw of his and got to work! And Big Mama was starting to emerge... Soon Mike picked up his chainsaw and started working again... And I was getting excited! Mike jetted off to an international competition while Big Mama dried out. The first week of May he sent me these pictures and said Big Mama was ready to come home. Mike rolled in the next morning with two helpers to unload and mount her. When he uncovered her, I was jumping up and down. She’s perfect! Now came the fun part— unloading that 350 pound beauty! And then they rolled her up the steps... ...through our bedroom and out onto the balcony... ...where they lifted her up... ...and placed her on the rail. Mike secured her in place with some serious bolts! And there she is! She’s a head-turner! We’ve already had cars stop, back up, and take pictures of her. Welcome home, Big Mama! Phil is already saying he wants Mike to create a climbing cub to join you!
Each year our Highlands Chamber of Commerce organizes a litter pickup for our town. Volunteers by the dozen show up to clean the roads of litter debris. This year’s Plateau Pickup was scheduled for last weekend, but bad weather delayed it a week. I met neighbors Pam and Roger at the designated park. We enjoyed a light breakfast provided by the event and picked up our t-shirts, orange vests, garbage bags, gloves, and handy picker-uppers. We checked our assignments and listened to last minute instructions. We drove to our starting point and got our equipment ready. And then we were off on our mission! It didn’t take long for the bags to fill up. As I walked and looked at the beauty around me, I wondered how anyone can throw out trash in such a gorgeous area. We were determined to get every last can, beer bottle, styrofoam cup we saw, not to mention the cell phone, men’s boxer shorts, and dental flossers we gathered. Ha! Trucks came by frequently to take our filled bags and give us more empty bags to fill. When we had cleaned several assigned areas (over 10 bags for our three-person team), we headed back to town to enjoy a lunch prepared for the volunteers. Grilled hamburgers and hotdogs with all the fixings and sweet treats for dessert...yum! If you’re ever in Highlands, North Carolina on our annual Plateau Pickup Day, be sure to join us. We love our sweet small town!
Mike and his wife, Dianne, offered to guide us on a hike through Panthertown just outside of Cashiers, NC. If a person isn’t familiar with Panthertown, it’s easy to get lost. Mike lives there and is an active member of Friends of Panthertown—- a group of volunteers who take care of the hiking paths. He is a wealth of information about the area and we were thrilled to take him up on his offer. We met at the Salt Gap Trailhead and took our traditional selfie. We took off down the trail... ...and soon came to a lovely vista of Panthertown. Mike pointed out where we’d be hiking today. And then we were off again hiking the Panthertown Valley Trail. Wet muddy spots were common along the trail, but we maneuvered around those areas. We stopped at one wet spot to check out a pod of frog eggs floating in the water. Mike and Dianne took us out on a large sandbar with a perfect swimming hole—-Sandbar Pool. We lingered a few minutes and then returned to the trail. We crossed a bridge spanning a creek... ...and continued on across the wet trail. We turned down a path and crossed a footbridge to Schoolhouse Falls. No hike is complete without a waterfall and a view! We took a break here before continuing on. Mike showed us his bear “gun.” And then it was time to hike up to the top of Little Green Mountain. So UP we went... ...and UP... ...and UP... ...until we reached the top. What a lovely view! Mike and Dianne picked this spot for a lunch break. Perfect! After a nice lunch, we walked across the mountain top. We stopped often to take in the views. And then it was time to come down off the mountain. So down we went. When we finally reached the bottom I just had to turn back and get a picture of that final set of steps we had come down. We continued on the trail. And, yes, it was wet on this side, too! Mike told us the area pictured below was a favorite hangout for the bears so we picked up the pace. I’m not sure how many bears are in Panthertown, but I know it’s a bear sanctuary so I would think there are a lot! We took a little detour to see Granny Burrell Falls. We stopped to look for the native brook trout which fill these waters. Fishing is permitted but only catch and release. Then it was time to hike the rest of the way out of Panthertown Valley. Mike had told us that Panthertown was like a bowl which meant we had to hike up the side to leave. Did I mention UP? We made one last stop at the vista from the very beginning of our hike where Mike had shown us where we would be hiking. This time we recapped where we had been. Thank you, Mike and Dianne, for a wonderful hike. We can see why you love it!
What a glorious day for a hike! We met at 9:00 at Kelly’s house to get an early start on our drive to Mtn Rest, South Carolina just outside of Walhalla. Kelly drove us down the windy road towards Walhalla as we chattered about anything and everything along the way. Soon we came to the sign for which we’d been looking. We pulled in, parked, and got our gear ready for the hike. The first few feet of the trail were wet and muddy and we wondered if this was an indication of what was to come. We read over the information sign and started down the trail. And off we went down the trail. The trail started off easy and we were sure this moderate hike wouldn’t be a problem. We skirted around a few more wet spots... And came right up to our first creek to cross. This one had rocks lined up to help us cross. First Kelly and Pam showed me how to cross... And, yes, that’s me losing my balance and stepping right into the water. And we continued on the path. There were a few steep areas to navigate. This one took us to a second creek crossing. More rocks were there to help us cross again. I stopped midway across to take a quick picture of the small waterfall. I made it across this time with no problem. And we continued on the path. We came to a third creek crossing, but there was a bridge for this one. We continued on the path. And we came to a fourth creek crossing! This time we had a big log to walk across. It was harder than it looks! You know what I was thinking as we walked down these hills... this was going to be a beast to climb UP on the way back! And down some more... And we came to a fifth creek crossing. This time we had smaller logs in the water to use when crossing. And we continued on the path. We came to a sixth creek crossing where there was another bridge to help us cross. We continued on the path. Another bridge? But this one had a few steps leading up to it. We climbed up the path... ”Look!” They said, “Are those hawks?” We moved on after I informed them that they were buzzards and I thought they were watching me closely. Bwahaha! We gracefully climbed over a huge log blocking our way... And continued on the path. Look at these steps leading us down further. Remember what that means? Lawd, we’ve got to climb UP those steps on the way back! But look what’s peeking out at us through the trees! Yellow Branch Falls! Enjoy ALL our pictures of the falls! On our way back you can bet we took lots of breather breaks. Remember all those hills to climb? And then we went to a little local restaurant, Mtn. Rest Cafe, for lunch. Yum! A perfect ending to a perfect day! So where will our next Girls Only Hike lead us? We don’t know yet, but you can bet we’ll have fun!
I shared with my friend, Pam, that I was developing a case of cabin fever after recuperating from a recent bout of pancreatitis and surgery to remove my gallbladder and remaining gallstones. A long string of cold days wasn’t helping either. So Pam got to work planning a winter hike for us and I started walking everyday to prepare for it. We settled on Rainbow Falls in Gorges State Park just down the mountain in Sapphire, North Carolina. A fellow hiker and waterfaller who I like to follow intrigued me with his rating of this waterfall— a rare score of a perfect 10. Pam put out the call for other Mirror Lake ladies to join us on the hike. Kelly, who is prepping for hiking the Appalachian Trail with her husband, was sitting on ready! We met at 10:00 AM and took our traditional selfie... And then we were off to Gorges State Park. I didn’t even notice how long the drive was as we talked the entire time. I just love these ladies. But soon we arrived, parked the car, and were ready to embark on the trail. We set off down the trail and before long the trail reached a dead end, left to the Raymond Fisher Trail which was marked in blue meaning an easy hike. Right led to Rainbow Falls, our destination, which was marked in orange meaning “Go the other way, idiots.” I’m kidding of course. But it did signify this was a more difficult hike. This was a beautiful hike with lots of gorgeous scenery along the way even in winter... maybe I should say especially in winter because the winter scenes were drop dead gorgeous as the pictures will soon show. Plus, we had the trail pretty much to ourselves as we only encountered another couple and, as we were nearing our exit, we met three young ladies just beginning their hike. We ran into some icy spots as you can see up ahead in this picture... And no hike would be complete without having to cross a stream or two! Soon we were exiting the park and continuing on into the surrounding Pisgah National Forest. The trail remained in good shape. And soon we had a wider, deeper stream to cross. We definitely recommend hiking poles on this hike! We made Pam go slower at these spots as the fall she took on our last hike is still fresh on our minds. And her knee is still a bit sore! On the other side of the stream there is a large flat area. It appeared to be a campsite favorite with a nice fire pit there ready for use. But we read the sign and continued on. We heard rushing water for most of this hike, but we came to our first close-up view soon after crossing the second stream. We lingered there a bit and enjoyed the beauty. And then it was back up to the trail where we climbed up, up, up... And down, down, down... Kelly spotted a massive rock which jutted out over a steep embankment and beckoned us to come over and check out the view it afforded. Just a little further down the trail we came to the most beautiful spot we had seen to this point... You can bet the cellphone cameras were clicking! We returned to the trail and walked and walked. Finally we came to one last ascent to what we hoped would be Rainbow Falls. A little higher... We emerged at an opening which was a winter wonderland! Frost and ice were everywhere! And what’s this just to the left? Rainbow Falls, of course! But before I show you the falls, take a look at the winter scene we enjoyed. And now enjoy the beauty of the falls which most certainly earned its 10-star rating! We lingered awhile longer enjoying Rainbow Falls and hoping a rainbow would give us a perfect ending, but it was not to be today. We are already planning to return in late spring. Maybe we’ll catch that elusive rainbow then! On the way back I was struggling, but my wonderful hiking buddies made sure I had lots of time to stop and rest. We finished the hike and felt like we really accomplished something when we noted the sign labeling this hike as strenuous! I checked my trusty Map My Walk app for the stats on this hike. (I was just a tad late turning on the app and missed the beginning of the hike.) We were in the woods about four hours and burned 660 calories! Woot! Time to celebrate! So we stopped in Cashiers on the way home to eat a late lunch at Slabtown Pizza. And we all three ate a great big....salad with water to drink. Hey— we’re in training for our next Girls Only Hike!
Highlands Cashiers Land Trust (HCLT) organized a perfect volunteer opportunity to give back to our pristine community on this MLK Jr Day of Service. Volunteers signed up to collect litter at different properties protected by HCLT. My hiking buddy, Pam, and I took on Ravenel Park— home of Sunset Rock and Sunrise Rock. There is a .8 mile long road up to the park. Cars are currently allowed to drive up but that will probably soon change and the road will be for hiking only. Pam and I drove to the parking at the bottom of the access road and could see today was going to be tricky. Solid sheets of ice were everywhere... even in the parking area. We carefully got out of the car after gathering trash bags and trash collection poles and started picking out the best path to follow. Ice was everywhere! But first we took our traditional selfie! Today was a gorgeous sunny day, but did I mention ice was everywhere? This wasn’t soft melting ice. It was solid sheets of ice. But we were able to find our way around the ice. It just took lots of jumping and criss-crossing and holding onto branches as an extra precaution. We stopped to look at water running under the ice which was pretty cool... And soon we were at the top. A short bit of icy trail later and we stepped out on Sunset Rock. Did I mention ice? We talked with a Mother-Son Group enjoying one last part of Highlands— Sunset Rock- before heading back to Atlanta. One of the moms took a photo of Pam and me at the top of Sunset Rock. That view of the town of Highlands off in the distance just never gets old. There’s an inviting bench on Sunset Rock to relax and take in the view, but we were on a mission so we searched for litter and walked over to Sunrise Rock. The path to Sunrise Rock offered its own bench. I think I’ll talk to my rock guy about making me one like this for our woodland garden we’ve started at Two Holt. And then we arrived at Sunrise Rock... The viewing area isn’t nearly as big as Sunset Rock, but Pam says viewing a sunrise from that vantage point is majestic. Pam and I enjoyed the views and began the trip down to our car while still looking for trash. We’re proud to say that we ended with our trash bag only 1/3 full. It seems that most of the visitors to this area have been taking good care of it. And that’s something to celebrate! So if you visit our beautiful town, please help us keep it pristine. Highlanders are proud of our town!
Several months ago I entered a picture in The Laurel magazine’s contest for the Winter 2019 magazine cover. The Laurel announced that we were the winners in their April 2018 issue with this article! And the photo graced the 2019 winter cover along with a nice article inside the magazine. The contest is currently running for the 2020 cover and we’ve been voting for our favorite. It’s always fun to see who wins!
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Phil & SharonMarried 40 years and hoping to enjoy many more! Archives
December 2019
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