Waynesville, NC - 2nd week in August

Lots of rain this week.  We take a chance and ride up to Max Patch Mountain to hike up to the 360 degree view and find cooler temps.

These cattle found their way to the river

The mountain is off the Rattler

The last 2.5 miles is gravel

We make it in one piece

And we're off

Stairs! My favorite!

And more stairs!

Clouds loom above but we only get a light sprinkle.  It helped keep the heat down.

Don't have to asked me twice

The grasses and flowers are much higher than our early Spring hike here

We head back down

And head back home

I finally start painting my Raindrop shape rock.

And we go to another of Carol's Jams

Getting there

 

Waynesville NC - 1st Week in August

Gourd/squash plants are popping up all over the place.  Seeds must have been washed in from flood last year.  I named this One Audrey

My Tomatoes and Peppers have been doing well too!

Our friend Carol found some jam groups to join 

Work slowly continues on the round a bout

They take down the tree that was struck by lightening last week

Which opened our view a bit.

Took down a few others too.  Doesn't take much to entertain us  

 

There was a rock slide on 441 in the Great Smokey Moutains and we decided to take a ride to see how far we could go

 

Looks like the New Found Gap Overlook is as far as we can go, about 1/2 way to Gatlinburg

 

They are brining in structural engineers so it may be awhile before it opens up. If I-40 has another slide it will make getting to TN a challenge

We check out the new trail to Soco Falls 

These are the stairs that came down from 19 before Helene damaged the trail down.

 

Waynesville NC last 2 weeks in July

We start out for a ride to see the progress on opening Mingo Falls.  First we stopped at Mingus Mill

Headed to Mingo Falls and glad to see the Elk have learned to cross at the crosswalks.

Unfortunately the Falls was still closed.nnhopefullyntheynwillnreopen before or friends head back to Tucson.

We do another ride to the Juney Whank Falls in the Deep Creek section of Great Smokey Mountain National Park 

We go through Bryson City

Along the Tukasegee river

Its a short but uphill hike 

Worth the hike

We stop for lunch

Then continue on to the road to nowhere also in the Deep Creek section

When the area Towns were flooded by the Fontana Dam, submerging their main road, they promised that a new road  would be provided to give them access to the old family cemeteries where generations of ancestors remained behind. They encountered "environmental issues" that would have made finishing the Road "too costly".

Me thinks they had already spent a whole bunch, it's a beautiful 6 mile ride.

And a really nice tunnel

I even find mushrooms on Tunnel hikes!

Carol and I venture to the top

Hello down there!

Back home and enjoy a blue grass jam session

Cannot believe another month has gone by!