BlueRidge Parkway

On Monday, April 21 we went to see several waterfalls. It was our objective this trip to see various waterfalls in the area. The waterfalls in the lower picture is a very small and we saw it from the road.

We hiked up a road, along side a stream to look at a waterfall noted on the literature we received from the Ranger station located in the Pisgah National Forest. If we would have hiked another 0.5 miles up the road we would have saw the waterfalls we were looking for. The rustic road was washed out at a bridge and we were concerned that the van would have planed out on the rocks.

We drove on the Blue Ridge Parkway and had excellent views of the area from various turnoffs. In a few days, with warmer weather, the trees will be fully leaved out and the area will be ready for a pre-summer period.

The Dogwood are Blooming

Spring is officially here in North Carolina. There are many flowering shrubs at their peak and this week the dogwood opened up.

We spent the entire week meeting with building contractors. Although this area has not been hit as hard as the rest of the nation, the builders are looking for work. Some progress made, but things progress at a much slower pace than back home. The individuals we have met coined the term "Carolina time" to reflect the laid back approach most contractors take.

Leo and Dottie will be visiting this week and we are looking forward to showing them around. This is our last full week here and we are amazed at how fast these two months have past.

One highlight from last week was a dinner party held for us by our potential new neighbors. Three couples hosted the party and made us feel right at home. Everyone has come from various parts of the US. California, New Jersey and Minnesota. The couple from Minnesota lived in Plymouth and he worked for Pillsbury for many years.

Camille is really enjoying retirement. For someone who was not sure about the whole process, she cannot imagine ever going back to work! Even her golf game has improved to the point that she is making more progress than I am. The ladies call and she's off for another round.

We are looking forward to coming home and seeing everyone. Then it's off to Colorado to see Andrew graduate from the U of Colorado.

Ralph & Camille

Bridal Veil Falls

Friday we drove to Brevard to see the white squirrels. The last time we were there we didn't see any. We also stopped at Looking Glass Falls to show Ed and Cindy. We hiked to Hookers Falls after lunch at the Dutch Cupboard restaurant in Etowah. The main hike planned for the day was to Bridal Veil Falls. I had the map and it said that the hike to the falls was a total of 2.1 miles. We set out along the route and found out that we were walking on gravel roads for most of the way. We did find a rock for Greg, but it was too big for the car.
We made it to the falls and a boy scout leader wanted to take us across below the falls to see some snakes. Some of the boy scouts were all wet so decided not to chance the trip. We found our own snake sunning on a log.

The trail had taken us to the bottom of the falls and we wanted to get to the top of the falls. In the past, people were able to drive under the falls and we wanted to get there. So the map was consulted and we thought we would be able to see the top of the falls from the trail named Bridal Overlook. It was a nice hike because it was mostly in the woods and it wasn't a road. It ended at the edge of a cliff with brush blocking any view of the falls. Discouraged and tired we started back. We stopped at Shelter Rock for a short rest. The thought of the wine just waiting for us at Kenmure kept us going. It took a lot more time than we expected to hike in and out.

Brothers

Everyone was seeing double when Ed and his girlfriend Cindy joined us for two days. The weather warmed up (72 & sunny) just for them. Ed, Ralph and I golfed on Thursday and Cindy rode around with us. Ralph and Ed practiced for the hike we took on Friday by walking up and down the hills, looking for their golf balls. I got my exercise by taking a lot of swings and playing in the sand.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

This past week we have experienced many cloudy, rain filled days. Everything has really greened up and the leaves are going to pop any day. The flowering fruit trees are still blooming, along with the daffodils, pansies, tulips, etc. The dogwood and other flowering varietals are expected to bloom when we have some sunshine. Hopefully, next week.

Here are pictures of the place we are staying in, along with some of the flowering trees on the property.

April fools

Here's the picture we didn't add to yesterday blog.