Blackberry Blossom Campground

Looking to get away from it all? Want to get back to nature? At the Blackberry Blossom Campground, they will furnish and completely set up a tent for you. Or, of course, you can bring your own. Each campsite includes fire ring, cooking grate and picnic table. I like that the campsites are all named after friends or family, each with its own unique layout. They're in beautiful locations on the property and offer lots of privacy. And while the tent sites are rustic, there's a bathhouse with hot water and showers and a camp kitchen with sink. The camp store is decked out with everything you'd need on your getaway and lots more.
The owners, Ed and Janice, moved to the mountains in 1999 in an effort to live a more simple life. And they love to share this simple life with visitors. Click here for a map of their property and their campsites. Reservations are required, so be sure to call ahead.

Click here to visit their Facebook Page and 'like' them to keep up with their special events which include picnics, dinners and concerts.

For directions, click here to see a Google map.  The campground is in a prime location for outdoor adventures with hiking trails on the property and with lots of amazing destinations close by, including Unaka Mountain, Red Fork Falls, Limestone Cove Trail, and Iron Mountain Gap (with access to the Appalachian Trail).

climb every mountain

We have not wings
we cannot soar;
but, we have feet
to scale and climb,
by slow degrees,
by more and more,
the cloudy summits
of our time.
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) American Poet. 

These were taken last week at an overlook just below the summit of Jane's Bald in the Roan Highlands. In the foreground of the photo at the top is Round Bald and beyond that is Roan Mountain. The photo of 'Blue' makes it look as if he's in a pretty perilous place, but he's actually standing on the rock you see in the foreground of the top photo. Funny what a difference a little change in perspective can make in a photo. :)

great expectations

Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become. Your Vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your Ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil. 
--James Allen (1864-1912) English author and poet. 

stir the flame

I want you young men to bear in mind that it is the nature of a fire to go out; you must keep it stirred and fed and the ashes removed.
--William Booth (1829-1912) British Methodist preacher who founded The Salvation Army

Above: Flame Azaleas blooming in the Roan Highlands. The rhododendrons and azaleas are in full bloom on the balds -- and while the azaleas look great, the number of blooms on the rhododendrons is not as great as last year.  It seems the rhodos go through cycles where some years the blooms are prolific and others where they're more sparse.  This seems to be an 'off' year for the rhododendrons. That isn't to say they aren't worth seeing, of course. :) I'm sorry that I can't report on the status of the rhododendron garden -- time was running short and we didn't make it further up the mountain.  My guess is that it's still not at peak and so if you're going up to Roan this weekend, enjoy the balds. Below is a photo of Round Bald taken from the overlook on Jane Bald. Such an amazing view!

the waiting game

Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear,
too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice,
but for those who love, time is eternity. 
--Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933) American author.

6/15/2013

6/13/2012

This spring must of been even colder and wetter than I thought. Last year by this time, the rhododendrons atop Roan Mountain were at their peak, a carpet of brilliant blooms. And while that may have been an "early year," usually by the 20th of June, you could count of them being at full bloom. So in case you're planning a trip up to the Roan, just know this year the rhododendron's are well behind their usual schedule. Depending on our weather in the coming days, I'd say they might be as much as two weeks away from peak. However, further down the mountain at Carver's Gap, you'll find the rhododendrons and flame azalea a bit further along... but still a week away from peak Oo's and Ah's.  For comparison, I've included a photo from last year.  [click to enlarge]

only one

Remember that you have only one soul; that you have only one death to die; that you have only one life. . . . If you do this, there will be many things about which you care nothing. 
--St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) Carmelite nun, Doctor of the Church

a snail's pace

Time sometimes flies like a bird, sometimes crawls like a snail; but a man is happiest when he does not even notice whether it passes swiftly or slowly.
--Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883) Russian author

patience grasshopper

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. 
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

the blues

Go ahead and play the blues if it'll make you happy.
--Homer to Lisa on The Simpsons.

old timer

Darn the wheel of the world! Why must it continually turn over? Where is the reverse gear?
--Jack London (1876-1916) American author, journalist.

This train trestle spans the Nolichucky River in Unicoi County, TN just south of Erwin. It replaced the original wood bridge in 1908. It wasn't until after I took the photo I realized there are two young people hanging out under the tracks on the middle pillar.  Makes me nervous thinking what they had to do to get under there. Yikes!  For a photo of the tracks from above click here. And here's the view from the Appalachian Trail high above.

we are the church together

We all know that a church is not a building.
--Robert H. Schuller (b. 1926) American televangelist, pastor, and author.

After hiking out to Little Rock Knob from Hughes Gap, I drove by Cove Creek Presbyterian Church in Roan Mountain, TN.  It was such a beautiful sight with the rhododendron blooming and the hill in the distance, I had to stop and take a picture.  I can't find any information for the church online, so if anyone knows the history (or can share a link) I'd appreciate it. Next to the church is a large rock-adorned building that says "fellowship hall" on the sign out in front. However, above the door, spelled out in smaller rocks, is "Cove Creek School" with a date (can't quite make it out).  See below.  But in the course of my search, I did come across a fantastic Facebook group for Roan Mountain and Carter County History.

National Trails Day

I could never resist the call of the trail.
--Buffalo Bill (1846-1917) American soldier, bison hunter and showman.  


Today is National Trails Day -- go out and explore! :)  

Above: The Appalachian Trail on Iron Mountain, TN/NC