brilliant blaze

I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.  
--Jack London (1876-1916) American short-story Writer and Novelist.

Above: Early morning shot of Grandfather Mountain from MacRae Meadows.

unalienable rights

Life, liberty, and property do not exist because men have made laws. On the contrary, it was the fact that life, liberty, and property existed beforehand that caused men to make laws in the first place.
--Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850) French classical liberal theorist, political economist.

Happy Independence Day!

don't wait

If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything.
--Win Borden (1943-2014) teacher, author, politician, lobbyist, entrepreneur and environmentalist.

Above: Rhododendron blooming in MacRae Meadows at Grandfather Mountain.

spiritual nature

By confronting us with irreducible mysteries that stretch our daily vision to include infinity, nature opens an inviting and guiding path toward a spiritual life.
--St. Thomas More (1478-1535) English lawyer, statesman and martyr.

Above: The Swinging Bridge at Grandfather Mountain.

engineering marvel

Engineering is the art of modelling materials we do not wholly understand, into shapes we cannot precisely analyse so as to withstand forces we cannot properly assess, in such a way that the public has no reason to suspect the extent of our ignorance.
--Dr. A.R. Dykes, British Institution of Structural Engineers, 1976.

The Linn Cove Viaduct is indeed an engineering marvel -- cantilevered, twisting and floating its way around the mountain in tip-toe fashion so as to not disturb the sleeping Grandfather. 

To learn more about this marvelous section of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the fascinating story of how it came to be, click here.

lovely autumn

Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.
--William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) American poet, journalist. 


Grandfather Mountain, Avery County, NC.

contemplate

To do the useful thing, to say the courageous thing, to contemplate the beautiful thing: that is enough for one man's life.
--T.S. Eliot (1888-1965) author. 

One of the black bears within the wildlife habitat at Grandfather Mountain.

nostalgia

The world is full of people whose notion of a satisfactory future is, in fact, a return to the idealized past. 
--Robertson Davies (1913-1995) author. 

Here's a shot I took today of Grandfather Mountain - from my favorite angle, under my favorite tree in MacRae Meadows. I decided to give it the texturized treatment where I added an old film look just for something different.  Back in December of 2009, the trees in the picnic/camping area of MacRae Meadows were severely damaged by an ice storm, click here to see the destruction.  They've done a wonderful job cleaning up and sprucing up the area which is the site of the annual Highland Games each July.

solitude

Language... has created the word "loneliness" to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word "solitude" to express the glory of being alone.
--Paul Johannes Tillich (1866-1965) American theologian and philosopher

Taking in the magnificent view from Grandfather Mountain.

Update: Light snowfall fell on Grandfather Thursday night...video here.

drive safely

Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.--Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-born American Physicist

One of a series of "S" curves leading up to the Mile-High Swinging Bridge on Grandfather Mountain.

Carolina Majesty

All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist and philosopher--

Grandfather Mountain, NC

When I visited last week, the colors were just starting to change (especially on the other side of the mountain), so I changed this to sepia, wanting to emphasize the textures and the ruggedness of the landscape. I also liked the interplay of light and dark that appear from this angle of the mountain during mid morning as the sun begins to illuminate the tips of the trees and rocks. Within Lightroom, I added a painted effect on the image and a vignette. Click the photo to see a much larger view of this spectacular mountain.

give a hoot

When I first became interested in photography, I thought it was the whole cheese. My idea was to have it recognized as one of the fine arts. Today I don't give a hoot in hell about that. The mission of photography is to explain man to man and each man to himself.
--Edward Steichen (1879-1973) American photographer

This is Shakespeare, an injured barred owl that lives at the Nature Habitat at Grandfather Mountain. Being quite loud and vocal, they are more commonly known as "hoot owls." A common sound heard at night in the eastern US is the barred owl's "hoo, hoo, too-HOO; hoo, hoo, too-HOO."  My friend Kevin would mimick their hoots at night from his Roan Mountain porch calling out "who-cooks-for-you, who-cooks-for-you" - which spurred them to answer back and move in closer.  Click here to listen to their distinctive call.

unleashed imagination

Nothing limits achievement like small thinking; nothing expands possibilities like unleashed imagination.
--William Arthur Ward (1921-1994) author

The brilliant display of mountain ash beneath the peaks of Grandfather Mountain. It was so windy the day I visited, that the top of the mountain was closed to visitors. Be sure to throw in an extra jacket if you visit - the mountain is known for its extreme conditions.

Buffalo Treks: Elk River Falls, Grandfather Mountain and the Blue Ridge Parkway

This post is written especially for Milligan College students who stop and ask me..."Where should we go this weekend?"  With fall break beginning today, I recommend a trip to Grandfather Mountain and the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's your best chance to find fall colors at this point in October -- and it's all within 60 miles! Click here for map.

View Larger Map
To get there from Milligan...

1. First Stop Elk River Falls: Head through Elizabethton turn Right on 19E and follow this for 23 miles through the towns of Roan Mountain, TN to Elk Park, NC.  (Note that 19E becomes Rt. 194 in NC.)
2. At Elk Park, turn left onto Old Mill Road (you'll see a sign to Elk River Falls), after a 1/4 mile, turn left again onto Elk River Road, and take this road 4.2 miles to the falls.  It's a short hike down to the falls. Click here for more information and discussion of this majestic waterfall.
3. Next Stop, Grandfather Mountain: Once back out on Rt. 194 in Elk Park, drive 7 miles. At the town of Linville, NC, turn left onto Rt. 181 (you'll find a Subway and Flick Video on this corner) and drive 4.1 miles.
4. You'll come to an intersection where you could turn left on 105 and go to Boone or drive straight, staying on 181, and head towards Grandfather Mountain. Go straight and drive 2 miles to the entrance to Grandfather Mountain. There is a $15 per person entrance fee to get into Grandfather. It's worth it because you can spend an entire day exploring the mountain. Besides the Mile-High Swinging Bridge and the Nature Habitats, there are also some amazing hiking trails there.
5. Final Stop, Rough Ridge Overlook: After Grandfather Mountain Park, continue driving on Rt. 181 for 1 additional mile and you'll reach the entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway take the entrance ramp and stop at the stop sign.
6. From here, turn left and drive 2.7 miles, and you'll pass by Stack Rock Overlook (it's okay, but I'd keep going) and then the Visitors Center to Linn Cove Viaduct (There's a gift shop and restrooms there, and also a neat trail that winds around under the viaduct), followed by a couple more overlooks.  I recommend coming back to the viaduct trail if time allows, but our third destination is Rough Ridge Overlook.  The parking area for this will be on your left at Mile #302.8. Rough Ridge offers the best views of the viaduct -- as well as panoramic views of the mountains in every direction. A half mile hike takes you to a wooden platform, but don't stop there, go another half mile and the views keep getting better.  



View of Linn Cove Viaduct from Rough Ridge

7. Continue driving on the Parkway and you'll find more to explore....

Boone Fork Parking Area (the entrance point to many trails)
Price Lake (rent a canoe or hike the 2 mile trail that circles the lake)
Moses Cone Estate (miles of great trails)

Hope this helps you have a memorable fall break...have fun!

Top Shop

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.
--Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist

A texturized version of the new "Top Shop" at Grandfather Mountain. Click here to read about the two year construction process and the extreme weather conditions the builders faced.

the last best hope

My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth.
--Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) Sixteenth US President

Above: Bald Eagle, Grandfather Mountain Wildlife Habitat. Previous photos here and here.

Go Wild

Nobody succeeds beyond his or her wildest expectations unless he or she begins with some wild expectations.
--Ralph Charell, author

Black bear at Grandfather Mountain.

shake shake shake

The greatest and noblest pleasure which men can have in this world is to discover new truths; and the next is to shake off old prejudices.
--Frederick The Great (1712-1786) King of Prussia

A river otter dries off after a swim at Grandfather Mountain's wildlife habitat.

Black Rock Nature Trail

This one mile hike at Grandfather Mountain offers spectacular views in all directions from an enormous boulder known as Black Rock. The hike itself is an easy one mile self-guided nature walk culminating in panoramic views in all directions including Grandfather Mountain, Grandmother Mountain, Beacon Heights and Rough Ridge. The rocky, but relatively flat trail begins at the Hiker's Parking Area, passes by another natural feature known as Arch Rock and includes a number of very interesting markers which describe the various natural wonders found along the way.

At the end of the trail, there is a loop, turn to the right and you'll come to a smaller outcropping, continue on in a counter-clockwise fashion and you'll arrive at the main attraction. A short ladder and helpful rope lead to the top of Black Rock and some spectacular views. The panoramic photo above is made up of five images stitched together of Grandfather Mountain taken from Black Rock. The first thumbnail photo (top right) shows the Mile-High Swinging Bridge, the second one is of Grandmother Mountain, and the third photo shows the Blue Ridge Parkway as it makes its way around Rough Ridge (click photos to enlarge). For more information and a trail map, click here.

nostalgia

If you're yearning for the good old days, just turn off the air conditioning.
--Griff Niblack

Another look at the 'Mile-High Swinging Bridge' at Grandfather Mountain -- this photo was taken on Father's Day and was made to look old with the addition of two 'texturized' layers in Photoshop. One added a burlap texture/color and the other added the dark vignette/border to the image. I also desaturized the underlying photo to give it more of a faded look. Here's a helpful video tutorial on how it's done. Click here to see another Grandfather photo that I worked on.

Related...the “good old days” are now.