Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Friday, March 21, 2014

A Cashiers, North Carolina Visit

Laurelwood Mountain Inn,  Cashiers,  North Carolina
This week (March 18-20, 2014)  we finally got to take our Valentine's Trip (which had to be postponed in February due to heavy snow in that area).  We visited LAURELWOOD MOUNTAIN INN in Cashiers,  North Carolina ---and loved this inn!!!!  The entire area is fantastic --especially for waterfall lovers like George and me. 

I'll start my blog post showing you a little from Laurelwood Inn.  Above is a photo of the building where our room was at the inn.  We had a nice room which included a king bed, microwave, frig,  full bath,  TV with cable and an internet connection...  This inn offered all of the comforts of home!!!!



Little waterfall/cascade outside of our room
Can you believe that there was a little waterfall/cascade right outside of our room????  How's that for waterfall lovers like us?????  We could sit on the porch and hear the water!!!!  SO NEAT!!!



More of the little waterfall outside of our room




I loved sitting in the swing on the porch --and listening to the waterfall.  Tis the LIFE!!!




George enjoyed the porch also for his reading!!!!



One more photo showing the building we were in at Laurelwood Inn
We highly recommend this little inn.  If you want more information,  click HERE for their webpage.  We went there using a Groupon coupon (which saved us quite a bit of money).  We use Groupons alot --and have only had ONE bad experience.  This one was awesome.




Beautiful CULLASAJA FALLS (along the Scenic Cullasaja Gorge Rd between Franklin and Highlands) 3/18/14
While in North Carolina this week,  we visited TWELVE different waterfalls and got in some great hiking ----so you can imagine how happy we were being there. The weather was good --other than one very foggy day (when we had to change our plans 3 times in order to see waterfalls).  Plan C worked out to be perfect for us that day --so no complaints at all!!!!!   Here are a few more photos taken at some of the various waterfall areas we saw this week...



Us at QUARRY FALLS (along the Cullasaja Gorge Rd) 3/18/14;  Do you like our new purple sweatshirts???  We bought them when we were in Hocking Hills last week.




DRY FALLS was definitely not dry!  I am standing behind the waterfall. (3/18/14)




George got wetter than I did since he walked the entire distance behind DRY FALLS!!!!




This is BRIDLE VEIL FALLS  (along the Cullasaja Gorge Road, near Highland,  NC); 3/18/14;  This is not a big waterfall---and we could not drive behind the falls (like we used to be able to do).  BUT--we loved walking behind them.




GLEN FALLS (2nd drop) near Highlands,  NC 3/18/14
This was our big hike of that day ---and it was very drizzly/cool/foggy when we hiked to Glen Falls.  We  hiked down to see two different drops/levels of that gorgeous waterfall.



TRIPLE FALLS  (Top two drops of the three--noting the name of the falls) at Dupont State Forest,  near Brevard,  NC  3/19/14
Just had to share this funny photo.. I don't know what joke George told me here --but it must have been a good one!!!!! ha.... The two of us have so much fun together whatever we do.  We loved the three waterfalls we hiked to at Dupont Forest (High Falls,  Triple Falls and Hooker Falls)--but this one was definitely my favorite one.



HOOKER FALLS at Dupont State Forest,  Brevard, NC 3/19/14
Here is the smallest waterfall we saw at Dupont --but we enjoyed it just as much as many of the others.  I'll have to share a funny photo sometime that I have when George first sat down for these photos.  He missed the jagged rock---and almost sat on the ground...  Funny photo!



WHITEWATER FALLS,  Lake Toxaway,  NC  3/20/14
As you can tell by the beautiful blue sky,  this was our prettiest day in North Carolina.  We hiked down alot of steps in order to get this great view of a fantastic waterfall.   Beautiful,  isn't it?

I have tons and tons more photos ----and will publish more blog posts from this area I'm sure.  As I said,  we got to do alot of hiking and we DID see many beautiful waterfalls.    It was a great trip ---and probably worked out much better than it would have if we had have gone in snowy and cold February...

Since we have had 3 trips this month (Arkansas, Ohio and North Carolina),  we are WAY BEHIND on our work here.  I'm taking a week off ---and hope to be back with you next Friday,   March 28,  if possible.   IF not,  I'll definitely be back on the 31st.   Can't believe that March is almost over --and that we have been SO busy...

Hugs,