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...

Monday, November 17, 2014

A Trip along Scenic Highway 215 in North Carolina --Oct. 22, 2014

Highway 215 runs perpendicular to the Blue Ridge Parkway--beginning near Waynesville on Highway 276 as we headed south to Highway 64 at Rosman.  About halfway between the beginning and the end of our journey,  we crossed under the Blue Ridge Parkway (milepost 423.3)... NOTE:  this picture is from the internet.
Besides being with great friends,  Neal and Patti,  our vacation in and around Maggie Valley led us not only to Cataloochee to see the Elk (click HERE for that post) ---but another favorite day was our drive on Scenic Highway 215...  We all love the backroads --and this one was definitely a highlight for me.  I will have two posts to share from this country road.  Hope you enjoy the journey!!!!  Be sure to click on the photos for enlargements.


Our first stop was LAKE LOGAN...  (Something ironic about this lake's name is that we were with Neal and Patti at another Lake Logan --in Ohio, a couple of years ago!!!! Wonder if we'll find another Lake Logan sometime????? ha)



Neal took this picture of George and me at Lake Logan.  It was a VERY Cool and WINDY morning. 



Highway 215 features waterfalls in various places along the way!!! (You can imagine how much George and I LOVED that!!!!)  This waterfall is the Falls of the West Fork of the Pigeon River (also known as Sunburst Falls --named for the surrounding community).  I love this picture of the four of us:  Patti,  Neal, George, Betsy..   



Then,  we started seeing more gorgeous Fall Colors... I love the layers of mountains.



The photographer at work---taking WAY too many pictures!!!  BUT---everything was so beautiful so I couldn't help myself... ha



We stopped OFTEN along that little highway and went several directions taking pictures.  In this picture you can see Neal in the distance,  George in the middle and Patti fairly close. We loved being on this road with very few people and no traffic much!!!


I not only enjoyed seeing all of the trees and their colors,  but also enjoyed seeing the colors on the individual leaves.  Amazing,  isn't it?




The colors all around us were just marvelous... Don't you love Fall???  Here at home now,  we are almost totally leaf-less ---and winter is approaching much too fast!  OR--should I say that Winter is HERE... Mercy Me!



George and Betsy at Mill Shoals Falls at the Living Waters Retreat Center
We hiked to see 3 waterfalls (French Broad Falls,  Mill Shoals Falls and Cathedral Falls-- also called Bird Rock Falls)  along with several more cascades when we visited the Living Waters Retreat Center (along Highway 215),  not far from Rosman.  The Retreat Center is privately owned --but they graciously allow people to visit the waterfalls.  They also gave us permission to eat lunch at one of their picnic tables.   Seeing this area was another highlight  for us!


George is taking some pictures of Mill Shoals Falls ---while I was looking straight ahead at another waterfall,  French Broad Falls.



Neal and Patti were checking out some of the waterfalls and cascades at the Living Waters Retreat Center.



I love this RED Tree which we saw while hiking at the Living Waters Retreat.
I will have one more blog post on Thursday this week --showing more pictures from our wonderful drive along Scenic Highway 215.   IF want more information about this wonderful drive,  click HERE.

Hope your weather is better than ours... We've had company --and I feel sorry for them since I'm sure the weather has been hard for them (and us)  this weekend/week... We seldom have cold and snowy weather like we've had this year during NOVEMBER....  More about our company in another upcoming post!!!!

Hugs,