A Winter Land of Wonder

the North Carolina barbeque ribs

Have you ever taken a winter vacation? I love this time of year, especially anywhere north of Orlando. Karen and I both love the cold. So when her vacation time came along, she asked me to join her. North Carolina was the perfect choice - not too far to travel and mountains in Western NC for us to romp in.

We flew Delta from Orlando on a 50 passenger plane. Being small, I thought the ride would be like a 757 - very uncomfortable. But I was pleasantly surprised. The hour and a half to Raleigh was a breeze and the plane ride was smooth. We cruised at 29,000, the seats were comfortable and there was even leg room. What a blessing.

The flight was after working hours so we didn't arrive until almost midnight. By the time we rented the car and circled the unfamiliar territory looking for our hotel, it was 1AM before we finally hit bed. (I had to upgrade to a mid size to get cruise control! Went from a Neon to a Stratus - next time we go Hertz.)

Next morning, surprisingly, we were up and on our way by 9:15. We drove through to Ashville, stopping to get a map of the area and literature, then on to Nantahala (nan-ta-HAY-la) Mountain Resort. The drive took us through Maggie Valley, into Cherokee, on up the mountain to the Maggie Valley Overlook where we hit snow! We had to stop, not only for the overlook but also for the chance to crunch in the snow.

We had rented a cabin at Nantahala over the Internet. The one bedroom cabin we wanted was booked so they upgraded us to a two bedroom cabin for the same price. The drive up to the rental shack was thrilling and we stopped almost at every turn to take pictures. Being winter, traffic was light so I could stop in the middle of the road without worrying about cars behind me.

The first night in the cabin, the temperature dropped to 9 degrees. I had to keep the water running so the pipes wouldn't freeze overnight. It took awhile to get the fireplace to heat the inside. But the cold is very different from Florida and actually easier to take. Next morning, we found crystals on the car windshields.

Our first activity was the Great Smoky Mt. Railroad. Richard and I had taken the Silverton/Durango train in Colorado, which is owned by the same people. That one was steam, narrow gauge. This one was diesel but once aboard the train, it didn't matter.

We caught the train at Bryson for a 4.5 hour trip to Fontana Lake and back with a 1 hour stop where we could eat a picnic lunch and hike a trail. (Karen and I bought a barbeque sandwich on the train that was excellent.)  From the large picture window in the train car, we passed picturesque cabins and homes as well as turbulent rivers and a much drained Fontana Lake.

After the train, we returned to Cherokee to do some "mining" but the mine was closed. However, they did sell us a couple of bags which we took back to the cabin and seined in the creek for rubies and emeralds. Also found sapphires and garnets.

The next morning we said good-bye to Nantahala and drove back toward Ashville, again heading through Cherokee. It was a rainy day so I stopped to photograph the waterfall in the mist. We also passed several motels, including the Warrior, that were there in my childhood. The Warrior held a tomahawk that went up and down when the sign was lit at night.

Since the day was still rainy, we spent our afternoon in Ashville at Mast General Store which was a step back in time to the 1940's. We were both kids in a candy shoppe - literally. Karen bought some new hiking boots and we bought candy and drinks - Necco, candy cigarettes, bazooka gum. Cool stuff you can't find elsewhere.

That evening we stayed in Black Mt., which is about 20 minutes east of Ashville, then drove (slowly for photography) to Chimney Rock Park. The entrance to the mountain, which is privately owned, is in Chimney Rock Village. You can see the Chimney Rock from the floor of the valley.

We were there early - just after 9 - and were the only ones on the road up the mountain. On the drive in, we stopped abruptly when Karen spotted a herd of white-tail deer in an open field. I didn't even bother to roll down my window because I didn't want to frighten them but they were skittish anyway, being used to being hunted. There must have been at least 8 in the herd.

 The drive up the mountain was like wearing a shroud. When we hit the waterfall trail parking lot, we were above the clouds that spread like a gray blanket across the landscape with only a black crown peaking through. The Chimney Rock for which the park is named was quite visible. We stopped to photograph a snail crossing the parking lot. When we again looked up, the Chimney was ghostly - a castle on a Scottish moor. On the way back from the waterfall, we spotted black-eyed junkos.

Then we entered the tunnel and took the elevator through the mountain to the top. There Karen took a neat picture of me and we braced ourselves against the wind to view the valley floor below and the mountains to the east. We stayed till after noon when hunger grabbed us so we returned down the mountain to have a barbeque rib lunch at a place called the Cajun Pig.

After lunch, I drove us up north to mining country and we spent the night in Marion. Karen couldn't drive. She's still under age for a rental. :-)

The next morning, our first stop was a gem mine. We had a bag full of emeralds, sapphires, and rubies and wanted to get the better stones cut into jewelry. Karen had my mother's wedding band but it was showing it's wear. The jeweler suggested we put rubies or sapphires in the missing holes and re-shank the ring, which we did. We then chose some emeralds for earrings for me and I had a star ruby cabochon cut. All these decisions took  almost 3 hours. And it was COLD. There were even snow flurries. Yes, we were inside, but the heat wasn't working. They just got the sluice operating when we left. I'd go back to this place in an instant. Matt, who helped us, was very knowledgeable.

When we left the gem mine, I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway for several miles. The wind was still strong but the skies were deep blue for our final vacation day in NC. Tomorrow we would head home.

We took the Blue Ridge to 181 which took us south to I-40 and then headed east to Greensboro. Karen graduated from UNCG so we spent our last day in NC revisiting the campus. We walked by North Spencer (her dorm), she showed me the hill she sledded when they had a big snowfall (the kids used cafeteria trays, then abandoned those for garbage bags) and finally, we toured the remodeled caf.

Karen and I spent our last night in Greensboro. Next day I drove us back to Raleigh and our flight home. Sigh. Neither of us wanted to leave. We had a blast.