Staying in North Carolina for the fall colors of October was a wonderful experience! We returned as campground hosts to Lake Powhaten Campground with a change in both weather and the busy-ness of the park. Our campsite this time was in the Bent Creek Loop, mostly tent campers and only 2 electric sites. The foliage was already changing into an autumn hue so I added a collection of chrysanthemums to our site. The park was full every weekend, but mid week days were quiet and cool, and sometimes damp.
Monday and Tuesdays were our days off so we packed up a picnic lunch and often set out on the Blue Ridge Parkway to enjoy the scenic drives so close to us. One of our favorites was heading up to Looking Glass Falls and the afternoon we visited we'd had 4' of rain so the water was roaring and beautiful!
We also checked out Mt. Pisgah Campground on the parkway to see if we would fit in any of the sites, but it didn't look likely, and nothing like what is available at Lake Powhaten. But, we did add a visit to the Mount Pisgah Inn right across the street. The inn has a beautiful view of the mountains and Looking Glass Rock from all the rooms with rocking chairs on the lawn to relax in. Lunch was wonderful with a special treat of Edna Valley chardonnay on the list and a blueberry cobbler for dessert. The Pisgah Inn is one of the very few commercial businesses on the parkway and would be a fabulous stay.
The changing foliage made drives in any direction beautiful to see. So, I took tons of photos, though non of them capture the true beauty of the landscape. It seemed that the leaves changed color by the day. Another favorite hiking trail was at Graveyard Fields.
We took a fun 2 day tent camping trip early October to Bryson, NC at Deep Creek Campground in the Smokey Mountains National Park. Beautiful, cold and few campers as it was a Monday. Our orange tunnel tent added a spot of color but didn't quite blend. its such a fun and easy tent to set up with so much space inside.
The main reason for going to Bryson was to enjoy a ride on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. We took the 10am train for the 4.5 hour ride along the Nantahala River and into the Nantahala Gorge, beautiful scenery for 44 miles down and back.
on the return trip we had a one hour lay-over at the Nantahala Outdoor Center to wander around and get a snack. But the most interesting was watching skilled kayakers riding through these trails set along the river. That was a first for us, and fascinating to see it.
In mid October we changed up our fun for a trip to Boulder, CO for the wedding of our niece, Mia to Mr. Joey Getty. Lucky for us, we were able to fly from the nearby Asheville Regional Airport, only a 20 minute drive from our campground. Leaving at 5:30 am with one change in Chicago we arrived in Boulder early afternoon to find the wedding party cleaning out pumpkins that would be the floral containers for the reception on Saturday. So, once the pumpkins were cleaned and ready, I created the arrangements with some beautiful fall flowers. I loved doing it, and all was finished before dinner.
The wedding party and friends took over my brother's home for the three days of celebrations, so fun to see them enjoying it all. Nieces Neeve and Mia, the bride to be.
The wedding was held October 17th at the Greenbrier Inn, at 10:00 am, beautiful fall morning absolutely perfect for the outside ceremony. Sibling photo, my brother Kurt (Father of the Bride) and sister, Emily.
Nephew Lars with Audrey
Our photo with newly weds, Mr and Mrs. Joey Getty. I loved the flow of the wedding day. We started with the morning wedding ceremony and reception at the inn which finished about mid afternoon. Then time to rest and relax before the dance party later that evening at a club in Boulder. Such a fun day!
Since we still had Sunday morning before flights back to Asheville we hiked once again at the Chautauqua Trails.
Back at our campsite late that evening with an early appointment for an eye surgery for me the next morning; staying busy had kept my worries away. We also a few days off work at the park but before long all was well, and time to plan our move south. Loved getting another hike and drive to see this beautiful area before leaving.
Back in California, our nephew, Skyler and his wife Monique, welcomed beautiful twin boys, Asher and Ender, that October!
A last visit to see the new fall planting of the quilt garden at the Botanical Gardens; beautifully done in chrysanthemums and an afternoon along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
On the last day of October we said our goodbyes to Lake Powhatan and drove on to warmer days in Florida! What began as a 4 night campground stay had become 4 months of time spent in this gorgeous part of the country with new friends included; an unexpected and wonderful summer adventure.
Rain followed us for days as we traveled through Georgia and into Florida, finally reaching sunshine and dry skies at St. Augustine. A few days at the Elks Lodge there then on to Hillsborough River State Park with visits to my sister's in Safety Harbor.
Already these amazing peace signs with the Eiffel Tower were left along our route.
What I loved so much about this trip was being able to stay aboard the ship and use it as our hotel for 3 nights in Paris. Such a wonderful location!! We'd walk to the metro station and be in the center of Paris within 10 minutes. One morning we took a bus tour of the city passing by several of the locations where the terrorist attacks had taken place and where now the areas were filled with flowers and notes of remembrance. The Bataclan Theater was among them.
