Just out of Maggie Valley there is a 9 story observation Tower. 50 cents to go up to see the photographed view in the area! Of course I wanted to go. Which I immediately regretted. Not fond of heights, am I. I kept fighting the panicky feeling and kept going. I'm got to within three flights of the top and my panic gripped me. That was it! A pair of F-15s flew overhear at that precise moment.
We drove through on the road from Cherokee into Gatlinburg. Once we hit the Clingman's Dome area the roads seemed to swell with people and cars and kids! But I wanted to see the area where the fires had gone through.
The park has added the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, so we took that tiny winding one way road up through the fire area and hiked to several old homesteads. The rangers fought hard to save those pieces of history.
The trees are dead but if you look closely at the base of each one there are new shoots regrowing! Nature at its best after the worst possible happening.
I took a numbe of photos of the old homestead sites thinking I could redo some of my barn projects that were lost. In the quilt shop in waynesville, NC I got a bunch of fat quarters of the new line of Stonehenge. That will be just perfect for old wooden structures and foresty surroundings.
Now we are heading back to Charlotte. Next time we will visit first Chuck in Ashboro and then Howard in Wake Forest and head to the beautiful coastline around Myrtle Beach.
Love sharing this trip with you.
ReplyDeleteMother nature never ceases to amaze. Myrtle Beach and the Grand strand! What a beach that is, you can walk or miles - enjoy!
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ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos and encouraging to see how quickly nature is beginning to repair all the terrible fire damage.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! I forgot had a fear of heights so now I know why you were so concerned when I climbed on the roof. I bet the view was still pretty from where you stopped.
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