The Winding Path

We leave today on our next trip. In fact when this posts, 6AM, we ought to be in the TSA line or the boarding area of the Raleigh Airport - no trailer this time. Travel is great therapy for me. I love the new, the unexpected things you find, the interesting places and often more interesting people you meet, and the fact that you cannot see everything to the end, like this beautiful path at the Campbell Folk School. You wind and twist but the whole journey is a unique experience. Sometimes not exactly what you would choose, occasionally frustrating, but always rewarding and learning. This trip will take us to several National Park sites, most of them new to us. As usual we will be posting every day with a two day delay, new posts from this trip will begin on Thursday this week. What is very different about this is that on Friday the C2C2C Westward leg actually begins for Geof and Kellen with a short drive in the evening to Wilmington, NC so the trip can begin wheels on the Atlantic Ocean beach. Posting for that leg will also be every day as well with posts from Kellen, Geof and maybe me if they send me any photos - and will start, I hope, on Sunday but Monday for certain. So two places to check each day. Thanks for coming on the journey with us.

If you are interested, we will visit five parks in CA, 1 in NV plus three state parks and two NWR, 3 to 5 in AZ and I hope to get a couple with Kellen.

Afternoon Refreshment

This Creole plantation dates back to the early 1700’s and was a working farm until 1980’s when it was acquired by the National Park Service. If you were on the porch enjoying an adult beverage here it would not be a mint julep but a combination of bitters, rum, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce and lemon served with a sprig of mint. Make mine a lemonade instead.

Update to yesterday’s post. First, I hope you had or will take the opportunity to watch on YouTube Suchet’s reading of John. Excellent. I was also told by Dennis (www.thewanderinglensman.com) that David is an avid and accomplished photographer. I knew all brilliant people shared something:)

Along the Road

We spotted this sign - unmarred, on a fence in Western North Carolina.

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” Romans 5: 8-11 NLT

Rejoice in the meaning of this Day

A special note on an excellent way to spend part of your Easter:

The actor, David Suchet, best-known for playing Agatha Christie’s fictional detective Hercule Poirot, (brilliantly I may add) will read the Gospel of John from Westminster Abbey this morning at 11:00 EDT. The recording will be available on the Abbey’s YouTube channel at 4.00pm (BST) on Easter Sunday. David said: “I count it as a great privilege to be filmed reading St John’s Gospel in the iconic Jerusalem Chamber of Westminster Abbey.” David became a Christian reading from a hotel Bible, how appropriate that he shares his talent in this way. You can find extensive readings from Suchet on YouTube.

Famous

This old sign in rural Louisiana has been or was in the process of being repainted - hence the ladder. I liked the line about “Giant, Powerful.” That was a different ethic then.

John C Campbell Folk School.

In a remote part of the Western Carolina mountains is this famous school for teaching folk art and folk ways. I hope to take a class here someday, when they resume, on carving. We walked the grounds late afternoon one day this fall but with no students on sight it felt pretty deserted. I found this gourd sitting on a wooden rail that was near one of the garden spots.

Might get to see the inside someday.

A Giraffe Plays an April Fools Joke

Nope, nothing here, nobody here but some trees. Snicker snicker.

Media

This station is now a part of the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. This corner is where the media established itself during the protests and riots that surrounded the nine black students attempting to integrate this school in Arkansas. Still active as a high school the visitor center across the street from and the station on the corner by the school are well worth a stop. The display in the VC was particularly well done. A part of the school is open for tours but was not operating due to the Covid restrictions.

Burning Off

It was a very foggy morning along the Mississippi delta in Louisiana. The sun rose in a thick bank of fog but quickly it took shape as the sun chased the fog from the plain.

En pointe

You have to be careful where you step in Marietta, GA!

Bay Sunset

Along the Alabama coast not far from Mobile at a state park on the water we got to see this glorious sunset.

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 NLT

Walking on Waterfall

Once again we are in the Glen at Watkins Glen, NY. If you look carefully you will see stone steps leading up from the creek level - this is the trail you follow - and on the left edge of most of the steps you can see the rainwater coursing down the stairs.

Crabtree

Along the Blue Ridge Parkway you will find Crabtree Falls. You should stop. It is not right on the parkway so lots of people miss it but what a treat. It is a hike to the top and you start at the bottom so be prepared and - for sure- pay attention to the signs. Someone dies here almost every year or two. We were short on time this day so only did a platform on the lower falls. The water was intense have a huge summer storm that passed through the area a few hours earlier. This is a tiny shot of the power of water.

Sputter

There are 10,000 thermal features in Yellowstone NP and about 300 are geysers. Most of those are like this one, more of a sputter and splash than tall eruptions. This one had been spewing out 120+ degree water for much of the morning thus the area was bathed in a light, foggy mist. And it smelled, well, sulphuric is a safe description.

Backroads near Cashiers

This hike was only about a half mile but it is very popular and the path is paved because so many people trek down to the falls and parking is at a premium. I went under the back of the falls (which is fun) about 200 feet to get past the crowds and found this perspective of one small part that I liked with the bright ball colors.

Wet

Western Carolina is a wonderful place to visit for a lot of reasons and if you like to see, hike to or photograph waterfalls it is the place to go in the Mid-Atlantic. There are tall ones, wide ones, graduated falls full of kids sliding down the falls. I really liked this photo from nearly behind one that was gushing into a river. It just screams “You’re goona get wet.” And I did. Keeping the lens dry between shots was a challenge.

Refreshing

As we continue to explore water - this photo was made in the Smoky Mountain National Park but I forget which falls. It was on the southern side of the park near Bryson City but there were three we visited that morning. Anyway, it is a small detail that I liked with the leaves clinging on to the rock and the water streaming on both sides and just lightly in the middle.

Welcome to Spring

Today we feature a salt-water spash as the waves roll in along the Atlantic shore. Is there anything more mesmerizing than watching the waves roll in and break near the shore time after time. You know you might need a raincoat this week!

“Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!” Psalm 46:3 NLT

Splash Too

We continue this morning with our splash theme. This is a shot from Watkins Glen State Park in New York state. A wonderful park in the Finger Lakes region. We camped here for two days but I am looking forward to returning for a couple more or maybe a week. Such a beautiful and historic area. The walk through the Glen is visible on the right side of the photo. Narrow, rock lined paved pathways lead you for more than a mile. We were there after a rainy week and it showed in the falls and our wet feet.

Falling

Another different waterfall, this one in Alaska was at least a hundred feet high for the final drop and the water spread out in a very delicate display.

Another View

This is a view of Old Faithful from a path rather than the prime viewing area in front of the visitor center. We were on our way to other geysers when we stopped to watch.