A part of the past...

Photography can only represent the present. Once photographed, the subject becomes part of the past.

~ Berenice Abbott ~

Hi my friends,

This is now another picture out of my archives - it was raining to much over here to get out with the camera.

And we had also a leak on the top of our RV it had to be fixed quick, before the next storm and heavy rain will set in!

I want to say: THANK YOU for all those nice comments and compliments to my yesterdays post, you make me happy every day - Love you all!

Have a wonderful weekend coming up and see you tomorrow here on this spot again :)
Susanne

In The Smokey Mountains, NC

We have visited yesterday Boone in NC and on the way back to Asheville, NC we had some rain for minutes. Later, the sun came back and "smog" started to come up everywhere in the hills, like the hills are on fire. That was again a beautiful show of mother nature - that's where the hills of North Carolina get the name from : Smokey Mountains.

The Great Smoky Mountains
are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee-North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province. The range is sometimes called the Smoky Mountains or the Smokey Mountains, and the name is commonly shortened to the Smokies. The Great Smokies are best known as the home of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which protects most of the range. The park was established in 1934, and with over 9 million visits per year, it is the most-visited national park in the United States.

The name "Smoky" comes from the natural fog that often hangs over the range and presents as large smoke plumes from a distance. This fog, which is most common in the morning and after rainfall, is the result of warm humid air from the Gulf of Mexico cooling rapidly in the higher elevations of Southern Appalachia.

The Great Smokies are part of an International Biosphere Reserve. The range is home to an estimated 187,000 acres (760 km²) of old growth forest, constituting the largest such stand east of the Mississippi River. The cove hardwood forests in the range's lower elevations are among the most diverse ecosystems in North America, and the Southern Appalachian spruce-fir forest that coats the range's upper elevations is the largest of its kind. The Great Smokies are also home to the densest black bear population in the Eastern United States and the most diverse salamander population outside of the tropics.

Pretty light on the side of the road

Hi my friends,

All your kind comments make always my day, thanks for that! :)

The rain came back yesterday evening and also in the night, and this morning it was raining too - too boring! We decided to stay here in the Asheville area for another day and to relax. Traveling is a hard job, you know that too.... right? ...LOL...

Tomorrow we will be heading West in NC... I heard there is somewhere a Casino and you can win there easy a lot of money...LOL... we will try it again :) I'll let you know if we won... LOL... :)

See you there!
Susanne

It feels like the time stand still in Saluda NC

We have visited Saluda in North Carolina, again. And we have also visited the more than 100 years old General Merchandise store in the main street of this small village - you cannot miss it!

Saluda

is a city in Henderson and Polk counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 575 at the 2000 census. Saluda is famous for sitting at the top of the Norfolk Southern Railway's Saluda Grade, the steepest standard gauge railroad line in the United States. The main street has been improved since 1995 with new restaurants and art galleries. Tourists and cyclists are common on summer and fall weekends. The town festival is named Coon Dog Day, after raccoon hunting dogs. Their fire department is the first department in Polk County that received heavy rescue achievement. They have around 10 trucks, and a good staff along with a supposedly excellent dive team. There are 8 certified members.

The Henderson County portion of Saluda is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The owner of the store is Mr. R. Pace who is working there every day. Go and have a small talk with him, he is an interesting and humorous, nice gentleman.

In the store you can find everything you need: socks, crochet-cotton, buttons....

There are also objects to see behind glass from 100 years ago when the store started out, like this items and a book keeping book

Saluda is famous for sitting at the top of the Norfolk Southern Railway's Saluda Grade, the steepest standard gauge railroad line in the United States.

Even a real railroad cap is available to buy...

...or do you prefer a pretty colorful scarf?

...or maybe a t-shirt, that tells: Be proud of to be a customer here since more than 100 years..? :)

The store offers also P.O.Boxes and it works as a little gallery beside all the useful items to buy for your gardening work

This is the office desk of Mr. R. Pace, located also in the store

I wrote last year already a post about Saluda and about this store, see it here:
http://sues-daily-photos.blogspot.com/search?q=Saluda

Hi my friends,

thank you, thank you so much for all the wonderful comments and compliments to my last post!

Yesterday I had no Internet connections again... we were sitting on a campground somewhere in the woods and missed you all...LOL... I ask my self often: what the hick I did with all my time before I was blogging.... :)

Tomorrow I'll show you some pictures of the "Smokies"... I experienced the Smoky Mountains after a light summer rain., it was just beautiful!

See you tomorrow :)
Susanne

They are sunshine....

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful;
they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.
~ Luther Burbank ~

Hi my friends,

THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all your good wishes to my yesterdays Birthday, you're all so great! :)

We are on the way to the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina, visiting Asheville and other pretty places up there. I love NC and its beautiful hills!

See you there!
Susanne

From Virginia to North Carolina

A last view to the Blue Ridge Mountains

There was an almost endless forest to cross on I-64 East until the Junction to I-95 came up, heading further towards the South

Crossing over the James River, we are still in Virginia

The James River
in the U.S. state of Virginia is a 410-mile (660 km) long river, including its Jackson River source. It drains a catchment comprising 10,432 square miles (27,020 km²). The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million people (2000). It is the 12th longest river in the United States that remains entirely within a single state.

Pretty wild flowers by a rest area place, before we entered to the State of North Carolina

Hello my friends,

We spent now 6 days in North Carolina and heading tomorrow down to the Ocean. I'm very excited to see the water again :)

Thanks for all your nice comments, very much appreciated!:)

Have a wonderful time and stay connected with me....
Susanne

Beauty Is To Find In The Details

Beautiful wild flower, I love the shapes and the pastel color
(seen up in the hills of "Little Switzerland", NC)

A tiny Viola flower, seen in the alps of "Little Switzerland", NC

The first leaves of coming fall?
(seen by the "Pearson Falls" between Saluda and Tryon, NC)

Heavy spiderwebs allover the trees - a phenomena to see on so many trees up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC

Ivy covering the wooden fence (seen in Bruce Pine, NC)


More pictures will come, stay tuned....






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Chimney Rock Park in North Carolina

One of our first stops in NC was to see the famous Chimney Rock. You can climb up all the steps or you can use the elevator. Unfortunately, it was too late for us to go up there, the park was closing in 20 minutes already.

This is a close up of the rock with the U.S. flag, a very impressive block. (See more photos in the links below).

A little creek down in the valley with not enough water. The reason is the big dryness they have up there. I have seen a big sign written by a church: "Pray for rain" - and that tells it all!

Chimney Rock Park, just 25 miles from Asheville, boasts that it has the "best of the North Carolina mountains in one place." For the last 100 years, tourists have journeyed to see this 500-million-year-old towering monolith, and the park's "one-stop shopping" for what the mountains are loved for: dramatic scenery, exhilarating hiking trails, rare plants, native wildlife, and one of North Carolina's highest waterfalls (featured in the movie The Last of the Mohicans).

Chimney Rock Park
is the natural fulfillment of your trip to the mountains. Take a deep breath of refreshing mountain air, become invigorated by our hiking trails, and let your cares fade away in the cool mists of Hickory Nut Falls. This is the perfect place to reconnect with nature and spend time with family and friends. The Park, located 25 miles southeast of Asheville, North Carolina, offers the best of the mountains in one place-spectacular 75-mile views, hiking trails for all ages, a 404-foot waterfall, a variety of special events and much more.


*****

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Honey, I'm home.....!

Early signs of coming fall in the hills of NC ?


Hello my friends,

Yes, I'm back again from my sojourn up to the North Carolina mountains.
It was a short but wonderful trip!

I've enjoyed the mountain air, saw the beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, I have seen majestic water falls. It was great to see the famous Chimney Rock and Lake Lure. As a Swiss of course I had to visit the region of "Little Switzerland", I have seen some of Ashevilles pretty galleries and I have seen also the railways in Saluda. I ate great food and met a lot of friendly people up there. It was even hard to come back to the lowcountry again, to be honest - I'm missing the mountains already! :-)

I'll bring up here on my blog from time to time some photos I made from this travel trip to show you the beauty of North Carolina.