We spent a beautiful October afternoon cycling through the falling leaves on the Rail Trail.

It was a beautiful day with clear skies and mild temperatures. Perfect hiking weather. We revisited the Point Lookout Trail in Black Mountain today and enjoyed the autumn leaves and even timed it right to catch a train coming through from the Marion – Old Fort direction.

We spent a week at the coast in mid October. Dennis found some bling and I collected some fossils, photos of which I will add to the paleontology section soon. We enjoyed good weather and lovely scenery as always.

It was worth the long drive to experience the suspension bridge over the North Toe River on Saturday.

Walking was challenging as the long narrow stretch of boards and cable undulates as you cross. I missed having something to hold onto, and thoughts of “Indy!” went thru my mind. I’m not sure what Annie was thinking, but she is game for all things, so we did it!

It’s a shame that all the heavy rain we just had turned the river so muddy as it is usually clear and the bottom visible.

The drive was beautiful with lovely farms perched on the hillsides and the road paralleling the river for miles.

Andrews Geyser in Old Fort is a favorite destination that we have been visiting for years. The setting is lovely and there is always the chance of seeing a train make its way around the edge of the little valley.

This was Annie’s first time there and she enjoyed the spray from the fountain and the expanse of grass to run in. It was her idea to jump up on the wall surrounding the pool and run along the edge.

She would have liked to get in the water there. Instead we took her to the nearby creek for water fun.

It has been a few years since we hiked the trails in the Green River Game Lands in Polk County. There are over 16 miles of trails with several possible loops. Although it was very hot, the shade in the woods made it bearable to be hiking… pretty much.

The recent rains made everything so green and lush. Interesting and colorful fungi were everywhere in the damp leaves on the forest floor. We look forward to exploring more when the weather cools.

On Sunday afternoon we revisited one of our favorite walks, the Point Lookout Trail in McDowell County. It is a paved trail that is popular with hikers and bikers. The trail runs between Ridgecrest and Old Fort and has some great views of the Royal Gorge and sometimes a train passes thru on the 19th. century railroad just below the level of the road.

We started out from the Old Fort end where the trail goes uphill at a gradual incline. The weather turned a bit ominous, so we headed back. The storm caught us before we made it back out and we got drenched. Way to get cooled off!

On July 3rd. we took a drive to Carter County TN. We hiked a bit of the Appalachian Trail where it crosses the NC. and TN state lines. The site of the long gone Cloudland Hotel is a pretty spot to visit about now as the beautiful rhododendrons are blooming. It was ten degrees cooler there than at home as well… always nice in July.

This nicely maintained Greenway is a real gem located just outside of Hendersonville, N.C.. Cyclists and pedestrians share the 2 lane trackway thru a variety of habitats including a very pretty meadow loaded with wildflowers. It will be fun to see the flowers change with the seasons.

There haven’t been too many chances to go hiking so far this spring. We are making do with very local walks. Here is Annie, almost two years old, sitting amongst the wild coreopsis flowers in May.