Sorry for the long delay in updates. A combination of busy schedules and poor WiFi! As we write this, we have actually already returned to Atlanta and are now back out on the road in Alabama. It’s late September although with temps still in the 90’s, you could have fooled us! It’s been a very crazy few weeks so let’s jump in and get everyone caught up!
We left Atlanta on Labor Day and headed back to our old stomping grounds around Murphy, NC. We have spent many enjoyable years up in that area, first while camping and paddling our canoe and kayak with friends, and then from our family cabin just outside Murphy. We hadn’t been back since the cabin was sold so we thought it would be fun to spend a few days in the area checking things out and catching up.
Our campsite in Murphy had some shade but with that can come a very close/tight parking site (see pic below). The campground was next to a nice valley stream and was pretty quiet even though it was close to the highway.
After setting up, we planted a new flag which we got from Dan’s mother as a late birthday present. After all, we need to show our college spirit now that football season is in full swing! Of course, anti-UGA wasn’t too happy about that.
We spent one day traveling over to the Nantahala. The river was actually “closed” due to a flash flood and landslide that had created several blockages in the river. Luckily, the road had been cleared so we were able to make it into the gorge, see the riverbed, and have lunch at the NOC. It was also good to check out the road since we’d be bring Lola thru the gorge on our next leg!
Another day were were lucky enough to catch up with very long time friends, Dan & Lisa Adams. They actually sold the mountain cabin to us way back in 1990. We have kept touch with them over the years, particularly when Lisa was going thru some medical challenges, and it was great to have dinner and catch with them after so many years.
Our final day, we checked out the Murphy branch of the Cherokee Casino. We dropped $10 and have pretty much decided the gambling bug is not biting us.
We loaded up and headed farther east to Maggie Valley, NC which is just west of Asheville. As noted above, this required taking Lola thru the Nantahala Gorge which wasn’t very bad at all since we are very familiar with that road. We made it thru fine and before we knew it, were settling in at our next site, enjoying much cooler weather (50’s-70’s, aaahhh).
Great campground! 
Our view
Given the great weather and cool temps, we were looking forward to getting out and exploring as much as possible. As many times as we have visited much of Western NC, including Asheville, this was our first time to Maggie Valley and the Waynesville area and we really fell in love with the area. Cute shops, nice small towns, lots of trails, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and eastern access to the Great Smoky Mountain park.
For our first outing, we traveled over to Soco Falls. This is a short but very steep trail down to the falls. It is so steep that there are guide ropes along the way to help with grab holds. This was Jill’s biggest excursion on her new leg and she did awesome!
After the hike down to the falls, we traveled up the Blue Ridge Parkway and while Jill relaxed, Dan hiked up to the top of Waterrock Knob. It was a beautiful cool, clear day with wonderful 360 vistas everywhere!
The highlight of our visit to Maggie Valley started early, before sunrise, as we set out for the Cataloochee Valley area of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Our objective was to arrive soon after sunrise in order to observe a herd of elk. Elk used to be all over the area but have since been eliminated due to hunting and human encroachment. In 2001 and 2002, an effort was made to reintroduce elk into the Cataloochee area, starting with about 75 elk coming from the western US. Today, the total herd is estimated to be around 300 spread throughout the park.
As we descended into the valley after a long drive over a dirt road, we joined a few other cars and people stopped on the side of the road next to a meadow. Along the tree line was an entire heard of elk while a large male was closer to the road, watch warily. We were so amazed by the sight that we forgot to get our phones out to take pictures until the male was already turning around and heading back to the herd. He let out a loud “bugling” call as he was heading back and that brought us out of our trance and we were able to get several great shots.
After moving on from the elk, we came across lots of turkeys (none seemed near ready for Thanksgiving!).
And finally, we explored man’s influence on the valley. Starting in the latter part of the 1800’s, settlers established a village of about 1,200 people across the village. In the 1930’s, as the GSMNP was established, these settlers were moved out of the valley but some of their structures were retained for historic purposes. First up was the Caldwell home and barn.
Next we visited the old schoolhouse
And finally, the church
This was just a wonderful morning, very peaceful, very few people, and great corner of the park that few take the time to explore. On the way out, we were treated with one more elk to bid us farewell.
And then, as we left the park, we passed by this fellow…
Our last big adventure while in NC was to finally bite the bullet and decide to say goodbye to our trusty Volvo so that we could finally have a car we could tow behind Lola and the whole family could ride together. We had originally considered a Honda Fit since it was inexpensive, light, and seemed like it would be a good car to tow. After test driving one, we realized it was too small, even for short trips while camping. We then tried out a civic and were very happy with the entry level model and what it already had going for it (warranty, Honda reputation, etc.). Next thing we knew, we had a new Honda Civic. Jill still had to drive the car back to Atlanta with the dogs where we would then get it set up for towing but we were very close to being one family in one vehicle at the same time!
Thus, we headed back to Atlanta with a full two-week schedule ahead of us as well as plenty of drama and big news for the family. But, that will all have to wait for another post.
