Great Smoky Mountains National Park

These are just some shots from our excursion to Cataloochee on Tuesday of this week.  It was such a gorgeous day in WNC and Cataloochee is a beautiful and interesting place.  There is a film at the Palmer House that was put together by people who actually lived in the valley, and you can visit all the various buildings that are still standing.

 There is an overlook here where you can stop and view the valley from above.  The drive to this area is exciting, to say the least.  Often only a one-lane gravel road so you have to be careful of oncoming traffic.  Surely wouldn't want to fall or be pushed off this road either.  When we reached the overlook, the road was once more paved and marked--a sigh of relief.  We saw several hunters along the way and we stopped to ask one of the trucks what they were hunting, only to find that they were hunting for their lost dogs.

We love the NC mountains and certainly enjoyed this trip to Cataloochee.  Go there to see for yourself--well-worth the trip.

Cataloochee Valley

On Tuesday as the skies finally began to clear, we jumped (hee-hee) out of bed bright and early and headed for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, specifically Cataloochee.  Elk have been reintroduced into the park and we hoped to see Elk while we were there as well as some colorful mountain viewing.  Our hopes were realized--what a gorgeous day.

We counted thirteen in this herd that included several does and calves.

 This young fella decided it was time to eat....

 ...but Mama had a different idea.

And the herd included this magnificent buck.  As we observed him watching over his herd, we wondered how he kept his head upright with that huge rack.

 The Beech Grove School is the only one of the three schools that remains.  It was built in 1901 to replace an older log building.  School days ended soon after the park was established and relocation of families to communities outside the park was completed.

 The Caldwell house.  Hiram caldwell and his family lived for a long time in the old Levi Caldwell log house.  In 1903 he decided it was time for a new home and this one was completed in 1906.

 The Palmer barn...

 The Palmer chapel....

 ...and the Palmer house.  The Palmer family landed in Cataloochee in 1848 and he, his wife and their descendants became one of the most prosperous families in Cataloochee

Poinsett Bridge Heritage Preserve, Travelers Rest, SC

Despite a very cloudy, rainy day in October, we decided to do a little "rakin' around," as my mom used to say.  We headed down Highway 25 toward SC and chose to take a road untraveled (by us) to see some new sights.  Along the way, we saw a sign to the Poinsett Bridge Heritage Preserve, so we took a right onto Highway 42.  We saw an area where cars could park and some hiking trails, so we stopped to investigate.

 

This is a 183-year old arched stone bridge and is believed to be the oldest surviving bridge in SC.  It was built in 1820 and was on the state road from Greenville, SC, to Asheville, NC.

 As we descended the stairway leading to the hiking trail, we saw the upper portion of the bridge--interesting, for sure,but nothing like what we saw underneath.

 We climbed down the side of the stream and enjoyed the pleasant water sounds of the mountain stream.

 The bridge is constructed of stone and is believed to have been designed by the same architect who designed the Washington Monument.

 There is a large bedrock underneath the bridge that allows the stream to flow on down the mountain without erosion problems.

 There is a large archway over the stream that reminds us of a cathedral opening.

 And the stream flows on its way, carrying along with it lots of falling leaves reminding us that fall has arrived.

This was a very enjoyable visit--the rain even stopped for a bit so we could explore and photograph, but it soon started again causing us to head for the car.  Indeed a beautiful and historic place.