Linville Falls – Travels with Fred

Linville Falls Trip – Silver Springs – Day 12

27 June 2017

Boy, am I embarrassed! I thought I had reserved the cabin at Silver Springs for 3 nights. Instead, it was for two. I got up early and hiked the Sandhill Trail as I had planned. I’m glad I did. I enjoyed this hike more than the others. However, the trailhead had no sign about the trail closed but when the trail intersected the Sinkhole Trail, there was the sign saying the trail was closed for a burn! If I had obeyed the sign, I couldn’t turn around and return to the jeep.

After hiking the trail, I then did the bike trail. It was a 4.5 mile round trip over roots, puddles, and dips. This was my first off-road experience and I enjoyed it.

After a quick shower, I decided to head to the other section of the park with the glass bottom boat rides.

I pulled into the other section of the park around 12:00 and decided on a hamburger before the boat ride. I lucked out and the next glass bottom boat trip was just coming up after I finished the burger.

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About halfway through the trip, I got a phone call from a Silver Springs number. Since the guide was talking and the electric motor of the glass bottom boat was making noise, I decided not to answer. Later, I checked to see if there was a message and it was the park letting me know I was supposed to vacate the premises by 11 am this morning.

They were very nice. I called as soon as we docked and told them I could be out within the hour. I asked if I owed them anything and they said no. Apparently, the cabin was rented for the night or I would have stayed the extra night. Instead, I drove back to Fort Lauderdale. I wanted to tip the cleaning crew but they couldn’t accept tips so I left $20 in the donation box. I hate being a bother to people and I put them behind schedule.

As usual, around Boca Raton, I-95 was horrible and the Turnpike was slow. The GPS kept trying to route me to I-95 and then when I got off, it said congestion and 20 mph with stop and go. I returned to the Turnpike and with a couple of slow downs, made it back home by 6:30 pm. I had traveled 2166 miles on this little excursion.

I was glad I did the glass bottom boat. I think in a past blog I mentioned I have a photo of a glass bottom boat circa 1940. Dad apparently made it to Silver Springs when stationed at Camp Blanding, just north of Gainesville. It seems I have come full circle. He was stationed in Florida and so have I been for the last 33 years. He went to Silver Springs and so did I.

Dad’s photo of a glass bottom boat at Silver Springs around 1940.

Linville Falls Trip – Silver Springs – Day 11

26 June 2017

Silver Springs State Park is actually two parks. One part is composed of the old Silver Springs tourist area with glass bottom boats and the other part, separate, is a regular state park, originally known as Silver River State Park. The state acquired Florida’s first tourist attraction (Wikipedia) in 2013 and combined both parks to form Silver Springs State Park.

For some reason, I woke around 3:45 am completely refreshed and ready to go hiking. I made breakfast (dehydrated granola, berries, nuts with milk powder – just add water) had two cups of coffee and dawdled long enough that I was on the trail by 8 am.

My first hike was the Sinkhole Trail which forms a loop while intersecting with several other trails. The Sinkhole Trail itself is a 2.2 mile loop with no view of a sinkhole.

Just as I started down the trail, a sign indicated the park had bears and they recommended bear spray. Mine was back in the car so I hoofed it back and added it to my pack. It was a good thing I did because I saw bear sign of rotten logs being ripped apart for insects grubs.

Evidence of Bear – ground torn up and log ripped apart.

About half way along the trail I ran into a buck and doe whitetail deer. They were totally curious about me and unconcerned.

Later that day when I went into town to get some supplies, a doe with a fawn crossed in front of me. The fawn was so tiny, at first I thought it was a very small dog following the doe across the road.

The trail was nice and level, wide, and easily discerned and yet at the same time, poorly marked. You would come to an intersection of merging trails and one direction was clearly marked for one trail but you had to walk a ways down a trail leading from the intersection to see the next trail marker to see if you were on the correct path. It was almost as if you were required to walk the trail in one direction only.

I was going to branch off to the Sandhill Trail from the Sinkhole Trail but a sign indicated a burn was in progress and the trail was closed. I later found out it was not. This seems to be a theme in this park. Another section was closed (a boardwalk) but someone I met later informed me it was fine – he just ignored the closed sign. The museum and all the old buildings for exhibition also said closed Monday-Friday for classes from the local school district – do not enter – with no one in sight.
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In any case, instead of the Sandhill Trail, I looped back and walked the Swamp Trail which had the closed boardwalk.

Swamp Trail with no evidence of swamp. I did pass some cypress and cypress knees in the distance.

From there I looped back and walked the River Trail which takes you down by the Silver River where you can launch canoes and kayaks.

Kayaker heading home before the rain starts. He was at the landing and was in the mood to talk.

The Swamp Trail is a 1.9 mile loop and the River Trail is a 1.9 mile loop, none of which were the correct mileage according to my GPS. According to their mileage, it was 5.4 miles of hiking. According to my GPS, it was more like 7.

I headed back to the cabin for an afternoon nap and then into town to purchase a few things. Silver Springs seems to merge into Ocala as I drove through and almost all the stores are set back from the road. You can only find the store by reading a sign near the road. For example, Lowes and Walmart were set so far back from the road you could not see them from the road.

If it doesn’t storm late this afternoon, a very big if, I’ll try the 4.5 mile bike loop off the River Trail. Tomorrow I plan to hike the closed Sandhill Trail loop and the head to the tourist trap and do a glass bottom boat ride.

Dinner tonight was at Fat Boy BarBQ, in business since 1970. It was very good barbecue with excellent sides of their baked beans and cole slaw. After I returned, I rode around the campgrounds. There are 10 cabins and 60 campsites. The campsites are well equipped but not very suitable for tent camping. Every park likes to put gravel down for rv’s and don’t realize tents don’t fair well on gravel.

No matter how many times I proofread these blogs, once I review them after posting, I always find typos. For some reason, this program likes to capitalize everything except after a period.

Continue reading “Linville Falls Trip – Silver Springs – Day 11”

Linville Falls Trip – Silver Springs – Day 10

25 June 2017

Bridge out. That was my notification after my GPS routed me the back way to I-75 just south of Macon, Ga. That meant I had to suffer through 10 miles of “recalculating route” in order to complete the detour.

I had just said goodbye to Tom and turned in the key when my GPS asked if I would like an alternate route due to a problem ahead on the road. I said yes. Yet, it led me to the bridge out, showed it on the map when I arrived, and insisted I cross the washed out bridge. I declined.

As I was following the detour, I came upon a severe wreck along a stretch of country road where a wrecker was pulling a car up an embankment deep in the woods. There were two ambulances and numerous highway patrol on scene and since the ambulances were not going anywhere, I assumed there were fatalities.

Later, I must have passed twenty vintage vehicles, a part of some kind of rally. It varied from pickup trucks to Volkswagens, all vintage.

Once on I-75, I hit three major downpours to the point I had to slow down due to hydroplaning. Just before I reached Ocala traffic slowed to a crawl even though the rain had abated. I never cease to wonder at drivers who slow or stop in light rain but barrel through in heavy downpours.

Silvered Springs is just east of Ocala and I checked into the park around 5 pm. The cabin is new and patterned on the one I stayed in at Fanning Springs.

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Hopefully, while here I’ll get some hiking and cycling in and maybe a glass bottom boat ride.

I had a great time visiting with Tom even though he lives close in Wilton Manors. I think he had a good time and we both indicated we got a little emotional with the FDR sites.

Tom is always smart and lucky – two excellent traits. His original flight back out of Atlanta was 5 pm which meant 5 hours in the Delta Club Room, not necessarily a bad thing. However, before he left, he managed to get the 4 pm flight. He later texted me he got a 2 pm flight with upgrade to first class. See what I mean lucky/smart?

Early to bed tonight.

Linville Falls Trip – FDR State Park – Day 9

24 June 2017

This morning I cooked bacon and eggs in the cabin. Usually, they provide some type of frying pan for the cabin – they certainly had pots – but no frying pan. However, they did have an electric pan. I can’t remember the last time I cooked on one of those. In any case, the eggs turned out great and the bacon OK. I think it was more the brand of bacon than the cooking of it.

By 10:30 am Tom and I were at the entrance to the Little White House. There were not many people but there was one group of young kids, remarkably well behaved. You first enter a museum that does an excellent job of exploring the life of FDR. They have an we’ll done video narrated by Walter Cronkite (it’ll be a little hard to update).

While we were in the museum, it began to sprinkle outside so I suggested we beat the group of kids to the actual Little White House since the house itself is so small, moving around in a large group is difficult. I know Tom was surprised at how small the house really is and how much simpler life was back in that time.

Chair where FDR had his cerebral hemorrhage

From the Little White House, we did the Avenue of the States where every state sent in their signature stone. Florida’s was “fossiliferous limestone.

Next, we headed to where the unfinished portrait of FDR is housed. Roosevelt was sitting in the living room while Elizabeth Shoumatoff was painting his portrait when he began rubbing his temple and complained of a headache. He then collapsed and after being taken to his bed, he died. Both the unfinished portrait is housed here as well as the finished one she did later from memory and photos.

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From the Little White House, we drove to the historic pools. Our admission at the Little White House allowed us entrance to the pool museum. The ranger suggested that the pools, which are drained because of structural problems, may one day be renovated for use again. In any case, you can feel the temperature of the water which is consistently near 88F.

Tom found out the water that would normally go to fill the pools is collected on site, treated and then used at the Institute on the hill above the pools, so it is not wasted.

At the historic pools, it again started pouring rain. In killing time talking to the ranger, we found out there was a winery just a little ways down the road. We detoured there, toured the Warm Springs Winery (about 30 square feet) and did a wine tasting. Their wine comes from their own muscadine vineyard plus a red wine from north Georgia which is mixed with some of the muscadine wines.

I bought a case, got a 15% discount, and loaded it into the jeep. I Ike to use it as gifts and I find if you chill muscadine wine, it works well on a hot summer afternoon on the patio. Summer is on it’s way so….

Lunch was at the Lightning Bug Cafe, a little hole in the wall section of the Firefly gift store. There seems to be a theme here. Lunch was excellent but the highlight for me (other than Tom paying for lunch) was their caramel cake with whipped cream. My great aunt used to make me a caramel cake every year for my birthday and the first taste was pure nostalgia. I finally got tired of caramel cakes as a kid and she then started making me German chocolate cakes for my birthdays. My great aunt Buleah was an outstanding cook, but she made the very best cakes I’ve ever eaten. Tie that slice of nostalgia with the Little White House primitive structural elements constructed of pine, ice box that worked with ice as a cooler, tube radio, etc. and you have my childhood.

Upon arriving at the cabin, I opened the back door to take the wine inside when the entire box of 12 fell on the ground on top of some rocks. Amazingly, only one bottle of the 12 broke. Can we say wine shock?

Tomorrow I travel to Silver Springs, FL.

Linville Falls Trip -FDR State Park – Day 8

23 June 2017

Another great night of sleep! It helps when you are not on an air mattress within the confines of a back packing tent. After coffee and a doughnut, I headed out to visit Calloway Gardens, just outside of Pine Mountain, GA.

I’ve heard a lot about Calloway Gardens and I have to admit I was disappointed for some reason that I cannot put my finger on. I knew the azaleas were not in bloom but it seemed as if nothing else was either. I don’t think they have figured out whether they want to be a horticultural garden or a wild, natural area, or an amusement park. I’m sure it suits them with a golf course, bike and hiking paths, flower walks, cafes, etc., but it just didn’t resonate with me. However, it serves as a great job market for high school kids working the summer.

I rented a bike, even though I brought mine on this trip, I didn’t think they would allow me to use mine, so I left it at the cabin. I should have brought it. The one they gave me had a front wheel that was out of round and needed the spokes adjusted. It had only three gears for some fairly steep inclines. Even though I rented it for half a day, I returned it within the hour.

I finished touring the garden by jeep and continued to be underwhelmed. I decided to head back to FDR and do laundry in the campground. I was running out of clean clothes and Tom Green was to show up today and I didn’t want to stink him out of the cabin.

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Later, I gave him the tour of Warm Springs. If you’ve ever been to the town you know the entire downtown area can be walked in 10 minutes, and that’s stopping in some businesses along the way. It does have a little seedy charm to it, however.

We then drove past the historic pool where FDR received his therapy (we’ll tour that tomorrow as well as the Warm Springs White House) and then drove through the Institute for Rehabilitation, an out growth of the original polio institute. The institute has grown into a massive campus.

While in Warm Springs, Tom purchased some boiled peanuts, so we sat on the patio upon our return to the cabin and ate “goober peas” and drank wine.

Dinner was at the Meriwether Steak Company restaurant outside of Warm Springs. It’s a huge restaurant literally in the middle of nowhere. The steak was good and the service excellent. We were a little reluctant after reading one bad review but persevered and were pleasantly surprised. Tom treated me to my dinner.

We returned to the cabin patio and stargazed until rain drove us inside. Tomorrow we hit the pool and little White House and eat more boiled peanuts.

Linville Falls Trip – FDR State Park – Day 7

22 June 2017

It did not rain and I didn’t have to pack a wet tent. I’ll need to air it out upon my return home, but I lucked out. I woke up around 5:30 am and after coffee, was packed and ready to go by 7:15. My GPS routed me along NC 221 and then interstate to Asheville. I finally got a cellular signal about 45 minutes outside Asheville and was able to call Joyce and Alfred Hiller to let them know I was coming.

The last time I saw Joyce and Alfred was when they were in Fort Lauderdale, I think for a cruise. That was many years ago and it was a treat to see them again. We all commiserated with each other about health issues and caught up with each other’s lives.

When I met Joyce, I was stationed at USCG Communications Station in New Orleans. I wanted to volunteer in the Boy Scouts and met her then husband Fred through a troop led by Glen Buck. Fred insisted I come over for dinner one night where I met Joyce and their son Reed. Joyce and Fred pretty much adopted me while I was stationed there . I was constantly eating at their place. The friendship lasted. Fred died after I came to Broward and Joyce married Alfred. I got to know him the first time when they came to Fort Lauderdale. He’s a very interesting guy and devoted to Joyce, Reed, and Reed’s family.

It was so good to visit. Unfortunately, I was on a tight schedule to get to FDR State Park at Pine Mountain, GA and had to leave after a couple of hours. Although it has been years since I saw Alfred and Joyce, we picked up like it was only a few days instead of years. Good friends are like that.

I wasn’t able to visit with Reed, Sandra and the twins. I thought they were out of town and didn’t notify them and they had plans for today.

Just as I was approaching the park, Sirius went crazy with a tornado warning. Twice. Then one time, the radio just started beeping. I kept looking around for funnel clouds but thankfully none showed.

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The cabin is great. They modernized an old CCC cabin, refinished the floors, redid the bathroom and still kept the quaint features. I have two fireplaces. I’m tempted to drop the air conditioner just to have a fire a la Nixon but will not.

Considering I haven’t had a shower in three days, I lingered a little tonight in the hot water. I enjoyed my stay at Linville Falls and will miss the nightly firefly show. Maybe FDR will provide them here.

Linville Falls Trip – Day 6

21 June 2017

The campground was quiet last night and I got more sleep than the night before. I needed it because today was a busy day. In addition to pulling off the Blue Ridge for all their observations points as I headed south, I did three hikes – one pretty difficult and the other two easy.

Look what I found on the way to Crabtree Falls.

First hiking stop was Crabtree Falls, a 70 foot beauty. To get to the falls, you begin at the trailhead near the information center and hike through the campgrounds and begin your descent to the falls. It supposedly is a two mile loop, but typically, my gps registered over 4 miles. The initial descent is steep, rocky and muddy and I pity anyone who tries to do it without a good pair of hiking boots. The hike down and back up is listed as strenuous and I would have to agree.

You have the option of returning as you came (I would not recommend it) or take the 0.9 mile loop back. It has a very steep set of switchbacks but once you make the ridge, it levels out until the last 0.8 miles. It returns you to the campground and you must retrace your steps to the trailhead parking lot.

The signage on the trail was excellent and the trail fairly well maintained. They need to work on some of their staircases but otherwise this was an excellent hike.

My next stop was Mount Mitchell State Park, the highest mountain east of the Mississippi at 6,684 feet. This was the first State Park in North Carolina established in 1915. The park is named for Elisha Mitchell, a professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill who died trying to prove its height. He’s buried at the summit.
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Observation Deck and Tomb of Elisha Mitchell

In reality, you drive to the top (no admission fees) and wall 0.4 miles via a paved walkway to the top and to the observation tower. The views were spectacular.

There was a bicycle club of young kids that pedaled their way to the top! I was amazed at how young they were. I think it was some type of money raising event.

Lastly, I stopped at Craggy Gardens and hiked 0.3 miles up to a Rhododendron bald at the top. The path was steep but easily walked without too much effort. Again, with the rocks, a good pair of hiking shoes is recommended.

Me at the top of Craggy Gardens Rhododendron Bald

I returned to Linville Falls campground, took a “spit” shower and ate fried chicken with fried okra, mashed potatoes with gravy and iced tea at Famous Louise’s Rock House Restaurant. The famous part is the house sits directly at the meeting point of 3 North Carolina counties. Desert was homemade cherry pie with vanilla ice cream. I felt I needed to treat myself after all that exertion during the day.

It’s supposed to rain tomorrow so I may be packing a wet tent. I head to Asheville for a short visit with Joyce and Alfred Hiller and then to Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park at Pine Mountain, Georgia for three nights.

Linville Falls Trip – Day 5

I never sleep well the first night in a tent. I was a little anxious since a group camp of young kids were nearby and they were running around screaming at 9 pm. Just before 10 pm, I was getting ready to walk over to the campground host to ask him to ask the supervisor to quiet them down when it started raining and did the job for me. I tossed and turned until 1 am and finally dozed off until 5:30 am.

I made coffee and then headed out to find Jimmie and Stephen. We were planning to eat at Famous Louise’s Rock House Restaurant (not sure of her fame) near their lodge but it was closed on Tuesday. Instead, we headed to Linville and had breakfast at the Tartan Restaurant. I recommend their biscuits!

After breakfast, we headed to Linn Cove to see their famous “S” shaped viaduct. It seems to be some engineering marvel. It is 1,243 feet in length and was completed in 1987.

I heard the ranger tell some other visitors that the Blue Ridge Parkway was finished in segments and the viaduct was the last segment of the parkway completed. There are 153 segments to the bridge and only one is not curved in some fashion.

Next stop was Price Lake where Jimmie and I walked around the lake. It’s a beautiful hike, level, and for the most part shaded with Rhododendron. It was supposed to be 2.7 miles in length but Jimmie’s fit bit hit 3 miles about 3/4 of the way through.

Canopy of Rhododendron along trail at Price Lake

We thought we would have to turn around half way due to flooding from information received from a ranger but it was pretty dry most of the way. By the end of the hike it was time for lunch and we headed to Blowing Rock for lunch at Six Pence Pub. Trust me, mayonnaise is a key ingredient in everything.

I said goodbye to Jimmie and Stephen and headed back to Linville Falls. I really appreciated their willingness to share their time with me along the Blue Ridge. It gave us more time together. We travel well together and hopefully there will be other opportunities.

On my return, I stopped at Grandfather Mountain, paid the $20 admission and headed for the top.

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At the top, you have a spectacular view of a condominium across the valley. Really, it was fun to cross the swinging bridge and the views were nice.

You could see clouds rolling over the top of the bridge. After Grandfather Mountain, I headed south on the Blue Ridge Parkway and made several stops to photograph the scenery and wildflowers and the headed back to Linville Falls.

I then decided to hike to the lower falls on the recommendation of the ranger. The views were spectacular. Until today, I didn’t realize what we had seen yesterday were the upper falls which were nice but small in height. The Lower Falls are far more impressive.

As usual, something was funny about the mileage. The Chimney View Overlook is supposedly 0.7 miles from the visitor center and the Erwin’s View Overlook is 0.8 from the visitor center. My gps said 1.07 miles. So double that and add 0.2 for the Plunge Basin Overlook and it was 2.16 round trip. The ranger called the hike moderately difficult and I would agree. Most of the overlooks are uphill.

Tonight’s dinner was chicken and noodles. I think I prefer the noodles with the beef version, but what can you say about dehydrated/freeze dried food other than it helps with constipation?

Tomorrow, I head South on the Blue Ridge Parkway for more waterfalls and hiking. Stay tuned.

Linville Falls Trip – Day 4

19 June 2017

Last night, Greensboro was the recipient of a tremendous thunderstorm. I finally drifted off to sleep around 1 am and got up around 5:30 am, packed and met Jimmie and Stephen downstairs for breakfast.

I left first and they followed about an hour later in their car – destination Linville Falls. They are staying in a quaint lodge near the falls and I’m staying at the Linville Falls campground just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. My main concern was getting the tent set up before the 80% chance of rain set in.

I pulled into the camping area around 1 pm, set up the tent (10 minutes) and headed out to Linville Falls Lodge to pick Jimmie and Stephen up.

They were walking out the door to come find me (no cell reception) and it was pure luck I got there before they left. They are about a mile and a half from where I am located just of NC 226. We piled in the jeep and headed out.

Stephen had consulted with the owners of the lodge and found if we headed north from the lodge, we would come to a gravel road which would lead to the falls. Four miles further on the road and we would come to an overlook of the falls. As we were heading to the falls, it began to rain, so we decided to do the overlook first and if the rain quit, do the falls hike. The road was definitely unsaved, gravel in some places, boulders embedded in the road in other places and some mud.

You really couldn’t see the falls from the overlook but you had a spectacular view of Linville Gorge.
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Jimmie and Stephen at Linville Gorge Overlook

It was an easy walk, paved all the way and with handicapped access. It rained on us for most of the way and really poured on us on the way back. We got the jeep going over the road again and stopped at the Linville Falls access (more gravel).

After our soaking, Jimmie and I decided to hike to the falls. As you begin the 0.4 mile trip (more like 0.6 according to Jimmie’s odometer) you start a serious drop in the trail. It started raining as we started down. I had left Stephen the key fob so he was in good shape back at the car. In the back of your mind is the trip back up. We persevered and eventually the trail leveled out at the falls. We did the usual tourist photos and began the hike back up. It began to rain again, but eventually tapered off.

The falls are split into two major runs at the same level and a smaller, center run. The forest service has done a nice job of providing steps, stone retaining walls, and overlook points.

We returned to the lodge and eventually had a very nice dinner at their restaurant. It seems tourist season is not in full swing yet. The lodge was not full re are numerous spaces in the camp.

Tomorrow, I meet them for breakfast and we head north on the Blue Ridge for more short hikes, sightseeing and shopping. Temperature night is expected to dip to 59 F. Cellular reception is iffy.

Linville Falls Trip – Day 3

18 June 2017

Finally, a great night’s sleep! I dozed off sometime after 9:30 pm and didn’t wake until 6 am. It was bliss. No stomping in the overhead and no noisy neighbors in the next room. I have the entire second floor to myself. Stephen kindly offered to have someone tromp around in the attic to make me feel more like the Savannah stay but I demurred.

After breakfast and two cups of coffee, Jimmie, Stephen and I headed to the Greensboro Arboretum.

Jimmie and Stephen at the Greensboro Arboretum. Jimmie knows the sculpturer of the gate. The top is composed of many numerous wrought iron oak leaves.

The city, according to Stephen, converted some regions in the town into parks to help control excessive runoff from storms. There are several parks in town in flood plains and this one space was converted into the arboretum. This is a narrow strip along a busy road that is perfect for drainage mitigation and a public park at the same time.

Jimmie and I at the arboretum. Yes, that’s my smile.

The arboretum is well laid out with both paved and I paved pathways. It also has excellent signage. I would estimate 80-90% of the plantings were labeled and easily read from the pathways.

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After the arboretum, we adjourned to McDonalds for iced coffee. Later, we headed to the Weatherspoon Art Gallery to see their collection. It’s a part of the University of North Carolina, Greensboro and is a very neat little museum, also with classroom space for students.

The Weatherspoon Art Museum – back entrance

One exhibit at the Weatherspoon was paper art by Greensboro residents. My favorite was by Steven M. Cozart who interviewed people and drew them during their interviews on paper bags. The bottoms of the paper bags had quotations from each interview as their captions.

Tomorrow, I head to Linville Falls for three night of, in all probability, soggy camping. Stephen and Jimmie have better sense and are staying at Linville Lodge. We’ll do short day hikes while there.

There is a distinct possibility the next few days will be blogless because of lack of signal strength to do the posting. Whenever I get a signal, I’ll post but it may be a few days lag.